TEXT: RIGHTEOUS
  THE BOOK OF THE
  a complete pantheon for fifth edition
  By Aaron Loeb
  with Robert j. Schwalb & Rodney Thompson
  
  Printed in the USA
  RIGHTEOUS
  THE BOOK OF THE
  a complete pantheon for fifth edition
  Green ronin PUbliShinG
  3815 S. Othello St.
  Suite 100 #311
  Seattle, WA 98118
  www.greenronin.coma
  WritinG: Aaron Loeb
  AdditionAl WritinG: Malcolm Sheppard, William Simoni 
  (The Foundations of Rontra, the Leaves of Eliwyn, the Flail 
  of Rontra)
  GAme deSiGn: Robert J. Schwalb and Rodney Thompson 
  based on design by Aaron Loeb and Chris Pramas
  From A mytholoGy creAted by: Robert Lawson, Aaron Loeb, 
  Sandeep Rao, and William Simoni
  editinG: Jeffrey Fisher, Kristin Satterlee, Evan Sass, and 
  Robert J. Schwalb
  ProoFreAdinG: Malcolm Sheppard  
  GrAPhic deSiGn & Art direction: Hal Mangold 
  cover illUStrAtion: Brian Despain
  interior illUStrAtionS: Piotr Arendzikowski, Britt Martin, 
  Biagio D’Allessandro, Stanislav Dikolenko, Maurizio Giorgio, 
  Felipe Gaona, Claudia Iannciello, Johnny Morrow,  
  Svetoslav Petrov, Bryan Syme, Andrey Vasilchenko,  
  Damon Westenhofer, and John Wilson
  Green ronin StAFF: Joe Carriker, Crystal Frazier, Jaym Gates, 
  Steve Kenson, Nicole Lindroos, Hal Mangold, Jack Norris, 
  Chris Pramas, Evan Sass, Marc Schmalz, Malcolm Sheppard, 
  Owen K.C. Stephens, Dylan Templar, and Barry Wilson
  Special thanks to the people who played in campaigns with the mythology, all of whom helped shape it: Jason Samuel Armenise, Chris 
  Boily, Paul Byrnes, Chris Flaherty, Brian Kirby, Robert Lawson, Chris Lippy, Todd Miller, Chris Pramas, Kim Pratt, Sandeep Rao, and 
  Matthew Sammons.
  The author, for whom this has been a project a decade in the making, would like to thank the people who made it possible from beginning 
  to end with their invaluable support: Chad Brinkley, Michael Evans, Jeffrey Fisher, Alexander Danger Gray, Arne Gullerud, Nicole 
  Lindroos, Jane Loeb, Peter Loeb, Chris Pramas, Kristin Satterlee, Pamela Shaw, Dan Silver, David Simkins, William Simoni, Sean 
  Stidd, Doug Tabb, and everyone at Planet Moon Studios. But most especially, the philosopher L.K. Roberts, without whom nothing is 
  possible (and she can prove it!).
  Aaron, Chris, and William would like to dedicate this book to the memory of Sandeep Rao. He made an oath to himself, he got his share, he 
  couldn’t drink a cup of coffee without spilling it, and he never met a game he didn’t like. We’ll miss you at Gen Con every year, Deeper.
  The Book of the Righteous is ©2002, 2017 Aaron Loeb. Art is ©2017 Green Ronin Publishing. Reference to other  
  copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material. 
  The following is designated as Product Identity: the names of the gods with the exception of Asmodeus. 
  The following text is designated as Open Gaming Content: Chapter X: New Rules.
  
  22
  Foreword .............................................. 3
  I: Mythology & CosMology .........5
  the Story .....................................5
  How the Elements Were Created .........5
  coSmoloGy ................................. 10
  II: thegreat ChurCh ................... 13
  the GreAt chUrch .....................13
  Myths ...............................................13
  The Church .......................................15
  Holy Orders ......................................19
  III: the old gods ...........................23
  UriAn ..........................................23
  Myths  ............................................. 23
  The Eyries of Urian ..........................25
  Holy Orders ......................................27
  rontrA .......................................30
  Myths .............................................. 30
  The Foundations of Rontra .............. 33
  Holy Orders ......................................35
  ShAlimyr.....................................38
  Myths ...............................................38
  The Basins of Shalimyr .................... 40
  Holy Orders ..................................... 43
  eliWyn ........................................ 47
  Myths ...............................................47
  the nAmeleSS one .....................48
  Myths .............................................. 48
  IV: the gods oF the tree  ........50
  morWyn ......................................50
  Myths ...............................................50
  The Healing Halls of Morwyn ..........52
  Holy Orders ......................................55
  terAk .......................................... 59
  Myths  ..............................................59
  The Temples of Terak ........................61
  Holy Orders ..................................... 64
  ZheenkeeF .................................. 67
  Myths ...............................................68
  The Vineyards of Zheenkeef ...............70
  Holy Orders ......................................72
  tinel ........................................... 75
  Myths ...............................................76
  The Scriptoriums of Tinel .................79
  Holy Orders ......................................81
  mormekAr  .................................86
  Myths ...............................................86
  The Sacristies of Mormekar .............. 87
  Holy Orders ......................................89
  V: the gods oF the woMb  .......91
  mAAl........................................... 91
  Myths  ..............................................91
  The Courts of Maal.......................... 94
  Holy Orders ......................................96
  dArmon ......................................99
  Myths  ........................................... 100
  The Houses of Darmon ....................102
  Holy Orders ................................... 104
  AymArA ..................................... 108
  Myths  ............................................108
  The Lyceums of Aymara ..................111
  Holy Orders ....................................112
  korAk ....................................... 116
  Myths  ............................................116
  The Guildhalls of Korak ..................118
  Holy Orders ................................... 120
  AnWyn ......................................124
  Myths .............................................124
  The Hearths of Anwyn ....................126
  Holy Orders ....................................127
  The Secret Church ...........................129
  IV: the three sIsters  ...............133
  the three SiSterS .................... 133
  Myths .............................................133
  The Triads of the Sisters ..................134
  Holy Orders ....................................135
  nAryne ...................................... 136
  Myths  ............................................136
  The Church of the Dark Sister .........138
  Holy Orders ....................................139
  cAnelle .................................... 141
  Myths  ............................................141
  The Church of the Red Sister ...........143
  Holy Orders ....................................144
  thellyne  .................................. 145
  Myths  ............................................145
  The Church of the Golden Sister ......147
  Holy Orders ....................................148
  VII: FaIth In eVIl ...........................150
  the evil GodS .......................... 150
  Myths .............................................150
  ASmodeUS .................................. 151
  cAnArAk ................................... 153
  thelloS .................................... 155
  nArAn ....................................... 157
  evil & hereticAl  
  cUltS oF the tree ................... 159
  VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns  ............163
  AliGnmentS .............................. 163
  Geographical Integration .................166
  Incorporating Mythology .................167
  Campaign and Adventure Hooks .....167
  Perks ..............................................170
  Jus Cogens ......................................170
  Evil Creatures ................................171
  Heretical Teachings  
  and Blasphemy ..............................171
  What Form, Faith? ........................172
  IX: do It yourselF  .....................173
  Cosmological Implications ...............173
  Objective to Subjective ....................176
  Names ............................................176
  Existing Pantheons .........................177
  Complete Religions .........................177
  Single Gods .....................................178
  Racial Gods ....................................178
  Altering the Churches ......................179
  Altering the Mythology....................180
  X: new rules ..................................182
  clASSeS ..................................... 182
  Barbarians .....................................182
  Bards ..............................................182
  Clerics ............................................183
  Druids ............................................191
  Fighters ..........................................192
  Monks ............................................193
  Paladins .........................................194
  Rangers ..........................................199
  Rogues ............................................199
  Sorcerers ........................................ 200
  Warlocks .........................................201
  Wizards ......................................... 202
  bAckGroUndS ............................ 203
  FeAtS, SPellS & mAGic itemS ... 205
  Feats ............................................. 205
  New Spells ..................................... 206
  New Magic Items ........................... 208
  Artifacts ..........................................210
  neW creAtUreS ........................ 212
  Animal Spirits ................................212
  Handmaid of Zheenkeef ..................213
  Ix ...................................................214
  Lammasu .......................................215
  Metteron ........................................215
  Phoenix ..........................................216
  Raguel ............................................216
  appendIX I:  
  a treatIse on the dIVIne ......219
  appendIX II:  
  gods and raCes ......................... 240
  GloSSAry ...................................240
  GeneAloGy oF the  
  GodS And rAceS ...................... 241
  IndeX....................................................252
  lICense ............................................... 254
  table oF Contents
  
  3
  I
  n the beginning were the gods. Whether they’re called deities, powers, 
  immortals, divinities, the elder spirits, or the first ancestors, gods tell you more 
  about a fantasy world than almost anything else. Many of the most epic tales in 
  fantasy arise from the gods—from the gods’ desires, splendors, failings, and rivalries. 
  Who fashioned the cosmos and why? The answer lies with the gods. Where did that 
  strange monster or ruin come from? Usually a god, or a mortal coveting a god’s power, 
  gave rise to it. Why have those kingdoms clashed for thousands of years? It’s possible 
  the kingdoms’ gods battled each other before time even began. What is the meaning of 
  mortal existence? Can suffering and decay ever be counteracted by mercy and beauty? 
  Such questions lurk under the surface of most fantasy stories, and the answers are often 
  hidden with the gods. And when a game master sits down to forge a new world, where 
  does that creator start? Usually with the gods.
  Ever since I was a kid and pored over the d’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, tales of the 
  divine have enthralled me. When I first encountered the cosmic map in the Advanced 
  Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook and the pantheons in Deities & Demigods, I saw 
  that mythmaking and gaming could go hand in hand, that a roleplaying game could 
  be a stage for stories about gods, their creations, and the heroes who follow in their 
  footsteps. Divine themes are at the center of my D&D campaigns to this day, and when 
  I sat down to co-design the Blue Rose roleplaying game for Green Ronin, writing the 
  story of the gods was the task I gave myself first. Once I understood the gods, I figured 
  the rest of the design would fall into place.
  Around when I was working on Blue Rose, I met Aaron Loeb, the author of the tome 
  you’re now reading. At that time, we both lived in Berkeley, California, and he was 
  looking for a D&D group. Our group happened to be searching for a new member, so 
  we invited him on board. He wanted to be the Dungeon Master, and we readily said 
  yes. It was an easy yes to give, for I was already familiar with The Book of the Righteous, 
  which is filled with things I enjoy: cosmic stories, well-realized gods, detailed religions, 
  and new character options. Aaron wanted his book to be the basis of our campaign, and 
  so it was. I played Symeon the Scribe, a wizard in service to the god Tinel, the Heav-
  enly Archmage. Symeon and his companions journeyed in a world shaped entirely by 
  this book, and much fun was had in it, as we faced the glories and horrors hatched by 
  the book’s pantheon. I can say from firsthand experience that these pages are filled with 
  things that can brighten any fantasy campaign.
  After we became gaming buddies, Aaron and I co-authored the material on the gods 
  in the second edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, allowing our shared love of story-
  telling and divine dramas to spread into another fantasy world. When it came time for 
  me to finish the Player’s Handbook for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, it was 
  vital to me to include a version of the cosmic map that had appeared in the first edition 
  of the book and to detail pantheons from many of D&D’s worlds. Those things are at 
  the heart of the D&D multiverse and at the core of my love of roleplaying games. I 
  know the same is true of my friend Aaron, as evidenced throughout this book.
  Get ready to delve into this trove of ideas, whether you use the pantheon as written or 
  you poach your favorite bits to spice up a pantheon of your own. I’ve enjoyed reading the 
  tales herein as inspiration and entertainment, and the game material in this new edi-
  tion has been ably updated by Robert Schwalb and Rodney Thompson, both of whom 
  worked on fifth edition D&D with me. They provide a variety of ways to alter your 
  character with a touch of the divine. Perhaps the game options will inspire you to devise 
  some new ones!
  However you decide to use this book’s riches, may your stories be glorious, may 
  your characters escape the gods’ wrath, and may those heroes forever enjoy the favor of 
  the heavens.
  Jeremy Crawford
  Lead Rules Developer of Dungeons & Dragons
  May 2017
  Foreword
  
  Chapter I: Mythology and CosMology
  44
  
  5
  In the beginning, the universe was a realm of serene emp-
  tiness, naught but absolute law and goodness. Then came 
  chaos and evil, in the roiling power called the Shachté or 
  Corpus Infernus. In the meeting of perfection and change, 
  there was a flash and the Nameless One (the neutral cre-
  ator god), an all-powerful being, uttered the first sound: 
  His name. In speaking His name, He summoned Himself 
  from nothingness. 
  how the eleMents  
  were Created
  In the First Epoch of creation, the Nameless One was 
  alone in the darkness. He created a palace for Himself in 
  the void and pondered His existence. At last, He began to 
  create. Speaking four words, He created the four elements: 
  fire, water, earth, and air. Knowing He could do any-
  thing with these four powers, He created a vision of what 
  would come. He watched this vision for some time, seeing 
  that by His action a world would be created, and would be 
  filled with life. Then He acted as the vision had foretold.
  how our world was Created
  In the Second Epoch of creation, the Nameless One built 
  four pillars from the four powers (the Elemental Planes). 
  Each pillar was one of the powers in its purest form. Then 
  He created a great sphere and placed it on top of the pillars. 
  This sphere is our universe. The universe was filled with 
  nothing but ether, until the Nameless One created a central 
  sphere (the Material Plane), filling it with all the parts of 
  the sky: suns, moons, stars, winds, and vapors. Then He 
  created land under the sky: mountains, hills, valleys, plains, 
  and cliffs. Then He surrounded the lands He had created 
  with the waters: oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and streams. 
  the bIrth oF the FIrst  
  beIng, the god oF FIre
  Having created a world where life would grow, the Name-
  less One waited, but life did not come, so He created it 
  in a companion He called Kador (the lawful evil God of 
  Fire). To Kador He gave the gifts of life, will, and fire 
  (these three forces form souls), and ever after, only crea-
  tures with these three gifts were complete. The Nameless 
  One was so pleased with Kador that He gave will to the 
  earth, the sky, and the waters also. Then He delivered to 
  Kador three prophecies.
  First, He declared that much life would come to the 
  world and that it was Kador’s duty to give the gift of fire 
  to all those born of the world. Second, He whispered a 
  long decree into Kador’s ear. Third, He proclaimed that as 
  all of creation was born with the uttering of His name, so 
  too would all creation cease when His name was spoken 
  again. This said, the Nameless One departed from the 
  sphere and was never heard from again.
  the bIrth oF the eleMental gods
  The earth, sky, and waters, having heard that much life 
  would come to the world, tried to create it, but were 
  unable. Eventually, Kador tricked them into unifying. 
  All the parts of the earth unified and awoke with life as 
  Rontra, the Earth (the lawful good Goddess of Earth). 
  All the parts of the sky unified and awoke as Urian, the 
  Air (the neutral good God of the Air). All the waters uni-
  fied to awake as Shalimyr, the Water (the chaotic neutral 
  God of the Waters). Kador gave fire to these three.
  the bIrth oF the tree oF lIFe and the 
  CursIng oF the FIFth FruIt
  From the joining of Shalimyr and Rontra arose a great 
  and lovely tree, called Eliwyn (the neutral Tree of Life), 
  and on it blossomed five fruits, tended to by Urian. Kador 
  demanded the fifth fruit on the tree for himself, but the 
  other three would not allow it. Kador become corrupted 
  by the Corpus Infernus: the power of pure corruption. The 
  assumed state of all life is lawful good, but the Corpus 
  Infernus can drag life away from good, lawfulness, or both. 
  Kador was drunk with power, and believed himself a 
  higher being than the others. He likened himself to their 
  father. Their refusal to give him the fifth fruit angered 
  him, and he cursed it so that the child within would be 
  weaker than a god but more plentiful—and would rebel 
  against those who grew in the other fruits.
  the bIrth oF the Four MaIn gods
  The other four fruits ripened, and in them grew four young 
  gods: two brothers, Terak (the lawful good or neutral 
  God of War) and Tinel (the chaotic good or neutral God 
  of Magic), and two sisters, Morwyn (the lawful good 
  Goddess of Healing) and Zheenkeef (the chaotic neutral 
  Goddess of Inspiration). Terak, Tinel, and Zheenkeef could 
  not wait for their fruit to ripen, so they forced their fruit 
  to fall. Tinel and Terak landed at the same moment. Then 
  their sister Zheenkeef fell. At last, Morwyn’s fruit finished 
  T
  he mythology described in this chapter knits together the gods and churches discussed in later 
  chapters. The information here is intended to establish the relationships between the gods, but, more importantly, 
  their relationship with mortals and the cosmology in which they live. The information presented here can replace an 
  existing cosmology, add mythological details to an existing cosmology, or spark the imagination for creating a new cosmology.
  The Story
  I: Mythology & CosMology
  
  Chapter I: Mythology and CosMology
  66
  ripening and she fell. When all four gods emerged, Kador 
  came to them and offered fire to the eldest. Each brother 
  insisted that he was the elder. Kador gave all four the fire, 
  pleased at having sown dissent among them, and then tried 
  to steal the fifth fruit he had cursed.
  the bIrth oF the FIrst raCe, the dIV
  The fifth fruit burst open at his touch, and from it came 
  the div (the precursors to genies), the first race of the 
  world. They were weaker than the gods but more plentiful, 
  for there were thousands of tiny div. Their blood was fire, 
  and they did not age or grow ill. They ran all over Kador 
  and he shook them off, scattering them across the world 
  and forming three great tribes: the Marid, the Shaitan, 
  and the Shee.
  the FIrst war and death oF  
  the gods and tree oF lIFe
  In the Third Epoch of creation, the races of the div spread 
  further across the world. Terak, Tinel, and Zheenkeef 
  engaged in the lesser war of the gods, using the fire given 
  them by Kador to make weapons. Terak made the axe; 
  Tinel made magic; Zheenkeef made inspiration. Terak 
  and Tinel fought to be the eldest, and Zheenkeef believed 
  if she destroyed them both, she would gain that title. 
  Morwyn watched in horror. All four gods began teaching 
  the div and granting them powers. Eventually, Terak and 
  Tinel were tricked by Zheenkeef, and killed each other 
  using Eliwyn, the Tree of Life, which was also destroyed.
  the bIrth oF the god oF death,  
  the CorruptIon oF the god oF FIre
  In the moment that the two gods were killed, Mormekar 
  (the neutral God of Death), the Shadow, was created. He 
  told Morwyn that while death was in his power, so too 
  would be rebirth if he possessed fire. Morwyn, Mormekar, 
  Urian, and Rontra called to Kador for fire, but he refused 
  to give it, even though he had been commanded to do so 
  by the Nameless One; Kador had become so corrupted by 
  the Corpus Infernus that he was now completely evil. 
  rebIrth oF the gods and the tree
  Since Kador had betrayed his duty, Morwyn gave Morme-
  kar her fire, which she had never used to make a weapon. 
  Mormekar used it to burn the bodies of Tinel and Terak 
  on a pyre built from the wood of Eliwyn. Zheenkeef so 
  loved the dancing flames that she threw herself on the 
  pyre and was consumed. When all was burnt to ash, 
  nothing happened, and Morwyn fell to her knees and 
  wept. When her tears hit the ashes, Eliwyn sprouted forth 
  anew with five fruits, and at the foot of the tree were three 
  infants: Terak, Tinel, and Zheenkeef reborn.
  the FIrst god born oF the woMb,  
  the CreatIon oF the CelestIals
  Morwyn and Mormekar raised the three infants and 
  had a child of their own, which they named Maal (the 
  lawful neutral God of Justice). As Maal and the other 
  gods grew, Morwyn made her three great works. First, 
  she called the mightiest of the div to her. Many had 
  been given great powers by her siblings in their war, and 
  these div she made into the celestial host, separating 
  them from their people but teaching them the songs 
  and wisdom of the gods. The chief of this host was the 
  archangel Iblis (a solar who is now a lawful evil Duke of 
  Hell). Second, she discovered, with the eyes of a healer, 
  why it was that her siblings had gone mad and killed 
  each other, and she created a cure. Third, she concocted 
  three great laws.
  the CastIng out oF the deMons
  When Morwyn’s works were complete, the gods were all 
  fully-grown. She called them to her and explained their ill-
  ness—the Corpus Infernus had infected them. To cure them, 
  she had used her power and the power of the celestial host 
  to build a prison outside of the world. This place she called 
  Hell. Opening a portal to Hell, she expelled the Corpus 
  Infernus from the gods and the celestial host, and this raw 
  stuff of chaos and evil became what men call demons. This 
  done, the gods would descend no further into evil.
  the FIrst laws oF the gods
  She then shared the three laws with the gods: first, that 
  the gods would never make war against one another; 
  second, that the gods would use their strength to guide 
  the div and the new races ripening in Eliwyn’s fruit; 
  and third, that no one god would rule the others. As the 
  eldest, she would lead, but she could not order the other 
  gods to obey and follow. 
  the CreatIon oF the deVIls
  These laws agreed to, the gods all turned their attention 
  to Kador, who had turned evil and had to be cured of 
  the Corpus Infernus or cast out. Kador had prepared for 
  this and had given powers to several div, making them 
  as great as any of the celestial host—perhaps greater. His 
  servants were named Lilith (with whom he procreated, 
  giving birth to countless dark beasts), Baal (his fiercest 
  warrior), Dispater (the clever), Mammon (the mad and 
  power-hungry), and Leviathan (a Marid he had stretched 
  into a sea-creature larger than any ocean). He also sought 
  to make a creature in his own image, as the Nameless One 
  had created him, and this creature he called Mephistoph-
  eles. He would call his servants “divils,” which would later 
  become the word “devils.”
  war oF the gods, bIrth oF the dragons
  The gods attacked Kador and his minions in the Great 
  War of the Gods, but were driven back by a great deluge 
  of fire unleashed by Kador, just as Leviathan swallowed 
  Shalimyr so that the waters could not douse the flames. 
  Fire spread everywhere, and those div caught in the 
  deluge had their skin burnt away. Most died, but some 
  were transformed into creatures of pure fire and power—
  the first dragons. 
  
  Chapter I: Mythology and CosMology
  7
  IMprIsonMent oF the god oF FIre
  The gods attacked a second time and broke Kador. The 
  fire he was entrusted with was taken from him and placed 
  into the five fruits of the tree so that all the children of 
  the world born from those fruits would possess it. Kador 
  and his servants were cast into the prison Morwyn had 
  made for them, Hell, and most of the children spawned of 
  Kador and Lilith went with them.
  bIrth oF the young gods
  The gods had prevailed, and there was peace for a time. 
  Morwyn took Terak as a second husband, and together 
  they had twins: Anwyn (the lawful good Goddess of 
  the Hearth) and Korak (the neutral good God of the 
  Forge). Tinel and Zheenkeef married and begat the 
  twins Darmon (the chaotic good God of Travelers and 
  Messengers) and Aymara (the chaotic good Goddess of 
  Art and Love). They raised these children happily, and 
  all was well.
  rebellIon oF the dIV
  Before long, the remnants of the Marid and the Shaitan 
  grew restless. The div had been used and abused in every 
  divine war. They now sought to overthrow the gods. They 
  rose up as Kador had foretold, and were put down by 
  the celestial host led by Iblis. The gods knew they had 
  to expel the div from the world, for they were cursed by 
  Kador. The Marid were sent to the pillar of water and the 
  Shaitan, to the pillar of fire. But the Shee, the silent third 
  race of div, had never partaken in any war. They remained 
  hidden about the earth, but Kador had cursed them too.
  bIrth oF the Fey and the elVes
  The gods gave each Shee a choice—to be stripped of the fire 
  in their blood and become mortal, or to be stripped of the 
  gift of will. Those who agreed to be stripped of the fire were 
  gathered by the gods and placed, sleeping, under Eliwyn, 
  for they were a new mortal race called the elves, and would 
  wait for the ripening of the other fruits. Those who agreed 
  to be stripped of will were allowed to remain in their hiding 
  places around the world, and were called the fey.
  bIrth oF the dwarVes
  The children of the gods grew, and yet the fruits still did 
  not ripen. Finally, Zheenkeef grew impatient and went to 
  the tree. She grabbed the sleeping elves to play with them, 
  but they awakened and bit her hands. Yelping, she shook 
  her hands and the elves were spread all over the world. 
  Some even falling into the water, creating the sea elves. 
  Her hand covered in blood, she grabbed the next fruit 
  and hurled it across the earth. Meanwhile, Korak, the 
  none-too-bright son of Terak and Morwyn, was playing 
  on the other side of the world. He was hit in the head by 
  the bloody fruit and gained some of Zheenkeef’s inspira-
  tion, but was knocked unconscious for many years. Out of 
  this fruit rose the dwarves, and they made great halls in 
  Korak’s head.
  
  Chapter I: Mythology and CosMology
  88
  who Is the naMeless one?
  Although Great Church writings refer the Nameless One 
  as a masculine figure (with pronouns to match), this tradi-
  tion exists purely to placate those patriarchal cultures the 
  faith preaches to. In fact, sages have argued long and hard 
  about whether the Nameless One has a body, much less a 
  gender. The Great Church and many other religions have 
  a taboo against depicting the Nameless One as anything 
  more than a humanoid outline, for such a depiction might 
  be equivalent to uttering “his” name, ending the universe. 
  Other faiths believe it acceptable to depict aspects of the 
  Nameless One in various genders: a female Creator and 
  a male Destroyer, for example. These are understood to 
  not depict the true form of the Nameless One, but rather 
  provide symbolic images to aid contemplation.
   
  Thus, even though this book describes a masculine 
  Nameless One so you can quote the most common litur-
  gies directly, don’t be surprised if you encounter texts and 
  art describing the deity in other forms, both in this book 
  and in campaigns that acknowledge the Nameless One’s 
  existence.
  bIrth oF the gnoMes
  Zheenkeef plucked another fruit, and noticed she had bled 
  all over it. She licked off her blood and hurled the fruit 
  across the world. From it came the gnomes, who had been 
  touched by her inspiring blood, tongue, and breath. 
  bIrth oF the halFlIngs
  The next fruit she kicked, and it bounced across the 
  world. This squashed the people inside, who were sup-
  posed to be tall and willowy, to half their size. Thus were 
  born the halflings. 
  bIrth oF the huMans, & the FIFth FruIt
  Hungry from her labors, Zheenkeef plucked the fourth fruit 
  and gobbled it up. This made her quite ill, and Morwyn came 
  at the sound of her bellowing. Morwyn made her vomit up 
  the fruit and all the gods worked to reconstruct the contents. 
  The people inside the fruit, humans, lost something of 
  themselves in the process, which is why they are so short-
  lived. They were made into many different forms by the gods, 
  which is why they look so different from one another. 
  The fifth fruit remained untouched, and still has 
  not ripened.
  MakIng oF the land oF the dead
  The children of the gods grew to maturity after this, and 
  there was an Age of Heroes when the gods walked among 
  the mortal races, giving them great gifts and teaching 
  them countless tricks. During this age, Maal and Korak 
  built a great realm for Maal (the land of the dead) under 
  the earth, beneath the roots of Eliwyn, so that he might 
  oversee the souls of the dead. 
  the three CoMpanIons  
  FInd the three sIsters
  Some short time after the completion of the realm, Maal, 
  Darmon, and Korak went adventuring together looking for 
  wives. On their journey, the found three sisters: Naryne 
  (the lawful neutral Goddess of Nobility), Thellyne (the 
  neutral good Goddess of the Hunt, and Canelle (the cha-
  otic good Goddess of Victory). While Maal and Naryne 
  immediately agreed to marry, Darmon and Korak’s love 
  for the other two sisters (Darmon’s for Canelle, Korak’s for 
  Thellyne) went unreciprocated. Regardless, these three sis-
  ters joined the family of the gods.
  the gods dIVIde oVer Chaos and law
  In the Fourth Epoch of creation, the age of heroes 
  ended. The gods, forbidden to fight against one another 
  directly, taught the mortal races to think like them. They 
  cultivated followers and used them against one another. 
  Although Corpus Infernus didn’t burn within them, they 
  still had powerful disagreements. Some believed strongly 
  in the importance of individualism, while others wished 
  to see strong societies and laws. The two sides gave 
  some of their followers great powers to work their will 
  on the world, spoke to them directly, and even walked 
  with them.
  the separatIon oF heaVen and earth
  Eventually, though, the struggles of the servants of 
  the gods grew so ugly and intense that the gods almost 
  went to war again. To prevent this, the gods agreed on 
  a Compact: a system of laws that prohibited them from 
  directly ordering the mortal races to do their bidding. 
  The gods had been living in the earthly sphere (the 
  Material Plane), but they then set themselves apart, cre-
  ating a great mountain away from the world and living 
  at its spire (the Seven Heavens). Maal’s Kingdom was 
  also separated from the earth, with only a dark river con-
  necting them. 
  the CreatIon oF the CoMpaCt,  
  gehenna, and elysIuM
  Rather than instructing mortals directly, the Compact 
  created a system in which mortals might be given powers 
  to serve the will of a god only if they came, of their own 
  free will, to worship that god. This new order gave the 
  gods power from the belief and prayers of mortals. To 
  make the mortals’ choice to serve the gods meaningful, 
  the gods agreed to allow the dark forces to tempt mortals. 
  In their effort to contact the demons to arrange this, the 
  gods discovered that Kador had conquered Hell with 
  his followers, the devils, and ruled under a new aspect, 
  as Asmodeus. Concerned by this, the gods developed a 
  method to keep Asmodeus in check, allowing the devils 
  and the demons (now located in an infinite Abyss that 
  they had burrowed out of the sphere) to battle over the 
  souls of the wicked. The gods then created the dae-
  mons and the guardian angels to track all small acts 
  
  Chapter I: Mythology and CosMology
  9
  of wickedness and goodness, placing them in their own 
  planes (Gehenna and Elysium, respectively). 
  how thIngs stand
  The gods put in place the order of the world, which 
  prevails to this day. Mortals have free will. They are 
  instructed by the earthly servants of the gods (clergy and 
  other mortals who worship the gods) to do good, but are 
  tempted by evil mortals and the powers of Hell and the 
  Abyss to do evil. At all times, they are watched by the 
  guardian angels and the daemons that keep great ledgers 
  of their deeds. When they die, their souls are claimed by 
  Mormekar and led down the dark river to Maal’s King-
  dom, where they stand before the King of Souls and tell 
  the tale of their lives.
   If they led undistinguished lives, they wait in Maal’s 
  Kingdom to be reborn. If they led lives of brutal, chaotic 
  evil, they are sent to the Abyss for punishment. If they 
  indulged in petty, neutral evil, daemons claim them for 
  punishment in Gehenna. Acts of cunning, lawful evil con-
  sign a soul to Hell, and the embrace of devils. If a person 
  led a life of great good or terrible tragedy, they may be 
  admitted to the halls of Maal to live in bliss for eternity. 
  The most devoted are claimed by their gods; they ascend 
  the mountain of Heaven and become servants of their 
  gods for eternity.
  the Fall oF IblIs
  This is the order of things as it stands now, with the 
  gods drawing the mortal races toward good—though 
  arguing over the nature of good—and the creatures 
  born from or severely tainted by the Corpus Infernus 
  drawing mortals toward evil. This system, with the 
  heavens and the dark powers united to focus their 
  attentions on the mortal races, did not sit well with 
  everyone, and eventually the chief of the archangels, 
  Iblis, revolted against the gods in protest. His rebel-
  lion failed, and he was cast into Hell to abide with 
  the devils he had helped defeat long before. Since 
  the creation of the compact and the uprising of Iblis, 
  there have been no major conflicts of the gods, and the 
  mortal races have come into their inheritance of the 
  world, which they enjoy to this day.
  other raCes
  The mythology presented here describes the origins of the 
  most iconic races, but the PHB and other rulebooks add 
  other races to the game world. These appeared during and 
  after the Age of Heroes and might have been created by 
  accident, for some divine purpose, or as branches of other 
  the races created from the fruit of the One Tree. If you 
  want these other races or new ones of your own creation 
  to have a stronger connection to the mythology, you can 
  simply say the One Tree bore more fruit and other races 
  sprang from them.
  the end oF thIngs
  There are many theories about the End Times, when 
  the apocalypse will come, and the order of creation will 
  collapse, or transform beyond imagining. Some believe 
  a being will speak the Nameless One’s name, and bring 
  an end to existence. Some say Asmodeus, the dark face 
  of Kador, will free himself from Hell and unleash his 
  vengeance upon the gods, burning existence. The last 
  great theory holds that the fifth fruit, that still hands on 
  from Eliwyn’s bough will ripen and fall, and that which 
  emerges from it will change creation.
  The Nameless 
  ONe creaTes: 
  The fOur pillars, 
  The GreaT sphere 
  The maTerial plaNe
  The Nameless ONe 
  creaTes KadOr
  The Nameless ONe 
  uTTers prOphecies 
  TheN deparTs
  BirTh Of rONTra, 
  uriaN & shalimyr
  BirTh Of eliwyN
  KadOr curses The 
  fifTh fruiT
  BirTh Of TeraK, 
  TiNel, ZheeN-
  Keef mOrwyN 
  aNd The div
  creaTiON
  BirTh Of shachTè
  The Nameless ONe 
  creaTes himself
  The Nameless ONe 
  creaTes his palace
  The Nameless ONe 
  sees The fuTure
  Contemplation
  Great War 
  of the Gods
  discOvery Of 
  The Three sisTers
  BirTh Of dwarves, 
  GNOmes, halfliNGs  
  & humaNs
  reBelliON Of  
  The div
  div casT OuT
  BirTh Of The 
  fey & elves
  BirTh Of 
  darmON, aymara, 
  aNwyN & KOraK
  KadOr casT OuT
  BirTh Of draGONs
  Lesser War 
  of the Gods
  deaThs Of TeraK, 
  TiNel, ZheeNKeef 
  aNd eliwyN
  BirTh Of mOrmeKar
  reBirTh Of TeraK, 
  TiNel, ZheeNKeef 
  aNd eliwyN
  BirTh Of maal
  cOrpus iNferNus  
  is casT OuT
  The Three laws
  ConfliCts 
  of the Gods
  The cOmpacT
  creaTiON Of The 
  sphere Of heaveN
  creaTiON Of 
  GeheNNa & elysium
  remOval Of maal’s 
  KiNGdOm frOm 
  maTerial plaNe
  fall Of iBlis
  The preseNT
  MythIC tIMelIne
  4th Epoch
  3rd Epoch
  2nd Epoch
  1st Epoch
  
  Chapter I: Mythology and CosMology
  10
  10
  The map on page 11 shows the cosmology associated 
  with the myths presented in this book. Descriptions of 
  the various places start at the top and move clockwise. 
  heaVen
  In the fourth epoch, the gods set themselves apart from 
  the world, building for themselves a magnificent home 
  outside the Material Plane. Heaven is a great mountain 
  with seven shining cities. Six array themselves before you 
  as you ascend—one on each great slope. An archangel (a 
  solar) watches over each city. The spire of the mountain 
  is where the seventh city can be found, and though it is 
  at the top of the mountain, it is said to be infinite. This 
  is the city of the gods. At the center of the city stands a 
  great hall, where the gods sit on their thrones to debate 
  with each other, and watch the Material Plane.
  elysIuM
  To follow the Compact, it was necessary to observe the 
  good and bad deeds of all mortals. The gods created 
  Elysium, where a “light shadow” (essentially, a likeness 
  made of light) of every living mortal walks about. These 
  likenesses are constantly observed by the guardian angels 
  of Elysium (usually devas), who record their good deeds, 
  great and small, in enormous ledgers that they deliver 
  to Maal’s kingdom when each likeness’ corresponding 
  mortal dies.
  the dark rIVer
  With the Compact, it became necessary for souls to 
  travel from plane to plane, sometimes without guidance. 
  Thus, the gods created the Dark River, which flows 
  through every plane of the sphere, and is even said to 
  have a source in the Material Plane. Although the Dark 
  River gets its name because the waters appear black as 
  moonless night to most travelers, it begins to shine as it 
  approaches Elysium and the mountain of Heaven and 
  eventually transforms into a bright river of light.
  the great sphere
  The Nameless One formed the four pillars and then 
  placed the Great Sphere on top of them. When he cre-
  ated it, it was filled with emptiness in the form of ether 
  and shadow. He pushed these into the center of the 
  Great Sphere and created the Material Plane among 
  them. He filled the rest of the Sphere with energy, 
  ideas, images and sounds: the Astral Plane. Outside the 
  Great Sphere, the infinite void stands apart from cre-
  ation. Besides mystics and sages, few people discuss the 
  Great Sphere as anything other than a container for the 
  Material Plane. Indeed, “the Sphere” is mostly used as 
  a synonym for the Material, even though it is a distinct 
  realm that contains multiple planes.
  the astral plane
  When the Nameless One first created the Material Plane 
  and bound Shadow and Ether, he left the rest of the 
  Great Sphere filled with the energy that was most like 
  him: a stillness thrumming with the power of possibil-
  ity. This energy has no substance, but forms the great 
  expanse that is found between the planes of existence. 
  This is the vast emptiness of the Astral Plane, filled with 
  light, sound strange phenomena.
  the Four pIllars
  The elemental planes exist as pillars supporting the 
  Great Sphere, and even the gods who hold sway over the 
  elements in the Prime Material do not control these pil-
  lars. Each one contains the purest form of the elemental 
  energy it represents.
  WAter PillAr
  The plane of water is filled with its element, which flows 
  with arcane currents, rippling with light or unseen in 
  uttermost darkness. The Water Pillar is full of life, some 
  of which comes to the Material Plane from time to time. 
  The Marid div dwell here.
  eArth PillAr
  This pillar is filled with every form of rock, dull and pre-
  cious stones, dirt, sand and the pure energy of the earth, 
  element. The creatures that reside here rarely come to the 
  Material Plane, as they lack curiosity.
  Air PillAr
  In this realm of elemental air, endless sky and strange 
  clouds (made of condensed elemental air, not water 
  vapor) host an array of flying and floating creatures. 
  Some of them frequently visit the Material Plane, but 
  they’re invisible or hidden in the world’s clouds. 
  Fire PillAr
  The Shaitan div were exiled to the Fire Pillar, dwelling 
  between blinding flames and smoke that erupts without 
  a source. The realm’s nature makes it hostile to beings 
  that do not contain the old div’s inner fire.
  gates
  During the time of the compact, Tinel and Korak built 
  many gates between planes, so that one could travel from 
  place to place by knowing their locations and means of 
  access. The only gate that is considered truly impassable 
  by force or treachery is the gate to Heaven.
  Cosmology
  
  Chapter I: Mythology and CosMology
  11
  gate
  legend
  1. 
  heaVen
  2. 
  elysIuM
  3. 
  the dark rIVer
  4. 
  astral
  5. 
  the great sphere
  6. 
  negatIVe energy
  7. 
  posItIVe energy
  8. 
  ether
  9. 
  shadow
  10.  the prIMe MaterIal
  11.  hell
  12.  the abyss
  13.  gehenna
  14.  FIre pIllar 
  15.  aIr pIllar
  16.  earth pIllar
  17.  water pIllar
  18.  land oF the dead 
  the  
  dark 
  rIVer
  a Map 
  oF the 
  CosMos
  
  Chapter I: Mythology and CosMology
  12
  12
  FeywIld and shadowFell
  The cosmology of the Book of the Righteous is silent about the Feywild, the traditional home of the fey creatures, and the Shadowfell, 
  a dark reflection of the mortal world, so how they fit into your game and whether they exist is up to you. Perhaps the best way to 
  introduce these planes into the cosmology is to embed them inside the Ethereal and Shadow Planes. The Feywild could be a realm 
  drifting within the ether, where portals allow the fey and others to travel to and from the Material Plane. Similarly, the Shadowfell 
  could be a gloomy, distorted reflection of the Material Plane that has manifested in the darkness of Shadow. You can learn more 
  about these planes in the DMG.
  hell
  The nine circles of Hell were built as a prison for the crea-
  tures called demons. It is now ruled over by Asmodeus, 
  once the god of fire, and now the king of deception and 
  lord of Hell. This is where lawful evil souls go when they 
  have been condemned to punishment by Maal.
  gehenna
  Created by the gods on top of a battleground of demons 
  and devils, Gehenna is the place of observation. Just as 
  every person casts a light shadow of herself into Elysium 
  to be seen by guardian angels, so too does she cast a dark 
  shadow of into Gehenna, where the daemons watch her, 
  whisper vile little temptations in her ear, and record her 
  crimes in dark ledgers. This is where neutral evil souls go 
  for punishment when they’ve been condemned by Maal, 
  and where demons and devils often do battle.
  the abyss
  The most powerful demons, the qlippoth, are like dark 
  shadows of the gods, and pure beings of Corpus Infernus. 
  Using their incredible might, they long ago burrowed 
  through the Great Sphere, and out into the void. Thus, the 
  Abyss in which the demons reside is infinite, stretching 
  out forever until in mingles with nothingness. They build 
  themselves strange dark citadels there, and from them 
  launch forces against Hell, marching across Gehenna and 
  through planar gates. This is where chaotic evil souls go 
  when they have been condemned by Maal.
  the land oF the dead
  Originally found at the center of the earth in the Mate-
  rial Plane, the Land of the Dead was set apart as its own 
  plane when the gods formed their Compact. This is where 
  Maal rules with his wife Naryne, judging all souls based 
  on the great ledgers kept by the guardian angels and the 
  daemons. Those who have led exceptional lives live here 
  for eternity in one of four great halls of reward. Some 
  scholars consider those halls separate planes of existence. 
  Those who have led lives of great evil are sent to one of the 
  three evil planes for eternal punishment. A rare few are 
  sent to Heaven to be with their gods. Most return to the 
  Material Plane after a time and another chance to find the 
  afterlife by their mortal deeds. From time to time, Maal’s 
  half-brother Korak comes to the Land of the Dead to 
  “reforge” a soul, hammering out all of its flaws and send-
  ing it back to earth.
  It is believed that only members of the five mortal races 
  stand before Maal to be judged, and that other races lack 
  the souls necessary to be sent to such destinies. 
  the heart oF the great sphere
  Mortal races live on the Material Plane in the core of the 
  Great Sphere, but are enclosed by the Crystal Sphere of 
  positive and negative energy, and share their place with 
  other mystic energies, strange realms, and of course, all of 
  the beings that dwell within them.
  the PoSitive & neGAtive PlAneS
  When the Nameless One entered the Great Sphere and 
  created the Material Plane, he contained the two forces 
  from which all of creation came to be—positive and 
  negative energy—within the Crystal Sphere. The Crys-
  tal Sphere encloses the Material Plane, and positive and 
  negative energy roils out from corresponding poles like air 
  currents. Violent maelstroms rage where they meet within 
  the crystal. Few visit the surface of the crystal, much less 
  describe the bizarre beings that might life there. 
  the ethereAl & ShAdoW PlAneS
  Within this crystal sphere, the Nameless One gathered the 
  energies that filled the Great Sphere when he first created 
  it. These energies, ether and shadow, were perfect but had 
  no substance. The Nameless One created the skies, earth, 
  and seas on top of the ether and shadow by combining 
  power of each with his own great words of power. So it is to 
  this day that the shadow and ether are all around the world 
  of substance, the Material Plane, but go mostly unnoticed.
  the mAteriAl PlAne
  Everything a normal mortal can see and touch is a part of 
  the Material Plane—the sun, moon, stars, land, sky, and 
  water. With great magic, a person can see the Ethereal 
  and Shadow Planes that coexist with the Material Plane 
  within the Crystal Sphere. With even greater magic, a 
  person might travel outside of the sphere, to other planes, 
  communicate with their distant denizens, or summon 
  them for worship or service.  
  
  13
  Members of the Great Church worship the gods equally 
  as a family, so the organization occupies a broad and neb-
  ulous place in the world. As a group, the gods are called 
  the Lords of Good for a reason: They are associated with 
  all that is holy and sacred. Together they represent life, 
  its many wonders, and its prolific disappointments. The 
  Church recognizes three groups of gods: the old gods, the 
  treeborn gods, and the young gods.
  The old gods are associated with the fundamental 
  elements that are everywhere, with or without the inter-
  ference of the mortal hand or mind (rocks, oceans, stars). 
  Scholars sometimes call these the “chthonic” gods. The 
  treeborn gods represent the individual, with Terak being 
  the body, Tinel the mind, Morwyn the spirit, Zheenkeef 
  the emotions and dreams, and Mormekar the body’s 
  ultimate failure, death. Finally, the young gods represent 
  the concepts of society, or groups of individuals: nobil-
  ity, forging, diplomacy, love, and woodcraft. The Great 
  Church, therefore, ministers to everything that lives 
  and thrives in the world as personified by the Gods of 
  the Tree, from the smallest monetary transaction to the 
  unfathomable workings of the heavens.
  The Great Church represents the gods with icons, 
  showing them seated in a semi-circle on thrones of gold. 
  Each god appears in his or her most common likeness, as 
  described in the gods’ various entries. The symbolic repre-
  sentation of the Lords of Heaven is a white tree with five 
  golden fruits growing on it. A cleric of the Great Church’s 
  holy symbol is usually a tree crafted from white gold with 
  five yellow-gold fruits.
  The tree symbol is simplified when scrawled or put on 
  small surfaces, as an inverted pyramid containing five 
  circles in a star pattern. This is a much less formal symbol 
  than the tree, but it can be made quickly or crafted out of 
  basic materials and used by a cleric of the great church as a 
  holy symbol in times of crisis. It is the symbol used by the 
  very poor.
  The Gods of the Tree are not particularly strongly asso-
  ciated with any one group of people, or any one race. The 
  Great Church certainly is, though, and its associations are 
  explained below.
  The gods are predominantly neutral good. Although 
  the pantheon is divided quite strongly between the cha-
  otic-tending gods and the lawful ones (necessitating the 
  Compact), they are united in their opposition to the works 
  of evil—slaughtering infants, slavery, making bargains 
  with devils, and other, darker deeds. The Great Church, 
  however, is largely lawful good, and because of this, the 
  chaotic gods rarely bother with the organization.
  Myths
  FIrst thunder
  In mIdsummer, eons ago, Zheenkeef hIt upon a cure for 
  her boredom. She would enchant a lump of normal marble so that 
  whosoever beheld it would swear the rock was a statue in the 
  likeness of the beholder. Her enchantment would be so powerful 
  that to look at the rock would be to become utterly convinced it 
  was a statue. Such a thing would reveal the vanity of all around 
  her, for every member of her family, all the Lords of Heaven, 
  would look upon her creation and believe it was a monument in 
  his own honor and preen and strut at the sight of it.
  When she had crafted this glorious work of mockery, 
  Zheenkeef put the statue in the middle of the great hall of the 
  Holy Ones. That night, when the Gods of the Tree assembled 
  for their dinner, each one came upon and the rock and gazed 
  in wonder. “Who has put this statue of me in the middle of 
  the hall?” shouted Terak with a great laugh, so delighted was 
  he at its workmanship. “Was it you, Korak, my loving son?”
  Korak thought perhaps his father had gone mad, or played 
  him a trick, for he stared quite plainly at his own face hewn in 
  the marble. He was about to respond when Tinel called out, 
  “Why do you always spread your lies, brother? Can you not 
  stand even one statue of me, that you must demean it by calling 
  it your own?”
  It was not long before the argument of the gods reached such 
  a volume that Urian shook and Thunder was born. Whenever 
  the gods argue to the exclusion of all else, Urian shakes and 
  rumbles so that all the world might hear.
  FoundIng the great ChurCh
  the statue was never forgotten by any of the holy 
  Ones. Though they put aside arguing about it for a time, hiding 
  it under Terak’s great chair, occasionally one of the Lords of 
  Good would mention it and the shouting would begin anew. 
  After some time of this, Darmon grew tired of the ceaseless 
  arguing. “It is quite clear that we will never agree on what 
  this statue represents. Clearly, it is important that we decide 
  this matter, or Heaven shall be sundered over a lump of rock.” 
  Darmon had ever a honeyed tongue and the gods could not help 
  but agree with him. “What does my clever brother suggest?” 
  Aymara asked.
  the lordS oF heAven
  The Great Church
  GodS oF the tree,  
  lordS oF Good, holy oneS
  T
  his chapter presents the Great Church, a religion that honors the united Gods of the Tree.  
  The church encompasses an array of good and neutral deities, making it a fitting choice for clerics, paladins and 
  other religious characters who need not necessarily honor a specific god or goddess. The Great Church can be the 
  default religion in your campaign, or a rising force that adherents of specific deities view with curiosity or suspicion.
  II: the great ChurCh
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  14
  14
  Darmon suggested the statue be destroyed, which was not a 
  popular notion. Each of the gods presented a different way to 
  resolve the problem, each more ludicrous than the last, until at 
  last Anwyn, the gentle little sister, suggested that the gods pluck 
  a lowly mortal from the world and have him tell them what he 
  saw. He would be beyond guile and other such problems, for he 
  would be the simplest fellow they could find.
  And so Darmon set out to tour the mortal sphere and find 
  such a mortal. One day he stumbled on a drunken shepherd 
  asleep in his pasture after a night of long drinking. He grabbed 
  this fellow by the collar and shouted at him, “Awake, shepherd! 
  For you have much to do! You must resolve a great dispute 
  among my family.” and he took the shepherd to the Celes-
  tial Palace.
  As would soon become apparent, this drunken shepherd was 
  in fact a religious scholar. Named Hefasten (HEH-fuh-stun) 
  the Wise, he had been exiled by the king of his country, for the 
  monarch was jealous of his wisdom and influence. At the time, 
  each of the gods had a church dedicated to his or her honor, but 
  faith in all the Gods of the Tree had never been unified. Hefas-
  ten, a scholar and faithful member of Morwyn’s Healing Halls, 
  was known as a peacemaker and had negotiated settlements in 
  many conflicts between churches. 
  Despondent at his exile, Hefasten found shelter with a poor 
  family in a neighboring land. After four years of drunken 
  ostracism, the wise man found himself taken by Darmon to an 
  opulent house. There he was surrounded by a large family of 
  the most beautiful people he had ever beheld. It took him only 
  a moment to realize he stood before the gods in their mortal 
  guises, but before he could prostrate himself and make proper 
  obeisance, the woman at the head of the family spoke: “What is 
  your name, simple shepherd?”
  “My name is Hefasten, who was once Hefasten the Wise, 
  and is now Hefasten the Drunk, milady Morwyn, the compas-
  sionate.” So saying, he fell to his knees and touched his forehead 
  to the ground three times, as is fitting.
  This was precisely what the gods had not wanted. Instead 
  of a simple peasant, they had a religious leader, and one who 
  had sworn himself to Morwyn. The Holy Ones began to argue 
  once more, and thunder shook the heavens. At last, they came to 
  a solution:
  “Hefasten, who was once the Wise, we would ask this of you: 
  Help us solve a riddle,” Tinel said to the blessed shepherd. “But 
  before we ask for your aid, we ask that you cast aside your wor-
  ship of my sister, Morwyn. We ask that instead you swear that 
  you will give homage to each of us equally, and swear to obey us 
  all when we have need of your service.”
  To this Hefasten agreed. Once he had done so, the gods 
  asked him what he saw when he looked at the statue. And 
  when he gazed at it, he beheld the likenesses of all the Lords 
  of Heaven standing before him. When he said so, “I see all of 
  you,” the argument was resolved. For indeed it was a statue 
  of them all.
  They gave Hefasten the statue and returned him to his flock. 
  The scholar journeyed back to his homeland with the lump of 
  marble upon a cart, and he went about the land preaching 
  the worship of the Lords of Good together, without exclusion. 
  The king who had exiled him was converted upon beholding 
  the statue—which seemed to him a magnificent statue in his 
  own likeness—and, when he heard it was a gift from the 
  gods, he built for Hefasten the Wise a great cathedral in which 
  to house it. It rests there today, the central cathedral of the 
  Great Church.
  adVanCe the prInCIples oF good
  As a family, the gods’ motives are complex. Each god 
  seeks to further her own ends, bringing mortals to her way 
  of thinking. As determined by the Compact, gods grow 
  stronger with worship, so each god strives to influence the 
  world through followers and promote those forces that 
  lead worshipers to them. This often brings two or more 
  gods into conflict. Furthermore, a schism divides the 
  two families of gods. One is unruly and believes that the 
  individual is the strongest force in the universe; the other 
  believes that organization and societal structure are the 
  keys to strength.
  Now, while the gods have much to argue about, they are 
  unified behind the principles of good. They oppose sense-
  less destruction, murder, and the many other trappings of 
  evil. The destruction that evil brings leads to fewer fol-
  lowers (or at the very least corrupts the mortal races away 
  from the ways of the gods). The gods are quite fond of the 
  mortal races and would see them thrive, and the treeborn 
  gods were nearly destroyed by murder and mayhem in 
  their youth, when they were moved to war against one 
  another. They have learned the perils of the dark path. 
  Therefore, the gods aid the mortals in their struggles 
  against evil as a unified group.
  ChoIrs oF heaVen
  Each god commands many celestials to perform their bid-
  ding, but three great choirs of Heaven exist to serve the 
  gods and mortals without prejudice. Thus, the entire celes-
  tial host serves the Lords of Heaven. There are three choirs 
  of angels, ranging from the mightiest Seraphim to the 
  lowest Ischim. Principal among the Heavenly host are the 
  Seven Archangels (all of whom are the mightiest solars).
  mikA’il  
  (mee-kah-EEL)
  Mika’il, chief among the Archangels, protects the down-
  trodden and is the champion of those in need. Mika’il is 
  a being of such profound goodness some worship him as 
  a god in his own right. He was once a great div king who 
  was elevated to great power by Morwyn, and raised to be 
  chief of the Archangels after the fall of Iblis.
  JibrAiil  
  (zheb-rai-EEL)
  Jibraiil, the herald of the gods, marches at the front of the 
  Heavenly host. She is the most charismatic of the Archan-
  gels, and it is said that to her voice is so beautiful it makes 
  all other music sound like artless dirges.
  rAFAiil  
  (ra-fai-EEL)
  Rafaiil, the guide of the lost, is the giver of charity from 
  the gods. It is said that if the gods send a mortal aid, it is 
  Rafaiil who delivers it. Rafaiil oversees Elysium.
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  15
  Uriel  
  (YUR-ee-el)
  Uriel is the protector of Heaven. Mortals only meet with 
  Uriel if they seek entrance through the locked gates to the 
  mountain of Heaven. Uriel also watches over the celestial 
  host, and it was he who cast down the fallen. It is also said 
  Uriel, who is the favorite of Tinel, gave magic back to the 
  mortal races after they lost it out of pride (see the Church 
  of Tinel).
  SArAqAel  
  (say-RA-kai-el)
  Saraqael is the magistrate of Heaven. Saraqael oversees 
  the laws of Heaven and sees to it that all celestials perform 
  their duties under the Compact. She is not well liked by 
  the chaotic gods.
  rAGUel  
  (RA-gyoo-el)
  Raguel is the vengeance of Heaven. Raguel is charged by 
  the gods to smite down those who have grown too high 
  and think themselves equal to the gods (such as all-pow-
  erful wizards researching spells to kill the gods), as well 
  as the servants of Asmodeus, when they trespass on the 
  Material Plane for reasons other than upholding the 
  Compact. Raguel is described in Chapter X.
  cAmAel  
  (CAH-mai-el)
  Camael attends the thrones of the gods. Camael is, essen-
  tially, the minister of the kingdom of Heaven and stands 
  behind the gods. Camael oversees all the workings of the 
  gods’ court and arranges audiences with some of them—a 
  commune spell directed at the Lords of Heaven is a plea 
  to her for a god’s ear. (Some of the gods have servants who 
  communicate for them, and these are mentioned in the 
  appropriate church sections.) The Great Church believes it 
  receives its powers from Camael on behalf of the gods.
  the ChurCh
  The Great Church, whose members simply call themselves 
  “the Faithful,” is an enormous organization spanning 
  nations. Its primary goal is to ensure every population 
  center in the world has a church dedicated to all of the 
  gods, that performs their holy work. Its secondary goal 
  is to make the worship of the gods accessible to every-
  one. Thus, one can find a church dedicated to the entire 
  pantheon in almost every city. In communities with large 
  Great Church structures, other churches sometimes set up 
  shrines within the Great Church’s halls, to make it a cen-
  tral gathering place for members of any faith.
  The Great Church enjoys good relations with most of 
  the other churches, particularly lawful churches, which is 
  why clerics of individual gods are willing to offer services 
  under the Great Church’s roof. These relations appear 
  pleasant, but in many cases they’re superficial alliances. 
  The leaders of the Great Church believe all the other 
  churches focus their worship incorrectly, on single gods 
  and strange notions, and condescendingly humor them. 
  Many of the leaders of the other churches are jealous 
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  16
  16
  of the Great Church’s significant wealth and authority. 
  Because it is easy to avoid alienating any religious group 
  by supporting the Great Church, many secular leaders 
  give generously to its missions, support its efforts to 
  expand, and otherwise interact with it as the accepted 
  legitimate religious center of power in the world. Further-
  more, the leaders of the Great Church are free to involve 
  themselves in politics and other earthly matters since they 
  do not have direct rapport with any one god, and are not 
  being used regularly by the gods as instruments for their 
  plans in the mortal sphere. This freedom means many 
  secular leaders have a cleric or paladin from the Great 
  Church as an advisor, and members of the local Great 
  Church hierarchy are often on town and city councils. All 
  of this amounts to a church that can exert an enormous 
  amount of influence on political affairs.
  To be clear: The Great Church is less connected to the 
  gods than any other church, and the other churches are 
  in no way loyal to or subservient toward the Supreme 
  Patriarch of the Great Church. While some of its clergy 
  receive spells, and its paladins are a force for righteousness 
  throughout the world, the gods rarely reveal themselves to 
  members of the Great Church or call upon its faithful to 
  perform great deeds in their name. The gods rely on their 
  own churches for such purposes.
  While the Great Church welcomes worshipers of any 
  race, its membership is mostly human. Other 
  races seem to find its highly unspecific 
  worship of the gods unappealing. It is 
  therefore rare to find a Great Church in 
  a dwarven hold or elven wood. 
  The Church’s congregations are 
  generally made up of those who do 
  not have the time or inclination to 
  worship one god in particular. Reli-
  gion is an important part of nearly 
  everyone’s life, but the average person 
  has no real reason to worship a spe-
  cific god constantly. When crops fail, 
  a farmer goes to the Great Church 
  and prays to Rontra. When heavy 
  with child, she goes to the same 
  church and prays to Morwyn. In the 
  Great Church, she sets aside some 
  worship for the other gods as well. 
  This is done for simplicity’s sake, and 
  to avoid offending any of the gods. 
  Legends are quite explicit: If you pray to all the gods and 
  accidentally leave one off, that god will grow angry and 
  might seek vengeance against you The Great Church 
  takes these sorts of concerns out of the common person’s 
  hands and provides complete, non-mysterious ceremonies 
  for all occasions, making religion far more accessible to 
  the average peasant or layperson. Its popularity with the 
  common folk also helps account for its wealth, as a tithe 
  to the church is customary, swelling the church’s coffers as 
  its congregations grow.
  The Great Church is terribly unpopular with reli-
  gious zealots of all varieties. They accuse the Church of 
  making the gods commonplace, decreasing their worship 
  to a few perfunctory gestures made out of duty or habit 
  instead of devotion. There are many people deeply con-
  cerned with what seems to be the unstoppable growth of 
  the Great Church; the concerned are often elders from 
  other churches.
  The gods view the Great Church with some ambivalence. 
  Although the Great Church’s prominence makes them very 
  powerful, the organization is not as useful to them as their 
  own churches. That being said, the Compact allowed Hell 
  and the Abyss to become very powerful. The paladins and 
  other members of the Church working against evil have 
  proven valuable in the struggle against Asmodeus and the 
  demon princes. Once in a great while, a figure arises in 
  the Great Church who is so good and pious she becomes a 
  favorite of all the gods and receives special boons from the 
  entire pantheon. This is exceedingly rare, and has not hap-
  pened since the time of Saint Anne.
  doCtrIne oF pure good
  “If the people shall not come to the gods, verily, verily, 
  we shall bring the gods to the people.” 
  —From Saint Hefasten’s A People,  
  A Doctrine, A Faith
  The Doctrine of the Great Church can most easily be 
  described as pure good. One should strive to 
  give, not take; to love, not hate; to befriend, 
  never shun. It is the moral imperative of 
  every mortal to try to do as the gods 
  have done, offering shelter to the weak, 
  raging against terrible wrongs, and 
  protecting their families. Of course, 
  the Church knows the world is filled 
  with fallible people and believes if 
  mortals ask for forgiveness, the gods 
  will forgive them as they once for-
  gave each other for great wrongs. 
  The Church also believes, however, 
  there are sins that cannot be forgiven: 
  trying to topple the gods as Kador 
  did, making bargains with devils or 
  demons, and giving up one’s soul for 
  any reason. These behaviors take one 
  outside the realm of forgiveness, and 
  offenders become as demons in the 
  eyes of the faithful. All else, including 
  the most heinous crimes against another person, can be 
  forgiven by the gods, though likely not by the law. It is in 
  this that the Church’s lawful side is seen, for while its faith 
  in the gods is one of pure good, the Church professes a 
  very legalistic worship of the gods. The clergy discusses the 
  laws and commandments of the gods that all people should 
  obey. The Church sees itself as bringing the rule of the gods 
  to the uninformed.
  The Great Church has two great schools of thought in 
  approaching this doctrine, and while they usually operate 
  in harmony among church elders, they are occasionally 
  drawn into conflict.
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  17
  gods’ work
  The first philosophy, one adhered to by both the clergy 
  and deacons, is the ministry of the gods’ work. Accord-
  ing to this school of thought, the Great Church exists to 
  spread the legends and worship of the gods, particularly 
  to foreign or barbaric lands with different faiths. Part 
  and parcel with this is the Church’s goal to consolidate 
  its power base and make sure the lands where the gods 
  are worshiped never lose sight of the faith. This involves 
  making sure the Church has many chapels and cathedrals 
  throughout the land. One of the many reasons the Church 
  puts such a focus on secular matters is that it serves the 
  Church’s goals to have close relations with the nobles who 
  own the land and run the nations.
  It would be easy to assume the clergy pushes for expan-
  sion because its hierarchy is made up of rank opportunists 
  seeking to line their pockets with donations. In fact, the 
  Church really is a good organization (as far as anyone can 
  tell—GMs might have other plans) and most of the clergy 
  believe deeply in this idea. It began with Hefasten, the 
  first Supreme Patriarch: he whom the gods commanded to 
  end their quarrel, and solve the riddle of the holy statue. 
  At the core of Hefasten’s teachings is the notion that every 
  person’s life is bettered when she comes to pay proper 
  homage to the gods. When Hefasten was writing his ear-
  liest screeds, most people had no idea how to pray or pay 
  proper respect to the gods; instead, they let their priests 
  do it for them. Hefasten believed in the democratization 
  of faith, and it is still important to the Great Church that 
  the ways of worship be made understandable to anyone, so 
  everyone can pray to the gods themselves. This is clearly 
  a good goal, even if the Church’s rate of expansion and 
  political power threatens other churches.
  oppose eVIl
  The second major branch of Church philosophy states 
  that the Church’s mission is to tirelessly oppose all forms 
  of evil. One can see this requires a very different mindset 
  than actively spreading the religion, and over the years, 
  the two doctrines have led to a friendly split in the clergy. 
  While most focus on the strengthening of the Church 
  and the spread of the faith, a core group of adventuring 
  clerics seek simply to do good in the world in the name of 
  the Gods. Supporting this group of “good works” clergy is 
  an entire holy order dedicated to fighting the good fight: 
  the paladins.
  prayers oF the great ChurCh
  Most Great Church prayers invoke all the gods by refer-
  ring to them as “Holy Ones,” “Lords of Good,” or “Lords 
  of Heaven.” An example, called “The Passage,” is from the 
  naming ceremony where the Church recognizes a child 
  after its birth:
  “May the Lords of Heaven shine on thee,
  May they lift you up in their great presence,
  For thou art named in their hallowed halls,
  And the Holy Ones shall know thee in the last.”
  However, the most common prayer, which is used as 
  the invocation for important events and is said by many 
  common folk when they need a formal prayer, is the 
  Order. The Order refers to each of the gods by name. In 
  important ceremonies, a priest lights a candle or rings a 
  bell when each name is read:
  “Lords of Heaven, hear our prayer!
  That Rontra’s earth will feed us,
  And nourish those who hunger;
  That Urian’s skies will warm us,
  And shelter those in need;
  That Shalimyr’s waves will wash us clean,
  And cleanse those who have failed us;
  That Morwyn’s wisdom will guide us,
  And her compassion aid the lost;
  That Terak’s strength will embolden us,
  And protect those who are weak;
  That Tinel’s teachings will open our eyes,
  And lift up those who are in ignorance;
  That Zheenkeef’s inspiration will better us,
  And her wine will bring us happiness; 
  That Mormekar’s hands will take us at our time,
  And pass over the young and the innocent;
  That Maal’s judgment will not find us lacking,
  And his laws prevail over darkness;
  That Naryne’s rulership will forever prevail,
  And her servants share in her wisdom;
  That Korak’s forge will provide for us,
  And his skill will be reflected in mortal hands;
  That Anwyn’s hearth fire will always burn,
  And give sanctuary to the weary;
  That Thellyne’s prey will be plentiful,
  And that her gardens will flourish; 
  That Canelle’s swift feet shall carry us,
  And we may all be victorious;
  That Darmon’s trade will prosper,
  And that we may share in his fortune;
  That Aymara’s eyes will shine on us all,
  And we each shall know love.
  So we pray, Oh Holy Ones,
  So we entreat you as your servants.”
  Most of the prayers are less elaborate, and many situa-
  tion-specific prayers call upon one god, though it’s usually 
  after a quick acknowledgement of the other Holy Ones. 
  Before a competition, a cleric might invoke Canelle. Before 
  a birth, Rontra, Morwyn, and Anwyn are all named. At 
  weddings, funerals, and other great life-changing ceremo-
  nies, however, all the gods are called on for blessing.
  Paladins say the prayers of the Church in ceremonies, 
  but their prayers are far less elaborate. They usually 
  involve a quick invocation of “all that is holy” or “may 
  the gods protect us.” It is rare for a paladin to appeal to 
  just one of the gods, but there have been members of the 
  order who feel closer to one god than the others. Many 
  times, these paladins become members of the church 
  of that god as well as the Great Church (and yet retain 
  their status as paladins, as this in no way violates their 
  holy mission or oaths).
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  18
  18
  holy days
  The holy numbers of the mythology are three (three good 
  elemental gods, three sisters, three tribes of div) and five 
  (five fruits on the tree, five mortal races, five treeborn 
  gods, five gods born of woman) and so holidays take place 
  on third and fifth months, and days multiplied by three 
  and five. Along with these two months of celebration, the 
  Great Church has weekly religious services.
  three sorrows
  The third month of the year is called the “Three Sorrows.” 
  For the deeply devout, one must fast during the day, and 
  contemplate all of one’s misdeeds over the past year at 
  night. Custom permits one to continue work and perform 
  one’s secular duties during this time, including adventur-
  ing. On the third, ninth, and 27th nights of the month 
  are daylong services followed by solemn feasts. Each such 
  holiday is an observance of one of the great sorrows. Those 
  of the faithful who are not particularly devout do not fast 
  during the month, but nearly everyone attends the three 
  ceremonies of sorrow.
  the FirSt SorroW
  On the third day of the third month, this service mourns 
  the fall of Kador, whose name is not spoken in the service 
  and is instead called “First Born” and “Fallen Fire.” This 
  service reminds the faithful of the pitfalls of personal 
  greed and pride, and all in attendance see themselves and 
  their failings in Kador.
  the Second SorroW
  On the ninth day, the service recalls the first murder, brother 
  upon brother, when Terak and Tinel killed one another and 
  the great tree. The service reminds all in attendance to be for-
  giving of their neighbors and to live in harmony.
  the third SorroW
  On the twenty-seventh day, the service recalls the depar-
  ture of the gods from the world with the forging of the 
  Compact. In this service, the faithful pray to be reunited 
  with the gods in death, and hope for a time when the 
  gods might rejoin the world of mortals in peace. The cere-
  mony expresses the belief that the gods left the world not 
  only for their own struggles but for mortal weaknesses, 
  lamented in the ceremony.
  FIVe blessIngs
  The fifth month of the year is called the “Five Blessings” 
  and is a month of great celebration. If possible, the devout 
  avoid being far from home during this month, though 
  church business has certainly taken servants of the faith 
  far from home even during the five blessings. Every five 
  days of this month, there is a great festival day, including 
  a noontime service in the local parish (which usually spills 
  out into the streets, as these ceremonies bring so many 
  people to the church) and an enormous feast. Even those 
  who are not devout members of the church observe these 
  five holy days, and it is considered wrong to work during 
  the festivals.
  the FirSt bleSSinG
  On the fifth day of the fifth month, the faithful thank the 
  gods for the blessing of life. All the babies born during the 
  past three months are dressed up in ceremonial costumes 
  and given special names. Each name is whispered to the 
  baby by the cleric performing the ceremony after reciting 
  “The Passage,” so it’s generally unheard of for any of the 
  faithful to know their baby name. It is said if the baby dies 
  before it can speak, this name grants the soul an imme-
  diate audience with Lord Maal. Babies born more than 
  three months before this ceremony have usually already 
  had a small ceremony and received their name.
  the Second bleSSinG
  On the tenth day, the faithful thank the gods for the 
  blessing of food. Everyone in the parish prepares the 
  most sumptuous dish they can imagine, usually spending 
  more than they can possibly afford on ingredients, and 
  the faithful feed one another all day long in a festival that 
  takes place in the streets.
  the third bleSSinG
  On the fifteenth day, the faithful thank the gods for 
  the blessings of home and family. The faithful hold a 
  great festival where the parish builds a home for anyone 
  who needs it. In small communities, this might involve 
  raising a barn if no one needs a new home, but often the 
  community builds a new house for newlyweds married 
  in the past year who, up until this time, lived with the 
  bride’s or groom’s parents. In large communities with 
  many beggars, the congregation builds a home for one 
  person the church’s dean selects to be a symbol of divine 
  generosity.
  the FoUrth bleSSinG
  On the twentieth day of the fifth month, the faithful 
  celebrate the greatest festival—and the one that brings 
  the Church its most converts. On this day, the faithful 
  thank the gods for the blessing of joy. Also known as 
  “Fool’s Day,” this holiday sees no poor performers. Acting 
  troupes, jugglers, jesters, and other entertainers who can 
  bring out a laugh are paid handsomely by the church to 
  perform in the streets for the faithful. There is a great deal 
  of wine consumed, and all the faithful dress up in out-
  landish costumes, usually in animal forms.
  the FiFth bleSSinG
  On the twenty-fifth day, the faithful thank the gods for 
  the gift of death, which brings mortals into the gods’ 
  embrace. At this festival, likenesses of all those who have 
  died that year are placed on a dais, and those in atten-
  dance hold a great feast in their honor. Custom demands 
  that the family of the deceased accomplish something this 
  day that the departed left unfinished.
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  19
  saInts
  Saints are named only by the Supreme Patriarch. Candi-
  dates must have been dead for at least a decade before they 
  can be named a saint, and must have accomplished a deed 
  of tremendous importance to the Church’s work. Nearly 
  always, this includes the most pious members of the 
  Church who have worked great goods in their life, but it 
  also occasionally includes secular figures who have aided 
  the Church greatly with land grants and other gifts.
  A saint’s name is remembered with great reverence, and 
  the holy orders often have sub-orders named after saints. For 
  instance, there is an Order of St. Edrien among the paladins. 
  Saint Edrien was a Lord Protector who, it is said, journeyed 
  to Hell and won back the immortal soul of a Supreme Patri-
  arch that was wrongly stolen by the servants of Asmodeus. 
  The order in his name is especially dedicated to protecting 
  those who are attacked by Hell for their goodness. 
  Most churches are named after saints from the area. 
  The two most famous saints are Saint Hefasten and Saint 
  Anne, who founded the Great Church and the order of 
  paladins, respectively.
  holy orders
  The Great Church has three powerful holy orders: clergy, 
  paladins, and deacons. There are also two lesser holy 
  orders: the churchguard and the friars. Of these orders, 
  the clergy are dominant and they decide the direction of 
  the faith. The paladins are important and influential, but 
  they operate almost entirely apart from the Church. The 
  deacons, however, are the Church’s greatest strength: 
  While they are officially referred to as “teachers,” 
  they are dedicated to influencing the secular leaders 
  and steering the course of history in the world. The 
  deaconry is made up of Church members skilled in 
  political matters, and secular leaders who’ve been 
  given given status in the Church to seal their loyalty.
  The Supreme Patriarch or Matriarch, the high-
  est-ranking member of the clergy, heads the Church. 
  The Supreme Patriarch is seated in the Great Cathedral, 
  located in the city where Saint Hefasten founded the 
  church. A great rock stands at the center of the Cathedral: 
  the lump of marble enchanted by Zheenkeef. Most people 
  looking at it see their own likeness on the surface, but 
  once in a great while, someone, presumably chosen by the 
  gods for greatness, sees something other than themselves 
  in the rock, as Hefasten did. This has not happened for 
  hundreds of years, and when it does, it usually signals an 
  event of potentially cataclysmic importance. The Great 
  Cathedral supports the Supreme Patriarch, an archbishop, 
  a bishop, twenty-five clerics, three lords protector, ten 
  captains, one hundred paladins, twelve archdeacons, 
  twenty deacons, and fifty churchguard.
  The Great Church’s other places of worship vary wildly in 
  size, however. Most cities and large towns have Churches, 
  each led by a dean with the support of three or four clerics, 
  one or two paladins, and six to ten churchguard. Deans, 
  with consultation from those they oversee, make all 
  decisions pertaining to the Church. The paladins can follow 
  their own paths, but they do obey orders from the deans, 
  and paladins certainly consult with the deans about their 
  quests and matters requiring spiritual guidance. 
  ClerICs oF the great ChurCh
  The clergy stands at the center of the Great Church’s five 
  holy orders. From them arise bishops, archbishops, and the 
  Supreme Patriarch. Members of the order focus on missions 
  for the church, spread the faith wherever they go, perform 
  doing great deeds in the name of the gods. The clergy of 
  the Great Church is vast, and accommodates a range of dif-
  ferent beliefs. The Supreme Patriarch, however, determines 
  the order’s official attitude, missions, goals, and actions. 
  Therefore, the role of the Church in any world varies based 
  on the heart of its highest-ranking cleric.
  Most clerics of the Great Church are lawful good, as is 
  the Church. However, there are strong contingents of neu-
  tral good and lawful neutral clergy. The lawful good clerics 
  are dedicated to the furthering of the Church’s goals 
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  20
  20
  for the spiritual salvation of every common person, and 
  strongly believe this can be best accomplished by doing the 
  Church’s work and spreading its teachings and laws.
  Lawful neutral clerics of the Church care for little but 
  the Church itself. Most involve themselves in Church 
  politics and secular affairs, seeking to expand the influ-
  ence of the faith. Because they are so dedicated to their 
  work, lawful neutral clerics are among some of the most 
  powerful in the Great Church. They are also the most 
  closely tied with the deaconry.
  Neutral good clerics are usually politically unskilled, 
  but are particularly good at fulfilling Church doctrine. 
  It is from the neutral good group that most of the adven-
  turing clerics come, with many of them gone from their 
  home Church for years on end, performing the gods’ 
  works abroad. For this reason, among others, they make 
  terrible deans, and almost never receive the opportunity 
  to rise further in Church hierarchy.
  JoInIng the Clergy
  Anyone of faith might find a place in the clergy by spend-
  ing several years as an acolyte, working and studying in 
  a church to learn all the prayers and how to perform the 
  various services. Those who complete the training become 
  clerics and are assigned to a church determined by the dean 
  of the church where they trained. Since the Great Church 
  encompasses all the gods, clerics can take almost any domain 
  for the Divine Domain class feature, though domains of an 
  obvious evil bent such as Corruption, Death, or Tyranny are 
  not permitted. Clerics use their church as a base of opera-
  tions, and undertake missions determined by their deans. 
  After some time and experience, clerics are free to do the 
  gods’ work in whatever manner they choose. Adventuring 
  clerics favor weapons that resemble the tree of their faith, so 
  most use clubs and maces. Particularly powerful or import-
  ant clerics carry massive maces made to look like trees, with 
  green heads and studs that look like golden fruit.
  deAnS
  Clerics who prove themselves might lead their own 
  churches. Those who do are called deans. The bishop who 
  oversees the region makes the appointment, usually for 
  political reasons. Ambitious clerics might petition the 
  bishop for the post, but their petitions can be rejected for 
  any reason. Once elevated to the position, deans oversee all 
  the goings-on of their churches, issuing assignments to all 
  the clergy serving them. Deans are addressed as “reverend 
  father” or “reverend mother,” and introduced by full title.
  biShoPS
  By decree, the Supreme Patriarch divides each nation 
  under the Great Church’s protection into regions, and 
  the nation’s Archbishop assigns each region to a bishop, 
  whose office is called a bishopric. Limited numbers mean 
  advancement occurs only when there’s a vacancy. The 
  Archbishops usually make their selections for political 
  reasons, choosing individuals for their piety, of course, 
  but equally for their loyalty to the higher office. Bishops 
  oversee large geographic areas and reside at the area’s 
  largest church, from which they instruct the deans and 
  participate in the political affairs of the area. Bishops are 
  addressed as “blessed father” or “blessed mother,” and 
  introduced by full title. Bishops, archbishops, and the 
  Supreme Patriarch can all be addressed as “your emi-
  nence,” “your holiness,” or “your grace.”
  ArchbiShoPS
  The Supreme Patriarch alone can elevate a bishop to arch-
  bishop of a nation or large region. One cannot petition 
  for this position; the method by which archbishops are 
  chosen is shrouded in mystery, and known only to the 
  Supreme Patriarch. As with bishoprics, an archbishopric is 
  only available when a new region becomes available to the 
  Church, or an existing archbishop dies (or is elevated to 
  Supreme Patriarch). An archbishop is granted control of 
  the Church’s presence in an entire nation or other signif-
  icant political body, is addressed as “holy father” or “holy 
  mother,” and is introduced by full title.
  SUPreme PAtriArch or mAtriArch
  An archbishop can be named the Supreme Patriarch 
  or Matriarch only by a unanimous vote of all the arch-
  bishops. When the existing Supreme Patriarch dies, the 
  archbishops convene at the Great Cathedral. Together, 
  they determine who among their number might be an 
  appropriate Supreme Patriarch. All such candidates 
  cannot vote on which of them rises to the office. One 
  can imagine that this is a very useful political tool for 
  removing dissenting voices, and raising a candidate some 
  of the archbishops might oppose fiercely—and it is a 
  method that has been abused in the past. Each arch-
  bishop can only name one appropriate candidate, and no 
  more than half of the deliberating body can be forced to 
  sit out the decision. Once appropriate candidates have 
  been selected, the remaining archbishops must come to a 
  unanimous conclusion to name the new Supreme Patri-
  arch or Matriarch. This process can take months. The 
  Supreme Patriarch is the voice of the Church and com-
  mands the clergy and the faithful alike. The Supreme 
  Patriarch is addressed as “Most Reverend Lord/Lady” or 
  “Most Holy Father/Mother,” and introduced by full title.
  paladIns oF the great ChurCh
  Paladins are the warriors of the Great Church. Founded 
  by Saint Anne, the first paladin (or according to the 
  Church, the first “modern” paladin, as the many mortals 
  who fought at the gods’ side before the Compact were 
  all paladins), the holy order of paladins is vast, and dedi-
  cated to opposing evil wherever it arises. Saint Anne was 
  a pilgrim who came to see the wondrous marble statue 
  in the Great Cathedral soon after the founding of the 
  faith. When she looked at it, she saw herself in shining 
  armor flanked by a thousand warriors. At Saint Hefas-
  ten’s urging, she founded the order, and its numbers soon 
  began to swell as people from all over the world heard 
  the call to rise up and fight evil.
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  21
  The paladins do not pay homage to any single god. They 
  worship them all, receive power from the angelic Choirs, 
  or so Church scholars assert, and fight evil in the name of 
  the gods. They are loyal to their order and, therefore, the 
  Church—but were the Church to become corrupt, it likely 
  would not take the paladins with it, as they have a deeper 
  connection to the heavenly than most.
  Loyal as they are, paladins are not the enforcing arm 
  of the Church’s will, or servants and protectors to the 
  clerics. Paladins are great heroes with their own wills and 
  purposes. They wander the earth to fight evil in its many 
  forms. Every paladin heeds a very personal call to do this, 
  feeling destiny-bound to perform her duties. The primary 
  purpose of paladins is to go questing, traveling widely and 
  righting wrongs wherever they go. 
  cAPtAinS
  Paladins ascend to the rank of captain in time and with 
  experience. No one’s permission is needed for this pro-
  motion. All other paladins recognize the character as 
  captain and thus obey any commands the captain gives. In 
  cases of more than one captain ordering a group, the less 
  experienced captain defers to the more experienced—no 
  argument necessary. Deans of churches (and higher author-
  ity figures) and any cleric of the Great Church recognize 
  captains for the commanding figures they are without 
  needing to be told. Deans always welcome captains to use 
  their churches as bases of operations. A captain continues to 
  be addressed and introduced as a paladin.
  lord Protector
  Finally, the greatest captains become lords protector. 
  Again, this simply happens and does not require any-
  one’s permission. Throughout the world, lords protector 
  are figures of legend and renown. Kings bow to them, 
  the infirm beg them for healing, and those of evil heart 
  leave the area when they hear a lord protector is coming. 
  Lords protector are addressed as “lord” or “lady,” and is 
  introduced by full title.
  JoInIng the paladIns
  Becoming a paladin is simple enough: Those who hear the 
  call know instinctively what they must do. They go to a 
  Great Church and pray for three days without food or sleep 
  until they are lifted up by the local paladins and taken into 
  the order. For ten years, they are trained exhaustively in 
  warfare and holy doctrine. In cases where the new paladin 
  already knows much of this (a character with a religious 
  education, for example), this period is reduced to a year. 
  Paladins can choose any oath, but most swear the Oath of 
  Devotion. Paladins are addressed as “sir” or “dame,” and 
  introduced by full title. They are usually based at Churches 
  where captains are regularly present. 
  deaConry oF the great ChurCh
  The deaconry is the third great holy order of the Great 
  Church, dedicated to political and secular matters. Deacons 
  work with prominent members of the community to further 
  the Church’s goals and are experts at diplomacy, languages, 
  and the subtle arts of intrigue, all learned in the name of 
  the gods’ good works. Deacons are addressed as “deacon,” 
  while archdeacons are addressed as “archdeacon.” The order 
  works to secure the Great Church’s secular position, influ-
  ence political leaders, and steer historical events. Deacons 
  are often expert diplomats, performing missions abroad for 
  their bishops. The greatest archdeacons have the ear of the 
  Supreme Patriarch, and work closely with him.
  Deacons have access to resources and wealth to spread 
  the Church’s influence. They are generally influential, 
  smooth and clever speakers, and experts at getting people 
  to see things their way without resorting to ugliness. Many 
  famous adventurers over the years have been made deacons, 
  and eventually archdeacons, for bringing back great trea-
  sures and giving them to the Church—or simply for aiding 
  the Church greatly in times of crisis. Upon becoming 
  deacons, archdeacons or the bishops send these agents to 
  perform diplomatic missions in the name of the Church, so 
  every deacon must possess some diplomatic ability.
  
  Chapter II: the great ChurCh
  22
  22
  JoInIng the deaConry
  The deaconry recruit candidates from all backgrounds, 
  though they tend to bestow the title of deacon onto polit-
  ical allies or grant it in exchange for a sizeable donation. 
  Potential deacons must demonstrate some skill at intrigue 
  and they cannot be members of different orders within the 
  Great Church. Finally, openly evil individuals, or those 
  with evil reputations, are never considered.
  Bishops or higher officials in the Great Church might 
  bestow the title of deacon as a reward for some great ser-
  vice performed in the church’s name. It can be a title only 
  and left at that, with no special powers attached to it. It 
  is quite possible to be a full-time politician and dedicate 
  no time to one’s order—the deaconry welcomes members 
  who are out in the world, influencing events. People can 
  also earn the title by donating time and money to the 
  Church, though monetary donations must total 10,000 
  gp or more. The completion of a significant quest, 
  such as the recovery of an artifact, or donations of 
  100,000 gp or more, might earn an individual the 
  title of archdeacon. 
  SPeciAl StAtUS
  As a deacon, you are an important figure in the Great 
  Church and as such enjoy privileged status. You need 
  never pay for food or lodging at a Great Church 
  chapter, and you receive significant discounts from mer-
  chants who are faithful to the Great Church. You can 
  access the Great Church’s extensive libraries, including 
  many secret collections. Finally, when you ask for audi-
  ence with political figures, you will only be rejected if that 
  political figure wishes to alienate the Great Church.
  As an archdeacon, you enjoy even greater benefits. Not 
  only do you receive all the benefits from being a deacon, 
  but you also enjoy free spells and possibly loans of magic 
  items from the Great Church larder, subject to availability 
  of course. Merchants faithful to the Great Church are 
  unlikely to charge you for smaller items. Important politi-
  cal figures might invite you to their courts if they hear you 
  are nearby.
  PerSonAl GUArd
  Because you are extremely valuable to the Church, you 
  receive special protection from the Church’s clergy and 
  paladins. If you find yourself in difficulty, you can call upon 
  the Church for help and receive it at the GM’s discretion. 
  As well, you are provided a retinue of bodyguards from 
  the Church. You have the protection of 8 guards if you’re 
  a deacon, or a detail of 64 guards if you’re an archdeacon. 
  Your bodyguards are loyal to you, but their primary purpose 
  is to defend you against harm. They obey your commands, 
  but they reject any order that would put you in danger, or 
  excessively trouble their consciences. Fallen guards can be 
  replaced in any city loyal to the Great Church.
  other orders 
  Two other orders round out the organization of the Great 
  Church. These are the Churchguard and the Friars, both 
  of which are represented as backgrounds in Chapter X. 
  The Churchguard is an order of devout warriors 
  charged with protecting the clergy and the churches. 
  Dressed in distinctive red uniforms with tabards bearing 
  the Tree and the five fruits on their chests, they are always 
  found standing guard at churches or in the company of 
  deacons and higher-ranking officials.
  Friars make up the second order, and all walk away from 
  their lives to reflect on the teachings of the gods. Friars 
  have no possessions and simply wander the land, taking 
  what people offer them. They are fed by the Great Church 
  and given shelter there, participating in holy services, but 
  often make pilgrimages into distant lands. Friars do much 
  of the spreading of the faith. Many members of this order 
  serve only a few years, and then go back to their prior 
  professions. Some friars are trained monks, able to fight 
  against evil powers with their fists and their inner strength.
  
  23
  Urian (YUR-ee-uhn) is the neutral good god of the sky, the 
  sun, the moon, the stars, the winds, freedom, and salvation. 
  His voice is heard in thunder, and his countenance is seen 
  in lightning. To most, he is the father of storms, though all 
  agree that rains come from Shalimyr, the waters. 
  Icons show Urian as a mighty old man, with a great 
  white beard made from the winds, and wild hair that 
  crackles with lightning. In his eyes are stars and the 
  moon, and when his mouth is open it shines with the 
  light of the sun. He is sometimes shown with four beasts 
  behind him on leashes of chain—the four winds, two of 
  which are shown to be snarling, fierce beasts, while the 
  other two appear placid and kindly.
  Urian’s faith visually represented with an orb of half 
  gold, half silver. The gold half casts off the golden rays of 
  the sun. Urianath clergy and some lay followers both wear 
  this symbol. In times of haste when such symbols are not 
  possible, this is made as just a simple orb flanked by four 
  lines: the winds. This symbol is not used if the more formal 
  symbol is possible, but can be found stamped on the bottom 
  of weapons or items fashioned to honor the god.
  The god of the sky is associated with no animal more 
  than the eagle, though all the beasts of the feather are 
  considered his children and wards of his domain. He is 
  associated with the griffin, which is part eagle and was 
  born of his servant.
  Urian is ardently worshiped by primitive people every-
  where, and has among them more names than can be 
  counted. The odds are very good that barbarians and 
  nomad societies worship Urian, or some aspect of Urian 
  (like the sun, stars, or lightning), under some name of 
  their own devising. Among those who understand Urian’s 
  place in the pantheon, he is most often worshiped by the 
  elves, who love his stars and the moon, and by humans 
  and halflings, who love his sun and sky. Subterranean 
  races care little for Urian.
  Myths 
  draggIng sun and Moon
  for ages uncounted, the sun and moon sImply hung In 
  the heavens as a part of the Great Sky. There was no need for 
  them to move, and it was eternally day in one part of the world 
  and night in the other. Into this world, the div were born, and 
  before long those in the dark pleaded with Radiant Urian for 
  light; those in the eternal light cried out for the restfulness of 
  night. But how can this be? For a man can no more move his 
  eye from his head to his toe than the Sky Father could move the 
  Sun to the dark parts, and the Moon to the bright.
  Yet Thunderous Urian was moved by their pleas, and so he 
  set to earth in his common guise and wandered among the div, 
  finding the two mightiest of the race—Ali Mustafis bin Omar 
  and Farouk al Ban. These two div were the greatest heroes of 
  the time, and had come to be renowned among the Shaitan and 
  Marid for their rivalry. They had wrestled 12 times before, and 
  never had one of defeated the other.
  When Urian came upon them, it was before their 13th 
  match. Every hundred years div from around the world (who 
  did not wither with age) would gather for great athletic con-
  tests between the strongest and swiftest among them. All eyes 
  were upon the great champions, each of whom swore that he 
  would be victorious this time. The Sky King came to them and 
  made each this offer—should he win, Urian would place him 
  in the heavens for eternity. Both readily accepted.
  The two strove for three days, their longest match yet, and at 
  the end, neither was victorious. When the Windwright came 
  to them afterward and sighed sadly that he only had room for 
  one in the sky, each demanded the place. Each swore fervently 
  that he would serve gladly and diligently in the heavens just to 
  keep his rival from the honor. At the end of their oaths, Urian 
  smiled, for he indeed had room and need for both.
  And so, Ali Mustafis bin Omar was renamed Alimus and 
  set in garments of pure gold. Urian placed in his hands a great 
  flaxen cord that was lashed about the sun, and every day 
  Alimus drags the golden orb across the sky.
  For his part, Farouk was renamed Faro, and he was set 
  in raiment of shining silver. Into his hand was committed a 
  perfect thread of mithril that girded the moon. His commission 
  was to drag the moon across the heavens in the evening.
  To this day, the two uphold their duties, though sometimes 
  Faro shows up his rival by racing onto the field of the sky early, 
  and so the moon can be seen in the heavens during the day. And 
  sometimes, though rarely, the two ancient rivals come to wrestle 
  once more and the sun and moon are eclipsed as they strive; to 
  look at the sky at such times is folly, for the wrestlers have such 
  might and glory in them that to gaze at them with the naked 
  mortal eye is to be blinded.
  I
  n the mythology, we are introduced to the old gods—those created before the fruits hatched on the 
  tree. These gods are still worshiped and are quite powerful. The old gods are in two places at once—they are the 
  personification of the forces of the earth (the air we breathe, the water all around us, the earth under our feet), but they 
  are also walking, talking gods. They are said to reside still in the mortal sphere, but they are sometimes represented among 
  the other gods on the mountain of Heaven. This is one of the mysteries their faithful must strive to understand. The old 
  gods include Rontra, the Earth, Urian, the Sky, Shalimyr, the Waters, Eliwyn, the Tree of Life, and the Nameless One. 
  God oF the Air And Sky
  Urian
  the rAdiAnt, thUnderoUS, the Wind lord, Sky kinG,  
  Sky FAther, GreAt Sky, the moon And StArS, WindWriGht
  III: the old gods
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  24
  24
  the ChaInIng oF the wInds
  when darmon and korak taught the mortal races to 
  build great water vessels and Wily Darmon taught them to sail 
  those tall ships across Shalimyr’s back, there were many obstacles 
  to the learning. The mortal races needed to overcome their fear 
  of floating on the water, which was as unnatural to them as 
  flying like a bird. They needed to learn to navigate the great 
  and chartless sea, and harness the winds to travel upon it.
  While Urian the Wind Lord tried to keep his winds in 
  check for the benefit of these mortals, still they were wild and 
  untamed. Just as one’s mind can wander and contemplate 
  that which horrifies him, so were the Sky King’s winds raging 
  against his will. The winds were a part of him, but had pos-
  sessed spirits of their own from the beginning. Two of them 
  hated mortals who walked the world and sailed the seas, and 
  sought to destroy such fragile travelers.
  The bitter North Wind called out, “I’ll bite at all I see, tear 
  their flesh and turn them to ice!”
  The terrible East Wind responded, “I’ll shake them and 
  break them, rip them and strip them! I hate them all!”
  But the South Wind and the West Wind tried to stop East and 
  North from destroying mortals. Thus the winds would clash in 
  the skies, causing terrible gales that tore up everything in sight.
  At last, the raging winds became too much to withstand. 
  The mortals had learned to sail their tall ships in sight of land 
  and build beautiful homes at the water’s edge, but whenever 
  they set out on the great journeys that would someday connect 
  mortal races in trade, the winds would rise—South against 
  North, East against West—and ships would be dashed against 
  the rocks, or lost at sea. One day, Darmon Silver Tongue came 
  to Urian to entreat him to calm his winds:
  “Sky Father! Will you not still your raging winds? Do we not 
  all love these clever mortals and wish to see them travel across the 
  land and sea? Yet they cannot travel, for your winds destroy their 
  ships; you rage where even your mad brother Shalimyr does not.”
  And the Sky King thought on this. Little Darmon was right, 
  for Urian truly wished to see mortals travel across the seas and 
  someday, perhaps, high in the air. He spoke to his winds and 
  demanded they be still. But they would not!
  “Nay, Lord! We will rage and blow and destroy, for our 
  hearts hate!” the North and East said.
  “Nay, Lord! We must oppose our brothers, or they will 
  destroy the world!” the South and West said.
  And at this Urian started, for surely the winds were a part 
  of him, as were the stars, and the Sun and Moon, yet they 
  resisted his will. And so, he reached into himself and plucked 
  the winds from him, as a man might rip out an offending 
  eye, or cut off his own hand were it to spite his desires. Urian 
  Windwright then sent Darmon forth to summon the twins, 
  Korak and Anwyn. For the Sky King, Master Korak built four 
  mighty halls in the clouds and mountain peaks to house the 
  winds, and chains to hold them. In these halls, Blessed Anwyn 
  made homes with furs and fires and splendid feasts.
  Urian now resides in these four halls, moving from one to the 
  next, unchaining his winds for a while when he sees fit, knowing 
  that the North and East seek to scour the earth, and the South 
  and West seek to give succor. It is said that two of the halls are in 
  caves atop the tallest mountains in the North and South of the 
  world, and should any be foolish or brave enough to climb these 
  peaks, he might find Urian Windwright or, at the least, one of 
  the winds bound in mighty adamant chains forged by Master 
  Korak. And in the highest clouds of the East and West, one might 
  find two more halls, and in them imprisoned those winds. But in 
  all four halls one thing is assured—winds that were once a part 
  of the Sky King are shackled, yearning to be free.
  Let us never forget, therefore, that Radiant Urian, who 
  cherishes freedom, so loved the mortal races that he pulled from 
  himself his most vital parts and enslaved them to be our ser-
  vants; we must forever honor this sacrifice.
  brIng lIght to the world
  Urian is the sky and the heavens. His purpose is to shine 
  on the earth with his sunlight and make the landscape 
  glow with the silver light of the stars. Bound up in this, 
  though, is the central mystery of the worship of Urian, 
  Shalimyr, and Rontra; all three gods are the elemental 
  parts of the world, but they are also the guardians of those 
  elemental parts, wandering among them and looking after 
  them. There is a legend of Darmon stealing stars from 
  Urian, and Urian finding the fakes with which the Wily 
  Darmon replaced them. How is this possible if Urian is 
  the stars? It is a mystery that anyone who worships him 
  must ponder.
  Urian wishes to reach the world’s ignored nooks and 
  crannies. There are places in the that none care for—per-
  haps they are ugly, horrible, or devastated by evil, but 
  Urian reaches them still with his sunlight and starlight, 
  his moon and his winds. He brings the beauty of the 
  heavens to all peoples and all places, and for this he is 
  dearly loved by those imprisoned and enslaved, for he rep-
  resents their hope and their freedom. The most common 
  visual theme among these faithful is a prisoner reaching 
  through the bars of his cell for the stars.
  Urian is profoundly uninterested in the various petty 
  conflicts of the gods, and he straddles both sides of the 
  disputes between chaos and law. Sometimes he sides with 
  one, sometimes the other; sometimes he takes no side 
  at all. This is because Urian, more than any other of the 
  gods, has a dual understanding of the world, and a dual 
  interaction with it. Sometimes he is radiant and lovely and 
  sometimes he is dark and cold. He sees both as legitimate, 
  and he contemplates what is the proper time for each—
  when must he unleash the warm and gentle winds, and 
  when must he let fly the bitter and cruel?
  seVen serVants
  Urian has seven principal servants. The four winds, dis-
  cussed above, can go alternatively by the names Rigyl or 
  North, Ragyl or East, Wyndyl or South, and Wandyl or 
  West. The Sky Father chains all the winds in his four great 
  halls and unleashes them only when needed, under his 
  careful control, to avoid the destruction of all in their path.
  Alimus and Faro are forever bound to the sun and 
  moon. Some cultures worship these two as gods, and 
  believe they’re brothers who forgot their true origins. 
  Indeed, they are quite powerful, for they have borne the 
  loveliest of the heavenly orbs aloft for thousands of years, 
  and it has affected them to the core. It is unclear whether 
  
  25
  worshipers of the two receive power from them or from 
  Urian, but Alimus and Faro are so powerful it is quite 
  possible that they grant power to their followers.
  Closest companion to Urian, though, is Grifynne, 
  his magnificent golden eagle. Grifynne is mother to the 
  griffins (which are named after her), which were begat 
  from her by Terak’s golden lion, Metteron. Grifynne has 
  a wingspan as long as a mighty river, and her cry can be 
  heard across the heavens. Her origins are mysterious, 
  though most assume that Urian created her before the 
  gods of the tree were even born.
  the eyrIes oF urIan
  The church of Urian has weakened in the civilized world, 
  though worship of the god remains strong in wild places. 
  As people move into cities and have ready shelter and 
  warmth, the need to fear the winds and revere the sun 
  is sublimated to reverence for more earthly forces like 
  commerce, craft, war, and medicine. For this reason, 
  the eyries of Urian (as his Churches are called) and the 
  Urianath (YUR-ee-uhn-ath) who worship there have 
  become rare in cities. 
  The eyries are not secularly strong, and one of their 
  holy orders has vanished from the world. Indeed, the 
  greatest eyries stand high in the mountains, ancient and 
  magnificent structures that offer a commanding view 
  out across hundreds of miles of valleys. These eyries 
  are remote and hard to reach, and it is rare for the sky-
  larks—priests—to journey down from them. This does 
  not make for a popular religion. And yet, for those who 
  seek freedom from enslavement—of the body, the mind, 
  or the spirit—there are few greater places than the eyries. 
  Homes of contemplation, beauty, and austere wisdom, 
  the eyries are a boon to many in their deepest need.
  The eyries are roused to action when asked to aid 
  the enslaved and the downtrodden. Just as Urian’s wind 
  reaches every corner of the world, the Urianath believe 
  Urian’s care should be available to all people and therefore 
  abhor slavery. However, the Urianath are now so margin-
  alized that, should they seek to topple a major power, they 
  would need aid from another church to carry out the task. 
  The stance against slavery is universal in the faith. 
  There are other points on which the Urianath vary. There 
  are some devoted most to the sun and light of the Sky 
  King. These Urianath strive against the undead and other 
  forces of unlife. Others among the Urianath revere the 
  Sky Father’s cold light of the moon and stars above all, 
  and seek individual strength and glory, as the stars are 
  individual points of beauty and light.
  Urian has a peculiar view of the world: He either focuses 
  on the highly specific details of peoples’ lives, or pays 
  attention to trends across hundreds of years. This is best 
  understood as the sun and the stars. The sun rises every 
  single day; its cycle is one of the daily repetitions. Stars 
  hang in the heavens, unchanging, for thousands of years, 
  their fire never dimming. Their cycle is either so slow as to 
  be immeasurable, or they are not on a cycle at all.
  Urian sees the world through these eyes: the day-to-day 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  26
  26
  and the very, very long term. Nowhere is this clearer than 
  in his attitude toward the Urianath faith. He can become 
  intensely involved with the mission of one skylark in a 
  very specific predicament while ignoring everyone else 
  in her eyrie, or he can go for hundreds of years without 
  sending guidance or aid to any of 
  the Urianath—even the most pow-
  erful. Most of them accept this as 
  the reason the order of the grif-
  fins (see below) have been gone 
  from the world for so long; they 
  imagine the Sky Father hasn’t 
  even noticed yet.
  Urian certainly has no reason to 
  mistrust or dislike his church, 
  but he also has the very prac-
  tical details of being the 
  heavens to attend to. And 
  if he is capricious and unin-
  volved in his dealings with 
  the Urianath eyries, he is 
  even more so with the various 
  nomads and barbarians who 
  worship him on the fringes of 
  the world.
  doCtrIne
  “The sky is light and dark. The wind is hot and cold. 
  The sun gives life and death. But the sky is dark when 
  the world needs dark, and death comes of necessity. Can 
  we question and rail against the cold while we praise 
  and hallow the warmth? Can we hate the sun in the 
  desert when we love it in the winter? All are part of 
  the Sky Father, and all have a purpose in his plan. We 
  must be grateful, even for darkness and death.” 
  —Skylark’s Song Abu Goldfeather’s “I 
  Have Tasted the Stars”
  The Urianath practice a good-aligned faith, even though 
  they sometimes praise and glorify things others find evil, 
  like bitter cold, the blood moon, or darkest midnight—and 
  it is precisely because others find them evil that they praise 
  them. The core premise of the Urianath faith is that Urian 
  loves the world and its peoples. After all, he guarded the 
  tree, he opposed Kador bitterly, and he pulled the winds 
  from his own body and enslaved them—he who loves free-
  dom most! He gave light to the dark parts of the world, and 
  gave evening to the light parts. It is therefore unquestion-
  able that he loves the world and the mortals who inhabit it.
  So why, then, does he sometimes let the wind rage and 
  destroy ships? Why does his cold winter wind come down 
  and kill unprotected children? Why does his sun burn the 
  skin and suck the water from a man’s body, leaving him to 
  the vultures in the desert? Why does the night serve as a 
  haven to thieves and evil beasts?
  The contemplation of these questions, and their reflection 
  in every mortal spirit, is the heart of Urianath practice. 
  For these great and difficult questions are reflected in 
  the hearts of men: Why does a good and happy woman 
  consider hurling herself to the rocks below whenever she 
  stands at the edge of a cliff? Why does a loving father 
  consider casting his own child into an open fire? Why do 
  good people do terrible things? The contemplation of these 
  questions is of central importance to the Urianath, and 
  their understanding is that it is 
  the freedom to do evil that 
  makes people good. Just as 
  the Great Sky must some-
  times let awful things happen 
  so that the mortal races fully 
  appreciate the good of the 
  world, so too must all people 
  contemplate the darkness in 
  their own souls to fully appre-
  ciate the good.
  One can see, therefore, 
  why the Urianath so oppose 
  tyranny and slavery. A slave 
  is not free to walk the good 
  path, to explore the depths 
  of her spirit. Tyrants seek 
  to control the thoughts and 
  hearts of their subjects, 
  though thoughts and hearts 
  must be free to soar or sink. 
  But just as the Urianath 
  oppose the extremes of law, they oppose the extremes of 
  chaos. They believe that discipline and rule are necessary 
  for a person to fully appreciate his goodness. The path of 
  the Urianath lies between law and chaos. It embraces con-
  templation and balance on the road to good.
  The eyries are most often visited by those wrestling with 
  the darkness of their own spirits, just as the sun and moon 
  wrestle, and just as the North and East Winds battle with 
  the South and West. Those who strive to conquer what they 
  see as their worse natures, those who feel imprisoned by 
  past deeds or wicked desires, find succor in the faraway and 
  hidden eyries, high in the mountains. Whenever they are 
  apart from their eyries, the Urianath seek to bring spiritual 
  guidance and support to people across the land. They bring 
  freedom of the mind, the heart, and the body to all they 
  encounter, so that all people can explore the dual sides of 
  their nature—the light and the dark—and understand that 
  both are necessary for goodness.
  urIanath prayers
  The Urianath have many sayings they utter repeatedly, as 
  they contemplate the world and their own spirits. One of 
  the most common is a meditation on light:
  “Father Sky, the Sun and Moon,
  Giver of the golden boon,
  Silver twilight, radiant dawn,
  The cycle ceaseless carries on.
  “Hallowed heavens, pitch and star,
  Thou kindle even near and far.
  Thy light shines out when all is dim,
  Thy darkness forms the nightly hymn.”
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  27
  holy days
  The Urianath view each dawn and dusk as holy events, and 
  most are sure to be outside to observe these events daily. 
  Whenever there is a complete solar or lunar eclipse, the 
  Urianath celebrate indoors, as they consider it a taboo to 
  be under the sky at such times. Some cultures have special 
  celebrations of the sun at harvest or planting time. These 
  are usually festivals to Urian, and the local skylarks will 
  aid in the celebration, but they are not universal celebra-
  tions across all cultures. 
  The eyries do not have regular times for services; they 
  are places of constant meditation.
  saInts
  The Urianath recall the names of saints as those who have 
  made significant contributions to freeing all people. If 
  someone deterred an empire from conquering the world 
  or stopped an infernal plan to subjugate the mortal races, 
  she would find herself revered as a saint by the Urianath, 
  regardless of her faith. Usually for the Urianath, saint-
  hood requires martyrdom, as it is not likely for one to 
  achieve such ends without the loss of one’s own life.
  The most notable of the saints revered by the Urianath 
  is Griffin Saint Mathilde, who was the last of the sect of 
  griffins. Her entire order was wiped out by a demonic cult 
  working to bring forth one of their most powerful dark 
  princes. The cult did not realize Mathilde had survived, 
  however, and in the last moments of its vile rite to call the 
  demon, she sacrificed herself to close the gate. Her act 
  wiped out the cultists and barred the prince from entering 
  the material plane for one hundred years and a day. Since 
  that time, there have been no griffins, for there is no one 
  to train them, but their sacrifice is remembered, for they 
  saved the world from certain doom.
  holy orders
  The eyries have four holy orders, two of which are nearly 
  extinct, and one of which was last active so long ago it is 
  now but a dim memory. Each order is named after a beast 
  of the feather. The skylarks are clergy, and the dominant 
  order. They have two levels of status: the wings and songs. 
  The eagles are holy warriors with two ranks: the talons and 
  the eagles sworn. The hawks are an order of protectors who 
  recognize no ranks among themselves. The now-extinct 
  griffins once mastered the mystical elements of Urian’s 
  manifestations. In addition, a member of any sect might be 
  named eyrie lord, to manage one of the faith’s strongholds, 
  but must abandon prior affiliations to oversee the other sects 
  fairly. Not all eyries select a lord, and some simply grant 
  authority to the highest-ranking resident, though in all cases 
  the senior skylark will be the authority on spiritual matters.
  The average eyrie has five or six skylark wings, two sky-
  lark songs, a couple of eagles’ talons, and a presiding eyrie 
  lord. Four hawks might be resident, but rarely participate 
  in eyrie business, as they simply use the place as a base of 
  operations. However, some eyries have no eagles whatso-
  ever, and are instead protected by the hawks.
  skylarks oF urIan
  A contemplative order, most skylarks live high up in the 
  mountains, dedicating their entire lives to pondering the 
  two faces of Urian and the mortal races. They are quiet and 
  kind, revering the sunshine and moonlight. The skylarks 
  value contemplation, compassion, and gentle guidance 
  far more than harsh action. There are other orders of the 
  Urianath dedicated to fighting brutal wars and saving the 
  downtrodden; the skylarks are the spiritual and mystic 
  order instead, and are often difficult to talk to. They speak 
  of mysteries, and constantly analyze the lessons learned 
  from happenings in the world. However, for those with 
  heavy hearts burdened by sin, the skylarks prove marvel-
  ously helpful. They have ready ears, are never judgmental, 
  and are always eager to offer guidance to those who seek it.
  Some skylarks leave their eyries to go on a quest. They 
  collect themselves, inform the songs, and head down the 
  mountain. No one orders these quests; rather, the skylarks 
  feel the pull in their meditations.  Sometimes this is based 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  28
  28
  on a vision, other times on a hunch. Sometimes they are 
  even certain they heard the command in the wind. Many 
  skylarks are slain on their spontaneous journeys. Others 
  come back quickly, with a minor quests fulfilled. A rare 
  few live lives of spectacular and heroic adventure, return-
  ing to the eyrie when they are old, and ready to impart the 
  wisdom they gained from their journeys.
  The skylarks have only two titles, and they are not based 
  on power or prestige, but age. A young or middle-aged 
  skylark is a wing. The wings are charged with carrying the 
  faith, learning, growing, and performing any physical labors 
  necessary. A wing is addressed as “skylark’s wing.” All Uri-
  anath addresses follow this form, and all are introduced using 
  just this address—the order name is not repeated. So, Idrin 
  would be addressed as “Skylark’s Wing Idrin,” and intro-
  duced as “the Skylark’s Wing Idrin, of the eyries of Urian.” 
  When wing reach old age, they become songs, 
  addressed as “skylark’s song.” It is their duty to teach 
  others the ways of the skylarks, oversee students and vis-
  itors to the eyrie, and generally live out the remainder of 
  their lives in wisdom and grace. Songs contemplate the 
  faith, and defer to eyrie lords on secular matters.
  There are three dominant alignments among the sky-
  larks, though the most common is neutral good. The 
  neutral good skylarks hew closest to the doctrine of the 
  faith. They spend their days in contemplation of the dual 
  nature of heaven and man. They are filled with the cer-
  tainty that goodness can be found in the dark and the 
  light, the cold and the warm, the individual light of a star, 
  and the radiant glow of the sun that blankets everything. 
  They are a serene and kindly group.
  Lawful good skylarks certainly follow the doctrine of the 
  Urianath, but focus on the goodness of light and warmth: 
  There must be darkness for the light to be perceived in all 
  its glory. There must be cold for the warmth to be felt in its 
  splendor. These skylarks focus on what they call “Urian’s 
  Order,” meaning all things and people have a place under 
  the sun, and all bad things happen so we can learn our place 
  in that order. The lawful good skylarks can truly be said to 
  revere Urian’s sun-face more than any other, and are quite 
  close to sun-worshipers. They feel that when he shines, he is 
  the center of life and holiness, and they hope to bring that 
  light and warmth to the world. Such skylarks are profound 
  enemies of demons and undead.
  Chaotic good skylarks are almost the reverse image 
  of their lawful good comrades. While they too hold that 
  Urian is the center from which goodness flows, they believe 
  sunlight and daytime are Urian’s way of aiding the mortal 
  races to overcome their weakness, but that nighttime is the 
  true time of purity. They see the stars as the best guides to 
  holiness: thousands of brilliant lights, standing out individ-
  ually, making the most beautiful work of the heavens. Urian 
  wishes the mortal races to be like the stars, standing out as 
  brilliant individuals doing wonderful things, and only in 
  the dark, when we have no light to guide us, are we truly 
  alone, and able to stand as such individuals. Urian gives 
  mortals the sunlight because they are too weak to embrace 
  their individual destinies; they are frightened by loneliness, 
  so he brings them together with solar brightness.
  JoInIng the skylarks
  Skylarks are clerics devoted to Urian through the Light 
  or Air domains, with the latter described in Chapter X.  
  Adventuring skylarks favor weapons that represent light-
  ning, such as javelins and whips, for Urian smites his foes 
  with lightning, which cracks from his clouds when the 
  gods argue and he thunders.
  eagles oF urIan
  The eagles are a noble and beautiful order of holy war-
  riors. They wear tall, golden helms and carry greatswords 
  of silver, decked with gems like the stars. They speak 
  with the song-like voices of birds and are magnificent to 
  behold. Sadly, they are rare, and it is uncommon to see the 
  glorious eagle-riders sweeping down upon an evil foe from 
  the backs of their winged steeds.
  The eagles stand for the freedom of all people to achieve 
  their potential. They wish to break the locks and gates of 
  the world that obstruct the winds of freedom. They oppose 
  any force, mortal or immortal, that would enslave or 
  imprison the spirit. This often takes them into opposition 
  with infernal forces, particularly devils, but it also leads 
  them to oppose rulers who dominate by fear or other evil 
  methods. This ends up being a wide assortment of foes, as 
  they will oppose lawful evil, chaotic evil, neutral evil, even 
  lawful neutral and chaotic neutral regimes. Any that seek 
  to outlaw the freedom of thought, and certainly any that 
  allow slavery, will be opposed by the eagles. With so many 
  enemies, is it a wonder they are rare?
  As raptors soar above, looking for the dark scurrying 
  things of the world, so do Urian’s eagles. They sally forth 
  looking for evil deeds to set right. In doing this, they must 
  never knowingly commit an act of evil or allow one of the 
  mortal races to be enslaved (imprisonment for crimes does 
  not count). They must never contribute to any plan that 
  forces one viewpoint or way of thinking on a people. This is 
  a fine line—a society that worships dark gods and believes 
  people should have their hands cut off might or might not be 
  overthrown by the eagles of Urian. If the people all believe 
  this is the best way, it would be wrong to force them to stray 
  from their beliefs. Of course, the odds of a whole society 
  willingly cutting off its hands are slim, and the eagles would 
  be quite skeptical of any assertion to the contrary.
  Eagles of Urian associate with any who are good of 
  heart, though they will not stay long with those who 
  are so convinced of their righteousness that they seek to 
  impose their order on other mortals, or those who are so 
  opposed to order that they tear apart functioning systems 
  and societies in the name of freedom. Those who are 
  openly evil will not find an eagle long in their company. 
  JoInIng the eagles
  Becoming a talon is as simple as climbing to an eyrie and 
  asking to join. The eyrie lord examines the prospective 
  eagle and determines, through some strange second sight 
  all eyrie lords have, whether this young person has truly 
  heard the call to take up arms in Urian’s name. The stu-
  dent is then taught the language of the heavens (Auran, 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  29
  a dialect of Primordial), given training in weapons, and 
  becomes a paladin. With basic training complete, the 
  eagle is called a talon, addressed as “Eagle’s Talon,” and is 
  sent abroad to learn what she might find under the heav-
  ens. Most eagles are neutral good.
  Talons learn by doing. Just as the winged eagle learns 
  to feed by swooping down and attacking the prey of the 
  fields, the eagles of Urian must learn to oppose evil by 
  fighting it. They wander the world, taking up any mis-
  sion they can to improve the lives of others. They make 
  friends with those who are good, and bitterly fight those 
  who are evil. They soak up knowledge and skill, until the 
  day they can swear the oath of the eagle, for the paladin’s 
  Sacred Oath class feature.
  After a long life of fighting, and winning glory against 
  evil forces, the eagles sworn return to the eyrie to become 
  its protectors. They train and examine new talons who 
  come to the eyrie, oversee the eyrie’s secular affairs, and 
  ride forth in times of greatest need. When such eagles 
  become eyrie lords, they are addressed as “Eagle’s Lord” 
  to acknowledge their past deed.
  hawks oF urIan
  The hawks are thought to be a less noble order than the 
  others, for they act as guerilla warriors against the forces of 
  evil. While the eagles soar above things, hawks aren’t afraid 
  to fly low seeking enemies under the cover of the forest. 
  They are addressed as “Hawk,” regardless of seniority.  
  The hawks of Urian are trained to serve Urian as hunters 
  of evil, just as the birds for which they are named can 
  be trained by falconers to seek prey. Hawks are master 
  archers, skilled at calmly sneaking near their foes and 
  sniping from hidden places, but when drawn into melee, 
  they fight ferociously. Their fighting style is furious 
  and fearless, and they do not hesitate to get their 
  hands dirty. As the faith of Urian says, there is 
  good in the light and the dark; the hawks believe 
  the only way to effectively fight those who would 
  do evil to the mortal races is to engage them in 
  the mud, mete out brutality and destroy them 
  utterly. To this end, the hawks are wild, pas-
  sionate warriors, and when they come upon 
  the forces of evil they abandon any sense of 
  “honor” or “mercy” and instead seek to ravage 
  their foes completely. This horrifies those 
  who see goodness in honorable combat, but 
  others understand it as a philosophical stance toward 
  the wicked. To a hawk, the only language evil under-
  stands is violence. 
  Hawks are sometimes found alongside armies, moving 
  with them against evil forces. They are marked by the 
  symbols of Urian worn on their breasts or, more often, 
  tattooed on the backs of their hands; they dress in 
  colors that blend with their surroundings. They often 
  move with a force’s vanguard, or as scouts. Hawks 
  happily work with outsiders, but their tactics are not 
  often embraced by other good people, who might find 
  them extreme. Bands of hawks are rare, but profoundly 
  dangerous.
  JoInIng the hawks
  Barbarians often become hawks. When barbaric peoples 
  who have long worshiped Urian under different names 
  enter his eyries, they readily take on the hawk’s mantle. 
  Such hawks often take the Path of the Harrier, which 
  is described in Chapter X. Other hawks are rangers 
  (Hunter), fighters (Eldritch Knight), or rogues (Assassin), 
  though any character sworn to Urian and skilled with a 
  bow might join the order.
  grIFFIns oF urIan
  The order of griffins were magnificent warriors who took 
  on the spirit of the griffin. They gained the strength of 
  the lion and the courage and nobility of the eagle, bound 
  together by secret teachings said to be been whispered by 
  Urian’s winds. These powers furthered their tireless war 
  with infernal forces. Sadly, there are no longer any griffins 
  in the world.
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  30
  30
  Rontra (RAHN-tra) is the lawful good goddess of the 
  earth, plants, farms, dirt, gems, metals, farmers, miners, 
  and all others who revere the earth. She seeks the greatest 
  good for the greatest number of her children through an 
  ordered and structured society. Grandmother Rontra says, 
  “You do not cast your seeds to the wind and hope they 
  grow; you must plan, and plan well.” 
  Associated not only with the earth above, upon which 
  all things grow and live, but also with the places beneath 
  the earth, Rontra stands for the fertility of the land, as 
  well as the people that inhabit it. She is the grandmother 
  of all people and of the gods themselves, having grown 
  the great tree Eliwyn in her soil. She is therefore the 
  patron of grandmothers and old women. She is known as 
  the Foremother, as she offers the gods and mortal races 
  the loving embrace of their ancestral mother.
  Rontra is often linked with the animals of the deep 
  places and caves of the earth, including moles, voles, 
  wolves, and cave bears. Of all the animals of the earth, 
  though, she is most closely associated with rabbits and 
  hares, which live in warm homes in the earth. They are 
  gentle and fertile creatures, just as Rontra is gentle and 
  stands for the fertility of all the creatures and plants of the 
  earth, and they desire nothing but peace, yet they will not 
  hesitate to protect their young, even against impossible 
  odds. Among mystical creatures, she is often associated 
  with treants, which some say are her children, but were 
  born of the blood of druids (see the church of Eliwyn). She 
  is most closely tied to the divine and gentle celestial animal 
  spirits called pookas (see Chapter X) that sometimes aid 
  humans in need. They usually appear as monkeys or rabbits, 
  and stand at the good counterparts to rakshasas.
  Rontra has been depicted in icons as an elderly woman 
  of the race worshiping her. Whatever the race, she has 
  grey hair, approaching silver, and in her face, thousands 
  of wrinkles lie like the furrows of the earth and the farm. 
  She is usually depicted in robes of flowing white, though 
  when she is prayed to for fertility, she is shown in robes of 
  red. Her feet are always unshod, to remain ever in contact 
  with the earth. Her eyes are black as coal with flecks of 
  gold, silver, and iron.
  In ancient times—and some of these icons and prim-
  itive statues remain—Rontra was shown as a heavyset 
  woman with five exposed breasts. These represented the 
  five mortal races; further, they represented fertility and 
  life, signifying that mortals suckle at her breasts and take 
  life-giving sustenance from the earth.
  The symbolic representations of Rontra’s church vary 
  slightly, with different regions using different symbols to 
  honor the earth. Those who revere the strength of the soil 
  and its life-giving power represent Grandmother Rontra 
  with a bundle of corn, or another crop appropriate for the 
  locale. Miners use the symbol of a sparkling diamond, 
  shining as if lit by a bright light, to represent the treasures 
  of the earth. All groups recognize the simple shorthand 
  of a single majestic mountain on a field of white, however, 
  and if there is a “universal” symbol of her church, this is it, 
  rendered simply as a tall triangle. 
  Rontra is worshiped by farmers and others who work 
  the soil, who pray that their fields will yield a rich harvest. 
  Miners honor her for her gifts of precious metals and won-
  drous gems. Women pray to her when they desire children, 
  because it was within the bosom of Rontra that the great 
  tree Eliwyn grew and gave birth to the wondrous diversity 
  of life in the land. Her worship is popular among all five 
  races, though for different reasons—the elves love her nat-
  ural splendor, the dwarves love her deep and rich caves, the 
  gnomes love their homelands in her hills, and the halflings 
  love her rich soil for farming. Humans love her for all these 
  reasons and more, depending on their culture. Half-orcs 
  rarely worship Rontra, as they are considered unnatural 
  by her church. Any character who comes from a farming 
  community is likely to have been raised worshiping Rontra, 
  though most of her adventurer worshipers are rogues (who 
  specialize in scouting), rangers, barbarians, and druids who 
  honor the gods, not impersonal natural forces.. 
  The worship of Rontra, Morwyn, and Anwyn are all 
  very closely integrated, as they are three generations of 
  the same line of women, and are often shown together: 
  the grandmother, the mother, and the maiden. While 
  Morwyn is the patron of pregnant women and those 
  giving birth, it is Rontra to whom people appeal when 
  they desire children, for the Grandmother is the giver of 
  fertility. Similarly, while Morwyn is the patron of mothers 
  and those raising children, it is Anwyn, the daughter, to 
  whom they appeal for a quiet and restful home.
  Myths
  the Fate oF durgas the unMerCIFul
  long ago, when the world was young, as were the chIldren 
  of the Tree, there arose a leader and warrior among men who 
  was a scourge to the earth. His countenance knew only rage and 
  his hands bore naught but death. Durgas the Unmerciful he was 
  called, may his name forever be cursed, for he cut a bloody swath 
  across the land. All who dared oppose him were crushed beneath his 
  might; his cruelty and malice were unrelenting, and only exceeded 
  by his hunger for power. Those conquered by the Unmerciful found 
  their lands, homes, and very families ruthlessly pillaged.
  Durgas had fought wars on many fronts, but had never 
  extended his conquests eastward, for that way lay a powerful 
  nation that opposed him bitterly. After a time, the wicked 
  warlord became determined to conquer his Eastern neigh-
  bor, and focused his forces for an all-out assault. This was no 
  normal conflict. The pride of Durgas was unending, and he felt 
  it an affront that this nation had opposed him for so long. He 
  the GoddeSS oF the eArth
  Rontra
  GrAndmother, venerAble, the eArth, the WellSPrinG,  
  the eArth mother, the Foremother
  
  Sower of rontra
  Chapter III: the old gods
  31
  therefore had no plan to capture and keep his enemy’s lands; his 
  mind was on more sinister machinations. He would kill these 
  Eastern people, make their King eat his own family, destroy 
  their cities and salt the earth. If he was successful, there would 
  be nothing left but desolation and death. Then all would know 
  the price of resisting Durgas the Unmerciful.
  The campaign began as had so many others. Armies of men 
  started out strong against his onslaught, but soon retreated, 
  hoping to fight another day. The horde of Durgas set about 
  slaughtering those left behind. Homes were burned, crops 
  destroyed, and the earth poisoned; the stench of death and 
  roasted flesh was everywhere.
  Then he saw her.
  She was a solitary figure, silhouetted by the fires raging 
  behind her. She stood stooped over a cane, seeming ancient 
  and tired. As Durgas rode forward to strike her down, the old 
  woman uttered these words: “Hold, warrior! Stay your hand! 
  You must abandon this path of murder—of destroying the 
  people and their lands. Remember, warrior: The Earth gives 
  life, and life it can take away.”
  Durgas roared back, “You are a fool, woman! Death is before 
  you and all around you. Only I can give you your life now, but 
  I choose to take it away!” With that, the Unmerciful beheaded 
  the old woman.
  Her head rolled on the ground and turned face up. Durgas 
  saw the eyes of the old woman staring right at him. Then the 
  lips moved, speaking thus: “You have made your choice, Durgas 
  the Unmerciful. We shall see who lives and who dies.” With 
  that, her head and body turned to dust before him. 
  The campaign continued, as Durgas and his army moved 
  further and further into enemy territory. Again, they destroyed 
  everything in their path, leaving nothing but death and 
  destruction behind them.
  And again, he saw her.
  Venerable Rontra, though Durgas still did not know who 
  she was, stood in the center of a burning field. Heedless of 
  the destruction around her and the approach of Durgas, she 
  stood patiently, waiting for him to approach. At first, Durgas 
  thought it a coincidence, but when she spoke, he knew it to be 
  the same voice he had heard before.
  “Durgas,” Rontra the Wellspring said, “You have yet to 
  learn. I ask you again to give up your war and go on your way. 
  Only your doom awaits you along this path.”
  Durgas hesitated for a moment this time, looking down from 
  his saddle at this stooped grey woman who spoke with such 
  authority. His men were stunned, for they had never seen him 
  think over a killing blow. But if there had ever been a place 
  in Durgas’ heart where mercy might find root, it was now 
  as scorched and barren as the lands he had left ravaged in his 
  wake. Raising his blade, he hewed that old grey head, saying, 
  “You will not stop me, woman. I am Durgas! I am invincible!”
  Again, before turning to dust, the last words of Grand-
  mother Rontra were, “You have made your choice, warrior. We 
  shall see who lives and who dies.”
  Now Durgas was filled with an incredible rage. A fey light 
  kindled in his eyes and he drove his men to unspeakable acts. 
  No home was left standing, no field left unburned, no life 
  untaken in his path of destruction.
  Again, he saw the old woman!
  She waited for him as before, though now she seemed not 
  so frail. She stood unbent and unbowed at the crest of a hill. 
  As Durgas approached, his men fell back, for whispers of this 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  32
  32
  old woman had now spread through the camp and even the 
  Unmerciful’s mightiest captains feared her. Only Durgas dared 
  approach, and he dismounted to climb to the top of the hill and 
  stand face to face with the Earth Mother.
  She spoke to him: “Warrior, I ask you now only for the sake 
  of the earth, provider and nurturer of all life, stay your hand. 
  Leave this place unharmed. It is in your power to do this. All 
  you need do is walk away. Think ere you strike.”
  “I do not need to think, old woman,” responded Durgas. “You 
  have been unable to stop me and you will not stop me now, so 
  close to the end. On the morrow, I will have the king of these 
  lands beneath my heel. Durgas stays his hand for no one! I strike 
  you down for the last time. Begone! Trouble me no more!”
  This time his cruel stroke split the old woman in half. There 
  were no words from her, and her body dissipated into dust. 
  Durgas continued his onslaught, cruelly destroying his ene-
  mies and their lands, making them uninhabitable. When there 
  were none left to kill and nothing left to plunder or pillage, he 
  turned his tired army homeward.
  The march was long and the land was dry and parched. 
  There was no water and no food—for all around, in every 
  direction, was the destruction that Durgas had wrought. One 
  by one his men died, as they had nothing to eat or drink. At 
  last, only Durgas was left.
  As he stumbled forward and fell to the ground, he looked up 
  and saw the Foremother standing before him, her cane in her 
  hand. She was robed now in purest white, and her old grey 
  hair shone in the light of the day like threads of pure silver. 
  “Help me!” he said to her. “Please help me.”
  The old woman looked down on him, and even for this worst 
  man among men, there was pity in her gaze. But there was no 
  sorrow in her voice when she spoke: “Look now on the mighty 
  Durgas. The Unmerciful! The Invincible! Look how you have 
  been laid low. You did not heed my warnings. You did not respect 
  the land. Now you taste death, not at the hands of another 
  warrior, but at the hands of the earth you so sorely abused. For 
  behold! I am Rontra, the Earth, and had you obeyed me, I would 
  have nurtured and sustained you as I do all others who respect 
  me. But in your pride, you destroyed all you saw. From dust you 
  were born, to dust you will return. Go, and be judged!” Fin-
  ished, the Wellspring plunged her cane into the earth before him. 
  With that, Durgas turned to dust and his remains seeped 
  into the earth. The cane remained, marking the spot of his 
  demise. It grew to a mighty oak tree in time, as the earth 
  around it recovered, growth spreading out from that spot like 
  ripples in a pond.
  nurture the world
  Rontra has seen what strife and hatred can do to the 
  land and its people. She knows only constant vigilance 
  can make certain that the gods, as well as mortals, do 
  not turn to destruction and death over petty squabbles. 
  To this end, she views herself as an advisor and nur-
  turer of her people. She counsels her grandchildren and 
  shows them the paths of righteousness. Together with 
  Morwyn, she is the conscience of gods and mortals alike.
  For Rontra, there is only one way, and that is the way 
  of moral good, no matter how difficult its demands. In 
  this, she is uncompromising and does not equivocate, 
  nor does she believe good ends can ever justify ill means. 
  That said, Rontra is the most “natural” of the gods, for 
  while she mourns the terrible events and crimes of the 
  world, she does little to stop them. As is shown in the 
  myth of Durgas, Rontra might warn and cajole, she 
  might plead with the wicked to find the right path, but 
  she rarely opposes them. As the earth, she sees all things 
  happen for a reason and all in the world is part of a great 
  cycle of life, even destruction and war.
  Rontra protects life in all its forms, through subtle 
  means whenever she can. Legends are filled with fami-
  lies strangely overlooked by marauding armies because 
  a small copse of trees obscured them, or a cave they 
  had never noticed suddenly appeared near their home 
  and gave them shelter from the raiders. Of all the gods, 
  Rontra moves in the most mysterious ways, rarely show-
  ing her hand or making her intentions clear. But those 
  who worship her and study her ways know she values all 
  living things, from the least insect to the greatest god, 
  as sacred and worthy of her attention. Whenever life is 
  taken for granted or wanton destruction is spread, her 
  agents are there, offering an alternative and attempting 
  to convince those who destroy that the path of life holds 
  more value.
  If there is anything that Rontra does actively oppose, 
  it is the unnatural forces that pollute her lands. The 
  Earth Mother despises the undead and their masters. 
  They represent unnatural life not born from the earth. 
  Her servants seek them out, to return them to the 
  peace of death.
  CelestIal serVItors
  Rontra has four main celestial servitors: allies and friends 
  who do her bidding when she calls.
  the ShePherdeSS
  When she needs to take shape, this servant of Rontra 
  appears as a tall female of an appropriate race, with flowing 
  robes and long golden hair. Her hand holds a shepherd’s 
  crook carved out of fresh oak. When the land is being dese-
  crated or otherwise misused, the Shepherdess makes subtle 
  appeals to those responsible to change their ways. She is 
  called the Shepherdess because she is the figure credited 
  in most legends for subtly herding those in danger out of 
  trouble. Some believe the Shepherdess is actually Morwyn, 
  not a servant of Rontra at all. Theologians consider this 
  foolish folklore though, for they know the Shepherdess by 
  the name Gwainlath, said to be a great leader who served 
  Rontra in the earliest days of the five races.
  the miner
  Known to dwarves as Barik-tharn, the Miner appears as a 
  stout dwarf with a pick made of pure light. He is the protec-
  tor of the earth’s treasures, but most importantly, he warns 
  those who are beloved of Rontra when they are in danger of 
  delving too deep or too dangerously. When miners feel gut 
  intuition telling them their tunnels are unsafe, they claim it 
  is Barik-tharn whispering over their shoulders.
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  33
  SAint mArleSSA
  Reputedly the founder of the first Rontran founda-
  tion, St. Marlessa is the ear of Rontra, walking at the 
  Grandmother’s side and listening to the pleas of her 
  worshipers. She only brings the most pressing 
  petitions to the goddess herself. She is invoked 
  as “Saint Marlessa, sister of the people” by 
  common folk, and is often named in 
  private prayer by Rontra’s followers.
  the SerPent
  The more mystical worshipers 
  of Rontra believe the surface of 
  the world is an enormous ser-
  pent biting its own tail, that is 
  sometimes called Ouroboros. They 
  believe the serpent is the chief of 
  Rontra’s servants, and all strength and 
  power, particularly the power of fertility, 
  is given to mortals through it, for it holds 
  the power of life and death. Most legends 
  of the serpent are not so grandiose. The more 
  common belief is that the Serpent was created 
  by Master Korak, who ripped off its legs to woo 
  Thellyne (see the church of Korak in Chapter V). 
  These legends hold that it came to Rontra in terrible 
  pain and she took to her bosom. The Serpent now visits 
  those in mortal agony and eases their pain, for Rontra 
  cannot abide suffering.
  the FoundatIons  
  oF rontra
  The foundations of Rontra, where the Rontrans worship, 
  can be found throughout most lands, for her followers are 
  quite numerous. In rural areas, where farming and living 
  off the land are a necessity, there is almost always a Ron-
  tran foundation present. Farmers offer prayers there daily, 
  so Rontra might bless their crops. 
  In cities, the foundations of Rontra are far less 
  common. When found, they are most likely concerned 
  with her fertility aspect. Women of all social classes pay 
  homage to the Wellspring of Life, hoping they will be 
  able to “bear fruit,” as the tree of Eliwyn did through 
  Rontra’s grace. Quite often, the churches of Rontra and 
  Morwyn are linked, as they are considered the grand-
  mother and mother of the people, respectively. In Great 
  Church cathedrals, their altars are always found together.
  The main goal of Rontra’s church is to sustain life and 
  the earth that supports it. Those who kill and maim for 
  no reason, or pillage the earth without cause, are enemies 
  of the Rontran faith. Priests of Rontra view themselves as 
  counselors more than leaders of the people. They provide 
  guidance to the faithful and maintain the health of their 
  flock through wisdom and advice. They lay down their 
  lives if necessary to defend the land and the living things 
  that derive sustenance from it, but they rarely tell people 
  what they should or must do. 
  Most Rontrans take pleasure in the treasures of the 
  earth, such as gems and precious metals. They often 
  make these into beautiful works to honor their 
  goddess. There are many within the Rontran 
  faith who are expert at such matters, and in 
  mining societies the worship of Rontra is 
  closely tied with worship of Korak, the 
  artisan, who taught mortals to craft 
  such wonders.
  The foundations of Rontra are 
  always constructed from stone 
  or brick, derived from the 
  strength of the earth. The 
  Rontrans never raise their 
  buildings more than one story 
  above the ground, and often 
  construct many subterranean 
  levels and chambers. The floor of 
  Rontran foundations is always bare 
  earth. Those entering the temple must 
  remove their footwear out of respect and 
  walk barefoot. Thus, they are always in contact 
  with the Earth Mother. Many faithful Rontrans 
  avoid wearing shoes for this reason.
  Rontra has never believed in actively influencing events 
  or telling mortals what to do, even in the time of the div, 
  but since the Compact, she has become even less involved 
  in the daily lives of mortals. Though she is as bound to the 
  sphere as the land itself, she observes mortals from afar.
  She is pleased with most aspects of what her church has 
  become, although she thinks that more focus should be put 
  on the overall welfare of people throughout the world. She 
  believes her faith has become too focused on farmers and 
  those that work the land. While she appreciates the reluc-
  tance of her faithful to instruct others and lead them toward 
  the right path—they are taking a page from her book, after 
  all—she does pressure the most powerful of her followers to 
  assume a more active role promoting peace among all people.
  When she can, she sends servants such as the Shepherd-
  ess or the Miner into the mortal sphere to right a grievous 
  wrong, stop the wanton destruction of the earth, or (most 
  commonly) subtly influence mortals to do it for themselves.
  peaCe through aCCeptanCe
  “We cannot mourn that we die, for all things die. It 
  would serve us just as well to mourn birth. The fields 
  are planted and grow full, and then they are harvested 
  and made bare. They are planted once more, and again 
  harvested. Do not mourn the cycles of life; do not resist 
  their wonder. When we are at peace with life, then 
  we will be at peace with each other. This is what our 
  Grandmother wants for us.” 
  – Great Elder Grombir Ironbrand’s “I 
  Have Seen the Glory” 
  Rontran teachings are not universal; each foundation focuses 
  on the aspect of the faith its sowers consider most important. 
  For example, inside a dwarf hold there might be a foundation 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  34
  34
  that dwells on the beauty of the earth’s treasures, and min-
  isters mostly to miners. In this foundation, there would be 
  no mention of planting crops at all. Conversely, a foundation 
  in the middle of a farming community spends most of its 
  time focusing on the health of the crops, not on the precious 
  metals and stones hidden beneath the earth. As mentioned 
  earlier, foundations in cities usually dwell on fertility. But the 
  treasures of the earth, farming, and fertility are all merely 
  aspects of Rontra’s love for those creatures living on and in 
  the earth. On this, all sowers agree.
  From this understanding, a core philosophy of the 
  Rontran faith has emerged and can best be understood as 
  “peace through acceptance, sharing, and love.” Rontran 
  teaching focuses on the ramifications of wanting more 
  than is rightfully yours—as with Durgas in the myth, it 
  invariably results in downfall and sorrow. 
  Rontrans believe we each have our place in the world 
  and we must learn to accept it. Death is inevitable, and the 
  greed and pride that moves some to seek to extend their 
  lives is wrong, and ends badly. We all meet with tragedy 
  in our lives, perhaps the death of a loved one or the theft 
  of something we prize. To rage against these tragedies and 
  try to achieve vengeance against the person responsible, or 
  worse, against the world that makes such tragedies possi-
  ble, always results in even greater tragedy. Only when all 
  people accept their place and learn to share, to love their 
  neighbors and to be kind and gentle with one another, will 
  we have peace. And peace is what Rontra desires for all.
  The Rontran philosophy is a gentle one, accepted by 
  many people for its simplicity and comfort. It is easy for 
  those who live small lives without pretension to riches or 
  glory to see themselves, through this teaching, as fulfilling 
  their place in a very holy order. 
  Beyond these teachings, the Rontrans have some basic 
  commandments that all devotees must follow. To disobey 
  these teachings is a grave sin, and one must seek out a 
  religious leader of the foundations to seek atonement if 
  one does so.
  • Do not consort with devils, demons, or other evil 
  creatures that are not of this earth.
  • Do not create the undead, or consort with 
  those that do.
  • Do not join in physical union with any race not born 
  of the tree of life.
  • Do not eat the flesh of any creature not born of the 
  earth; only natural beasts and fowl are appropriate 
  meat for a Rontran.
  • Do not sow the land with salt or any other substance 
  that will ruin it for planting.
  • Do not waste seed for planting or the seed of 
  your own flesh.
  • On the first day of each week, in remembrance that 
  the beasts of the earth came from the same fruits that 
  gave life to the mortal races, eat no meat whatsoever.
  • If you have food that you can spare and others are 
  hungry, share.
  • If you grow food from the earth, one-tenth of all you 
  grow must be given to those needier than you, unless 
  none are needier.
  • If you pull treasures from the earth, two-tenths of all 
  wealth you take from the Earth Mother’s treasures 
  must be given to the needy, unless none are need-
  ier than you.
  rontran prayers
  There are many common prayers used by sowers and wor-
  shipers of Rontra, and part of a sower’s training is learning 
  the hundreds, if not thousands, of traditional invocations 
  that have been written over the years. One of the first they 
  learn is the prayer of sowing. This is invoked by farmers 
  during planting seasons to help ensure the strength and 
  fertility of the soil.
  the SoWinG PrAyer
  This last stanza of the Sowing Prayer is commonly used by 
  farmers to ask for Rontra’s blessings in their endeavors. Many 
  say it almost absent-mindedly, as a common invocation.
  “Great Earth Mother, hear my prayer.
  With these humble hands I till the soil,
  Prepare the earth for the seeds of life.
  “Great Earth Mother, hear my prayer.
  I place each seed within your embrace
  And ask that you welcome each into your arms.
  “Great Earth Mother, hear my prayer. 
  As Eliwyn grew within your life-giving bosom,
  So, too, I pray that my seeds will grow.
  “Great Earth Mother, hear my prayer.
  As I water the earth in due time
  And tend the crops with loving care,
  May your blessings be upon the land.”
  holy days
  There are three main holy days of the Church of Rontra: 
  the Fertility Festival, the Sowing of Seeds, and the Har-
  vest Festival. Depending on the church and its locale, 
  each holy day or period takes on more or less significance. 
  For example, the Sowing of Seeds and the Harvest Fes-
  tival are very important to farmers, while the Fertility 
  Festival might have a greater significance in cities.
  the Fertility FeStivAl
  This festival takes place on the first day of spring. This is 
  normally an all-day affair to celebrate the end of winter, 
  along with the hope and life promised by the coming 
  spring. Most farming villages shut down during this 
  day as everyone gathers in the town square to eat, play 
  games, and attend services to honor Rontra. The young 
  test themselves with physically rigorous activities to 
  prove they are ready to be adults. In more “civilized” 
  areas, the Fertility Festival is an excuse for a day of rev-
  elry. The test of adulthood is often reduced to showing 
  off one’s prowess with a sword or bow, or besting some-
  one at a game of chance.
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  35
  such formal ranks. Sowers run the foundations, and are 
  considered the authorities in any matter concerning the 
  Rontran faith.
  A typical foundation hosts at least five prelates and one 
  grand prelate. In fact, a foundation cannot be established 
  without a grand prelate. Larger foundations have three 
  or four wardens in residence. Gleaners are almost never 
  found in foundations, and are instead inhabit shrines 
  found in the remote wilderness.
  sowers oF rontra
  The sowers are the clerics of the Rontran 
  faith. Their name comes from farming, 
  not because they are all farmers, but as a 
  reference to what they do: plant the seed 
  of Rontra’s wisdom and goodness in the 
  hearts and minds of all they meet. Just 
  as a farmer cannot make a 
  seed grow by himself, so 
  are the sowers unable to 
  make this seed of peace 
  take root. It is up to 
  people to nourish their 
  own moral strength. 
  the SoWinG oF SeedS
  The Sowing occurs at the start of the planting season. This 
  roughly coincides with the months of March and April in 
  a real-world calendar, depending on the climate of your 
  campaign world. During this holy day, members of rural 
  communities attend services at the local foundation to ask 
  Rontra to bless the coming planting. It is customary on 
  this day for each farmer to plant a young sapling to repay 
  and honor Rontra for her annual gifts of crops. Devout 
  farmers protect their trees with religious zeal, often hiding 
  them away in secret groves.
  the hArveSt FeStivAl
  This weeklong affair occurs during the harvest full moon, 
  which would roughly coincide with October on a real-
  world calendar. The festival gives thanks to Rontra for 
  the gift of the harvest, and is an opportunity for farmers 
  to celebrate the successful completion of another season. 
  The occasion is marked with daily worship, followed by 
  contests that award prizes for agricultural products, such 
  as the best pie, the biggest pumpkin, or the sweetest corn. 
  Dancing is also popular, and many a barn is lit up and 
  cleared to make room for the revelers. The long, hard 
  winter is ahead, and this festival allows the people to enjoy 
  themselves before its struggles begin. This is a favorite 
  holy day among halfling worshipers of Rontra.
  In mining communities, this festival refers to a harvest 
  from the rocky depths, and is celebrated with displays of 
  precious stones and metal from prized lodes.
  saInts
  The Rontran Church has one famous saint, Marlessa, who 
  established the foundations and has the ear of Rontra, but 
  generally there are no universal rules for naming saints. 
  After popular acclaim, a well-liked deceased person might 
  be named a saint by the unanimous judgment of a body of 
  prelates. They are normally known only to the local area 
  foundations where they lived and worked. In most cases, 
  saints were sowers or wardens who served the community 
  and Rontra in some extraordinary way. On occasion, a 
  member of the congregation who has made an incredible 
  sacrifice for the church can also be so honored. The title of 
  such a saint is normally her name followed by the phrase 
  “Defender of the Earth” or “Protector of the Land,” based 
  on the deed that resulted in beatification.
  holy orders
  The Rontran foundations have no centralized hierarchy. 
  Each is independently managed by its senior member, 
  though some foundations in one kingdom or geographic 
  area might form a council. Even without a central author-
  ity, each member knows where they stand in the religion.
  There are three holy orders within the Rontran church: 
  the sowers (clergy), wardens (holy warriors), and gleaners. 
  Sowers have three levels of status: prelates, grand prelates, 
  and elders of the faith. Wardens and gleaners do not have 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  36
  36
  Most sowers reside in foundations, ministering to Ron-
  tra’s worshipers. There are those in the order who eschew 
  connection to any establishment, seeing the earth as their 
  ministry. These wandering sowers are usually quite popular, 
  for they heal the sick and the maimed, and always seem to 
  show up just when they’re needed most. Although the Ron-
  tran faith has no higher order that that of the sowers, they 
  need not work at a foundation, but most do because it’s the 
  best way to study, and perform Rontra’s works.
  Many small farming villages across the land benefit 
  from Rontran foundations’ charity. They often build small 
  shrines to the Earth Mother in outlying communities, 
  stationing prelates at these shrines for periods up to five 
  years. Ideally, the prelates train acolytes to take over their 
  ministries once they move on to other duties.
  Wherever a sower is stationed, whatever his duty, the order 
  sees his function as offering all people, common and high, 
  a helping hand and advice to help them accept their varied 
  places in the world and be at peace. Sowers sometimes speak 
  in what seem like riddles, to avoid telling people what to do. 
  They shun confrontations when dealing with people who are 
  good of heart, but when faced with evil, particularly unnatu-
  ral and fiendish forces, sowers become implacable foes.
  Most sowers are lawful good and, like Rontra, believe 
  there must be an order to everything in nature, including 
  peoples’ lives, for the world to be at peace. They desire the 
  happiness from all people, high and low, and work within the 
  established order to promote it. While they oppose tyranny, 
  they see nothing wrong with a system of peasant farmers and 
  wealthy landowners. In fact, they convince those who want 
  to rebel against this established order that they must accept 
  their place in life. This is one of the cores of their belief: 
  accept who and what you are, and you will find unbounded 
  joy. They espouse moral good in other ways, though, and 
  oppose efforts oppress the people or steal from them.
  The neutral good sowers are more ambivalent about 
  established social orders. They see many cases where 
  change can improve lives. However, they continue 
  to adhere to the basic tenets of the faith, and do not 
  command good-hearted people to change their lives, 
  preferring to advise. Many neutral good sowers are 
  wanderers, less interested in the foundations than their 
  counterparts. They seek out the world’s most dangerous 
  areas, where they can do good deeds.
  Oddities among the brethren, lawful neutral sowers seek 
  and obey authority almost compulsively. They create hier-
  archies where none exist. Most sowers with this outlook 
  believe the flaw in mortal reasoning is easily found—and it’s 
  their dissatisfaction with order. If everyone accepted their 
  place unconditionally and performed their role properly, the 
  world would function perfectly and peacefully. Lawful neu-
  tral sowers try to guide those who have fallen out of their 
  place back into it, and wage personal crusades against forces 
  outside the natural order, such as the undead. 
  PrelAteS
  Initiate sowers are named prelates, a title they bear for the 
  first many years of their careers. The Rontrans hold that 
  all prelates are equal. Once admitted into the order, they 
  can go where they believe Rontra wants them—unless 
  commanded directly not to by the grand prelate of the 
  foundation. The foundations have lawful good tendencies, 
  however, and most prelates obey even implied instructions 
  even they’re not strictly required to. A prelate is addressed 
  as “brother” or “sister,” and introduced by full title.
  GrAnd PrelAteS
  The only person in a foundation empowered to command 
  others is its grand prelate. When a foundation loses its 
  grand prelate through death or departure, or when a new 
  foundation is established, all the local prelates gather for 
  a great council to name a new grand prelate. All voices 
  are equal in these councils, called moots, regardless of 
  age or experience. Prelates run the moots in a very orderly 
  fashion, with every attendant getting a chance to debate 
  the matter before them. Thus, moots can take as long 
  as a month before these prelates agree unanimously on 
  the identity of the new grand prelate. Grand prelates are 
  undisputedly in charge of the foundations and, since there 
  is no higher authority, they become the area’s arbiter of 
  religious law. Prelates obey the grand prelate from their 
  foundation, even if they don’t want to. A foundation must 
  have a grand prelate to be considered a foundation—oth-
  erwise it is a shrine. If a grand prelate cannot be decided 
  on, the foundation is reduced to a shrine and put under 
  the authority of the nearest foundation with a grand 
  prelate. Grand prelates are addressed as “mothers” or 
  “fathers,” and introduced by full title.
  elderS oF the FAith
  Whether grand prelate or not, eventually a sower becomes 
  so powerful that all recognize him as an elder of the faith, or 
  “great elder.” These venerable leaders have usually performed 
  great quests or other monumental tasks in the service of 
  Rontra. It is considered odd for great elders to continue to 
  serve as grand prelates if they hold the office. Most give 
  up the position. They travel throughout the land. Visiting 
  foundations, they lend their wisdom and aid when required, 
  harrying the foes weaker members of the faith simply cannot 
  approach. A great elder is addressed as “grandmother,” or 
  “grandfather,” and introduced by full title.
  JoInIng the sowers
  To become a prelate, a person must show a gift of under-
  standing Rontra’s teachings. The faith is complex, with 
  thousands of recorded prayers and three different forms 
  of ministry (farming, treasures of the earth, and fertil-
  ity). A prelate must understand all of these, and be just 
  as prepared to tend to the spiritual needs of dwarven 
  miners as those of young wives hoping to get with child. 
  Training usually takes five years, though wise candidates 
  have been admitted into the clergy in only two years. A 
  prelate might serve in a foundation, wander, or even run 
  a small shrine. Prelates become clerics upon completing 
  their training and must choose a domain associated with 
  Rontra for the Divine Domain class feature, such as Earth 
  (see Chapter X) or Nature.
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  37
  wardens oF rontra
  Wardens are protectors of the earth, guarding the world 
  from those who would abuse her gifts, but primarily from 
  those powers that would pollute or pervert the natural 
  order. While sowers protect and guide the mortal 
  races, wardens seek out and end incursions 
  of unnatural forces such as the undead and 
  fiends such as demons and devils. While they 
  take orders from grand prelates or great elders, 
  wardens tend to be inveterate wanderers on a lifelong 
  mission against evil.
  Wardens defend the earth from the depredations of 
  the unnatural. They consider all life sacred, and strive to 
  protect and nurture Rontra’s children. They must always 
  remember the reason for their struggle against the unnat-
  ural is to protect innocent life. Any warden who kills 
  without just cause, or defiles the earth and its treasures, 
  immediately loses her standing and is considered fallen. 
  Wardens must never imagine the ends justify the means—
  they do not for Rontra, so they do not for her servants. 
  In determining what is “unnatural,” the simple rule to 
  follow is this: If it’s good or was born on the Material Plane, 
  it is not “unnatural.” While wardens do not like orcish bru-
  tality, they do not wish to eradicate orcs, as they are part of 
  the natural order. Undead aren’t alive and fiends come from 
  other planes, and thus face the full force of the wardens’ 
  wrath. Wardens do not oppose celestials, because these holy 
  beings do not actively pollute and destroy the natural order.
  Wardens enjoy the company of any who oppose evil 
  through just means. They are closely tied with Morwyn-
  ites and other lawful churches, and might ally themselves 
  with other divinely-powered, virtuous individuals from 
  other faiths. They shun the company of those who resort 
  to torture or brutality in the name of what they perceive 
  to be good, or anyone who knowingly commits evil acts. 
  They actively oppose anyone who creates undead, or sum-
  mons evil beings from other planes.
  JoInIng the wardens
  Rontra sometimes calls people to serve her. When she does, 
  they feel her voice in their bones, and become wardens. 
  Intuition tells wardens their duty to oppose the unnatural 
  forces that inhabit the world, whatever the cost, so many 
  leave behind established trades and lives to heed Rontra’s 
  call. Any warden can name an initiate warden who’s heard 
  the divine summons; this act makes the initiate a paladin.. 
  The induction process and ceremony vary based on the 
  inducting warden and the prospective member’s person-
  ality. Many initiates are taken into secluded areas by their 
  sponsors and told tales of Rontra’s splendor for many days, 
  with little to sustain them but conversation’s distractions. 
  Other wardens lead an entire foundation in prayers for the 
  initiate’s mission, for days on end. There are even wardens 
  who were inducted into the order by being buried in dirt up 
  to their necks, for three days and nights. Regardless of the 
  ceremony, the newly created warden becomes master of her 
  own destiny, and may wander the lands freely on her order’s 
  universal quest to destroy the unnatural.
  Once initiated, a warden has no 
  other office of rank, is addressed as 
  “sir” or “dame,” and is introduced by 
  full title. Wardens require no training to 
  be considered such, though most are wise enough to seek 
  out martial training. When it is time for wardens to swear 
  their Sacred Oath, they normally swear the Oath of the 
  Ancients. Most wardens are lawful good.
  gleaners oF rontra
  The third holy order of the Rontrans has little to do with 
  the foundations, and its members spends their time in 
  small farming communities. Called the gleaners, they 
  take their name from the poorest of the poor. At harvest 
  time, after the reapers cut the wheat and take it be stored, 
  gleaners come in and pick up the small pieces of grain 
  dropped in the process. They live off these scraps; a more 
  wretched people cannot be found in any countryside.
  Rontra’s order of gleaners are mendicants, living off 
  what they are given by nearby farmers. They settle on the 
  outskirts of rural communities and ponder the nature of 
  Rontra’s teachings, while protecting the land from evil 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  38
  38
  incursions—natural and unnatural alike. The order came 
  into existence on the uncivilized fringes of society long 
  ago, when the greatest threat to farmers were roving ban-
  dits who raided them for food. The gleaners were warriors 
  inspired by Rontra, who rose from farm communities and 
  drove off bandits in exchange for food. Eventually, they 
  coalesced into an order and now they are respected, if 
  little heard from, members of the faith.
  It is not an easy mantle to wear. The gleaners have no 
  property or families, and often live rough, without roofs of 
  their own. Eventually, they become tied to the land they 
  protect. While there are certainly traveling gleaners seek-
  ing out rural communities in need of aid, by the end of 
  their careers (should they live long enough), they invari-
  ably settle in a single region.
  JoInIng the gleaners
  Anyone who has a love for common people, and is pre-
  pared to take up arms to defend them and their lands, 
  might make an appropriate gleaner. Fighters, rangers, bar-
  barians, and monks  (especially monks who practice the 
  way of the four elements) are all likely to become glean-
  ers, and more than a few rogues have joined as well. It is 
  unheard of for those who require books and other trap-
  pings of civilization, like wizards and bards, to become 
  gleaners, as it is a calling that requires poverty. Gleaners 
  do not have titles, and many abandon their names. They 
  are simply called “friend” or “brother” by those they pro-
  tect. Admission to the order does not require any rite of 
  passage; a person is simply called to serve the order and 
  takes on the mantle of gleaner.
  God oF the WAter
  Shalimyr
  the rAGinG, mAGniFicent, endleSS, the WAve, GrAndFAther oceAn,  
  SeA FAther, the GreAt SeA, the WAterS oF the World
  Shalimyr (SHALL-uh-meer) is the chaotic neutral god of 
  the waters of the world: ocean, rivers, lakes, streams, and 
  rain. He is the god of sailing, fishing, and all other mortal 
  endeavors that rely on the water. To those living on coast-
  lands, Shalimyr is the lord of sea storms (to landlocked 
  peoples, Urian is usually considered father of storms). He 
  is the patron of fathers, for he was the father of Eliwyn, 
  the tree from which the gods and mortal races arose, but 
  he is also the patron of grandfathers, for from Eliwyn 
  came the races of the world.
  Shalimyr is shown as a great blue-skinned figure, with 
  his hair and beard made of white sea foam. He wields 
  a mighty falchion name Seacrest, and wears armor 
  made from seashells. In his eyes dance the wild waves 
  of the sea.
  Common symbols rely on a single cresting blue wave 
  capped with foam. Those wearing a holy symbol of 
  Shalimyr often display it as a wave made of painted 
  shell, though elaborate versions may be crafted out of 
  lapis lazuli and alabaster. In a hurry, when such symbols 
  cannot be made, or when the area on which the symbol 
  will appear is so small that such detail is not possible, a 
  more basic form is acceptable: a simple triangle inside a 
  circle, meant to show that at the center of all things is 
  “the Wave,” as Shalimyr is called from time to time. 
  In nature, Shalimyr is often associated with the fright-
  ening beasts of the sea, such as the great kraken, but he 
  is more commonly identified with simple fish. His favor-
  ite creatures are said to be whales, sharks, and dolphins, 
  and certainly Shalimyr’s several faces can be seen in 
  them, from the indifferent whales, to violent and danger-
  ous sharks, and even friendly, helpful dolphins.
  Shalimyr is worshiped most ardently by the aquatic 
  mortal races: the sea-elves and merfolk. These two revere 
  Shalimyr over all other gods. On land, he is worshiped 
  by those who live by and with the water—primarily elves 
  and humans.
  Myths
  the orIgIns oF the MerFolk
  when Zheenkeef hurled the elves around the world, 
  some landed in the sea, and became the sea-elves. While most of 
  the mortal races over which the gods have dominion reside on 
  land, the sea-elves rarely touch earth. But the sea-elves are not 
  the only mortal race to reside under the waves; the merfolk also 
  have souls, and go before Maal upon their deaths to be judged. 
  They are humans who were changed to live under the sea—but 
  how is this possible?
  Long ago there arose a seaside kingdom of proud men who 
  sailed tall ships across Grandfather Ocean’s back. When he 
  marked them, Shalimyr the Wave loved these humans well, 
  for they respected the waters and wrote joyful songs praising 
  its foam and waves. The sounds of these works were soothing 
  to Raging Shalimyr’s ear. But the attention of Shalimyr, the 
  Waters of the World, is fickle, and he forgot about these people 
  whom he so loved.
  So it was that the seaside kingdom, unprotected and unfa-
  vored, came to war with a powerful empire that wielded 
  fell magic against its foes. The men of the water cried out to 
  Shalimyr to crush their foes, but he did not—his attention 
  was on other matters, and his affections belonged to others, 
  now.. Battles raged for many years. Wave-lords conquered 
  the ports of the mages for a time, but the mages drove them off 
  with fire and lightning. 
  At last the mages who waged this war against the proud 
  men of the ships devised a tactic to destroy their foes. Call-
  ing upon terrible magic, they sank the entire kingdom of the 
  seafaring men to the bottom of the great, wide sea! It is said 
  that Mormekar, the Grim Wanderer (as he is called by all folk 
  doomed to meet him), may claim any few souls without even 
  sparing them his attention; but in that hour so many thousands 
  died at once that Mormekar was required to walk among them 
  himself. For many long moments, not one of them died though 
  they clawed at their throats, unable to breathe. 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  39
  Their terrible suffering reached Endless Shalimyr’s ears, and 
  he too went to the site of this cataclysm. He asked Mormekar 
  to spare them, but the Grim Wanderer does his duty and stays 
  his hand for few—or perhaps none. “They cannot breathe, 
  Shalimyr, and they must die. The choice is not mine.” And 
  indeed, Shalimyr understood: The choice was not Mormekar’s 
  but his own, to let these people who loved him and revered 
  him die and be erased from the world, or to save them. And 
  Shalimyr so loved these folk, every one of them doomed to 
  death, that he transformed them. He gave them the tails and 
  gills of fishes so that they might live on! In wonder at this 
  transformation, the merfolk called out their thanks. And thus 
  do they revere Endless Shalimyr to this day, for he saved them 
  from death and made them what they are.
  the lost Conqueror
  once upon a tIme, there was a pIrate kIng called erIkul 
  who claimed dominion over the many seas. When Erikul was 
  a child he had gone to the water’s edge and cut his hand, letting 
  his blood spill into the sea. “Sea Father,” he said, “I dedicate my 
  blood to you. Let me ride your back to glory!”
  His prayer was heeded, and by the time he was full in man-
  hood, he was the greatest sailor in all the lands. He served on 
  a pirate ship and, in the winking of an eye, became captain of 
  a dread fleet. By the time the first traces of silver were in his 
  beard he was known as the Terror of the Seas.
  One day, while sailing on the back of Shalimyr, the Great 
  Sea, his vessel was hailed by the kindly sea-elves who swam 
  at its side. The pirates welcomed the sea-folk aboard. At their 
  head was their queen, Shawaliasha, the most beautiful woman 
  on land or water. At once, Erikul was smitten in love and 
  demanded the queen’s hand.
  “I have forsworn marriage,” the queen responded, “until I 
  find a man who is the lord of all he surveys.”
  Erikul thought this awfully strange, for surely the queen of the 
  sea-elves had heard of Erikul, the Terror of the Seas. “But that 
  is I, lady. I am Erikul, the pirate king, and I am master of all 
  the seas. There are none who would dare oppose me or my fleet. 
  No one sails on the wide back of Grandfather Ocean that I do 
  not know of, and none stand against me should I seek to board 
  or take their ships. While other kings rule the weak land, I rule 
  the seas!”
  “That is well, King Erikul, but you are not lord of all 
  you survey.”
  This was terribly vexing to the pirate king, and he looked out 
  over the bow of his mighty ship. And then he turned back. “You 
  are wrong, lady! I am Lord of all I Survey! I see nothing before 
  me that I cannot take for my own, including you and your folk. 
  I have been kind thus far, but should Erikul seek to conquer 
  your folk, he shall! I am the King of all the Seas! I am Master 
  of all the Oceans!”
  At this, the queen smiled, for she knew that Raging 
  Shalimyr had heard this claim. Within moments, Shalimyr, the 
  Waters of the World, opened wide his horrible maw and swal-
  lowed up Erikul and all his ships. Thus did the queen of the 
  Sea-Elves rid the world of the Terror of the Seas. For no man 
  is King of the Ocean; only Endless Shalimyr may claim domain 
  over the waters. Any man who forgets this is doomed to die as 
  surely as Erikul, who is now bones at the bottom of the sea.
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  40
  40
  Constant Change
  Not as wild as Zheenkeef, Shalimyr does have a great love 
  for dramatic shifts and changes in the world. He believes 
  the world should be in constant flux, or risk stagnation, as 
  his tidal pools grow stagnant with stillness. This is not to 
  say that Shalimyr has no appreciation for the calm and the 
  quiet. Indeed, he is as fond sometimes of silence and gen-
  tleness as he is of raging storms and tossing waves. There 
  is a joy in both, but unlike his brother Urian, Shalimyr 
  does not believe there is good in both. Nor does he care. 
  Shalimyr loves to watch things break as much as he loves 
  to watch them grow. He has as much appreciation for cru-
  elty as he does for love, and believes they are equally valid 
  instruments of change. This has been noted by his wor-
  shipers; they call the loving side of Shalimyr Grandfather 
  Ocean, whereas the cruel and stormy Shalimyr is named 
  Sea Father. All children of the world love the Grandfather 
  and fear the Father, and Shalimyr seems to enjoy being 
  both loved and feared. What he does not care for is what 
  he sees as the arrogant illusion of permanence.
  Shalimyr hates those who are proud and believe that 
  they have built something that will never fall or fail, for 
  they forget that eventually, everything collapses—even 
  the world will crumble someday, when the Nameless 
  One’s name is spoken again. Nothing lasts, no matter 
  how strong or virtuous, and to believe something will 
  endure forever is pure hubris. Because of this, Shalimyr, 
  more than any other god, levels the proud. Like the 
  myth of the Pirate King above, tales abound of men, 
  women, or nations that believed they had achieved per-
  fection, only to have everything they were so proud of 
  destroyed by the waters of Shalimyr.
  While he loathes pride in others (including the other 
  gods), Shalimyr is himself quite proud. He works his way 
  into every crevice, slips into every available space, all to 
  make sure he can see everything, destroying or nourishing 
  as he chooses. He is unlikely to try to destroy the world, 
  but he loves the power of knowing that drop by drop, he 
  can undermine the foundation of any building, or topple 
  any kingdom. After all, water is everywhere—it is in the 
  air, in the dirt, in the blood of people. Thereby, Shalimyr 
  is in all things, and all the people of the world live by his 
  permission and through his grace. Or so he believes.
  All this said, Shalimyr can perform acts of incredible 
  generosity. Since the earliest days, Shalimyr allowed the 
  mortal races to sail on his back. Sometimes he rages at 
  ships with his terrible rains, and sometimes he destroys 
  a ship or two, but usually he is quite kind to sailors. The 
  merfolk would have all died but for his grace. Whenever 
  a town is thirsty and finds a new well, it is Shalimyr’s 
  grace made manifest. While it is true he is capricious 
  and quite often a force for destruction, he is no more 
  purely destructive than he is purely nurturing. He can 
  give gifts to the mortal races that are every bit as mag-
  nificent as his punishments.
  Among the gods, Shalimyr is usually aloof, except 
  where Zheenkeef is concerned. His protectiveness even-
  tually became an obsession, for Shalimyr the Wave is 
  hopelessly besotted with the Mother of Madness. It is 
  said he and she couple often and feverishly, all without the 
  knowledge of her husband Tinel, the god of knowledge.
  abundant serVants
  Shalimyr has many children from his copious couplings 
  with mortals over the years, and they serve as his attendants. 
  Chief among them are his four daughters, Ocean, River, 
  Lake, and Stream, each overseeing some part of his vast 
  waters for him. It is said Shalimyr lives in a mighty palace 
  made of pearl and alabaster drawn through the waters by 
  twelve colossal whales, each large enough to swallow a small 
  fleet of ships. These whales are named after the sounds 
  waves make when they hit the various types of land.
  the basIns  
  oF shalIMyr
  The churches of Shalimyr, found in most seaside towns 
  and cities, are called basins of Shalimyr, for they col-
  lect the outpourings of his worship. His worshipers, the 
  Shalimyn (SHALL-uh-min), congregate before any great 
  sea journey to bless the sailors and their vessel, and pray to 
  Grandfather Ocean for their safe passage. For particularly 
  important journeys they make elaborate sacrifices in the 
  water, cutting open chickens, lambs, and even bulls, let-
  ting the blood and water commingle. This is to symbolize 
  that all things owe their life to the water.
  For common sailing expeditions, such as the daily 
  voyage of fishing vessels, most sailors meet at the beach 
  before dawn, where a mariner of Shalimyr joins them 
  and prays for their journey. Sacrifices are uncommon in 
  such settings.
  The basins collect worship, and their clergy and 
  other holy orders help others honor the god. But just 
  as Shalimyr hates pride outside his faithful, he hates it 
  within their ranks. The holy orders must not, and do 
  not, represent themselves as necessary for a connection 
  between the individual and Shalimyr. They are wise and 
  the basins are there for guidance, but a faithful Shalimyn 
  does not require a basin, a member of the clergy, or 
  anyone or anything else to connect with Shalimyr—his 
  is a highly individual faith.
  While the basins are usually places of religious devo-
  tion and pious prayer, they are also home to wild and 
  raging festivals accompanied by hard drinking and 
  sometimes more carnal activities. The Shalimyn are both 
  peaceful and wild, just like the waters. 
  Shalimyr is more involved with the daily lives of his 
  worshipers than any other god. He is so involved that 
  it is likely he oversteps the boundaries of the Compact. 
  None of the gods complain because just as often as 
  Shalimyr sends one of his saints to aid one of his wor-
  shipers, he sinks a ship filled with them or wipes out a 
  town of Shalimyn who have grown fat and arrogant.
  Worshiping Shalimyr is hard. It involves constant 
  wrestling with one’s faith and, often, with one’s god. It 
  means tests of one’s humility, the constant threat of death, 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  41
  messages from the sea, and aid or doom from a god’s 
  hand. It is a dramatic religion, as Shalimyr is a dramatic 
  god, and its practitioners are rarely weak-hearted.
  Shalimyr feels as though his worshipers are the only 
  mortals who truly understand him. While all people who 
  worship the gods of the tree and travel on the sea or river 
  pay homage to Shalimyr, they do not live a life of constant 
  servitude to Him as he believes is warranted. Among the 
  gods, Shalimyr constantly murmurs he will destroy them 
  all someday, but none of the other gods take him seriously. 
  However, some scholars believe the day will come when 
  Shalimyr floods the world, destroying everyone but his 
  worshipers. Most view these scholars as only slightly less 
  batty than the Shalimyn themselves.
  Regardless, because they have developed a system of 
  showing Him such elaborate respect, Shalimyr is quite 
  involved with the Shalimyn, is fond of them, and is sad-
  dened a bit when he must wipe out entire ships of them 
  because they have made him angry.
  doCtrIne oF huMIlIty
  “Somewhere stands the greatest wall ever built, and the 
  men that built the wall do stare at it with pride. But 
  o’er that wall, there hangs a bough, its leaves laden with 
  the water. And every day the bough does drip down on 
  the wall its precious drops. A thousand men may live a 
  thousand lives, and look upon that wall, but one day the 
  water will prevail. Drop by drop, the mortar will be 
  undone. Bit by bit, the wall will crumble and fall, and 
  those proud men will be proud no longer of their mighty 
  wall, broken into dust. I obey the water.” 
  —Shalimyn Shipwright Kellyne Seafarer’s 
  “A Daughter of the Sea Father”
  The Shalimyn faith preaches profound humility. We 
  live and die from the water; without it we are 
  nothing. It is to the water we must always 
  show our gratitude. On the surface, 
  this makes the Shalimyn seem like 
  a downtrodden, dour lot, but it is 
  not so. The Shalimyn are humble 
  before the waters, but they are 
  fierce to their enemies and 
  unafraid to die, ready to enjoy 
  hard drink and the joys the body 
  offers. They believe they live only 
  by Shalimyr’s grace, that every 
  day they might be swallowed 
  by the waters—even when they 
  stand in a scorching desert—and 
  this belief and recognition of 
  impending death makes them 
  fearless, at least in theory.
  However, when not in wild 
  festivals or raging against enemies, a Shalimyn’s faith is 
  based on personal sacrifice. The Shalimyn shed things that 
  are important to them and constantly mourn the losses, 
  but temper mourning with gratitude for the sea’s gifts. The 
  more a person sacrifices, the holier she is thought to be.
  The Shalimyn faith is based on three primary princi-
  ples, referred to by the Shalimyn as the “Three Blessings.”
  hUmility
  If every drop of water believed itself more important than 
  the drop ahead and behind, the river would not flow. If 
  the river thought itself greater than the ocean, the seas 
  would grow thirsty and dry. Every individual must accept 
  that his fate is not in his own hands, and must flow where 
  the river takes him. The practical effect of the doctrine of 
  humility, though, is not a sea of Shalimyn faithful waiting 
  for orders from elders (as one might imagine from a lawful 
  church with a similar doctrine). This is because all mor-
  tals must be humble. No mortal can determine another’s 
  path, so every man and woman must listen for the call of 
  Grandfather Ocean, the inevitable pull of fate, the flow of 
  the river tugging them this way or that. This “pull” would 
  be described by a modern person as the unconscious: the 
  raw emotional voice buried away by most, but heeded 
  carefully by the Shalimyn. This makes for a church of 
  people who, through their humility, are prepared to 
  obey their every animal instinct; and perhaps among the 
  truly righteous Shalimyn, these instincts are the call of 
  Shalimyr. Regardless, it makes for a chaotic faith.
  SAcriFice
  We come from the water empty-handed. We must return 
  to the water empty-handed. All things are granted by 
  Shalimyr, and the belief that anything we have in hand is 
  our property is absurd; it all belongs to Shalimyr. Because 
  of this, Shalimyn obsessively tithe anywhere from ten to 
  eighty percent of everything they own. There are wealthy 
  Shalimyn sea-traders who give away all their wealth when 
  they are old (often to their own children or grandchildren), 
  so this custom does not mean the Shalimyn are 
  all paupers. However, it is ingrained into the 
  Shalimyn in their earliest lessons that they 
  must be prepared to sacrifice everything 
  for the Sea Father, even their lives, 
  for everything they own belongs 
  to him. Nearly all Shalimyn rites 
  involve a sacrifice of some kind, 
  usually mingling the blood of an 
  animal with the water.
  GrAtitUde
  Every day we awaken with our 
  homes still intact, our vessels 
  still held together, our sails still 
  whole, it is because the Sea 
  Father has let us. Every man, 
  woman, and child must thank 
  Shalimyr for his gifts at least 
  three times daily: in morning prayer, in mid-day meal 
  prayer, and in evening prayer. Prayers must not be missed. 
  The prayers involve pouring water on the palms, touching 
  water to the lips and eyelids, and reciting the Beatitudes of 
  the Sea Father. If prayers are missed, the penitent Shalimyn 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  42
  42
  seaCrest
  In a contest among the gods, long and long ago, Shalimyr 
  challenged Master Korak to make him a blade out of 
  water. This was a task that drove the King of the Crucible 
  to utter distraction, until one day he hit upon the secret: 
  that water holds reflections. So he made a magnificent 
  falchion of the most shining metals and gems, and then 
  caught its reflection in a pool. He bade Shalimyr to take 
  the reflection from the water, and because the water was a 
  part of the Endless, and thereby the reflection, Shalimyr 
  could do so. Holding aloft this great curved blade, 
  Seacrest, the god of the ocean looked upon Korak with 
  gratitude and offered to pay him with a boon.
   
  Master Korak thought on this a time and could not 
  think of what he would ask of Shalimyr the Endless. 
  He did not ask for anything for many an age, until one 
  day Shalimyr was prepared to flood the many mountain 
  tunnels forged by the hands of dwarves. The Sea Father 
  was infuriated that the stout folk hated the water and did 
  not sail upon it. So Master Korak asked for this boon: 
  that the dwarven people be forgiven forever by Shalimyr 
  for their arrogance. It has allowed the dwarves, more than 
  any other race, to build lasting monuments of stone, and 
  great cities unmarred by erosion and time,. Shalimyr is 
  as good as his word and forgives them the arrogance of 
  believing that anything they build will last.
   
  What happened to the original blade, from which the 
  reflection was caught? None can say.
  must make painful sacrifices to Raging Shalimyr. He kills 
  one of his finest livestock, gives his best sword to a pauper, 
  and so on. Gratitude is also shown with regular periods of 
  fasting, during which the Shalimyn eat nothing, and drink 
  only water for a week at a time.
  The Three Blessings are so important to the Shalimyn 
  because they know Shalimyr is a vengeful and angry god. 
  He nurtures those who show him the proper respect, and 
  destroys the arrogant utterly. The Shalimyn themselves are 
  happy to cheer on this destruction. The bar brawls begun by 
  Shalimyn are legendary, and easily set off, for they take it as 
  a religious duty to deflate the egos of pompous men. Should 
  a man brag in a seadog bar about his brave and mighty 
  exploits, he can expect a mug against his head soon after.
  The Shalimyn faith is likely the only (nominally) “good” 
  faith where one does his religious duty by cold-cocking 
  someone in a bar. But the Shalimyn truly believe they are 
  helping such people, for if they find such men arrogant, 
  imagine what Raging Shalimyr will do to them! In fact, 
  the truly devout Shalimyn can be heard to mutter “this 
  is for your own good, in Shalimyr’s name” as they hit an 
  unsuspecting, pompous fool in the head with a chair.
  Of course, not all Shalimyn indulge in this sort of 
  behavior, as the faith runs a wide gamut, from chaotic 
  good to chaotic evil worshipers. Yet nearly all Shalimyn 
  find the imposition of elaborate codes of law ridiculous 
  and laughable. Authority must come from personal 
  respect and devotion. This is how the captain of a ship 
  might lead an incredibly loyal crew, all of whom would 
  gladly die on his word, and not be thought arrogant—each 
  member of the crew knows the Captain and respects him. 
  However, try telling one of the Shalimyn, “You must obey 
  me because those are the rules,” and it won’t get you far. 
  Add to this the fact that the Shalimyn are prepared to lose 
  their lives should Shalimyr call, and you have a potential 
  riot brewing at every port in the world.
  It warrants saying, though, that like every other reli-
  gion of the gods of the tree, not every Shalimyn is devout 
  to the point of an impassioned willingness to die on a 
  moment’s notice. There are many more “rational” followers 
  of Shalimyr the Endless. But the Three Blessings make for 
  a volatile religion.
  prayers oF shalIMyr
  The Beatitudes are the Shalimyn prayers, to be repeated 
  three times daily. The Beatitudes’ words are said as 
  Shalimyn perform the actions of prayer, pouring water on 
  their palms and touching their lips and eyelids. They are 
  often followed with less formalized prayers.
  morninG
  “Blessed art thou, Grandfather Ocean,
  From whom all blessings flow.”
  mid-dAy
  “I praise thee, Grandfather Ocean,
  For all thou givest daily.”
  eveninG
  “I thank thee, Sea Father,
  For sparing me this day.”
  holy days
  The main holy days of Shalimyr revolve around the fishing 
  seasons, and depend on climatic conditions. The night 
  before fishermen sail out again after winter is called Return 
  Night, and is a festival of absolute abandon. The Shalimyn 
  drink and eat to excess, dance and sing, all to show their 
  gratitude to the Sea Father. Often a great bull is sacrificed 
  in thanks, and all Shalimyn feast upon its uncooked meat 
  after its blood has mingled with the waters.
  The first week of winter, when the fishermen must 
  dry-dock their ships, is a somber time, and none of the 
  Shalimyn eat for the week, surviving on only water. 
  All Shalimyn must fast during this week, praying in all 
  three daily prayers for a short winter, even if they aren’t 
  anywhere near a fishing community at the time. It is con-
  sidered an unforgivable sin for one of the Shalimyn to eat 
  anything during the first week of winter; there are tales of 
  men who grew sick during the week and, after being were 
  force-fed by friends, cut out their own tongues in abject 
  shame. While most aren’t that zealous, it is not a matter 
  to be taken lightly.
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  43
  saInts
  Martyrdom is important to the Shalimyn, for it is their 
  belief that if they die heeding Shalimyr’s call, they are 
  taken into his bosom forever after. They do not believe 
  their spirits are carried to Shalimyr’s side to live as his 
  assistants—that would be a haughty, self-aggrandizing 
  belief. Instead they are made into water, a small part of 
  Shalimyr the Endless, and it is the greatest boon any 
  mortal might receive, for they are transformed into part 
  of a god. Whether true or not, it does help to explain the 
  fervor with which many Shalimyn fight, prepared to lay 
  down their lives without hesitation. Should they die per-
  forming the will of Shalimyr, the reward is magnificent.
  Saints are a very different matter. Saints are folk so holy 
  they would certainly become part of the water when they 
  die, but are so profoundly good of spirit, humble, and sacri-
  ficing, they reject the opportunity to exist eternally, as part 
  of Shalimyr. Instead, they live on as his servants, aiding 
  mortals lost at sea, heeding their prayers to Shalimyr, and 
  performing great acts of compassion for the Shalimyn. This 
  amazing sacrifice earns the name “saint.” Quite often saints 
  come from the holy order of the ascetics, and rather than 
  continuing to go by their waternames (see below), they are 
  addressed once more by their birth names.
  The Saints of Shalimyr actually appear in the Mate-
  rial Plane regularly. After their death, extremely devout 
  Shalimyn are called upon by their Lord and become celes-
  tials—ghaeles (an old spelling of the word “gale,” because 
  they fly to the aid of the Shalimyn as swiftly as gales blow 
  across the sea) in celestial nomenclature. Ghaele servants 
  of Shalimyr introduce themselves as “Saint” with their 
  birth name from their mortal life, even though they have 
  more beautiful names in the heavens.
  holy orders
  While the worship of Shalimyr is likely quite different 
  among races that live under the waves, the focus here is 
  on the basins of land-bound mortals. There are three holy 
  orders of the basins, all of which are tied to the waters. The 
  central order, as with most churches of the pantheon, is the 
  clergy, called mariners and divided into shorehands and 
  shipwrights. There are also the ascetics (holy warriors), who 
  respect three ranks: neonates, ascetics, and waternamed. The 
  sail masters recognize two levels: sail masters and sail lords.
  The only order that regularly resides at the basins is that of 
  the mariners, with the Shalimyn shipwrights of each basin 
  determining its policies and interactions with secular affairs. 
  There is no central authority of the Shalimyn faith; that posi-
  tion is taken by Shalimyr himself. Indeed, the mariners are 
  considered guides and teachers more than authority figures. 
  Every member of the faith is said to have a personal tie to 
  Shalimyr, and do not require clergy to act as intermediaries.
  A typical basin has six or seven shorehands in residence at 
  any one time, and at least one shipwright. Ascetics and sail 
  masters are almost never in residence at a basin, but in major 
  port cities there might be one or two members of each order 
  convalescing or temporarily living at the local basin.
  MarIners oF shalIMyr
  The mariners are spiritual leaders to the often wayward, 
  chaotic Shalimyn. In a faith where one’s gut instincts can 
  be either benign or malignant, and most of the faithful 
  heed them regardless, guidance is necessary to avoid all-
  out pandemonium. 
  These clergy are the undisputed (and only) authority 
  figures in the basins. They perform religious ceremo-
  nies, help the faithful interpret Shalimyr’s will, call on 
  Shalimyr’s blessings for outgoing and incoming vessels, 
  and even occasionally ride important vessels to keep them 
  safe from Shalimyr’s rage. All that said, they are not nec-
  essary to the faith, and are not seen as conduits between 
  the faithful and Shalimyr; they are only guides and 
  resources for the faithful (if well-respected ones). 
  The mariners collect the tithes of the faithful, see to the 
  upkeep of the basins, build new basins when called for, and 
  act as the spokespersons of the faith in all secular matters. 
  This leads to an order with a great deal of wealth, making it 
  more powerful secularly than it is spiritually. Sometimes the 
  mariners from a given basin are completely corrupted by their 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  44
  44
  power and wealth, but should they grow too bold and arro-
  gant, Shalimyr will destroy them spectacularly, so corruption 
  rarely goes beyond petty evils such as undermining or killing 
  political rivals, using the church’s money to promote political 
  programs outside the scope of the Shalimyn faith, or minor 
  abuses of personal authority. Shalimyr has no trouble with 
  this sort of behavior—but mariners who take church money 
  to build themselves enormous mansions might be found 
  soon, in chunks floating in a series of small puddles. 
  Nearly all the mariners of Shalimyr are chaotic, but their 
  worldviews (apart from chaos) vary radically. The most 
  common alignment for Shalimyn mariners is chaotic neu-
  tral. These mariners believe that the world is in constant 
  flux—anything built today might be torn down by the 
  waters tomorrow. They put no stock in plans for the distant 
  future, and believe instead that one must strive to live only 
  by the edicts of Shalimyr. One must be humble and obey 
  his will—wherever it might lead you. While they usually 
  counsel against casually throwing away one’s life, these 
  mariners are not known for their cautious outlook, and they 
  certainly have no concerns for a community outside the 
  Shalimyn. Instead, they live only to serve Shalimyr and the 
  Shalimyn faithful, and do whatever their hearts tell them is 
  the right way to act accordingly.
  Chaotic good mariners extend their concern to those 
  outside of the faith. They believe the virtues of humility 
  and sacrifice are exemplars for all people, so they try to live 
  by them. They preach against the arrogance of those who 
  claim to have the answers to all the great questions, or those 
  who say they know “the way.” They’re rabble-rousers and 
  troublemakers to be sure, but they aim to improve the lot of 
  all people through the abiding beauty of Shalimyr. Often 
  these mariners are adventurers, as the basin shipwrights 
  find them too interested in affairs outside of the Shalimyn. 
  Such interest is often condemned as pride; accused mariners 
  must leave the community. There are, however, a few basins 
  dominated by chaotic good mariners, and these places are 
  havens to all Shalimyn of a like mind.
  Unlike nearly all other churches of the gods of the 
  tree, where evil worshipers have separate cults reviled by 
  the main church, chaotic evil mariners have a place in 
  the basins so long as they don’t act against their fellow 
  Shalimyn. A sort of “activist” offshoot of the basins, cha-
  otic evil mariners believe Shalimyn wills that the arrogant 
  and proud be rooted out. It saddens Shalimyr, their rea-
  soning goes, whenever he must destroy mortals with his 
  waters, because it shows his followers are too weak and 
  cowardly to eliminate the prideful themselves. Chaotic 
  evil mariners take the duty to heart by wreaking havoc. 
  They might break into the homes of pompous nobles, kill 
  them and their families, and burn their houses down. 
  While the basins routinely deny any knowledge of such 
  activities, many support these works as necessary evils.
  ShorehAndS
  Initiate Shalimyn called shorehands almost belong in a 
  caste lower than the rest—below even the meanest drunken 
  sailors. This is because they must forswear sailing or riding 
  on the open sea, which is beloved of all Shalimyn. This 
  sacrifice is thought to be the highest one can make, short of 
  losing one’s life, and is done as a sign of love for Shalimyr 
  and devotion to the Shalimyn. Shorehands are addressed as 
  “brother” or “sister” and introduced by full title. Shorehands 
  serve the rest of the Shalimyn. They are present at births, 
  weddings, and funerals. They stand on the shores and bless 
  their ships at launching, and greet them at their return. 
  Shorehands make regular and elaborate shows of their lack 
  of pride, and constantly give away their possessions, keeping 
  just enough to eat and live. Becoming a shorehand takes a 
  very short time, usually six months. One must be devoted to 
  Shalimyr, have a great love of the sea, swear not to ride on 
  the waters while a shorehand, and learn the various prayers 
  and rites of the Shalimyn. Shorehands can leave their com-
  munity if they feel Shalimyr calls them to do so, and many 
  wander the world, away from the sea, on great adventures 
  they believe Shalimyr has called them to perform.
  ShiPWriGhtS
  In time and with experience, elder shorehands may be 
  released from their vows and go on great journeys by sea 
  to the “heart of the ocean.” What is referred to as the 
  heart of the ocean changes from culture to culture, but it’s 
  usually out in the middle of the nearest sea. Once there, 
  they leap into the water and either emerge moments later, 
  or never surface. Those who emerge are ceremonially 
  cleansed and are hailed as shipwrights, the wisest of the 
  Shalimyn. To avoid confusion with actual shipwrights, 
  these holy men and women are always referred to as 
  Shalimyn shipwrights. They are addressed as “father” or 
  “mother” and introduced by full title. 
  A Shalimyn shipwright maintains the humility they 
  showed as shorehands, or at least they are supposed to, but 
  are treated with reverence by the Shalimyn. If any have 
  a right to be treated nobly, it would be these high repre-
  sentatives of Shalimyr in the world. Common Shalimyn 
  do not speak directly to the shipwrights and must address 
  them through shorehands; this is done to show the 
  humility of the speaker, though it certainly elevates the 
  self-importance of the listener. Shalimyn shipwrights 
  run the basins and there is always at least one shipwright 
  present. Unlike the shorehands, they can sail on the water 
  whenever the need or desire arises.
  The great Shalimyn shipwright Faroan T’urketh was 
  once asked why the shipwrights are treated with such rev-
  erence in a faith that so abhors pride. He explained, “After 
  a lifetime, I have become so used to the ways of humility 
  in the face of Grandfather Ocean, blessed be his name, 
  that they have become second nature. I do not think of 
  the meaning and purpose of humility any longer; I have 
  become so easily humble that there is almost a pride in it. 
  The shipwrights are treated so well, like kings, so they can 
  be reminded of the meaning of pride and the need for its 
  purgation. Humility should never be easy.”
  JoInIng the MarIners
  The clergy of Shalimyr, all of whom are clerics with the 
  Tempest or Water domain (see Chapter X for the latter) 
  are divided into two groups: the young and hot-blooded 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  45
  Shalimyn clerics, and the old and wise ones. If a cleric 
  lives long enough to become an elder in the clergy, it is 
  because Shalimyr loves him. 
  asCetICs oF shalIMyr
  The ascetics of Shalimyr are a peculiar bunch. Uninvolved 
  with the basins, they are understood by the Shalimyn to 
  be holy people whose terrible sacrifices must take them 
  away from the faithful. Just as the shorehands of Shalimyr 
  cannot ride the waters as a sacrifice to show their humility 
  and faith, ascetics give up the comfort of home and com-
  munity and wander the wide world, doing what they can 
  for everyone but themselves. By living a life of perpetual 
  goodness and aiding others whenever and wherever they 
  can, they show humility as servants to the mortal races, 
  and offer perpetual self-denial to Shalimyr.
  They are therefore one of the common “adventuring” 
  holy orders of all the churches. Since their faith requires 
  them to be away from the basins, traveling by land and sea 
  to aid others, they are often found in towns where trouble 
  is near, or in the depths of dungeons.
  Ascetics must never hoard wealth or property. They must 
  never seek a home or status in a home. They can never own 
  a ship or other means of transport. Ascetics must be pre-
  pared to die empty-handed and alone. They have no fear of 
  death, and generally do not wish to be raised from the dead. 
  Any ascetic who comes to wish for a family or a home or 
  any kind of comfort or possession must leave the order, and 
  loses all her special abilities unless she atones and sheds all 
  her attachments once more.
  Ascetics are selective about the company they keep. 
  They cannot abide the proud and never associate with 
  people who seek glory, fame, or status, particularly if their 
  desire for these things is reflected in the actions of the 
  group and how people perceive them. Ascetics have no 
  problem with those who seek wealth and keep personal 
  property; they do not expect all people to live under the 
  same onus of sacrifice as they do. They speak to their 
  friends about the perils of desire for property, but do not 
  condemn them for it. An ascetic can even abide greed, if 
  it is tempered with sacrifice. Ascetics often travel with 
  wizards, monks, druids, rangers, and rogues—and those 
  who keep low profiles for one reason or another. They are 
  rarely found with paladins or clerics from other churches. 
  Ascetics almost never travel together.
  As an ascetic grows older and more experienced, she 
  sheds all the trappings of glory. Later, she sheds the mark-
  ings of holiness, because in them is a kind of braggadocio. 
  Eventually, she abandons even the trappings of “self,” as 
  there is a kind of arrogance in asserting a personal iden-
  tity, when one is really nothing but a servant of Shalimyr. 
  In time and after neonates have learned proper humility, 
  and are ready to be full ascetics, they cease to have any titles 
  whatsoever, and give their tabards away. This is usually 
  done by training someone else to become a neonate, and 
  presenting the initiate with the tabard at the completion of 
  her training. Neonates who have been carrying a refined or 
  well-crafted holy symbol give the item away, and replace 
  it with the symbol a peasant might wear. Anything that 
  might make it clear to a casual observer that an ascetic is 
  a members of a holy order is given away as well. The only 
  things neonates keep are arms, armor, and other tools they 
  gained in their journeys to help them serve people. Once 
  they’ve let go of their old trappings, neonates become 
  proper ascetics. They have no titles, only their names, 
  and they continue wandering. They have no honorifics 
  in address, but if they introduced as religious figures, are 
  called “ascetics of the basins of Shalimyr.”
  Once ascetics show their full devotion to Shalimyr and 
  cleave to a path of service and humility, they sacrifice all 
  that is left of them: their names.  
  They cease to be called by the name by which they have 
  been known their entire lives and take the names of parts 
  of water or water sounds. Lake, Stream, Rush, Falls—all 
  are appropriate water names. Such ascetics are called 
  “waternames,” and continue to walk the world and sail, 
  fighting for the good of all people and awaiting death, 
  when they might become part of the waters.
  JoInIng the asCetICs
  Anyone of the proper alignment and devotion to Shalimyr 
  can join the ascetics. After a year of training by an elder 
  member of the order, the 
  ascetics abandon all the 
  trappings of their previ-
  ous lives. They cut their 
  hair and give away 
  anything not fit 
  to be burned. 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  46
  46
  They take up the blue tabard of the order (marked with the 
  wave) and receive the title of “neonate,” having been reborn 
  into the new order as a paladin. Neonates are addressed as 
  “child” and not introduced by order or title but as “a child of 
  the basins of Shalimyr.” While most paladins in the order 
  are considered knights-errant, or heroes, neonate lives a life 
  of servitude. They wander the world, offering their swords 
  freely and begging for meals. And when it’s time to swear 
  their oaths, they take the Oath of the Ascetic (see Chapter 
  X). Most ascetics are chaotic good.
  saIl Masters
  “The wind is my brother, the ship is my sister,” the sail 
  masters say, “and the water is my father. I respect my sib-
  lings but I obey my father.” The sail masters have brine in 
  their blood, it is said, and no finer sailors live. Having a 
  sail master on deck is a good omen, a promise of success, 
  and a harbinger of a speedy journey, all in one. To attack a 
  vessel with a sail master on board, or worse, a sail lord, is 
  considered sheer folly. The sail masters see themselves as 
  the bearers of Shalimyr’s good word; they are missionaries 
  who reside on ships. Incredibly, exhaustingly pious, they 
  lead the crew in the three daily prayers, talking constantly 
  of the gifts of Grandfather Ocean and the wrath of the 
  Sea Father. Their order was founded to aid and serve those 
  who are closest to Shalimyr, sailors, and to remind them 
  of the tenets of the Shalimyn faith. 
  The sail masters are the third and most evangelical of 
  the Shalimyn holy orders. They are known everywhere for 
  their great skill as sailors and their uncanny abilities with 
  ship-to-ship combat. The order was founded by an ascetic, 
  known as Saint Isyl, who was visited in dream by a series 
  of visions from Shalimyr. Isyl prophesied, through those 
  dreams, of an ultimate day of reckoning for all Shalimyn, 
  when the Sea Father will visit every ship on his waters in a 
  single day. If he finds the hearts of the sailors around the 
  world to be pious and humble, as he demands, he will give 
  a great boon to all Shalimyn. But if he finds that those he 
  has graced with permission to ride upon his back are self-
  ish and wanting, he will destroy them all and never again 
  allow ships upon his waters. While the mariners believe 
  Saint Isyl’s vision was metaphorical, the sail masters believe 
  it quite literal, and seek to avert disaster by constantly 
  reminding sailors of their duty to Shalimyr. Thus they are 
  driven in their evangelism, and almost always out at sea.
  Sail masters are most often found on the water, serving 
  vessels great and small. They rarely bother with those who 
  are not Shalimyn or sailors, so a person booking passage 
  on a ship might never even realize a sail master is aboard. 
  If one travels aboard the flagship of a major fleet, it is 
  almost certain to have a sail lord aboard. Members of the 
  order make odd first impressions. Quiet, contemplative, 
  a bit spooky at first, they eventually reveal their religious 
  ardor. Most sail masters shave their heads and wear simple 
  robes adorned with the wave of Shalimyr. It is uncommon 
  to find two members of the order together, unless one is 
  being trained.
  New sail masters seek out captains to take them onto 
  their vessels in return for service. Sail masters work with 
  their crews until satisfied that they’re properly pious, and 
  move on to other ships soon after. This continues for most 
  of their careers. Sail masters are addressed as “sail master” 
  and are introduced without their order name.
  Eventually, sail masters might seek out someone in 
  control of a fleet—a lord, a powerful merchant, or a pirate 
  king—and offer their services as sail lord. They usually 
  hold these positions until death, riding on fleet flagships, 
  but ministering to all of their sailors. They are addressed 
  as “sail lord,” and introduced with full title.
  JoInIng the saIl Masters
  Any deeply faithful Shalimyn can join the sail masters, 
  though fighters and rogues are the most common pro-
  fessions. Wizards, sorcerers, members of the Shalimyn 
  clergy, even holy warriors of Shalimyr have all been 
  known to join the order. It requires only a deep under-
  standing of the sea and an abiding love for Grandfather 
  Ocean. Initiates must complete one year of training under 
  a sail lord to earn the title of sail master.
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  47
  Eliwyn (EL-uh-win) is the Tree of Life. She is the neutral 
  “god” of nature, undiluted innocence, purity, the abundant 
  life of the world, and hope. She is associated with treants, 
  which are also connected to Rontra, but most especially 
  with unicorns, the guardians of nature and purest of 
  beasts. Eliwyn’s “worshipers” are druids and some rangers 
  and are from those races that revere nature—primarily 
  humans, elves, half-elves, and halflings.
  Eliwyn is represented as a great flowering tree with 
  golden leaves and silver blossoms. From it hang five great, 
  golden fruits—or, if the representation is meant to be 
  mythologically “current,” one fruit. However, the druids 
  and other “worshipers” of Eliwyn do not represent her in 
  icons or with symbols, as all trees are born in her image, 
  and all of life is a reminder of Eliwyn’s glory.
  Myths
  the CoMIng oF the druIds
  when the mortal races were at last born from the 
  fruits of Precious Eliwyn, the gods born of the same tree 
  determined it was time for them to depart the mortal 
  sphere. They set themselves in the heavens, building great 
  and shining cities. But on earth, the One Tree was still in 
  bloom, heavy with an unripe fruit. She eventually came to 
  be watched over by Thellyne the Huntress and Rontra, from 
  whom Eliwyn sprang, in case any of Asmodeus’ brood might 
  try to harm the Tree of Life.
  It was not long, though, before mortals who loved the woods 
  and beasts and all of nature’s bounties formed an order of 
  their own, without guidance from the gods. They turned their 
  attention from the heavens and instead found all they revered 
  in the dirt and grass, hills and valleys of the world. They did 
  not heed the dictates of the gods, and were interested in nothing 
  but the flowing power of life, from which they drew sustenance 
  and strength.
  Before long, the most powerful of these mortals, who came to 
  call themselves druids, sought out and found the sacred grove 
  wherein Precious Eliwyn was hid. Though the Giver of Life 
  was shrouded from the eyes of mortals by the power of Rontra 
  and Thellyne, the druids had become so mighty in their ties to 
  the natural world that they saw through all veils and illusions, 
  and came to stand at the foot of the mighty Eliwyn, who grew 
  ten thousand spans high. Her branches reached through to the 
  heavens, and her mighty roots shot down to the very founda-
  tions of the earth, where once the lands of the dead were found. 
  All life came from her branches.
  When Thellyne saw that these mortals assaulted the tree, 
  she struck with her hunter’s bow. In three breaths she killed 
  the three mightiest of their number, so great was her skill, so 
  mighty her bow, so deadly her aim. 
  The blood of the first druid spilled by Eliwyn’s roots; from 
  it spouted forth a field of red poppies, forever showing their 
  sorrow for the great druid’s passing, and the offshoots of Eli-
  wyn’s roots that bathed in the blood came suddenly to life, 
  and walk the earth still. These are the treants, protectors of 
  the wood. 
  The blood of the second druid spilled in the glade around 
  Eliwyn; from it burst forth a great bramble of roses, red from 
  his blood and thorny to protect the Tree of Life. Out of the 
  thicket burst the naga, a great protector spirit, like a snake born 
  of bramble and thicket. 
  The third druid killed was the greatest among them, and 
  from her blood, which spilled at the edge of the glade, there 
  grew the most perfect of all flowers: red lotus blossoms with 
  white hearts. And from the pure white center of the lotuses 
  sprang the most perfect of creatures—white horses with golden 
  horns, the unicorns.
  When Thellyne saw the pure and good creatures that 
  came from these dead mortals, she realized she had com-
  mitted a grave error. She approached the druids who 
  remained, none of whom had moved, though arrows 
  flew in their midst, and spoke with them. When she had 
  learned who they were and understood that they wanted 
  only to observe and protect the Tree of Life, Thellyne 
  agreed to share the grove with them. In sorrow for the 
  deaths she had caused, the goddess of the hunt agreed to let 
  the grove be known among the druids and no other mor-
  tals, and so she does not even reveal its location to her most 
  blessed worshipers, nor does Rontra.
  Thus, the mightiest of druid groves is also the most serene 
  and sacred place on earth: the grove of Eliwyn, the One 
  Tree, the Giver of Life. To this day, the greatest of druids 
  call the grove home, and among mortals, only they know 
  its secrets. 
  a sIlent patron
  Eliwyn is not sentient, does not communicate, and does 
  not have a spirit. She is a great and powerful tree, and her 
  purpose is to live until she dies, to give off sprouts that 
  will grow into new trees, to bear the remaining fruit until 
  it falls, and then, perhaps, to bear fruit again. Eliwyn’s 
  purpose is the same as the purpose of all trees, only on a 
  grander scale, because she is the first tree, and from her 
  the cycle of life began.
  guardIans oF nature
  The chief servants of Eliwyn are her guardians: the 
  treants, unicorns, and naga. All three came into being 
  to protect her. Since then, the treants have come to 
  protect the forests around the world, as the unicorns 
  have come to protect the animals. The most powerful 
  of the naga still lie coiled about Eliwyn, attended by 
  druids, though long ago many naga were captured and 
  corrupted by evil sorcerers.
  the tree oF liFe
  Eliwyn
  the PrecioUS, the one tree,  
  the tree oF liFe, the Giver oF liFe
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  48
  48
  druIds oF elIwyn
  There are no holy orders in the “church” of Eliwyn. Her 
  cathedrals are the druid groves found throughout the world, 
  and her servants are the druids themselves. If she has holy 
  warriors, they are rangers and paladins of the Oath of the 
  Ancients. The worship of Eliwyn is not like the worship of 
  other gods; she does not provide power to the druids and 
  they do not pray to her. She is simply the most perfect and 
  pure form of what they revere: the balanced beauty of the 
  natural order, the perfection of living and blooming things, 
  and the beautiful nobility of death in the winter.
  Druids can belong to any Druid Circle, and the mighti-
  est among them reside in the great grove of Eliwyn, where 
  they serve as her protectors. They tend to her and keep her 
  safe from any who might harm her. 
  There are druids in the world who pray to gods, though, 
  and they usually revere a sort of trinity: Rontra, from 
  whom all nature was born; Eliwyn, who is nature; and 
  Thellyne, the first of the gods to truly respect and tend to 
  nature. However, these druids receive their spells from the 
  power of life and nature just like others, and are not con-
  sidered clergy of Rontra or Thellyne.
  In some lands, a new cult is rising, though. Called 
  the “Cult of the Fifth Fruit,” it put aside worship of the 
  living gods, and instead pays homage to the unripe fruit 
  on Eliwyn’s bough, which represents for them the great 
  unknown and hope for a better tomorrow. Such cultists 
  are thought mad by many, for revering a non-existent god. 
  Many such cultists call themselves druids, though they do 
  not (as far as anyone has recorded) possess druidic powers. 
  This misappropriation of the name “druid” has infuriated 
  some actual druids, while others view it as part of the 
  great cycle, and remain indifferent on the subject.
  the creAtor God
  The Nameless One
  The Nameless One is the neutral Creator god, the dis-
  passionate one, the beginning and the end of all things, 
  the creator and future destroyer of the universe. He is not 
  associated with any animal or other part of the mortal 
  sphere, since he is beyond the Great Sphere. He is “wor-
  shiped” by monks and some rare, disciplined members of 
  other classes, such as wizards, who believe understanding 
  him is the key to understanding all of creation. His fol-
  lowers are rare among all the races, but are mainly found 
  among humans.
  The Nameless One is never represented in icons, due 
  to an ancient superstition that even to reproduce His 
  likeness would end the world. In great works showing 
  the history of creation, the Nameless One is shown as 
  a being of light, shaped like a humanoid, but with no 
  features. Symbolically, the Nameless One is represented 
  either with a black dot. In three dimensions, the Name-
  less One can be represented by a strip with a half-twist 
  in it, curled into a ring, which has no beginning, end, 
  inside, or outside.
  the creAtor
  Myths
  the 101 steps to enlIghtenMent
  long ago, longer than most remember, the wIse and 
  ancient Limmik Kunar came to realize that mortality leads to 
  all things unworthy. His reasoning was simple enough: Because 
  we die, we become attached to life. Because we are attached to 
  life, we are attached to the trappings of life. Because we are 
  attached to the trappings of life, we will commit evil to have 
  them. Because we will commit evil to have the trappings of 
  life, we can be manipulated by those who claim they can help us 
  achieve more in life, or a greater reward in death.
  Master Kunar understood that the primary manipulators of 
  those attached to the trappings of life were members of the reli-
  gious castes. From the wayfarers of Darmon to the matriarchs 
  of Morwyn, every church offered mortals an understanding 
  of how to please the gods and be rewarded in the afterlife. Yet 
  even the afterlife was an illusion, a series of trappings that 
  continued the cycle of life, in which the mortal races could be 
  
  Chapter III: the old gods
  49
  manipulated into acting against their natures. The gods of the 
  tree and their priests promised one of three paths beyond death: 
  a life of eternal happiness, torment perpetual, or rebirth into 
  the world to continue the cycle. All three paths seemed to Master 
  Kunar to be continuations of the unworthy aspects of mortal-
  ity, for is not eternal life under the thumb of the gods simply 
  a life of service to their beliefs and manipulations? And is 
  not a life of torment perpetual a terrible evil that none 
  would desire to suffer? And is not rebirth to 
  try again simply rebirth into the same 
  manipulations?
  And so Limmik turned 
  his study to the Creator, 
  the Nameless One who 
  made all things and then 
  departed from them. 
  Surely, the only way to 
  be free of the veil of tears 
  that is eternal rebirth 
  and death, punishment 
  or subjugation at the hands 
  of the gods of the tree, is to 
  leave the sphere. Only by being 
  free of existence entirely can one be 
  assured of freedom from the unworthiness of 
  mortality.
  Master Kunar spent his life discovering the 101 steps to 
  Enlightenment, the mantras and contemplations necessary 
  for his own escape. And at the end of his life, it is said that 
  Limmik Kunar became one with the power of the Nameless 
  One, or departed the sphere or became a being of pure energy 
  from beyond the Great Sphere. While there are conflicting 
  reports and understandings of the old master’s final fate, all 
  agree that he did not die, but simply disappeared.
  Sadly, Master Kunar’s 101 steps, which he painstakingly 
  documented for his disciples, did not grant his followers free-
  dom from the Great Sphere. The earliest steps were quite useful 
  for harnessing the power he called “ki,” but later in the process 
  the steps, though clearly useful for Limmik, had no meaning for 
  his disciples. And so all who wish to depart the sphere, break 
  the cycle, and be free of existence must walk a new path of dis-
  cipline and set down their own steps.
  MysterIous and dIstant
  The Nameless One’s motivations are entirely mysterious. 
  It is assumed He watches existence still, but many believe 
  He cares no more for the universe than a giant cares for the 
  smallest mite. He provides no divine powers to followers, 
  never answers prayers, and could be entirely imaginary for 
  all the impact He has on the universe as it exists today.
  The Nameless One is said to have 
  no servants in the universe, but 
  those who have sought to 
  travel outside the Great 
  Sphere using magic 
  have encountered 
  powerful guardians 
  blocking the way. 
  Some believe the 
  Nameless One has 
  made many uni-
  verses, and places 
  barriers between 
  them to keep them 
  from commingling, 
  as a wizard might keep her 
  various experiments in separate 
  phials and beakers to keep them 
  from interacting. 
  the Followers  
  oF the naMeless one
  There is no church of the Nameless One. Rather, the 
  monasteries act as places of study for those who walk the 
  path of master Kunar. They seek to become one with the 
  Nameless One or to leave the Great Sphere as He did. 
  Therefore, monks are the equivalent of “worshipers” of 
  the Nameless One—at least, that is how worshipers of the 
  gods of the tree might understand it.
  While there are now orders of monks who have learned 
  to harness ki and yet do not seek to leave the Great 
  Sphere, but study physical perfection, their roots are 
  found in the work of the old master, Limmik Kunar. 
  The “Vola Ulfhedin” referred to in Appendix I is also 
  best understood as a worshiper of the Nameless One. 
  There are barbarian societies that know the full tale 
  of the pantheon and refuse to worship the gods. They 
  see them all as children of the real god, the Nameless 
  One, and believe people live in a world abandoned 
  by any authority that matters. They seek to lead good 
  lives despite this abandonment, and tell the tales of 
  the gods as lessons to lead one’s life by. They bear no 
  holy symbols and offer no prayers to any god, even the 
  Nameless One.
  
  50
  50
  Morwyn (MORE-win) is the lawful good goddess of 
  healing, wisdom, peace, forgiveness, mothers, childbirth, 
  and mercy. From her come charitable instincts and acts of 
  contrition, mercy, and redemption. She is the Queen of 
  Heaven, and her name is therefore usually invoked first in 
  lists of the gods. 
  She is associated with the lamb, for she would have all 
  people be as gentle as lambs. She is also sometimes associated 
  with dogs, for long ago she turned wicked men into dogs 
  rather than smite them, and it is said that all dogs are still 
  grateful to her for this. So it is that dogs often make excellent 
  shepherds of lambs, as it is the only way they can manage 
  to repay Morwyn’s kindness. In the sky she is likened to 
  the white dove. As she is the peaceful lady in white among 
  the gods, the dove is the peaceful white bird of the heavens. 
  Finally, she is associated with the winged serpents—the 
  couatl—creatures of the greatest beauty, wisdom, and virtue.
  Morwyn is shown as a tall woman with long black hair 
  and brown, olive, or deeply tanned skin. Attired in flowing 
  white robes, she shines like a star. There is often a silver cir-
  clet on her brow, with a single gem in its center. She has a 
  motherly nobility in all representations, for she was the first 
  ever to bear a life in her womb. Usually, she is shown with a 
  warm smile, though sometimes she has the regal bearing of a 
  queen. She nearly always bears a deep resemblance to Rontra, 
  and seems to be a younger version of the Grandmother.
  Although she is often represented by a white lamb, two 
  simpler symbols are more commonly used to represent 
  the goddess. There is no division in the church surround-
  ing the use of them; it is merely a matter of personal 
  preference. One is a wreath of white blossoms. This can 
  be figurative or real, with some clerics wearing painted 
  symbols of white wreaths, while others adorn themselves 
  in actual garlands of cherry blossoms. Wreaths have been 
  worn of old by peacemakers, and those negotiating under 
  truce. The other is a crystal tear, meant to remember the 
  tears shed by Morwyn over the corpses of her brothers 
  long ago. This is a very practical symbol, and the one most 
  clerics most often wear around their necks. Also, it is the 
  simplified form one uses when it must be made in haste, 
  or etched on small surfaces. The symbol is sometimes 
  extended to three teardrops formed into a triangle, with 
  one drop on top and two below.
  All five mortal races revere Morwyn. The people who 
  hold her in the highest esteem are mothers, healers, and 
  those in desperate need of succor or forgiveness. However, 
  as the Queen of Heaven and goddess of wisdom, she is 
  also revered by those who lead, though they are not noble. 
  Mayors of towns, for instance, or town council members, 
  say prayers to Morwyn for guidance, for she was not the 
  strongest of the gods, nor the most powerful, yet she was 
  given the reins of leadership and held them well. Most 
  folk, though, see Morwyn as a reminder of how much 
  better they could or should be, and take her teachings to 
  be for saints, not common people.
  Myths
  reIgn oF peaCe
  Long ago, when the gods fought their first war to 
  determine who was eldest, they used the div in their struggles. 
  Alone among the gods it was Morwyn, Gentle Morwyn, who 
  cared for the fiery race. She did not exploit them, but rather 
  taught them many secrets. It is said that she would go into their 
  cities and whisper a different secret in every ear—secrets of 
  why flowers bloom, and why the sun sometimes looks red. She 
  showed them that the world is lovely, and that it is lovelier still 
  when your heart is at peace.
  The path she set them down was noble, and these div built 
  great societies, with thriving cultures of art and beauty. But 
  Morwyn the Compassionate was not yet Morwyn the Wise, 
  for she had not yet had to temper her love with the bitterness of 
  tears. Her brothers were not yet murdered, and she had not yet 
  experienced the horrors of war. She taught these div to not build 
  walls or defenses, and said that the good in the hearts of their kin 
  would come forth. Though war raged around them, she told the 
  div that peace was stronger than war, and that when their hos-
  tile cousins saw their beautiful homes, savage hearts would ease, 
  and all would walk once more on the path of peace.
  Sadly, the White Lady was wrong. When the war of Tinel 
  and Terak reached the peaceful people Morwyn had instructed, 
  these gentle empires paid war’s bounty in tears and blood. 
  Their homes were burned and their temples were destroyed. 
  The adults were slain, and their children were enslaved. 
  Soon, there was no sign there had ever been peaceful empires. 
  Morwyn, Gentle Morwyn, wept.
  She found her brothers then, and falling upon them wailed 
  and gnashed her teeth. She tore the hem of her robe, crying 
  out, “Why? Why would you tell your servants to do this to my 
  people?” And for a short time, Tinel and Terak put aside their 
  war and went silent, for Morwyn was beautiful and terrible to 
  behold in her sorrow, and their hearts were moved by her tears.
  F
  ive gods were born of Eliwyn. They remain the mightiest Lords of Heaven. Four emerged from the fruit 
  of the tree, and the fifth was born from murder by divine hands. In this chapter, we explore the faiths of these five gods: 
  Morwyn, the merciful; Terak, the mighty; Zheenkeef, the mad; Tinel, the magnificent; and Mormekar, the shadow.
  GoddeSS oF heAlinG And WiSdom
  Morwyn
  the Gentle, the comPASSionAte, the WiSe,  
  the merciFUl, White lAdy, qUeen oF heAven
  IV: the gods oF the tree 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  51
  “Sister, I promise you, I never ordered such a thing. I have 
  fought for my rightful place and have no time to tend to them. 
  They are told to destroy Terak’s usurpers.” Tinel stood tall and 
  proud. He knew the truth: His hands were clean of the matter, 
  and so he mourned not.
  But Terak’s heart was more than moved; he was wounded to 
  think he had caused his beautiful and peaceful sister such sorrow, 
  for this was never his intent. He knelt before Morwyn and kissed 
  the torn hem of her robe. “Beloved Sister, I swear to you it was 
  not I that did this thing, for you are the treasure of the Tree, who 
  I fight to preserve. I make this war so that you will be safe.” And 
  truly, Morwyn saw the love her brother bore for her, and knew 
  then that she loved him also. She saw clearly that they would be 
  married in time, but how much that is sorrowful would come to 
  pass before there would be joy. And touching his hair, she walked 
  away from her brothers, and let them fight their war.
  If her brothers had not ordered her people, the gentlest of the 
  div, to be so abused, she determined it must have been Zheenkeef. 
  And she found her sister playing a game in which she lit two 
  bulls on fire and tried to put them out with her urine. Morwyn 
  watched her sister running around, squatting over the flaming 
  bulls to douse the flames; but always the bulls, crazed by the 
  pain, would run from beneath her and kick and buck. At one 
  point in this painful ordeal, the sisters’ eyes met. In that moment 
  Morwyn the Wise saw the truth—her sister had never ordered 
  such a thing, for she would never care enough about the races of 
  the earth to give such a petty command.
  So now she knew the div who perpetrated these crimes were 
  ordered to do so by Kador the Wicked. It was the only explana-
  tion, and she sought these div out to punish them for aligning 
  themselves with the dark power. But when she found those who 
  had savaged her people, they had been enslaved by an even more 
  powerful kingdom of the div, and they wailed to her to release 
  them from their torment. And when she asked what commands 
  they had taken from Kador, they did not know of what she spoke, 
  for they had taken no order from any god. “We have waged war, 
  lady, and for this we are sorry. We killed your people not because 
  anyone told us to, but because we could. Please, release us!” And 
  she did, breaking their chains and setting them free, for she 
  could not abide seeing anyone suffer. And she found those that 
  remained of her people, and she took them to secret places of the 
  world and made them safe, but they were few and nevermore 
  built wonders.
  It was then that the White Lady learned that which she 
  knows to this day: The races of the earth do not need the will of 
  the gods to justify horrible acts against one another, for they are 
  no purer than the gods. They have a secret fire burning in their 
  breasts that tells them to hate, and if ignored, that fire spreads. 
  But she also knew they had other secrets in their hearts.
  Morwyn the Compassionate saw that all people desire peace. 
  Deep in their hearts, perhaps less fiercely than the savage fire of 
  hate, there glows another, warmer light. There will come a time, 
  she knew then, when all mortal people will at last heed their 
  calmer voice. There will be a day, though it may take a thousand, 
  thousand years, when all people will be washed clean of the 
  dark fires, and live in peace. They will no longer kill and burn 
  simply because they can. Until that time, it must be the work of 
  Morwyn, Gentle Morwyn, and those who would walk at her 
  side, to make the damage done by hatred and war the least it 
  might be. They must tend to the flock of the good and gentle, keep 
  them safe, and defend them against those who hate. Never again 
  would Morwyn preach the casting aside of blades, for some, she 
  saw then, must bear blades to protect those who cannot. And the 
  Queen of Heaven looks for signs of the Reign of Peace, as she calls 
  it, and where she sees them protects them, blowing on the embers 
  of compassion, as one kindles a fire in the rain. 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  52
  52
  perFeCt goodness
  Morwyn’s motives are pure, and can only be described 
  as truly good. She loves all mortals, and desires to see 
  them thrive and do well, but she holds a special place in 
  her heart for the kind and gentle. She is a guardian of 
  the downcast, but even more, a guardian of those who 
  spend their lives caring for the downcast. While her hus-
  band Terak protects the weak and frail, Morwyn seeks to 
  create a world in which they do not need protection. Her 
  all-consuming purpose is to move the world toward good-
  ness, and see the hearts of mortals shift toward decency 
  over desire, peace over power. 
  Because of this, she doesn’t spend a great deal of time 
  concerning herself directly with those who are weak and 
  cannot care for themselves, or those who live in isolation 
  doing no harm. Rather, she spends her energy guiding 
  the powerful of all races toward caring for the injured 
  and indigent. Her chosen people are healers, municipal 
  leaders, mothers—people who have day-to-day power 
  over lives and who, if evil, might work the most long-
  term mischief.
  Morwyn believes the Nameless One created the 
  universe so that it will constantly progress toward 
  perfection. It is inevitable, in her view, that goodness 
  will prevail. The question is how much pain, darkness, 
  and misery the gods and mortals must wade through 
  before this perfect state is achieved. She believes that 
  in every epoch, good and evil come into great conflict, 
  and eventually good will prevail so mightily it will 
  thrust the universe into perfection. Morwyn works to 
  move events toward that state; she fears there might 
  be several more disastrous conflicts before it will come 
  to pass. The world might go through another decima-
  tion of its races (as the div have been decimated and 
  banished), the gods might die, or the entire order of 
  the gods may fail, to be replaced by another. Morwyn 
  believes if good is weak in the world, these cycles will 
  be more devastating, as the Nameless One’s creation 
  shudders toward perfection. 
  Among the gods, Morwyn is called queen and elder, 
  but rarely wields this authority, particularly because she 
  has decreed that no one god rules over the others. She 
  seeks to move the gods’ hearts toward good, and agreed 
  to things like the Compact because she knows she cannot 
  command the chaotic gods. Rather, she hopes the Com-
  pact and other acts of the gods will draw them together 
  against evil. She does not suffer from pride in these mat-
  ters, and uses any honorable method to bring the gods and 
  the mortal races to the path of virtue.
  serVants oF the goddess
  Morwyn has three chief servants, each of whom is dear 
  to her. No one knows from whence these three servants 
  came. They are often at Morwyn’s side, and spread com-
  fort in the world. If they once were mortal, they surely are 
  not now, and in some isolated cultures they are revered as 
  gods in their own right.
  mercy
  It is said that when someone’s heart is heavy with rage 
  and they’re about to smite an enemy, they might suddenly 
  feel their hate lifted, as though by a cool breeze. In those 
  moments, Morwyn’s beloved Mercy visited, invisibly, and 
  took hate from their heart. Mercy is a beautiful maiden 
  with flaxen hair, wearing a white gown like that of her 
  mistress. Morwyn sends Mercy to chosen individuals 
  based on mysterious criteria, for some of the hateful are 
  never visited, and continue to vent their wrath. Yet Mercy 
  still enters a few hearts from time to time. Many who 
  have been so stricken change at their very core.
  the midWiFe
  Called upon by women during a difficult labor, the Mid-
  wife sometimes comes to their aid. There are women fated 
  to die giving life to their children, and the Midwife can 
  no more save them than can Morwyn herself, but should 
  the Midwife, invisible like Mercy, come to the bedside of 
  a woman in labor, she might ease the delivery and save the 
  mother’s life. If this is not possible, she can at least take 
  away the woman’s suffering, and let her die in peace. Most 
  women call out to the Midwife and Morwyn during ordi-
  nary childbirths as well. The Midwife is said to be a heavy 
  woman with broad hips, her breasts heavy with milk. If a 
  baby dies in the first weeks of its life, people say the child 
  “nurses with the Midwife now.”
  the GUide
  An ancient woman with a lantern, the Guide eases men 
  and women into the wisdom of old age. It is said that 
  many elders do not deserve to have lasted so long, but 
  something about age seems to mellow and refine even 
  the fiercest hearts. This is because the Guide comes to 
  the aged in their dreams, reminding them of the stories 
  of their families, of their people and their heritage. The 
  Guide also eases women through the loss of their monthly 
  moonblood, and helps them find comfort in it. Many who 
  are old call to the Guide to show them wisdom, and she is 
  said to visit them invisibly, like Morwyn’s other servants, 
  to ease their troubled hearts. It is known that the Guide 
  also warns a select few in the moments before Mormekar 
  arrives to claim them. Therefore, history is filled with tales 
  of those who declare they are about to die moments before 
  they do, making final amends for old grudges and hurts.
  the healIng  
  halls oF Morwyn
  The healing halls of Morwyn, as her churches are called, 
  are run by her followers, the Morwynites. Morwynites 
  are enormously popular wherever their healing halls are 
  found, for they cure diseases and heal their hurts. All 
  people love Morwynite healing, but not everyone loves the 
  Morwynites themselves. Many people see them as impos-
  sibly holy, even self-righteous. For this reason, healing 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  53
  halls are not as common as they could be. Morwynites 
  receive many donations from their patients and fill mas-
  sive coffers, but lack common people to staff a healing 
  hall in every major population center.
  Add to this the somewhat peculiar struc-
  ture of the healing halls (see below), and you 
  have a church which, despite its popularity, 
  has difficulty spreading its faith. The prin-
  cipal temporal goal of the Morwynite faith 
  is to increase its lay membership, so it can 
  build and staff more healing halls. This goal 
  places Morwynites in direct conflict with 
  the Great Church, which offers healing as 
  well (though as one service of many), and 
  like the Morwynites, wishes to attract 
  devout laity and expand its reach. This 
  yields the strange result of two lawful 
  good churches, which eye each other 
  suspiciously. Yet the churches are 
  quite similar. It is no coincidence 
  that the head of both faiths is called 
  the Supreme Matriarch (or some-
  times Patriarch, in the case of the 
  Great Church); Hefasten modeled the 
  Great Church after his native Morwynite 
  faith. The Great Church exists to add members, 
  and the Morwynites fear that if they don’t do the same, 
  they will cease to exist.
  And it is possible. The Morwynite message is one of 
  peace, harmony, charity and love for all; the average person 
  is entirely unprepared to commit his life to the doctrine. 
  Few believe they can live up to the standards of the church 
  and its deity. More importantly, it is a difficult life. Mor-
  wynites constantly give of themselves, in spirit and earthly 
  labor. Morwynites hold only those possessions they must 
  have to survive, giving everything else to the healing halls 
  for charitable distribution. While most are happy to give to 
  the Morwynites in return for healing, or when attending a 
  service in thanks for a newborn child or cured illness, that 
  is the extent of their involvement with the healing halls. 
  Since the Morwynites never refuse healing to anyone, there 
  is no real incentive for its beneficiaries do more. Thus, only 
  the purest, most caring souls end up among the Morwyn-
  ites. There aren’t many such folk. 
  Quite often, the healing halls neighbor or adjoin a 
  foundation of Rontra, as the goddesses are considered to 
  be intrinsically linked.
  Morwyn looks upon her followers with great affection. 
  As the instigator of the Compact, Morwyn commits to 
  its terms. She sees the healing halls as her best and stron-
  gest hope for opposing evil, and making an impact on the 
  mortal world. However, she also sees how the Compact has 
  bound her hands in those same efforts, and is sometimes 
  frustrated by her inability to take direct action in the world.
  Morwyn’s primary concern with her church is its appar-
  ent inability to draw new people to the faith. The entire 
  purpose of the Compact is to promote the works of the 
  gods through mortal agents, yet other gods enjoy greater 
  benefits under its terms, even though it was her initiative. 
  Morwyn finds this profoundly disappointing, yet also 
  believes her worshipers properly represent her beliefs 
  as they work in the healing halls.
  Morwyn is in direct contact with the Morwynite 
  Supreme Matriarch, and gives her guidance 
  on spiritual matters. The entire faith was 
  founded by a priestess named Tyngelle, in 
  whom Morwyn put her faith long ago to 
  build a lasting church in her honor. The 
  order established by Tyngelle lasts to 
  this day, and Morwyn sees each Supreme 
  Matriarch as a direct descendent of the 
  first, in whom she put her faith. Morwyn 
  never tells her representative exactly how 
  to behave, nor does she dictate the direction 
  the healing halls should take. Morwyn lets 
  her children make their own decisions, but does 
  provide the Supreme Matriarch with advice to 
  pass on to spiritually troubled seekers who come 
  to the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand. For this 
  reason, these inquisitive, disturbed souls often find 
  what they seek in the Supreme Matriarch’s pres-
  ence. The head of the Morwynites is incredibly 
  wise, and sometimes speaks with the Queen of 
  Heaven’s voice.
  doCtrIne
  “When I was young and righteous, it seemed to me that 
  the world was a place of abundant goodness, and I asked, 
  ‘Why do men do evil?’ But I am old now, and I have no 
  time to wonder at this anymore. Now I see that evil is 
  everywhere, its path perilously easy to walk. At my age, 
  I wonder why men ever do good, for what rewards do 
  good deeds offer? They are few, and many years in the 
  delivering. No, I will let the young cry out in the streets 
  about the wickedness men do. I will leave it to the righ-
  teous to shake evil from men’s souls with hard words and 
  harder steel. I choose to spend my remaining days tending 
  to hearts that are safe for goodness, for good is not easy to 
  find, and harder still to embrace.” 
  —The Final Ruminations of Supreme 
  Matriarch Ana Codhwyn
  The healing halls are homes to those of truly decent and 
  merciful dispositions. Their residents are neither politically 
  motivated nor cunning plotters who hoard secrets. The 
  faithful of Morwyn are exactly what they appear to be: the 
  most loving, kind people in the world. They value hope and 
  joy over victory and dogmatism. They purge themselves of 
  pride and self-importance, and live to protect, serve, aid, 
  teach, and heal a wounded world. In this they try to live out 
  the mystery of Morwyn, who purged herself of the power 
  of fire, given to all the gods, to heal her family.
  It is easy to see why the Morwynites grow scarce. Most 
  people do not attend their services or join their numbers 
  because they feel they simply are not up to a lifetime of 
  service and personal perfection.
  For those who are members of the healing halls, either 
  as congregants, clergy, holy warriors, or white hands, the 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  54
  54
  principles of the faith surround a four-word maxim: Char-
  itable, Merciful, Gentle, and Wise. Following this maxim, 
  the Morwynites lend aid to all people and seek out those 
  who are good, or who might be good if lent a hand, to 
  help them spread the four virtues.
  chAritAble
  If it is in your power to aid another, why would you not? 
  In her grace, Morwyn has given a limitless bounty to the 
  children of the earth. If we can aid others, what could dis-
  suade us? Morwyn gave up her fire, the very power of the 
  soul, so the other gods might live; what might the faithful 
  give that could match this, the ultimate act of charity? For 
  this reason, Morwynites do not demand money for their 
  healing unless there is a good reason (see Wisdom, below) 
  and they gravitate toward areas where the needy con-
  gregate. This doctrine stymies the church’s recruitment 
  efforts, as there is nothing to be gained for oneself by join-
  ing, except a sense of peace. One does not attend a healing 
  hall to make political connections or business deals.
  merciFUl
  If you are wronged, you must forgive. If you have an enemy 
  in your power who is redeemable, you must seek to redeem 
  him, even though your heart tells you it is folly. Redemp-
  tion is always better than punishment, and sometimes the 
  mere example of mercy is enough to redeem even the hard-
  est heart. For this reason, Morwynites never kill people 
  of one of the five mortal races if they can avoid it. Instead, 
  they work tirelessly to redeem the person in question, offer-
  ing them chance after chance to better themselves.
  Gentle
  War is never the first resort or second resort, and not even 
  the third resort. Morwynites believe violence against 
  kin—meaning the mortal races—should be avoided at all 
  costs unless self-defense requires it. Morwynites are not 
  pacifists; they take up arms against evil races, undead, 
  dangerous beasts, and fiends. However, against the 
  redeemable (which they tend to define as any person of 
  one of the five mortal races, though individual Morwyn-
  ites may believe in redemption for other beings—or rarely, 
  that a group within one of the mortal races, such as dark 
  elves, can’t be redeemed), Morwynites do not raise hands 
  in anger. They fight only if attacked.
  WiSdom
  It should be obvious that the first three parts of the Mor-
  wynite maxim could result in a group of people who are 
  easily exploited, but Morwyn is the goddess of wisdom 
  and her followers are no fools. They are not being taken 
  advantage of when they give freely. For example, a Sister 
  of Beneficence might regularly heal a man who has money, 
  but pretends he does not, and who does not donate to the 
  church. She does not do so naively, and eventually makes it 
  clear to the man, when he least expects it, she knows exactly 
  what he is up to. It is this doctrine that keeps the faithful 
  from doing things that are clearly foolish. A Morwynite 
  shopkeeper does not give up his shop simply because some-
  one else needs it, but believes he does the most good by 
  owning a successful business and donating his surplus to the 
  healing halls. While the Morwynites are thought foolish by 
  those who would exploit them, they in fact hold to the hope 
  they can save such people through good deeds.
  MorwynIte prayers
  The life of a Morwynite is understandably difficult. People 
  disappoint them all the time, and their hopes are often 
  shattered by the petty wickedness of common folk. In 
  their most trying times, the Morwynites utter the follow-
  ing invocation.
  “Holy Mother, heed my prayer.
  Lend me your wisdom,
  So that I might see clearly;
  Give me your patience,
  That I might bear what I see.”
  holy days
  The Morwynites have two primary holy weeks. Every 
  spring the Morwynites celebrate the rebirth of Eliwyn, 
  Tinel, Terak, and Zheenkeef in what is called The Five 
  Tears. The celebration takes five days, and is marked with 
  fasting in the daytime, and celebratory feasting at night. 
  The other holy period takes place in the mid-winter and 
  is called the Week of Gifts. All Morwynites remember the 
  many gifts given the mortal races by the gods. They show 
  their gratitude by giving gifts to those in their community 
  who need them most. It is a week in which the poor are fed 
  and clothed, and the homeless are given homes. On the 
  final night of the week, friends and family members give 
  one another gifts. On that final night, they have a great 
  dinner, in which they recite prayers of thanksgiving, and 
  discuss the history and gifts of the gods.
  saInts
  The Supreme Matriarch of the Morwynites delivers the 
  roll of saints and martyrs every seven years from the great 
  healing hall where she resides. Those named are hence-
  forth referred to as “Saint,” regardless of whether they are 
  included on the roll for having been beatified or martyred.
  A saint is someone who has done great work in the 
  name of Morwyn, such as retrieving an artifact, saving an 
  entire people, standing in the way of some profoundly evil 
  plot. It must be a work of enormous importance, and must 
  be done in Morwyn’s name. It is possible to be sainted in 
  one’s lifetime, and some of the most powerful adventuring 
  Morwynites have been named saints. A saint is introduced 
  as “Saint” and his name, so Amno would be introduced as 
  “Saint Amno,” overriding all other church titles.
  A martyr is someone who has been killed specifically 
  for her faith by forces opposed to Morwyn. A Morwynite 
  matriarch murdered by Asmodean cultists, her body dese-
  crated, would be declared a martyr if her sad tale reached 
  the ears of the Supreme Matriarch. An adventuring faith-
  ful son killed by an ooze would not be martyred, even if 
  he was on a very important quest for the healing halls.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  55
  holy orders
  Because the Morwynites emulate Morwyn in all things, 
  the heads of the healing halls are those most like Morwyn, 
  starting with gender. The Morwynite faith is the only one 
  of the great churches divided along gender lines. Women 
  shape the direction of the faith from its central church, the 
  White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand. There the Supreme Matri-
  arch, the ultimate authority on all matters Morwynite, 
  watches over the faith and sets religious law.
  There are three holy orders of the healing halls, as with 
  most churches, and two are limited to certain genders. 
  The matriarchs (clergy), heads of the healing halls, are 
  all women and have four levels of status: the sisters of 
  beneficence, the holy mothers, the high matriarchs, and 
  the Supreme Matriarch. The faithful sons (holy warriors) 
  are all men, live to serve the matriarchs, and have three 
  levels of status: the brothers, the masters, and the fathers. 
  The white hands, now the most numerous of the three 
  holy orders, are educated in eight circles of healing and 
  are divided by the level of education they have completed. 
  Morwynites of any gender may join the white hands.
  The average healing hall has three to four sisters of benef-
  icence in residence and one holy mother. There will be as 
  many faithful sons as there are matriarchs, and sometimes 
  one or two extra. Most healing halls have two or three 
  white hands who have achieved a high circle of learning; 
  they reside there to teach others the secrets of the order.
  The White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand holds the Supreme 
  Matriarch, six high matriarchs, twelve holy mothers, 
  and twenty-four sisters of beneficence in residence at any 
  one time. At least forty-eight faithful sons, including ten 
  fathers, serve as the Supreme Matriarch’s personal guard. 
  The nearby Tower of the White Hands houses the heads 
  of that holy order, and has at least sixty white hands in 
  residence at any time, including the white hands of the 
  eighth circle, who head their order.
  MatrIarChs oF Morwyn
  The matriarchs are an order of profound goodness, com-
  passion, and love. Made up only of women, they are a part 
  of an ancient tradition, as the healing halls of Morwyn 
  have maintained their structure for more generations than 
  even the longest-lived elves can count. The matriarchs hold 
  only those possessions they need to perform their duties, 
  giving everything else to the healing halls, or to the needy 
  they meet on their travels, and they swear oaths of charity, 
  gentleness, mercy, and wisdom. They follow the doctrines 
  exactly—but unlike common members of the faith, they do 
  not waver in their adherence to these strictures. If they do, 
  they must atone. A faithful son always accompanies a trav-
  eling matriarch unless something peculiar is going on.
  Most matriarchs are lawful good. They follow the four 
  principles of the faith to the letter and are some of the 
  kindest, gentlest people in the world. They do not think 
  twice about their own well-being, often wading into 
  disease-ridden or otherwise dangerous areas to help the 
  needy. They have no greed in them, and are heroic women. 
  These Morwynites want nothing more than to be united 
  with Morwyn in spirit, by walking in her footsteps.
  Neutral good matriarchs are less common, and less 
  interested in obeying the set structure of their church. 
  They find the clear-cut definition of goodness a little silly, 
  though they do not say so out loud very often. To think 
  the soul of Morwyn’s goodness can be captured in a four-
  word maxim seems rather outlandish to them, so they 
  look for the good in all people, no matter how small the 
  spark, and try to bring it out through any means at their 
  disposal. Rather than tell a petty-hearted merchant (who 
  nonetheless loves his daughter as a devoted father) that 
  he must learn to be compassionate, merciful, gentle, and 
  wise, the matriarch would focus on the man’s love for his 
  daughter, and urge him to extend his goodwill to others.
  Rarely, and as a disappointment for other matriarchs, 
  lawful neutral matriarchs hold office. These women believe 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  56
  56
  the four-word maxim of the faith is almost like a set of 
  powerful incantations. They say the words to those they 
  meet as though their very repetition will compel people to 
  obey them. While they obey the rules of these principles, 
  they do not do so because they have a deep sense of their 
  rightness, but because, in their minds, Morwyn wants them 
  to obey them. Others in the healing halls find these matri-
  archs lacking, for they seem unable to grasp the true spirit 
  of Morwyn’s teachings.
  SiSter oF beneFicence
  New matriarchs are called sisters of beneficence. It falls 
  to them to perform those duties assigned to them by their 
  superiors, who are any matriarchs with greater experience 
  and standing, but most take orders directly from the holy 
  mother of their healing hall. Superiors regularly order 
  sisters of beneficence to travel and spread the good works 
  of Morwyn around the world. Sisters of beneficence are 
  healers and avoid conflict. They depend on their faithful 
  son companions to shield them from violence. Sisters of 
  beneficence are often referred to as the “beneficent sisters” 
  and are addressed as “sister.” They are introduced with 
  their order title first, so Nimmeril would be introduced as 
  “Sister of Beneficence Nimmeril, a matriarch of the heal-
  ing halls of Morwyn.”
  holy mother
  A sister of beneficence can go on a three-month spiritual 
  retreat into a remote area in an act that follows in the foot-
  steps of Tyngelle, who spent three months in the desert 
  and saw there a vision of the White Lady touching a rock, 
  and witnessed a fountain of light springing forth from it. 
  Standing in the fountain of light, Morwyn asked Tyngelle 
  four questions, which all those who follow in her footsteps 
  are still asked. Afterwards, Tyngelle searched for and found 
  the rock, and upon it built the White Hall of Morwyn’s 
  Hand. The great seat of the Supreme Matriarch rests atop 
  the rock to this day. Thus, each sister of beneficence follows 
  in Tyngelle’s footsteps, hoping to be visited by the White 
  Lady in a vision that will lead her for the rest of her life. 
  When these matriarchs return from the retreat, they tell a 
  holy mother all they experienced. The returning matriarch 
  is then clothed in white, brought before all the faithful of 
  her healing hall, and named a holy mother. She is addressed 
  as “mother” and introduced with her order title first.
  hiGh mAtriArch
  An experienced holy mother eventually goes on a pilgrimage 
  to the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand, where the Supreme 
  Matriarch sits. Upon reaching it, she speaks to the Supreme 
  Matriarch herself, telling of her long-ago vision and all she 
  has learned in her life. The Supreme Matriarch then asks 
  her the four questions that Morwyn asked Tyngelle so many 
  years before: What is the nature of compassion? What is 
  the greatest gentleness you have witnessed? Where can the 
  hopeless find mercy? Who is wiser than the wise? Assuming 
  the holy mother answers these questions to the Supreme 
  Matriarch’s satisfaction (and often the answers, and their 
  discussions, take a full day), she is elevated to the rank of 
  high matriarch the next morning.. She is clothed in rich 
  robes of white, gold, and red, anointed with holy ointments, 
  and brought before the faithful after a morning of prayer. 
  Once so named, she is given a great task to undertake by the 
  Supreme Matriarch. This task often takes up the rest of her 
  life. High matriarchs are addressed as “reverend mother” 
  and are introduced by full title. 
  SUPreme mAtriArch
  When a Supreme Matriarch dies, the matriarchs residing 
  at the White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand follow the exact rules 
  of succession as handed down by Tyngelle. They paint the 
  names of all the world’s high matriarchs on stones and place 
  them in a great barrel, though there are few enough high 
  matriarchs now that the barrel is rarely filled even halfway. 
  They then go and find a young and innocent shepherdess 
  who is usually around thirteen years old. They bring the child 
  to the barrel, tell her there is one stone in it more valuable 
  than all the others, and ask her to find it by whatever method 
  she might choose. The woman named on the selected stone 
  becomes the new Supreme Matriarch. A contingent of faith-
  ful sons is sent out to find her, for she might be doing great 
  works on the other side of the world, and the high matri-
  archs of the White Hall act as a council in her absence. The 
  Supreme Matriarch is addressed as “Your Holiness,” “Your 
  Eminence,” “Your Grace,” or “Most Hallowed Mother.” She 
  is introduced without her name and, indeed, her name is 
  never spoken on formal occasions; she is called “The Supreme 
  Matriarch of the Healing Halls of Morwyn.”
  JoInIng the order
  Any woman who shows an aptitude for learning the rites, 
  strength of character, and a sense of goodness, can become 
  a matriarch relatively quickly. Matriarchs are all clerics (of 
  Life) devoted to Morwyn. Morwyn is never shown wield-
  ing a weapon, and there are no legends in which she lifts a 
  weapon in anger. Her clergy have adopted the quarterstaff 
  as a preferred weapon, since a few legends refer to the 
  White Lady carrying a walking staff.
  FaIthFul sons 
  The faithful sons of Morwyn are the gentlest of all holy 
  warriors. They strive to resolve disputes rather than raise 
  blades in anger. They are peacemakers and diplomats, care-
  ful men who are always on the lookout for danger, and seek 
  to defuse volatile situations. This is because their primary 
  role is to protect the matriarchs, who are constantly going 
  into the gravest dangers—battlefields, plague-ridden settle-
  ments, evil lands—in their efforts to do Morwyn’s works. 
  The faithful sons see themselves as men striving to make 
  the world safer for goodness, starting with the deeply good 
  women they are sworn to protect. They are unafraid to fight 
  if they must, but they always try to avoid conflict with a 
  person of the five mortal races, if possible. Most faithful 
  sons come off as profoundly wise, happy, resolute, and 
  cautious. Less civilized folks think them cowardly for their 
  unceasing efforts to avoid violence.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  57
  Faithful sons are assigned to the protection of matriarchs 
  for most of their lives; it is considered a disaster if one of 
  them allows his charge to be killed. Essentially, it is assumed 
  faithful sons will die to protect their matriarchs, and it is 
  hard to imagine how one could still live if his charge was 
  killed. A faithful son returning to a healing hall after the 
  death of his charge must go through years of atonement 
  and contemplation before being assigned the protection of 
  another matriarch. If the matriarch died because he was neg-
  ligent, or did not wish to risk his own life to protect her, the 
  order casts him out. Atonement for such men is quite diffi-
  cult, but Morwyn is the goddess of mercy, so it is possible.
  Other than their unwavering devotion to their matri-
  archs, the faithful sons are dedicated to the protection 
  of the innocent and the preservation of the ideals of 
  Morwyn. They do not attack people without provocation. 
  They do not steal, take vengeance, or act out of pettiness. 
  They show mercy and compassion in all things. They are 
  charitable and kind, thoughtful and peaceful.
  Because they are so tied to the matriarchs, faithful sons 
  usually associate with whoever their charge finds appro-
  priate, though they object strenuously to traveling with 
  obviously evil companions. The Morwynites believe all 
  mortals are redeemable, though, so a faithful son might 
  find himself with unsavory companions in hopes of turning 
  them to the good path. He never participates in or abides 
  the commission of evil, however, so if his companions start 
  behaving in an evil manner, he will oppose them.
  brother
  A new faithful son is called a brother, and is addressed and 
  introduced by that title. He is usually assigned to a sister of 
  beneficence for her protection for when she travels outside the 
  healing halls. These relationships are complex, with the two 
  adventuring together for years. Love sometimes blossoms 
  between a faithful son and a matriarch, and marriages born 
  of such relationships are considered quite fortuitous. While 
  it is rare for a brother to be given a task that does not involve 
  accompanying a matriarch, it does happen from time to time. 
  mASter
  After adventuring far and wide, and keeping his assigned 
  matriarch (or matriarchs) alive and healthy, an experi-
  ence brother is sent on his own, to do some great deed for 
  goodness and the Morwynite faith. His superiors within 
  the order of the faithful sons give him this task. When he 
  returns from the quest, he is named a master, and begins 
  to oversee the training and command of the brothers of 
  the order. He is addressed and introduced as “master.”
  FAther
  A master eventually makes a pilgrimage to see the 
  Supreme Matriarch of the healing halls. When he reaches 
  her, she asks him the same four questions that all high 
  matriarchs are asked at their elevation. After the ques-
  tions are answered, the master is dressed in white robes 
  and anointed with holy ointments. He is presented with 
  the shield of the fathers, which bears a snow-white field 
  with the argent tear of Morwyn at its center. The carriers 
  of these shields are called the fathers of the faithful sons, 
  and are addressed and introduced as “father.” They are the 
  greatest and wisest men of the Morwynite faith. Many 
  fathers serve the Supreme Matriarch directly, but even 
  more reside in healing halls on the borders of dangerous 
  areas, where they might ride forth, do the greatest good, 
  and accompany matriarchs doing likewise. Fathers are 
  considered to have no superiors in their order, and can 
  only be given orders by the Supreme Matriarch herself.
  JoInIng the FaIthFul sons
  Men who become faithful sons receive the call when they 
  are young. They go to a healing hall, where they receive 
  training that usually takes three to four years. Sometimes, 
  though, an established adventurer will suddenly receive 
  the call to become a faithful son; such men are considered 
  blessed additions to the order and are welcomed with open 
  arms. Faithful sons are all lawful good paladins. When 
  it comes time to swear their sacred oath, most swear the 
  Oath of Mercy (see Chapter X), though some might 
  swear the Oath of Devotion. 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  58
  58
  whIte hand oF Morwyn
  Long ago, one of the Supreme Matriarchs determined the 
  Morwynites could do great good if they educated others 
  in the arts of healing, charging them with the spreading 
  of those arts. Called the White Hands, these healers were 
  formed into a third holy order of the healing halls, and 
  given a formal education in the ways of healing—and of 
  Morwyn. Across the lands, the White Hands of Morwyn 
  are revered for their amazing powers of healing. Skilled 
  in healing disease, madness, and other afflictions of the 
  body and soul, the white hands are not ceremonial clergy 
  but dedicated healers who serve in all walks of life. Some 
  are attached to large military groups; others have shops in 
  great cities where they offer their healing for a mere pit-
  tance. They are trained and educated by the Morwynites 
  for the express purpose of spreading healing and comfort 
  throughout the land. Most of them are not religious zeal-
  ots, but highly skilled individuals with a desire to help.
  Over the years, the Morwynites stressed Morwyn’s teach-
  ings less and less in the education of the White Hands. To 
  spread healing, the healing halls now embrace the White 
  Hands as an almost secular order, existing more for healing 
  than spreading faith. Because of this, the order has boomed 
  in size and its numbers now outstrip the rest of the church’s. 
  Their education is superb and nearly free, and members of 
  the order are considered part of the healing halls. 
  White Hands are usually people with other respon-
  sibilities. They might be soldiers, nobles, officials, or 
  even barmaids. All of them are driven to learn the ways 
  of healing for any number of reasons, and because the 
  education is readily available and inexpensive, it is wide-
  spread—at least in the lower circles. Upper-circle White 
  Hands are rarer and are usually serene, dedicated practi-
  tioners, kind and gentle. Either way, it is not particularly 
  common for them to travel in groups, or even to perform 
  specific duties for their order. They go about their lives, 
  helping people whenever they can.
  JoInIng the whIte hands
  A character must be proficient in medicine to join the 
  White Hands and take the Healer feat at the first oppor-
  tunity. As the skills of the White Hands are so useful 
  among those who often find themselves in battle, many 
  fighters (especially those who choose the Hospitaler 
  martial archetype described in Chapter X), rangers, and 
  monks become White Hands so they can better tend the 
  wounds of their fallen brethren. 
  Anyone desiring to become a White Hand must swear 
  the following oath.
  I am the White Hand against the Red Wound,
  I am the hope for the hopeless, the help for 
  the helpless.
  I swear to provide healing to any child of the 
  tree in need,
  If it is within my power to do so and if that person 
  is not an enemy of goodness.
  Within the confines of the oath, White Hands can 
  ask to be remunerated for their aid, but cannot demand 
  it. Few patients take unfair advantage of this, but some 
  do cheat the healers. The “enemy of goodness” portion of 
  the oath allows White Hands not to heal evil cultists, but 
  soldiers in wars with other mortal soldiers must tend to 
  their enemies’ wounds if it is within their power to do so. 
  Triage and the care of prisoners beyond just healing them 
  are matters left to White Hand’s discretion, but must 
  follow the Morwynite ethos. 
  If a White Hand violates her oath, her palms turn blood 
  red until she atones for her violation.
  The greatest among the White Hands are former 
  matriarchs who dedicate themselves to teaching of others, 
  though one need not have been a matriarch to become a 
  member of this order, and it is open to men and women. 
  The heads of the order reside in the Tower of the White 
  Hands. These women (for the heads of the order are all 
  former matriarchs) are powerful healers, able to repair 
  the damage done to armies. Their students are perhaps 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  59
  less formidable, but are great healers too, sought for the 
  excellent addition they make to expeditionary forces and 
  other groups.
  The education of the White Hands is an eight-step pro-
  cess. As one progresses, one moves on to greater circles 
  of healing until certified in the eighth and final circle. A 
  White Hand tells people her circle whenever she introduces 
  herself—“I am Idri, a White Hand of the fourth circle,” for 
  instance—but gains no other honorifics. In formal intro-
  ductions, their circle of learning is added to whatever other 
  titles they might hold in the format, “a White Hand of 
  the (individual’s) circle.” It is important to let people know 
  how competent a healer the White Hand is, so they do not 
  expect results she is not capable of delivering.
  A White Hand moves up a circle by being educated and 
  trained by a White Hand at least one circle above her. To 
  become a white hand of the eighth circle, she must travel 
  to the Tower of the White Hands and meet with the 
  heads of the order. They will administer a test that takes 
  several days, making sure she knows every nuance of the 
  healing art. Once she passes, the White Hand is admitted 
  to the eighth and final circle.
  God oF WAr And vAlor
  Terak
  the vAliAnt, bold, the miGhty,  
  kinG oF heAven, mArShAl oF the GodS
  Terak (TAIR-ack) is the god of the body, valor, war, 
  physical struggle, brotherly unity, and battle. He is wor-
  shiped by soldiers and warriors of all stripes, those who 
  need the protection of physical strength, and protectors of 
  the weak. 
  Terak is shown as a powerful figure, broad of shoulder 
  and with a great barrel chest. His hair falls to his knees and 
  is either braided or left loose, depending on the culture that 
  made the icon. He is also usually shown with a long beard, 
  blonde hair and icy blue eyes. He is often armored, always 
  carries his battle axe, and is represented wearing a cloak of 
  fur and bones—bones taken from his son, Aerix.
  Two symbols represent Terak. The first, used by those 
  who follow the lawful neutral interpretation of his teach-
  ings, is the fasces: a bundle of sticks lashed together with 
  a golden cord. When one is in a hurry, this symbol can be 
  fashioned as several small circles around a central circle. 
  This is used for stamps on weapons, low detail work, and 
  hasty scrawls. This set of circles cast of bronze is often used 
  as a holy symbol, even though it is not supposed to be. 
  The second symbol, and the one used by his lawful good 
  worshipers, is Terak’s axe. Forged in the first epoch and 
  the first weapon made, the axe was used by Terak against 
  his own brother and the tree of life, Eliwyn, but also 
  against Kador, and the dark god’s wicked progeny. The 
  double-headed axe of Terak bespeaks this contradiction. 
  Weapons have two sides. They can be used for great harm, 
  or great good. This lesson is dear to Terak’s lawful good 
  followers. The simple version of the axe is a circle with 
  a line that moved from its top, through the middle, and 
  past, to become the axe’s handle where the circle stands 
  for the blade.  
  The correct holy symbol of Terak, and the one worn by 
  most of his faithful, is a bronze likeness of the axe. Some-
  times one head of the axe is golden and the other, black, 
  but this is an ornate symbol only worn by commanders 
  and similarly powerful faithful. Even though this is the 
  “correct” symbol, many lawful neutral clerics wear the 
  fasces, and have no trouble casting their spells.
  He is associated loosely with animals of war like dogs, 
  horses, and hawks, but his closest association is with the 
  lion. He is served in the heavens by lamassus (see Chapter 
  X), the mystical creatures with which he is often associ-
  ated, and the children of his animal companion, Metteron 
  (see below).
  Terak is worshiped most fervently by the mortal races 
  that wage war in an organized and tactical manner: 
  humans and dwarves. Elves, halflings and gnomes cer-
  tainly pay their respects to Terak as one of the gods, but 
  his worship is not especially popular in their homes. 
  Because of the religion’s strict belief that all five mortal 
  races are equal, the worship of Terak is incredibly popular 
  with ostracized half-orcs and half-elves.
  Terak is lawful neutral or lawful good. There is a pro-
  nounced rift among Terak’s worshipers and holy orders. 
  He is worshiped in two distinct ways and, depending on 
  which group you ask, can be described as either align-
  ment. Most religious scholars consider him lawful good, 
  and his church primarily follows this alignment, but cler-
  ics may be lawful good or lawful neutral.
  Myths 
  FroM one to Many
  It was long saId of terak, kIng of heaven, husband to 
  Morwyn the Wise, that reason was not his most pronounced 
  quality. In the earliest days, Bold Terak believed that all could 
  be accomplished by the perfection of self, and so he came to 
  struggle with his brother Tinel, for his brother also held the 
  same belief. But if two seek to be the best, only one can succeed, 
  and the other will be bested. This is the tale of how Terak 
  came to leave such beliefs to his brother, and became Marshal 
  of the Gods.
  On a late summer’s day, long ago, Terak was approached 
  by one of his many children he fathered with mortal mothers. 
  This child, who was full in his manhood, was named Aerix, 
  and he was wondrous to behold. Perfect in form, face, and 
  temperament, Aerix was the greatest warrior in the world. He 
  had never met a man or beast he could not slay with his keen 
  spear. He wore armor made from the scales of three of the eldest 
  dragons, each of whom he had slain with a single blow. His 
  long hair was braided with beads of bone—one bone from each 
  of a thousand evil men he had slain in a single battle. The tales 
  
  60
  60
  of Aerix’s heroism are long and many, but we are concerned 
  herein with his death. 
  When Aerix found his father that day, he asked him for a 
  boon. Valiant Terak, blinded by love for his greatest mortal 
  son, offered him any godly boon he might ask for. “Father, I 
  have faced every foe the world holds,” his son began, “and it has 
  become clear to me that no challenges remain. I can defeat any 
  foe of this land—nay, any land—but for you and your kin. I 
  ask you, father, if there is anything on this earth I cannot easily 
  defeat, show it to me!”
  Terak the Mighty, who fears nothing and no one, recoiled 
  from this request. “Do not ask me this, my son! For it is in 
  my power to give, but I would not see you killed before my 
  very eyes!”
  But Aerix, swollen with the pride only possible in a man 
  who has led a lifetime of victory, laughed. “Then I shall not let 
  you see it, for I’ll fight my best and will fell any foe! No, father, 
  I must insist. You said any boon, and I will have it!”
  So, shaking his head sadly, Terak waved his hand in a ges-
  ture of summoning. For quite some time, nothing happened. 
  Summer became autumn, and still the glade where father and 
  son stood was silent. Eventually, Aerix nodded and said, “Ah! 
  Father, you have confirmed what I thought! Nothing comes, for 
  nothing can defeat me!”
  But Terak only shook his said sadly and said, “No.”
  When they had waited quite some time longer and autumn 
  became winter, Aerix again laughed his mighty laugh, “Oho! 
  Father, I see now! You remind me that I am not immortal, and 
  there is an enemy that will destroy me in the end that even I 
  cannot fight: Time! It shall level me, surely. I understand, and 
  shall endeavor to be humble.” And thinking that he had under-
  stood his father’s riddle, Aerix moved to embrace his father. But 
  Valiant Terak shook his head.
  “No, my son. I wish this were so, but it is not. There is no 
  trick. Your doom comes.”
  Only now did Aerix begin to show fear. They stood there in 
  silence some time longer, and winter became spring. Throughout 
  spring, Aerix guessed at what came, growing increasingly more 
  frightened. “Is it fear, father? Fear will destroy me?” “No, my 
  son.” A thousand guesses, and each met with a heavy sigh and 
  a denial. It was not until late summer, a year later to the day, 
  that Aerix’s fate became clear.
  Early in the day, Aerix began to note that the glade’s grass 
  was growing dark. After some time, he realized that the entire 
  area was covered with tiny black ants, all marching across the 
  glade toward him. Looking at them he wondered, “This is my 
  foe, father? But they are small, and I can destroy them—and 
  even if there are more than I can destroy, how can they hurt 
  me?” And in his pride he stood and fought the ants, as his 
  father knew he would, when he should have fled. 
  He drank potions that made his breath into fire and burnt a 
  thousand, thousand ants. He stepped upon them. He felled trees 
  and lit them ablaze to destroy them. But still they came. Terak 
  had called all the ants in the world. It had taken them a year to 
  form their army and reach the glade, but there was no stopping 
  them once they attacked. After days of fire and other attacks 
  from Aerix, they reached his feet, this sea of ants. He stomped 
  and shouted, but before long they were to his knees, an endless 
  horde, unstoppable.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  61
  As Terak watched his son flail about, screaming for his 
  father’s help, the ants continued their inexorable march, even-
  tually covering Aerix. The greatest mortal warrior in history 
  of the world soon fell to his knees, but the ants did not accept 
  his surrender. Before long, there was no sign that a man was 
  underneath the teeming mountain of ants. Within a week, the 
  ants had left the glade with no sign that Aerix had ever been 
  there but for bones—they had carried away everything else.
  Terak took the bones to his son Korak, and had a cloak fash-
  ioned from them, which he wears to this day as a reminder. 
  For Bold Terak realized that his beloved son Aerix had only 
  believed as Terak did: that if a man perfects himself he may 
  do anything, and nothing may stand in his way. On that day, 
  Terak came to realize that it is through the strength of many 
  that all things are possible: One stick, no matter how thick, 
  no matter how strong, may be broken by any force. Bundle 
  together enough sticks, no matter how small, against that force, 
  and they remain unbroken. And so Terak, King of Heaven, 
  husband to Morwyn the Compassionate, took it upon himself 
  to form and command the armies of the heavens.
  MIght Makes rIght
  Most myths and many scholarly works present Terak as a 
  sort of knuckle-dragging, violent maniac. The reasons for 
  this are simple: First, he really was a violent maniac in his 
  youth, as were his siblings Tinel and Zheenkeef. Second, 
  these sources are usually written by the worshipers of 
  Tinel, Zheenkeef, or one of the other chaotic gods.
  Terak is best understood as the wily king or general 
  from a warrior culture. He sits on his throne pondering 
  warfare and the strengths of nations. Elaborate aesthetics, 
  matters of learning, and books hold little appeal for him. 
  However, he is no longer the simpleton he is represented 
  as. He loves sincere songs, and poems without double 
  meanings or bits of hidden cleverness. He enjoys the 
  simple pleasures a life of decency brings. 
  Since the death of his son Aerix, he has ceased pur-
  suing the expansion of his personal power. In the past, 
  Terak was a primitive god who sought glory, strength, 
  and supremacy, which brought him into conflict with his 
  brother Tinel. Now, while he is still in conflict with his 
  brother, it is for different reasons.
  Terak sees there is one thing that truly matters in the 
  world: strength. While his brother Tinel puts faith in the 
  strength of the individual and the power of knowledge, 
  magic, and other abilities an individual might possess, 
  Terak puts his faith in the power of the many. He sees 
  true strength in a unified society. And while he sometimes 
  makes it clear he opposes the use of that strength for evil, 
  at other times he seems to support the power of unity 
  without question. These mixed messages led to a schism 
  among his followers that is generally cordial, but some-
  times grows fiercely argumentative.
  Terak wishes to see the mortal races unified. He would 
  see a world where the will of the many prevails over the few. 
  He is fondest of the common people, and those who protect 
  and serve them, such as soldiers. He has little love for those 
  who consider themselves superior because of their knowl-
  edge or magic, or because they possess greater wealth. He 
  seems to have no problem with those who use their physical 
  prowess to unify people against the elite and learned.
  In Heaven, Terak is king because his wife is queen. He 
  bears no special authority as king over his chaotic brother 
  and sister—indeed, they resent his status. Terak would 
  like to unite Heaven under goodness, but his pride keeps 
  him from extending much friendship to Tinel.
  Marshal oF the heaVens
  Terak is the Marshal of the Heavens. Against anyone 
  foolish enough to bring an army against the gods, Terak 
  stands as the general of the divine forces. He has a personal 
  retinue of one thousand heroes, all of whom are half-mortal 
  children who became part of the Celestial Host upon their 
  death. His closest lieutenant among them is Aerix, who was 
  humbled by the circumstances of his death, and is now a 
  radiant figure of goodness without pride.
  Lying before Terak’s throne in heaven is the Lion, 
  Metteron (see Chapter X). With golden hair and fur, 
  and teeth long as a man’s arm, Metteron is said to be the 
  strongest beast on any plane. He is father to the glorious 
  lammasus, winged lions with human heads, and the mag-
  nificent griffins, winged lions with eagle heads.
  When Terak sends a message, or aid, it comes from one 
  of Metteron’s progeny, a lammasu. In particularly dan-
  gerous cases, when a lammasu is not enough, Terak might 
  send one of his progeny or another celestial. On rare occa-
  sions, Metteron himself might come to the aid of one of 
  Terak’s faithful.
  the teMples  
  oF terak
  The churches of Terak, called temples, enjoy great 
  popularity in lawful nations, and among folk who find 
  themselves at war. Soldiers, mercenaries, and others who 
  must rely on military prowess daily are usually worshipers 
  of Terak, and are called the Teraketh.
  The faith is split is between those who see Terak’s 
  teachings as a call to almost blind unity and order, sub-
  limation of the self to the will of the masses, and those 
  who see Terak’s wisdom as a reminder that strength and 
  power must be used for the good of the many, not just 
  the individual. Where this division of thought would 
  cause a public and deep divide in most faiths, Terak’s laws 
  promoting order, structure, and discipline have kept the 
  temples united thus far.
  That said, there is no world-spanning organization 
  for the Teraketh faith. Because the religion so strongly 
  promotes the idea all mortals are equal and that personal 
  prominence is only worthy in pursuit of the good of 
  the common man, temples are gravely suspicious of any 
  oligarchic power structure. Instead, every region has a 
  council of commanders who determine what actions the 
  local faithful will take. In the faith, one ministerial region 
  is defined as any area that can muster a council of seven 
  commanders, typically across multiple temples. Those 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  62
  62
  temples raise support for a region’s righteous military 
  actions, and supply clerics to barracks and units. 
  The three most common functions of Terak’s faithful 
  are military service, martial leadership, and protection of 
  the common folk. To serve these ends, most temples also 
  have superlative teachers who instruct in matters of war-
  fare and weaponry. Many consider these teachers the best 
  in the world, and their services are well worth the time—
  and the money they ask for in donations.
  Terak is very fond of his church, sending what aid he 
  can to the soldiers and crusaders of the temples without 
  violating the Compact. He is particularly impressed with 
  the laws that have arisen from the faith and thinks of 
  them as his own inventions, though they were not.
  Perhaps than any other god, Terak has been as affected 
  by the mortal races as they have by him. When first born 
  from the tree, he was in fact the battle-hungry barbarian 
  represented in myths. Since the mortal races were born, 
  and even more so since the creation of the Compact, 
  Terak has come to love them and wish for their happiness 
  and prosperity. For this reason, he is very fond of the 
  lawful good followers of the church.
  He has also been influenced by the death of his mortal 
  children, and has watched as they have faded into obscurity 
  and myth. While they all live on at his side, history shows 
  him that no act of individual heroism appears to have a 
  lasting effect, but powerful societies and empires live on for 
  generations. For this reason, he believes the unconditional 
  unity of the mortal races is their only path to happiness, so 
  he is also very fond of the lawful neutral faithful. 
  That he is equally supportive of both sides of the schism 
  helps to keep it going, as neither side has any reason 
  to believe it is wrong. This is also what keeps temples 
  together, despite their powerfully disparate philoso-
  phies—there is no clear reason for either side to believe 
  Terak disapproves of the other.
  Terak is most fond of the truly pious, who carefully 
  follow the Teraketh laws, and strive to unite people in 
  faith. He has no tolerance for hypocrites, or those who 
  think highly of themselves, their wisdom, or their martial 
  prowess. He personally takes such members of his faith 
  down a peg or two if these offensive behaviors grow too 
  prominent.
  doCtrIne
  “There is no weakness that cannot be made strength, 
  no frailty that cannot be made firm, save one: the 
  weakness in our spirits that tells us we have done 
  enough, that we may rest, that we have achieved 
  all we can achieve. We must always strive, always 
  improve, always struggle against weakness within, 
  and without.”
  —From the War Chants of Lord 
  Commander Silas Redbrook
  The worship of Terak, and the schism dividing his faith-
  ful, can best be understood when one looks at the roots of 
  the Teraketh faith. In the earliest days of the mortal races, 
  Terak was worshiped as a god of strength and personal, 
  physical struggle. From this religion the current church 
  arose, and many of its oldest prayers are still common 
  prayers in Terak’s temples.
  The body is rebellious. It grows old and frail. It does not 
  always work properly. The earliest cult of Terak was based 
  on the overcoming of that rebelliousness—the imposition 
  of order onto the body. As the religion matured, the body 
  came to have greater meaning. It became the body of soci-
  ety, of nations, of the mortal races, and so on.
  Over the years, the faith of Terak has come to embody 
  the following clear principles based on those earliest ideas, 
  which today’s faithful try to follow:
  • All people of the five races are equal. Social rank, 
  gender, or race does not make one person better than 
  another. While there might be status in the world for 
  good reasons, it must be earned by strength of char-
  acter, not accidents of birth.
  • The faithful must show only one face to his brothers 
  and sisters. A follower of Terak must never know-
  ingly lie to another person of one of the five mortal 
  races. A worshiper must also never engage in adul-
  tery (defined as pre- or extra-marital sex). These 
  restrictions are commonly broken by the faithful, 
  other than those who belong to a holy order. 
  • The faithful must be true to their bodies and, 
  thereby, Terak. This means the faithful must never:
  1. Cut their hair, except once when they 
  reach maturity
  2. Get tattoos or other permanent marks on 
  their bodies, though they can pierce their flesh 
  for adornment
  3. Drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, or use any other 
  intoxicant (this is routinely violated by the 
  casual worshipers of Terak, particularly mem-
  bers of militias and armies)
  4. Eat the meat of any unnatural creature
  • The faithful must shun the trappings of social superi-
  ority or elitism. They do not accept, demand, or give 
  wedding dowries, nor do they refuse to marry or bar 
  the marriage of their children based on class, status, 
  or even race (many of the faithful fail to adhere to 
  this, barring their children from marrying outside 
  of their race). They do not raise elaborate markers on 
  their graves, using simple stones etched with names 
  instead. They do not associate with those who live 
  off the work of others without working themselves. 
  They cannot open a business unless they work at 
  the business.
  • The faithful must tithe once a month, giving a tenth 
  of all they own to aid the sick and invalid.
  • The faithful must bear the five symbols of the faith 
  (see below). 
  • The faithful must constantly train their bodies and 
  improve their martial skills to be prepared to defend 
  the weak among their brethren.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  63
  Many of these beliefs come down to conquering the 
  body’s weaknesses, and its cravings for things that make it 
  weak. That same philosophy branches into societal beliefs, 
  against the weakness that the body of society has in mis-
  trusting those who are different, or worshiping wealth. 
  There are five symbols of faith always found 
  about the person of one of the Teraketh. All 
  worshipers of Terak who bother to iden-
  tify themselves as such wear or carry 
  these symbols. Even if he smokes, 
  drinks, and commits adultery reg-
  ularly, he has these symbols, or 
  cannot claim to be of the faith.
  UnShorn hAir
  The Teraketh do not cut their 
  hair, so they are easily recognized 
  by their long braids or beaded 
  hair. In very hot climates, they 
  wear head wraps to keep their hair 
  off their necks.
  vAmbrAce
  All followers of Terak wear armor (of leather 
  or metal) on their right forearms. This signifies the 
  protection a warrior wears and the bond of service all 
  the faithful bear, to Terak and to their brethren of 
  the mortal races. When the faithful sin or violate the 
  strictures of the faith, they are chastened when another 
  simply casts a glance at the vambrace—a visual reminder 
  that the bond is violated. For those who cannot wear a 
  full piece of armor for whatever reason, a simple leather 
  wristband suffices.
  holy Symbol
  All followers of Terak wear his symbol, 
  the two-headed axe, openly—though 
  some now wear the fasces instead. 
  This is not meant to show off their 
  piousness but to inform all who 
  see them that they are duty-bound 
  to protect the weak. Technically, 
  it is considered a sin for any wor-
  shiper of Terak to turn down 
  a request for help from any 
  member of the five mortal 
  races who cannot help 
  themselves. This has grown into something rather different, 
  with many turning it into a justification to form merce-
  nary bands and armies, offering services to the weak for a 
  “nominal fee.”
  A WeAPon
  Even though the holy symbol of Terak is the axe, all 
  manner of weapons please him. A worshiper of Terak 
  must always be ready to stand in the defense of his breth-
  ren. Even while the faithful sleep, they wear “sleeping 
  daggers.” Small and ornamental, these cost 1 gp and 
  weigh 1/2 lb. They deal 1d3 piercing damage and possess 
  the finesse and light properties.
  the Forelock
  All Teraketh carry on their person a lock of the hair 
  removed when they came of age. This is to remind 
  them that they were once young and frail 
  and required the protection of others. 
  The forelock is the “hidden” symbol, 
  in that it is the one Teraketh do not 
  wear openly.
  The doctrinal division between 
  the lawful good and lawful neutral 
  followers of Terak arises from their 
  interpretations of the reasons for 
  the above restrictions, laws, and 
  symbols, not from the restrictions 
  themselves—both groups adhere 
  to these laws and wear these sym-
  bols. Essentially, the schism can be 
  seen in the understanding of the myth 
  of Aerix. 
  Lawful good worshipers see themselves 
  in Aerix. He should never have believed his 
  strength to be perfect. Every man and woman must 
  be humble, realize all people are equal in the eyes of 
  Terak, and know that strength has more than one 
  meaning. The frail old man 
  who defends a helpless child 
  has done a greater ser-
  vice than the powerful 
  warrior who is too busy 
  adventuring to help. The 
  lawful good worshipers see 
  the above restrictions as 
  lessons in humility, fidelity, 
  and faith.
  Lawful neutral worshipers see 
  themselves in the ants. No matter 
  how powerful the individual, he will 
  never be more powerful than the many. 
  Restrictions and laws set the followers of 
  Terak apart from those who do not walk the true 
  path, and make the faithful shine out as an example 
  to the weak. Terak’s true faithful form an ever-expand-
  ing group made strong by its denial of carnal desires. 
  As those who are brethren (but do not worship Terak) 
  see the Teraketh walking tall, clean of base desire, they 
  see this is the true path, and take up the worship of 
  Terak too. When all the world’s mortals properly follow 
  Terak and respond to his call, as the ants of the world 
  did in the legend of Aerix, they’ll be equal, and happy 
  for eternity.
  While this division is deep, it has not yet sundered the 
  temples. Most councils host commanders of both groups. 
  Clergy from both groups teaching the faithful the two 
  interpretations. It is considered a decision each Teraketh 
  must make in his lifetime, embodied by the question, 
  “Where do you stand, brother?”
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  64
  64
  teraketh prayers
  Some of the oldest prayers to Terak are quite poetic, and 
  still used. One prayer for soldiers before battles is so 
  ancient that scholars are uncertain of its ultimate origin, 
  with many maintaining that it is what Terak himself 
  uttered before the final assault on Kador.
  “I am the river and the mountain.
  As the river, I rage in times of torrent,
  And decrease in times of drought.
  I swell to overflowing with my wrath,
  And my rage is dry in calmer seasons.
  None can control my run,
  None can alter it.
  None can stand against me.
  As the mountain, I am strong.
  I do not wax or wane.
  Age shall never o’ercome me.
  I will not be moved.
  I will not be shaken.
  I will not be broken.
  I am the river and the mountain,
  Unstoppable and unbreakable.”
  holy days
  The temples of Terak do not celebrate any universal holy 
  days. Instead, each regional council organizes celebrations 
  of local holy days tied to local great battles. The temples 
  take it upon themselves to commemorate all fallen heroes 
  from such wars, regardless of their faiths.
  Among each of the faithful there is one particularly 
  important and holy day, which is the day of adulthood. 
  Called the sword day (shortened to Sworday and pro-
  nounced Soreday, a favorite pun among those mocking 
  the Teraketh), it marks the day when a member of 
  the faith comes of age. The young boy or girl is given 
  a family weapon, usually an axe or sword crafted just 
  before his or her birth, but sometimes one passed down 
  from generation to generation, and the child’s head is 
  shaved, removing the hair of youth. This is the only 
  time the hair of the faithful is ever cut (though they 
  can shave their faces) and the forelock from the occa-
  sion is saved and carried by the Teraketh for the rest of 
  their lives.
  Once the weapon is bestowed and head shaved, several 
  stout warriors from the community gather around the 
  newly minted adult and, depending on the culture, either 
  beat him or her into unconsciousness against the adoles-
  cent’s fierce opposition, or stage a ceremonial fight. 
  saInts
  Because of the strict belief among the Teraketh that all 
  are equal, sainthood is never bestowed or spoken of. Also, 
  since it is the duty of every worshiper of Terak to fight in 
  the defense of the weak, all who die in battle are consid-
  ered glorious martyrs, no matter how ignominious the 
  death. It is not part of the faith to throw away one’s life to 
  become a martyr. One should live on to fight another day, 
  unless his death will be meaningful and help others.
  holy orders
  The temples of Terak have three holy orders: The soldiers 
  (clergy) are the dominant order and have five levels of 
  status, or ranks: helms, lieutenants, banners, command-
  ers, and lord or lady commanders. The crusaders (holy 
  warriors) are rare, and observe only one level of status. 
  Masters of the Way are martial instructors and the oldest 
  order of the temples. They are divided into four levels of 
  status: weapons experts, weapons masters, senior masters, 
  and grandmasters. 
  There is no central authority to the faith; councils of 
  seven commanders (or lord and lady commanders) are its 
  highest authority, determining local policy and religious 
  law for the faithful. 
  All members of the church are addressed by church 
  title, or military rank if they are in active military service 
  (as many are), but comparative ranks in secular mili-
  tary organizations have no effect on one’s status within 
  the church. 
  The average temple hosts one commander or lord com-
  mander, one or two banners, three or four lieutenants, 
  eight to ten helms. One or two masters of the Way provide 
  training. There usually aren’t any crusaders in residence, as 
  theirs are a wandering order.
  soldIers oF terak
  Soldiers are the clergy of the Teraketh temples, found 
  in large military units serving as chaplains or leaders, in 
  towns or cities that often face attack, or wandering in 
  troubled areas defending the weak. Soldiers of Terak often 
  attach themselves to adventuring groups to serve as spiri-
  tual advisers and healers, or to join quests. 
  While soldiers have four alignment groups, only two 
  are large, and a third, lawful evil faction is considered 
  heretical. The two main groups oppose one another on 
  matters great and small, but their conflicting opinions 
  have never led to blows. Councils have been known to 
  split up due to the alignment division, but that is the most 
  divisive the issue has ever become.
  On one side of the divide, lawful good soldiers believe 
  it is the duty of the church to protect the weak, improve 
  themselves physically and spiritually, and help others do 
  so. These soldiers are closely aligned to the crusaders, but 
  rarely control councils. Most members of this alignment are 
  found adventuring, often aiding people in catastrophically 
  dangerous areas. For instance, dwarves planning to recolo-
  nize an ancient mine overrun with strange, tentacle-laden, 
  mind-sucking beasts might have a few lawful good soldiers 
  along to help. Their typical life expectancy is quite low.
  Typified by lawful neutral soldiers, the other side 
  believes it is the duty of the church to unify all common 
  folk in the worship of Terak. They proselytize, defend 
  villages, serve with armies, and obey the orders of their 
  commanders. They believe in unity and conformity, 
  and the strength that can be achieved through the 
  two. Lawful neutral commanders are the majority in 
  most councils.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  65
  Far more rare than lawful good or lawful neutral 
  followers, neutral good soldiers hold the roots of the Ter-
  aketh faith. They do not embrace a “societal” outlook on 
  the religion, but hold to a personal faith in Terak. They 
  believe every person is responsible for bettering himself, 
  which is only possible if one is not oppressed by evil or in 
  constant mortal danger. Therefore, neutral good soldiers 
  are almost entirely adventurers, freeing the week from 
  oppression so they might find their own way. These sol-
  diers face grave dangers in their constant quest to improve 
  their bodies and spirits, and frequently die in the process. 
  This helps make them the rarest of the faithful.
  Lawful evil worshipers of the lawful neutral aspect of 
  Terak are considered heretics by most. If there are any 
  in the temple structure, they are well hidden and do not 
  reveal themselves. They maintain a “might is right” ethic, 
  believing they are Terak’s chosen people. To them, “pro-
  tection of the weak” means conquering the vulnerable and 
  telling them what to do for “their own good.”
  All soldiers of Terak are addressed by rank, followed by 
  “a soldier of the temples of Terak,” when necessary. So, a 
  helm named Matthius would be addressed as “Helm Mat-
  thius,” and introduced as “Helm Matthius, a soldier of the 
  temples of Terak.” 
  helm
  Junior soldiers are called helms. They adventure, serve in 
  the military, or act as aides de camp to senior members of 
  the clergy. Mortality rates among the helms are astonish-
  ing, as their only qualifications are a love for Terak and 
  a willingness to fight. Helms serve in the front lines of 
  combat to demonstrate their faith and strength.
  lieUtenAnt
  With experience, helms might be promoted to “lieu-
  tenant,” and expected to be a little wiser in battle. They 
  serve as healers and chaplains to the troops instead of 
  wading in the thick of the fight. The only requirement for 
  lieutenant is experience, and a willingness to serve.
  bAnner
  Lieutenant who distinguish themselves in many cam-
  paigns or adventures are promoted to “banner.” Banners 
  serve with battle troops and, in some cases, act as unit 
  commanders. Banners are fierce warriors, as their spells 
  enable them to call upon Terak’s might to turn the tide 
  of battle. 
  commAnder
  After a banner gains a wealth of knowledge about warfare, 
  tactics, and command, the region’s council of command-
  ers summons him and promotes him to “commander.” 
  Anyone in need of a chief officer or strategic advice would 
  be hard-pressed to find a better aide than a commander 
  of the Teraketh. If a commander lives in a region that 
  already has seven on its council, he is expected to found or 
  join a new council elsewhere, or leave on campaign until 
  there is an opening in his council. Openings on a council 
  remain vacant until the surviving commanders find an 
  appropriate replacement. 
  Each of the seven commanders on the council is given 
  charge of his own temple, meaning a region cannot have 
  more than seven Teraketh temples, and any commander 
  wanting to control his own temple must either find an 
  open temple in another region, or found a new region. 
  Any Teraketh church built in a region that already has 
  seven other temples is considered a “shrine,” no matter 
  how big it is, and is beholden to the orders of the nearest 
  temple. The commander of that temple assigns a soldier to 
  run the shrine until it either replaces an existing regional 
  temple (as may happen if the soldier in charge becomes a 
  commander, while her predecessor’s temple, lacking one, 
  is demoted to a shrine) or is accounted as part of a new 
  region with room for a full temple. Because shrines and 
  council seats remain open until a commander rises to take 
  them, it is quite possible for a banner to be promoted to 
  commander, given authority over the temple that was his 
  shrine, and admitted to a council, all in the same day.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  66
  66
  lord or lAdy commAnder
  Commanders who win countless battles, fight more wars 
  than they can recall, and slay more foes than they can 
  list, eventually become the most powerful figures in the 
  Teraketh faith. Called lord or lady commanders, they are 
  revered, far and wide. The king of a great nation might 
  govern many Teraketh “regions” within his borders, each 
  with seven commanders, but might not benefit from a lord 
  commander at all—such is their rarity. If a lord commander 
  is available, a wise ruler would surely seek his counsel in 
  times of war. Becoming a lord or lady commander has no 
  effect on council membership or temple command.
  JoInIng the soldIers oF terak
  Anyone who feels called to worship and take up arms can 
  become a soldier of Terak—no special training is required 
  beyond learning the prayers necessary to cast divine spells 
  and perform services. All soldiers of Terak are clerics 
  (of War). Most carry battleaxes, though all weapons are 
  valued, and there’s nothing strange about a holy warrior of 
  Terak using a sword. 
  Crusaders oF terak
  The lawful good crusaders of Terak are rarer than the 
  paladins of many other churches. For whatever reason, 
  it is uncommon to hear this call, and serve the faith as 
  paladins do. The crusaders’ order exists to fight evil, stand 
  shoulder to shoulder with common soldiers, give comrades 
  hope in times of need, and conquer the most daunting 
  foes. Some within the temples believe that one day, a 
  sea of crusaders will rise to aid the mortal races against 
  threats so dire they are too terrifying to imagine. Others 
  believe the Teraketh faith’s rules of equality and readiness 
  already make all adherents holy warriors.
  Unlike most of the Teraketh, crusaders must follow 
  all doctrine to the letter. They can never drink or indulge 
  in intoxicants, cannot seek personal glory, and so on. 
  Dedicated to the brotherhood of all mortals, they do not 
  tolerate discriminatory remarks or slurs, and certainly 
  never make them. Furthermore, crusaders are held to a 
  much stricter standard regarding the protection of the 
  weak. There is no rest for them, for they must pursue 
  a constant quest to help the downtrodden. There is no 
  such thing as retirement; they fight evil until they die, 
  no matter how old they become or how much they might 
  desire to set aside their burdens. It is a miserable life, or so 
  it would seem to most, but they are consumed by their call 
  to duty, and do not easily shrug off their responsibilities. 
  Crusaders associate with any who oppose evil and defend 
  the weak. They do not associate with anyone actively 
  prejudiced against other mortal races, no matter how well 
  intentioned they might be. They might try to move them 
  from the path of prejudice, but failing that, break com-
  pany over what might seem like “innocent” comments. For 
  instance, a dwarven fighter who constantly derides “pointy-
  eared elves” might be fine company for most, but a crusader 
  will not accept his intolerance. Crusaders generally don’t 
  care about their companions’ leanings toward chaos or law, 
  if they are actively good. A party that seeks to help people 
  will find a crusader their fast ally. Parties that must have 
  their palms greased or need convincing to offer aid will not 
  find the crusader in their midst for long.
  Taking the teaching of Terak that all mortals are equal 
  quite seriously, the crusaders put no faith in strict hier-
  archy or titles. They are all addressed and introduced 
  as “crusader,” and the most senior or skilled crusader 
  commands the others in times of need. For instance, if 
  several crusaders band together to fight evil sorcerers, the 
  crusader with the most knowledge of evil sorcerers takes 
  command, even if she is the least experienced among 
  them. Because of this (and the tenets of their faith), cru-
  saders do not hold to honorifics and correct those who call 
  them “sir,” “master,” or anything other than “crusader.”
  JoInIng the Crusaders oF terak
  Becoming a crusader takes very little time, with the 
  candidate training with another crusader for just two or 
  three months. In fact, the hardest part about becoming 
  a crusader is tracking down a teacher. Seeing more than 
  one crusader at a time is rare, and usually means there’s 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  67
  trouble brewing. As it stands, the crusaders do not have a 
  well-established order and refuse to pretend they do. Upon 
  completing training, the new crusader becomes a paladin, 
  and when it comes time to swear their Sacred Oath, most 
  take the Oath of Battle.
  Masters oF the way
  Every temple of Terak must have a commander, but it is 
  also incomplete if it lacks a master. Almost every temple 
  and shrine of Terak has training grounds where masters 
  of the Way teach the arts of war. The masters of the Way 
  is one of the most practical holy orders of any church, and 
  one of the oldest.
  The masters of the Way predate the soldiers and cru-
  saders. Their abilities, which they call “the Way,” were 
  first given to mortals during the Third Epoch, when the 
  gods taught various tricks and crafts. When the first tem-
  ples of Terak were built, the masters of the Way were his 
  priests. Today they are the temples’ teachers. The masters 
  of the Way learn to use every weapon they can get their 
  hands on, and then instruct others who are prepared to 
  pay for lessons in the arts of combat. Most of the fee goes 
  to the temple, but masters keep enough of it to support 
  themselves. The Way is a martial art focused on using a 
  warrior’s weapons. Masters of the Way know every form 
  and stance, and best of them make deadly foes. 
  WeAPonS exPert
  Becoming a weapons expert requires extensive training 
  in the Way—years for most, less time for a few prodigies. 
  Upon reaching a minor degree of accomplishment (usually 
  a level as a fighter or monk) a weapons master refers to her 
  student as an expert. Weapons experts are called “expert” 
  by students and to clarify their holy order, but do not use 
  their titles otherwise.
  WeAPonS mASter
  Weapons experts might seek out senior masters from 
  whom they can learn the secrets of the Way. Many of these 
  secrets are still beyond their ken, but when they can explain 
  them, they become weapons masters. A weapons master is 
  addressed as “master” and introduced by full title.
  Senior mASter
  With experience, weapons masters become strong enough 
  to “live in the Way.” They seek out grandmasters and 
  receive further training to become a proper master of the 
  Way, taking on the title of senior master. A senior master 
  is still addressed as “master,” and introduced as such.
  GrAndmASter
  Senior masters possess nearly legendary skill at weapons 
  and must eventually put their training to the test. One 
  must seek out three other senior masters and best them all 
  in duels. Then they must seek out a grandmaster—usually 
  the same grandmaster who made them senior masters. The 
  grandmaster gives them a grueling test of physical prow-
  ess and spiritual fitness, the passage of which entitles the 
  senior master to become a grandmaster. They are hence-
  forth addressed and introduced as “grandmaster,” such as, 
  “Grandmaster Matthius of the temples of Terak.”
  JoInIng the Masters oF the way
  Most masters are monks who follow the Way of Iron (see 
  Chapter X) or fighters (battle masters) who are more 
  interested in the artistry of combat than in merely doing 
  what they must to survive. Any other class that might be 
  interested in mastering the art of weapon use can become 
  a master of the Way, but it is rare for anyone other than 
  fighters and monks to join the order.
  GoddeSS oF Wine, mAdneSS And inSPirAtion
  Zheenkeef
  red-hAired, Wild-eyed, the ShiFtinG, oF the mAny WAyS,  
  the GnomiSh, titAn’S root, mother oF mAdneSS, inSPirAtion
  Zheenkeef (zheen-KEEF) is the chaotic neutral god-
  dess of inspiration, intuition, wine, madness, invention, 
  internal turmoil, creativity, tragedy, prophecy, oracles, 
  half-wits, and geniuses. Put simply, she is the goddess of 
  those living on the edge, who dare to peer into the darkest 
  parts of their hearts. 
  Zheenkeef is usually shown as impossibly tall, with a 
  wild mane of red hair. Her eyes are usually inhuman—
  solid black or red—and she is sometimes shown with the 
  tail of a dog or with more than two arms. In such cases, 
  these representations are symbolic, or come from an 
  artist’s vision. Zheenkeef’s hand gestures and the items 
  clasped in them usually bear some deep significance.
  Zheenkeef accepts an infinite number of symbols, for 
  those who worship her select a symbol for their faith on 
  the day they dedicate themselves to her work. Common 
  symbols include manacles worn on the wrists with the 
  connecting chain sundered, an eye tattooed on the fore-
  head, or a creeping grape vine, dried and wrapped around 
  the left arm, always. But these are just a few of many—
  truthfully, there is no one symbol of Zheenkeef. When 
  those who are not adherents of the Zhenkefan faith (and 
  the members of the Great Church) need to symbolize 
  Zheenkeef, they use a cluster of grapes. This is usually 
  simplified as an inverse pyramid of circles.
  She is associated with the wolverine, the badger, the 
  jackal, and the hyena. The strongest of these associations 
  is the hyena, whose laughter is much like her own. Fur-
  ther, many hyenas have red fur like the hair of the Mother 
  of Madness. 
  Zheenkeef is quite popular among many chaotic peo-
  ples, with barbarians and sorcerers holding her especially 
  dear. Some sorcerers believe her blood courses through 
  their veins, giving them their remarkable gifts. Oracles, 
  
  68
  68
  prophets, and seers of all varieties have held Zheenkeef 
  as their patron for many ages, and so too have inventors 
  and vintners. Among the five races, the gnomes hold 
  Zheenkeef dearest, for they see her as their patron and 
  lady, but the elves, humans, and halflings also revere 
  her for the inspiration she offers. Dwarves name her in 
  their prayers grudgingly, receiving all the inspiration 
  they need from her nephew Korak.
  Myths
  the CoMIng oF the tItans
  when Zheenkeef ate the fruIt that held humans, It Is 
  well known that all the gods worked to piece the race back 
  together. And indeed, the Mother of Madness retched up nearly 
  all she had eaten. But she had already digested some of the sacred 
  fruit, and it was lost to the world—or so the other gods believed.
  In the cover of night, when none of the other gods looked, 
  Zheenkeef went to the deepest pool of the world, and by the 
  water’s edge she emptied her bowels. With clay from the 
  river and her own excrement, she sculpted tall and beautiful 
  figures. Because her offal held the very stuff of life from the 
  fruit, she had only to breathe three hot breaths across these tall 
  figures, and they came to life. She painted them up and made 
  them beautiful, with skins of copper and tan, and keen eyes.
  These figures not born of her womb, but born of her belly 
  nonetheless, looked at her and said, “You are our mother! This 
  we know well. But what are we?”
  Before she should speak, behold! The waters of the pool rose 
  and a figure stepped from its depths. “If thou art their mother, 
  Zheenkeef, then truly I am their father, for thou hast taken 
  the clay from my most sacred pool, and from it the seeds of my 
  water.” It was Shalimyr who spoke to her then, and the tall 
  children at the water’s edge trembled before him.
  Zheenkeef only giggled. “You are no more their father than I 
  am their mother, Shalimyr, but you have hungered for me since 
  the earliest days. If you cannot have me, then you would have 
  these children.”
  Shalimyr was shamed, for Wild-Eyed Zheenkeef saw his 
  purpose and knew the lust that consumed him. He stood there 
  by the water’s edge, watching her with wolf’s eyes.
  “You are the Titans,” Zheenkeef the Shifting told the tall fig-
  ures then, “and you are not born, but made. You shall do great 
  things and have adventures, and you shall never be dull, for I 
  see clearly now that these mortals born of the tree shall forever 
  vex me. They will concern themselves with simple matters, 
  most of them, and will not surprise me much.”
  With this foretelling, she set the Titans out to thrive and do 
  great deeds. And though they have no souls and do not go before 
  Maal when slain, they are each of them like a living legend, 
  with great adventure following in their footsteps. For this is 
  what they were made to be.
  And when they had gone, Zheenkeef lay with Shalimyr by 
  the water’s edge for the first time, but surely not the last, for it 
  is said that Imperious Tinel is often cuckolded by his wife and 
  the Wave. Of the Titans, much is written, but this first: that 
  Zheenkeef created them, and Shalimyr watches over them out 
  of love for their creator.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  69
  the need For wIne
  It Is remembered by most that Zheenkeef has been the 
  cause of much of the world’s worst mischief, and so the weak do 
  not trust in her as they should. But all know the truth: More 
  than mischief, Red-Haired Zheenkeef has brought the mortal 
  races joy, wonder, and delight.
  When other gods made their gifts to the mortals, Zheenkeef 
  the Shifting watched with interest. The gifts were practical and 
  made lives better. Yet, no matter how greatly the gods (such as 
  her son, Darmon) gifted the mortal races, their lives were still 
  hard, and they knew death and misery most of their days. They 
  were given fire and shown how to build homes, how to smelt 
  iron, how to sail the wide sea, and more. So many gifts, and 
  yet the mortals had no life in them but toil. They lived to work, 
  and worked to live.
  Finally, Wild-Eyed Zheenkeef could stand no more of it 
  and traveled her many ways to the mortal world. Assuming 
  the guise of a red-haired mortal of each race, she went to the 
  homes of the greatest among them. Appearing to them as a mad 
  woman, which was not far from right, she showed the mortals 
  many tricks. One she taught the skill of counting out rhythm. 
  Another she showed catgut pulled taught, and plucked it to 
  make a pleasing noise. This one she showed the warm sounds 
  made by a hollowed-out gourd when blown upon, and that 
  one she led through planned steps for dancing. Unlike the other 
  gods, she gave no race a complete skill or art. Instead, she sat 
  back and watched the races invent their own music from these 
  basic tools, and their own dances from these simple beginnings. 
  And soon they began sharing their inventions with other races, 
  and music and dance grew among all peoples.
  Yet still, the humans were not happy. Art gave them an 
  outlet for their longing, a way of expounding upon their 
  misery, but they were never free of their deepest sorrows. One 
  day the Mother of Madness overheard a woman say to her 
  friend, “I wish I could feel this way all the time” as the two of 
  them spun and spun in a great circling dance that combined 
  elven music and human steps. 
  So Zheenkeef the Gnomish went to her favorite folk among 
  the mortals, the gnomes, who were so like her in temperament. 
  She saw that they too enjoyed the arts and reveled in the skills 
  they had learned from the gods. But they also longed for the 
  exultation and freedom they felt when dancing to last longer. 
  For a long while she walked among the gnomes as a red-haired 
  lady of their kind, and she inspired them to experiment with 
  dances and chants and contraptions of metal and fire that 
  might capture that feeling for longer. And in those days the 
  Gnomes came to know this red-haired lady as Inspiration, for 
  so she was to them, an inspiration for all their wild schemes 
  and foolish inventions.
  Zheenkeef of the Many Ways walked nearly every part of 
  the gnomish lands, and still they were no closer to capturing 
  the sensation of euphoria. One night she stayed with a poor 
  gnomish family, Glor and Glin. The old couple had a small 
  grape farm and no children, and the Mother of Madness saw 
  that sorrow was heavy on their hearts. Yet the two old folks, 
  seeing her red hair, took her into their home and fed her like 
  a queen. Glor, the husband, gave her his pipe and best pipe-
  weed, and Glin, the wife, stayed up all night baking bread 
  for her travels. When Zheenkeef parted with them, she blessed 
  their grapes so that they should always give them the greatest 
  happiness.
  From this blessing, of course, great things arose. Within a year, 
  Glor and Glin were famous among the gnomes for the spectacular 
  drink they had invented from the grapes. Wine, they called it, 
  and in it one found the euphoria of dance and the happiness of 
  the sweetest music. But Glin and Glor were not proud, and they 
  never accepted the praise, telling all who would listen that it was 
  Inspiration who had given them this gift.
  So it was that Zheenkeef brought music, dance, and wine to 
  a world that was suffocating under the weight of blandness and 
  toil. It was not long before the prayers of artists and musicians 
  bored her, and she gave her daughter mastery over these things 
  (yet another decision that has forever benefited the mortal 
  races). Yet she never parted ways with her favorite thing, the 
  best invention that came from her time among the mortals: 
  wine. It is said by those who know the sacred drink best that if 
  one drinks enough, Inspiration will pay a visit.
  shIFtIng MotIVatIons
  Zheenkeef seeks surprise and entertainment. She is a god 
  of impulse and whimsy, caprice and insanity. To ascribe 
  long-term motives to her is absurd, as she rarely con-
  centrates on anything long enough to call it a plan. Her 
  motives can be seen in trends rather than in histories, and 
  repeated circumstances, not continuing traditions.
  Zheenkeef wants the mortal races to be interesting, to 
  do things differently from one generation to the next. She 
  likes to see them give in to their passions, and has little 
  or no respect for those who hold themselves in check. If 
  a man wants to drink, he should drink. If he wants to 
  sing, he should sing. If he wants to destroy the world, he 
  should try to destroy the world. People who refuse to live 
  out their desires for fear of change are among those she 
  loathes most. When she influences the world personally 
  or through her agents, Zheenkeef does whatever might 
  make the world more interesting. Sometimes this means 
  promoting grave evil, sometimes great good—neither 
  interests her much. Rather, she works to ensure nothing 
  stays the same for long.
  Her favor falls upon some for a matter of years, other 
  for minutes, but it rarely lasts a lifetime. Some of her 
  most faithful servants have never even been noticed by 
  the Mother of Madness, and are instead seen to by her 
  celestial attendants. One does not revere Zheenkeef for 
  her warmth.
  Her mercurial attentions and moods are not always 
  merry. She is considered the patron of tragedy for a 
  reason, as legends tell of a feverish sorrow that consumes 
  her from time to time. Her boredom with life and the 
  world sometimes coalesces into a stultifying misery, thick 
  and terrible, and in those times, she is wont to lash out at 
  friends and foes alike or, worse for those who follow her, 
  withdraw entirely.
  serVants oF ZheenkeeF
  Zheenkeef’s servants are many, but she rarely keeps them 
  in mind, and leaves them to wander her realm in Heaven 
  without aim or purpose. Over the millennia, she has 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  70
  70
  accumulated countless odd followers, most of them for-
  merly mortals, and at any point she can call upon one to 
  do her bidding.
  the 1,001 hAndmAidS
  Almost any servant called to Zheenkeef’s side becomes a 
  “Handmaid,” whether man, maid, or beast (see Chapter 
  X). Zheenkeef determines their attire by whim—some 
  dress in robes of gold, while others wear nothing but fish 
  guts. Handmaids are usually powerful celestials, capable 
  of performing any important task for their mistress in the 
  world or in Heaven.
  the menAGerie
  For her amusement, Zheenkeef keeps two of every kind 
  of creature that has ever been in a great menagerie of 
  Heaven. These creatures wander freely in her realm, and 
  are sometimes sent earthward with a Handmaid on a task. 
  In all the menagerie, Zheenkeef is fondest of Heka and 
  Tekit, the two hyenas, and they accompany her wher-
  ever she goes.
  the titAnS
  While not her servants, the various titans are Zheenkeef’s 
  children, and she takes more interest in them than in any 
  of the mortal races.
  the VIneyards  
  oF ZheenkeeF
  The vineyards of Zheenkeef, where the Zhenkefans 
  (zhenn-KEFF-uhnz) worship, are raucous and lively 
  places. Overseen by the oracles (or not, depending on the 
  community), the vineyards are not places of strict author-
  ity, as each vineyard’s members determine its hierarchy. 
  One thing is, however, constant: The vineyards are places 
  of celebration, invention, folly, and, sometimes, even 
  danger. They are enormously popular among the common 
  folk. They make some of the finest—if not the finest—
  wine in the world, and the oracles living there are the best 
  source of prophecies one can find. 
  Many cultures disallow vineyards in their more import-
  ant cities or, at least, in their “higher class” neighborhoods 
  and temple districts, for the temples are home to wild revel-
  ries and sometimes, a fair bit of debauchery. The refined and 
  lawful members of society therefore consider them a “nec-
  essary evil.” Someone from the upper crust of lawful society 
  might visit an oracle, but would do so hooded, to keep from 
  being seen. Essentially, the vineyards are popular, but of 
  ill repute. Few are concerned that shunning the vineyards 
  will draw Zheenkeef’s wrath, as everyone knows Zheenkeef 
  cares little about the opinions of mortals. Regardless of 
  high society’s attitudes, the Zhenkefan faith is popular, and 
  her apostles and oracles might be seen wherever one travels.
  Zheenkeef cares about her church only as much as it 
  keeps her entertained. She has never had much interest 
  in structures or organizations, but individual members of 
  the faith often draw her eye. Particularly faithful mem-
  bers of the vineyards who seek change, alteration, insight, 
  and inspiration sometimes find themselves protected and 
  guided by their goddess. More often, though, they’re not 
  even noticed.
  The Zhenkefans have a saying: “Her vision is not ours 
  to fathom.” They utter it when it seems like she cares 
  nothing for them. It is a frequent problem for the faithful, 
  as Zheenkeef seems just as likely to take an interest in a 
  mad peasant as in the workings of her worshipers. For this 
  reason, she watches vineyards, but does little to interfere 
  with their affairs, and relies on her servants in the heavens 
  to tend to such trivial matters as heeding prayers and sup-
  plying powers.
  doCtrIne
  “We have no need for great men and their towering 
  spires. We cast our lot with the outsider, the poet, and 
  the fool. In the end times, we will all be remembered 
  by the mad acts of the shunned and the outcast, not the 
  rigid perfection of the pillars of society.” 
  —The Visions of the Prophet Glorik Hillock
  The Zhenkefan faith revolves around six sayings, called 
  “The Vintner’s Creed,” or just “The Creed.” The earliest 
  oracles of Zheenkeef handed down these maxims at the 
  founding of the vineyards. This was quite some time ago; 
  vineyards have maintained their form of worship longer 
  than nearly any other church. Perhaps this is because the 
  traditions are captured in six simple sayings, and do not 
  require a great deal of doctrine or dogma to be passed 
  from generation to generation.
  Whatever the case, all Zhenkefans contemplate and 
  observe the Creed. It is supposed to be repeated daily, if the 
  Zhenkefan remembers, but weekly observance suffices. The 
  reason for the Creed is that the true worship of Zheenkeef 
  is difficult to grasp for those who do not possess profound 
  wisdom. As her greatest apostles, oracles, and joyous broth-
  ers understand, Zheenkeef’s nature is highly mystical—for 
  what does it mean to be the source of inspiration, to be 
  the feelings below the surface that people rarely heed? The 
  wise understand that the strength, the inner glow one feels 
  when one has drunk too much wine, is Zheenkeef. There 
  are those who can harness that deep assurance, that happy 
  strength, without the aid of wine, but for most, accessing 
  it requires drink in copious amounts. Just as those truly 
  touched by the Mother of Madness can experience inspi-
  ration without the aid of wine, those who are wisest can 
  contemplate her without the Creed. But for most, wine and 
  these sayings are necessary.
  the FrUit oF the vine iS SWeet. drink deeP!
  Always the first invocation of the Zhenkefan, this is a 
  remembrance of Zheenkeef’s gift of wine to the mortal 
  races. It is also a rumination on the power of Zheenkeef—
  through her gift of wine, she makes life sweeter for the 
  mortal races. A Zhenkefan seeks to savor the sweetness 
  of life, finding the joy and vibrancy in all things, that 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  71
  most find only in wine. There is only one terrible sin 
  among them: to refuse to drink from the cup of life. Life 
  is filled with wonder and despair, and many try to avoid 
  the despair by living quiet lives of caution, and miss the 
  wonder as well. Wine should not be sipped moderately, 
  and neither should life. One must live to the fullest, and 
  savor life’s wonder and sadness.
  there iS no Joy WithoUt SUFFerinG
  This is the saying in which the Zhenkefan ponders savor-
  ing despair. Zheenkeef is a goddess with bright red hair, 
  but is also embodied in the grapevine. In the summer, 
  the grapevine yields the grapes that make wine, but in 
  the winter, the vines must be 
  pruned constantly, or they will 
  not produce their bounty in 
  the following year. In legend, 
  Zheenkeef is often joyous and 
  wild, like the vines in bloom, 
  but at other times she is dark and 
  sorrowful, like the vines of winter, 
  undergoing the pain of a thousand 
  cuts. She is the patron of tragedy, 
  sometimes filled with delight, but at 
  other times overtaken by dark madness. 
  Many of the ingenious artists and inventors 
  for whom she is Inspiration suffer from simi-
  lar tragedy.
  All thAt there iS Will be Undone
  Everything changes, and everything will change, 
  regardless of the hopes and endeavors of the mortal 
  races. For this reason, it is folly to become attached to 
  societies, structures, or any other mortal work. They will 
  all be washed away in the end. The Zhenkefans, there-
  fore, do not become attached to their inventions or ideas. 
  They happily turn them over to others who wish to waste 
  their time building upon those works, just as Zheen-
  keef gave music to her daughter to look after. For this 
  reason, Zhenkefans are more interested in the works of 
  those on the fringes of society, unfettered by convention, 
  than they are in the lives and times of the powerful and 
  noteworthy.
  only thAt Which yoU hAve not done iS Worthy
  Since nothing lasts, repetition of labor or ideas is an 
  utter waste of one’s life. Each person should broaden their 
  experiences—visit new places and cultures, learn new 
  things, and partake in new activities. It is particularly 
  good when a Zhenkefan manages something mortals have 
  never done before. Thus, invention and creativity are truly 
  holy pursuits.
  inSPirAtion’S voice iS Felt, not heArd
  Zheenkeef is the goddess of intuition, the gut feeling, the 
  well of emotions deep below the surface, and harder to 
  interpret than the love, loyalty, and courage other gods 
  represent. Zhenkefans heed their intuition and act on 
  it, for it is the voice of Zheenkeef. It is in intuition that 
  inspiration and invention can be found. Giving oneself 
  over to one’s intuition is likened, by most, to madness. 
  thoSe Who crAve control Are SlAveS
  People who would impose law and structure on others 
  are deluded. They are slaves to their beliefs, as much in 
  need of liberation as those they seek to control. The Zhen-
  kefans actively undermine lawful beliefs, usually through 
  mockery or humor, sometimes through debate and argu-
  ment, and in some rare cases, through violent overthrow. 
  They know those who impose laws are wrong, and that 
  the only sensible laws are those all people agree to abide 
  by. Some Zhenkefans are so 
  individualistic that they believe 
  all laws are wrong, but most 
  are more democratic. So long 
  as people agree to laws, they 
  are valid. These beliefs make 
  vocal Zhenkefans unpopular with 
  authoritarian governments. It is rare 
  for vineyards take an active hand in 
  politics, however (what could be more 
  boring and repetitive?), so most authori-
  ties ignore them.
  ZhenkeFan prayers
  The Zhenkefans do not adhere to standard 
  structures, symbolism, or even liturgy, and so 
  there are no set prayers to the faith other than 
  the Creed. Indeed, every Zhenkefan is expected 
  to extemporaneously compose prayers for any given 
  situation. There are some common themes in these 
  prayers, however. They often begin with an invocation 
  to Zheenkeef—usually, “Mother of Madness, heed my 
  prayer!” Prayers are said while drinking wine, and are 
  nearly always take the form of poems or songs. The more 
  complex the rhyme scheme, the better.
  holy days
  As with their prayers, the Zhenkefans do not standardize 
  their holy days. In fact, vineyards often decide to have a 
  ‘holy day’ with no notice. They announce to the commu-
  nity that the next day, or even that very day, just happens 
  to be a sacred celebration. Other times, they spend 
  months planning elaborate festivals. 
  One time is always kept sacred for the Zhenkefans, 
  though: the first pressing of the new harvest of grapes. A 
  great festival is held for the pressing, and celebrants mix 
  some of the juice from the new harvest with the dregs of 
  last year’s wine to drink in celebration. Large congregations 
  keep the party lasting long enough to bring new wine to 
  full fermentation, and drink it to conclude their revels.
  saInts
  While the Zhenkefans do not name saints (they do not 
  like such titles) they have a strong appreciation for mar-
  tyrdom. Because the Zhenkefans have a fondness for 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  72
  72
  those at the fringe of society, they revere and remember 
  those who give up their lives for change, innovation, 
  and wild ideas. Sometimes big, new ideas are unpopular, 
  deemed dangerous, and result in the innovator’s horrible 
  death. Zhenkefan vineyards remember such people with 
  occasional toasts, honoring them as martyrs of the faith.
  holy orders
  There is no “supreme order” of the vineyards; each 
  determines its own power structure. Usually, the high-
  est-ranking local oracle oversees the vineyard, but there 
  are vineyards run by councils of children or the local half-
  wit—even a vineyard that takes its instruction from an 
  enchanted gibbon. No matter how the Zhenkefans struc-
  ture their faith, no one gainsays them.
  Regardless of vineyard structure, though, there are three 
  orders universal to the Zhenkefan faith. A person who 
  dedicates her life to Zheenkeef’s works can join one of these 
  orders, whether it is powerful in her local vineyard or not. 
  The clergy are called the apostles. The holy warriors are 
  called the joyous brotherhood, and have two levels of status: 
  laughing brother or sister, and drunken brother or sister. 
  The oracles, who most consider religious authorities, have 
  two levels of status: seer and prophet.
  There is no “average” vineyard, though most have an 
  oracle in residence and three or four apostles. Yet there are 
  many vineyards made up of local Zhenkefans, with no one 
  from the holy orders.
  apostles oF ZheenkeeF
  The apostles are Zheenkeef’s clerical order, but they are 
  rarely found in the vineyards. They are wanderers, spread-
  ing the teachings of Zheenkeef and lending their hands to 
  the goddess’s works. The stereotype of this order’s members 
  is the wild-eyed man, with an unshorn and tangled mane 
  of hair, dressed in simple robes and a rope belt, carrying an 
  enormous morningstar in one hand and a flagon of wine in 
  the other. Indeed, many apostles never shave or cut their 
  hair, and their diet often consists of little more than garlic, 
  onions, and wine. Many apostles are half mad, at least.
  Apostles believe it is their duty to seek out the places 
  of the world where the goddess’ hand is not felt and her 
  inspiration, not experienced. They speak out on street cor-
  ners, from hillocks, and in dark places of the cities. They 
  spread the lessons of the Creed to anyone who will listen.
  That said, Zhenkefans do not seek to actively convert 
  others to their outlook, and neither is it the function of the 
  apostles. Apostles offer all people the lessons of Zheenkeef 
  in the hope that, seeing the way of inspiration, they take 
  up the Creed and live a free life. Zhenkefans see most 
  evangelism as a kind of tyranny (one unique to religion), 
  and therefore speak against religious leaders who say people 
  must follow a certain path, or suffer. As the sixth Creed 
  teaches, all people are free, and must choose their own 
  paths. The preaching apostles do not use language such 
  as “this is the only way,” “follow or be damned,” or other 
  threatening inducements. Instead, they simply speak of 
  Zheenkeef’s way, and hope their words reach attentive ears.
  The apostles hardly care about secular matters, and pay 
  little attention to politics or issues of local concern. Heads 
  in the clouds, they think only of the great teachings the 
  Mother of Madness gave them.
  Beyond the spreading of the doctrine, the apostles are 
  also fierce opponents of stultifying and tyrannical forces 
  such as devils, whose influence they cannot tolerate. They 
  stride into the mouth of danger time and again to topple 
  any force that threatens the freedom of the five mortal 
  races. In battle, they have a wild look to their eyes, raging 
  against their foes with their spiked morningstars. 
  Most apostles are chaotic neutral, and see it as their 
  primary duty to spread the teachings of Zheenkeef. 
  These are the untamed apostles that most know, who 
  oppose the works of tyrants when they can, but mostly 
  seek to change the world and undermine established 
  orders. Apostles have little interest in politics and the 
  workings of the vineyards; they are dedicated wan-
  derers and mendicants.
  Chaotic good apostles are far more interested in inspi-
  ration and uplifting the oppressed. They pay attention to 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  73
  brotherhood?  
  why not sIsterhood?
  There are a few orders of the faiths referred to as 
  brotherhoods or fellowships. This does not mean female 
  characters cannot be members. In the case of the Joyous 
  Brotherhood, a female member would be referred to as a 
  joyous sister, but a member of the joyous brotherhood. If 
  preferred, the gender of these terms can easily be switched 
  so that the order is called the Joyous Sisterhood. What-
  ever you call these orders, it should not in any way reflect 
  on who can be a member, with the sole exception of the 
  orders of Morwyn, which are gender-specific.
  the workings of the world, learning about political leaders 
  that wrong their fellow mortals, and speaking out against 
  them. These apostles are often agitators and troublemakers, 
  using their protected status as representatives of a god to 
  promote freedom of thought and feeling.
  There are chaotic evil apostles as well, but they are not 
  openly welcomed in the vineyards, and tend to worship in 
  dark, secret places. They are discussed in Chapter VII.
  JoInIng the apostles oF ZheenkeeF
  All members are named apostles upon joining. This is the 
  only title a member of the order will ever bear, and they do 
  not take on honorifics such as “father” or “brother.” If they 
  are introduced, it is by name and the sobriquet, “an apostle 
  of Zheenkeef.” A prospective apostle requires little training, 
  and receives it either from another apostle, or from one of 
  the oracles at a vineyard. Training takes only a few months, 
  but requires absolute devotion to Zheenkeef. Upon complet-
  ing the training, the apostles become clerics, with Madness 
  as their domain (see Chapter X). Zheenkeef wields an 
  enormous morningstar bound with iron and spiked with 
  a thousand spearheads of divine fire. The weapon is called 
  Askew, and its touch is said to drive the searing fires of 
  madness deep into foes’ minds. Many clerics wield weapons 
  forged to resemble the one used by their deity.
  Joyous brotherhood  
  oF ZheenkeeF
  The Joyous Brotherhood is made up of those who feel the 
  very power of inspiration flowing through their veins and 
  limbs. While Darmon is the god of joy and laughter, the 
  joy in the hearts of the Zhenkefan brotherhood is more 
  like religious euphoria and bliss than the simple joy of 
  a good laugh. The members of this order are lent great 
  strength and power by the elative forces of Zheenkeef, and 
  slip into divine trances to aid them in battle. 
  Though they sometimes have a wild demeanor, the 
  joyous brothers do not seem madness-stricken like apos-
  tles. Instead, they are an ecstatic people, moved from the 
  very well of their beings to do great things. Unlike most 
  apostles, they do care about secular matters, and involve 
  themselves in local struggles and politics, befriending 
  and aiding the underdogs, and those without a voice. In 
  the classic feuds of legends, where two great families tear 
  apart a town, the Joyous Brotherhood sides with faceless 
  peasants caught in the middle. They are trained at notic-
  ing the people others ignore.
  The order focuses its attentions on serving these ignored 
  groups and opposing of all forces that enslave minds and 
  hearts. Joyous brothers delight in matters great and small, 
  fighting against evil with their massive morningstars 
  and happiness. When confronted with the stolid consid-
  erations of decorum, they resort to mockery and japes. 
  Good manners are not their forte, and for this reason 
  many call them the “vulgar order.” They drink wine, often 
  to excess, do not hold their emotions in check, and don’t 
  stay their tongues when they feel someone is wrong. They 
  are bold, brash, loud, and unquestionably empowered with 
  the divine inspiration of their goddess. While many in 
  power think them drunken buffoons, they are in fact ter-
  rifyingly observant, and often cut haughty men low with a 
  single perfectly worded observation.
  Every autumn, the joyous brothers see it as their duty 
  to help harvest grapes and press wine. They disguise 
  themselves and show up in communities where they are 
  strangers, lending work to the farmers and departing days 
  later, when the harvest is done. In this, they see them-
  selves as walking in the footsteps of Zheenkeef, who also 
  wandered the land, lending aid to strangers and depart-
  ing, her identity unknown.
  While there are other holy warrior orders, like the 
  Eagles of the Urianath, who seek to oppose tyranny and 
  free the enslaved, no order’s behavior is like the Joyous 
  Brotherhood’s. While the brothers do seek to free those 
  who are literally enslaved, they also wish to awaken the 
  desires of those who are not drinking deep from the cup 
  of life. “There is a kind of slavery in the heart,” they are 
  known to say, “when a man lives free of physical bonds, 
  yet never strays from what is expected of him.” The joyous 
  brothers seek to move all those they meet to live life to its 
  fullest, be bold, love all people, and speak their minds. 
  More reserved folk find them insufferable. 
  The rules of conduct for the joyous brotherhood are 
  more poetic suggestions than clear edicts:
  Never accept the words of the powerful at 
  face value.
  Those who are too weak to afford beliefs should be 
  offered aid.
  Look for the detail no one else sees.
  Remind all those you meet that life is sweet.
  Never shrink from looking into the face of tragedy.
  A person enslaved by his own beliefs should be 
  offered the hand of friendship.
  A person enslaved by the beliefs of others 
  must be freed.
  Remember the Creed each day.
  Interpretations of these edicts vary, so it is unlikely a 
  joyous brother would be ejected from the order for violat-
  ing one unless that violation was patently obvious, such as 
  becoming the obedient servant of a king. The command 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  74
  74
  to free the enslaved does not pertain to those who have 
  been imprisoned for evil deeds. That much is universally 
  accepted by the members of the order.
  Whatever the interpretation of these edicts, if a joyous 
  brother knowingly commits an evil act or actively aids in 
  the commission of an evil act, she will lose her abilities 
  until she atones.
  Joyous brothers prefer chaotic companions. It is very 
  rare to find joyous brothers traveling with, say, officers of 
  the courts of Maal. They most often travel with fighters, 
  barbarians, rogues, rangers, and others who do not mind 
  the occasional song and large jug of wine. Those who take 
  themselves very seriously, or insist that their companions 
  obey every rule, are unlikely to find themselves in the 
  company of a joyous brother for long.
  lAUGhinG brother or SiSter
  Members of the Joyous Brotherhood are called laughing 
  brothers or sisters. They are addressed as “Brother” or 
  “Sister” and introduced by full title. A laughing sister is 
  charged to ride forth, often with other 
  members of her order, and do great 
  works against the powers of Law.
  drUnken brother or SiSter
  After a laughing brother or sister has become pow-
  erful and filled with the inspiration of Zheenkeef, 
  he or she is raised to the status of drunken brother, or 
  sister. He or she is addressed as “Honored Brother” or 
  “Honored Sister,” and introduced by full title. The accom-
  panying ceremony is true to the name; a new drunken 
  sister drinks for an entire day of the finest wine available, 
  until she staggers. She is then stripped of her weapons and 
  armor and sent to a remote area—a wilderness, a desert, 
  a mountain—to wander alone for three days. Of course, 
  by this time the drunken sister is quite powerful, and it is 
  rare that one does not survive the initiation. 
  After the initiation, many of the order swear off wine 
  for some long period, except for ceremonial celebrations. 
  Indeed, they hardly need it any longer; they are called 
  the drunken brothers (or sisters) because they can conjure 
  up the deep joy of inebriation without wine and its side 
  effects. A drunken sister laughs louder, speaks more freely, 
  sees more clearly, and is inspired more deeply than ever 
  she was as a laughing sister. She can be understood to be 
  drunk with life, not wine.
  JoInIng the Joyous brotherhood
  A laughing sister is usually someone who heard the 
  call of Zheenkeef at a young age, and went to a vine-
  yard to train in the ways of the order. Quite often, 
  the call is heard with the young person’s first sip 
  of wine, for it is through wine that Zheenkeef 
  speaks to her chosen. Training to become a 
  member of the order usually only takes about 
  two years. Nearly all are chaotic, and most 
  (though not all) tend to be chaotic good. Unlike other 
  militant orders, the joyous brotherhood is made up of 
  sorcerers with Divine Inspiration for their sorcerous origin 
  (see Chapter X). While they possess magical power, 
  most are just as happy smashing their foes with their 
  morningstars as they are channeling the power of their 
  mad goddess.
  oraCles oF ZheenkeeF
  Most vineyards are run by the oracles, the oldest of the 
  Zhenkefan holy orders. The motivations of this order are 
  mysterious. They sometimes aid those who have noth-
  ing but contempt for the vineyards and its worshipers, 
  but deny requests from the most ardent Zhenkefans. 
  Whatever motivates them, their powers are unrivaled—
  they see far.
  Oracles are eccentric leaders of the faith who, speaking 
  in riddles and whispers, send people on bizarre errands 
  only Zheenkeef understands. They are often found in 
  rooms filled with clouds of stinking incense, or near 
  chasms, smelling strange vapors from fissures in the earth. 
  They read the many signs of the universe and converse 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  75
  with voices none but they can hear—and perhaps, with 
  the Mother of Madness herself. It would be easy and per-
  haps comforting to discount them as mad, but they know 
  too much to be ignored. When two oracles meet, partic-
  ularly two prophets, it is both propitious and terrifying; 
  their visions might combine into premonitions of mighty 
  deeds, or terrible disasters.
  Frail, peculiar, a bit mad, the oracles of Zheenkeef see 
  things they should not, and know more than they let on. 
  They call on Zheenkeef to fill them with swirling, mad 
  images of the future, most of which cannot be cast into 
  words. Many do not reveal the secret knowledge they 
  bear, believing others would be better off not knowing. 
  Some compulsively reveal all they see, terrifying children 
  with their dark futures. Most who spend time with these 
  provisional leaders of the Zhenkefan faith end up asking 
  themselves whether the fates they foresee can be avoided. 
  To be an oracle is to live a life plagued by visions, most of 
  which make no sense, but some of which tell the future.
  FAr-SeeinG mASter
  Prospective oracles must seek out prophets and request 
  admission into the order. Often candidates are sent away, 
  but if the prophet deems the applicant worthy, she puts 
  him to the test. Applicants must answer twelve questions 
  that can only be answered using divination, which culmi-
  nates in the test of the chalices. In this test, the would-be 
  oracle must choose one of thirty chalices, all but one of 
  which is filled with poisoned wine. Surviving the test 
  grants admittance into the order, and the title of seer. A 
  seer is addressed as “Far-Seeing Master” and introduced 
  with the words “The Seer” before his name. So Karzgar 
  would be addressed as “Far-Seeing Master Karzgar,” but 
  introduced as “The Seer Karzgar, an oracle of Zheenkeef.”
  ProPhet
  Experienced seers can declare themselves prophets. The 
  prophets, having known they would bear the title some-
  day, prepare new robes and a staff of office for the day of 
  their ascension. Seers who do not prepare robes or staffs 
  either know they will find some in their journeys, or 
  foresaw they will never become prophets. Prophets are 
  addressed as “All-Seeing Master,” and are always intro-
  duced with the words “the Prophet,” before their names. 
  JoInIng the oraCles
  Only non-lawful characters devoted to Zheenkeef can 
  join the oracles. Most are warlocks who made pacts with 
  Zheenkeef in the aspect of oracle (see Chapter X), though 
  some come from the rank of apostles, Joyous Brotherhood, 
  or from outside the faith. Wizards (of Divination) and 
  other divination magic specialists might join, should they 
  feel so moved. Sometimes, powerful visions even inspire 
  clerics of other gods to become oracles later in life.
  the God oF mAGic, knoWledGe, And trUth
  Tinel
  mAGniFicent, AlooF, imPerioUS, All-knoWinG, All-SeeinG, the GreAt, the WhiSPerer,  
  oF the coUntleSS lockS, the heAvenly ArchmAGe, lord oF SecretS, keePer oF the keyS
  Tinel (tuh-NELL) is the god of magic, knowledge, the 
  mind, secrets, truth, science, magicians, those who rely 
  on or admire magic, scholars, scribes, the inquisitive, and 
  seekers of truth. A strange and mysterious god, the Tinel 
  worshiped by most is chaotic good, for he seeks the mas-
  tery of magic and all knowledge for the good of the world, 
  and to defeat evil. However, there is also Tinel the Aloof: 
  the same god, but with a different attitude. He sometimes 
  seems to be a completely neutral god, interested only in 
  the acquisition of knowledge and preservation of secrets, 
  and otherwise disinterested in the mortal realm. For the 
  purpose of determining followers’ alignments, consider 
  Tinel to be both alignments, but note that followers differ 
  greatly, depending on which aspect they worship. 
  Tinel appears as a tall figure wearing flowing robes 
  of white, with eyes and hair glowing gold. He has a red 
  jewel on his brow, held there by a silver circlet. In his left 
  hand he holds a tall staff engraved with countless runes, 
  and from his waist hangs a ring, heavy with golden keys. 
  His right hand is usually held aloft in a mystic gesture, as 
  though casting a spell.
  Symbolically, Tinel is represented by a golden key. The 
  key symbolizes the keys to Heaven, but also to the world’s 
  countless secrets. When necessary, this symbol can be 
  quickly sketched as a two-tined key with very little detail, 
  but this is rarely used. 
  Worshipers of Tinel displaying his holy symbol wear 
  at least one key about their necks, and some wear keys all 
  over their persons.
  Tinel is often associated with cats, ravens, monkeys, 
  and weasels, all highly curious and intelligent creatures. 
  Cats and ravens are particularly common associations, 
  because they have about them an air of mystery as well as 
  inquisitiveness. But the animal closest to Tinel is the rook, 
  a bird that not only shows great curiosity and intelligence, 
  but also gathers with others of its kind to share secrets. 
  The rooks, it is said, watch the world of mortals from their 
  boughs and the air, reporting what they see to All-See-
  ing, All-Knowing Tinel himself. Tinel is also associated 
  closely with pseudodragons. It is said Tinel was the first 
  of the gods to befriend dragons, and it was through his 
  magic that this offshoot species was born.
  Wizards, bards, rogues, and others who seek knowledge 
  or secrets worship the Heavenly Archmage. Those who live a 
  life of the mind, or survive by their wits and knowledge, hold 
  Tinel dear, for he smiles on almost anyone who loves learn-
  ing. Tinel is also patron of those who seek the truth, so those 
  who investigate crimes or seek to unravel mysteries often 
  invoke his name. He is quite popular with races that revere 
  magic and learning, particularly elves, gnomes, and humans. 
  There are halfling and dwarven worshipers of Tinel, but they 
  focus more on knowledge and truth than magic. 
  
  76
  76
  Myths
  MakIng oF the keys
  tInel the great has always held that In explorIng the 
  mind, the mortal spirit can be uplifted to great heights. He 
  believes that the individual is capable of wonders unachievable 
  by the many, and encourages his worshipers to explore 
  learning, science, and the study of magic over all else. Twice 
  in the history of the mortal races has this doctrine shown its 
  limitations, and twice has All-Knowing, All-Seeing Tinel 
  determined the best way to mend the damage done.
  So long ago that it is recorded by few and remembered by 
  fewer, there came to be a council of fourteen wizards. These 
  men and women of tremendous power determined that all 
  knowledge had been laid bare before them and that there was 
  no crevice, no niche into which they had yet to peer—but 
  one. No living mortal had ever journeyed to Heaven for 
  the express purpose of learning its secrets. Certainly, some of 
  the faithful had been called before the throne of one god or 
  another, and returned in a babbling religious rapture, but the 
  wizards were people of knowledge, not faith, and were deter-
  mined to make maps, surveys, and a full exploratory journal 
  of Heaven.
  Mustering the length and breadth of their skill, knowledge, 
  and power, the mortals opened a series of portals, powerful 
  and terrible, and through their thresholds lay the kingdom of 
  Heaven. When the fourteen stepped into the holy home of the 
  gods, the Lords of Heaven were outraged. Shalimyr moved to 
  smite them for their pride, and few were prepared to gainsay 
  him, but Imperious Tinel spoke: “Hold thy hand, Sea Father, 
  for these are my folk, and they are precious to me. I have told 
  them to seek knowledge, and they have come seeking the greatest 
  knowledge: the faces of their gods.” For indeed, Tinel was over-
  come with the pride of a father for his children. 
  So it was that Magnificent Tinel came before these fourteen 
  in the very halls of Heaven and showed them his glory. His face 
  glowed with the light of one thousand fires. Each strand of his 
  hair was a burning river of gold. In his hands power coiled, 
  and on his brow shone the wisdom of all the ages. “Behold!” he 
  declared to the fourteen, “Ye have come of my bidding, and I 
  allow ye to walk in my halls, for I am Tinel, the Lord of Secrets!”
  But the fourteen spoke among themselves and did not 
  respond to him. And Tinel saw then that they made notes and 
  drawings, and did not fall to their faces as he had expected. 
  In their pride, many of the mortals turned their backs and 
  walked from the presence of Tinel the Whisperer; these began 
  to map the vaulted halls of Heaven. When Tinel ordered the 
  celestials of his hall to gather these mortals together before his 
  majestic presence once more so that he might explain to them 
  their relative unimportance in Heaven, the celestials moved 
  to do so. But these mortals were as powerful as they were 
  arrogant, and working terrible magic they chained the celes-
  tials to the ground.
  “How dare ye strike my anointed?” Tinel the Great bel-
  lowed, but the mortals ignored him and continued their 
  exploration. When he took one into hand, a wizard called 
  Mariliya the Red, and demanded an explanation for their 
  impudence, the enchantress noted in her book: “It is capable of 
  emotional response, raising its voice to demonstrate rage.”
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  77
  It was then clear to Tinel that the unfettered quest for 
  knowledge hid the potential for his destruction within it. For 
  these wizards were so pleased with themselves and their con-
  quest of all laws—natural, magical, and spiritual—that they 
  saw Magnificent Tinel and the other gods as mere creatures: 
  like ducks, men or fiery giants. Should they convince the rest of 
  the mortal world that this falsehood was true, it might become 
  so, for lies become true when the whole world believes them. 
  Such sorcerous power might defeat gods weakened by a faith-
  less world. “I will not abide this,” the Lord of Secrets declared, 
  and prepared to expel these mortals from Heaven, for there 
  was still a father’s pride in him and he would not see them 
  destroyed utterly.
  The mortals had prepared for this eventuality, however, and 
  with a shouted warning from Mariliya, they congregated in 
  the winking of an eye. Together they worked grim spells and 
  cast up mighty wards against Tinel, for their plan had been to 
  lay low one of the Lords of Heaven to bring back to their tower 
  and study. They intended to capture Anwyn, whom it was said 
  was weakest of the gods, but they were confident in their abili-
  ties and believed they could hold Tinel at bay.
  And Tinel looked at these wards with confusion, for though 
  he is All-Knowing and All-Seeing, Lord of Secrets, and 
  possesses many other names of might, it is possible for him 
  to be surprised from time to time, and he could not discern 
  what these mortals intended. They had prepared this assault 
  in secret, weaving great spells to keep the Lords of Heaven 
  from observing their work, and believed they would pre-
  vail. Seeing the Heavenly Archmage so amazed, the fourteen 
  pressed their advantage and brought forth their mighty 
  staves. Crafted in solitude over long years with the most 
  powerful runes ever etched by mortal hands, forged in fires 
  of pure magic and cooled in the blood of titans, each was, in 
  its own right, one of the greatest wizards’ staves ever made. 
  Together they shaped awesome power, and their light was 
  seen in Heaven, on earth, and even in Hell, as they attacked 
  Tinel the Great.
  It was not until the magic from their mighty wizard’s lances 
  crashed down upon him that Tinel at last understood what it 
  was that these mortals meant to do. In that terrible moment, 
  he reckoned the fullness of their plan, though he still could not 
  believe it. For one terrible moment, the mortals believed they 
  had conquered a god. For one terrible moment, the hosts of 
  Hell cheered at the light they believed signaled the downfall of 
  Heaven, whose hosts quailed.
  But it was only a moment. With the wave of the Heavenly 
  Archmage’s great hand, the fourteen staves were sundered. 
  With one utterance that sounded like one word but also every 
  word ever spoken by mortal tongues, the wizards were reduced 
  to ash, and their spirits were caught in his palm. He placed 
  them in a jewel, and this jewel he placed on his brow, so that 
  for all eternity they could observe what he observed, and know 
  they were fools. However, their folly stayed with him in more 
  than the jewel, for he had seen that mortals might believe 
  themselves his equal. It did not sit well with him. Since that 
  time many mortals have called him aloof, for he has never 
  again shown a father’s pride in their seeking of secrets. It is 
  whispered in dark places that one of the demons of the Abyss 
  now shows that pride in Tinel’s place, encouraging mortals to 
  seek out forbidden knowledge. This wicked prince of the Abyss, 
  called Astaroth by his followers, has thus won many weak 
  hearts from Heaven.
  Having seen that the quest for knowledge must lead all mor-
  tals powerful enough to walk the planes to seek out Heaven, 
  Tinel grew grave and despondent. First, with a wave of his 
  mighty hand, he stripped magic from the mortal races. For 
  some years, there was no arcane magic to be worked by even the 
  mightiest wizard. That done, the Heavenly Archmage called 
  upon his nephew, Korak. Together, Tinel and the King of the 
  Crucible forged the locks of Heaven and their countless keys. 
  These locks they scattered about the great sphere in a pattern, 
  powerful in its weaving, known only to Tinel of the Countless 
  Locks. No one who is not summoned by the gods may enter 
  Heaven without coming to one of the locks and presenting unto 
  it one of the true keys. And should one open one of these locks 
  and seek entrance into the holy realm, he would encounter Uriel 
  the Archangel, guardian of Heaven. Tinel is the Keeper of the 
  Keys, and he has not once surrendered them to any mortal; 
  none but those summoned have come to Heaven since the forg-
  ing of the locks and keys. 
  From that day forward, the realm of the gods was locked 
  away from uninvited mortals, even those powerful enough to 
  walk the planes. It is said to this very day that any mortal who 
  believes his knowledge makes him equal to the gods is visited by 
  Tinel the Whisperer, and the Lord of Secrets speaks to the proud 
  fool, warning him from the path he walks. Should the mortal 
  persist in his beliefs, he is placed in the jewel on Tinel’s brow, 
  and heard from nevermore.
  the naMe unspeakable
  the makIng of the keys Is the tale of the fIrst of two 
  times that Tinel of the Countless Locks had to intercede against 
  a mortal quest for knowledge. Of the second, little is known 
  and less is said. There came a time a people arose who sought to 
  piece together the name of the Nameless One, utter it, and end 
  all things. How much of the name they gathered is not known, 
  or if it is, those who know will not say. Yet, it is known that 
  Tinel the Great, Keeper of the Keys of Heaven, discovered their 
  plan with the aid of his mortal servants. Descending upon this 
  unholy cadre, the Heavenly Archmage destroyed them utterly 
  and made this declaration: “This is the greatest crime any may 
  commit, and the torment they shall know for eternity will be 
  shared by any who would follow.”
  So it is that little is spoken of this, for to even ponder this 
  thing is to flirt with pain and torture unending.
  MysterIous MotIVes
  Tinel is mysterious. His attentions are divided, for he 
  knows the future. Tinel is more acutely aware than 
  any of the other gods that someday he will cease to be, 
  either because the Great Sphere will collapse, or because 
  mortals will all become like the fourteen wizards who 
  tried to chart Heaven. He believes the end is inevitable. 
  For this reason, he slowly gives in to what mortal minds 
  would call madness. Sometimes, he pursues knowledge, 
  and promotes the study of magic and virtue, because 
  these matter to him, but otherwise he is utterly lost 
  in his studies and secrets, and cares nothing for the 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  78
  78
  numerous planes and their peoples. It is like he is two 
  different beings, and because he is a god, can exhibit 
  both personalities concurrently, even changing his 
  appearance to fit each aspect.
  It is not altogether unreasonable to call Tinel mad and 
  perhaps his wife, Zheenkeef, has affected him. The Tinel 
  focused on the world believes the individual is greater 
  than the community, that one person who finds her true 
  calling can achieve more than a thousand who do what 
  is expected of them. For this reason, he drives those 
  who seek him out in prayer toward quests of personal 
  discovery and internal inquisition. There is no one dearer 
  to him than someone who questions his own motives, 
  accepts nothing at face value, and sees the entire world 
  as a lesson.
  Yet Tinel also suffers from a divine malaise. He retreats 
  to his sanctum and studies every minute detail of the 
  universe. Perhaps he seeks to unravel the mysteries of the 
  Nameless One, to keep the world from ending, should his 
  name be spoken. Perhaps he strives to ensure he and his 
  family will never cease to be. Whatever possesses him, 
  in this state he cares nothing for mortals, for individ-
  uals, or even for his own family.
  These two faces of Tinel are sensed by those 
  who worship him, which has led to a pro-
  found schism in his faith. The divide is so 
  deep, his church has expelled a large 
  movement of “heretics,” and is often 
  torn by internal bloodshed and 
  rivalry. If this bothers Tinel, he 
  seems to have done nothing 
  to stop it. Some believe he 
  waits to see which side of the 
  schism prevails, to put to rest 
  his own struggle, and in the 
  end he’ll become as the win-
  ning side sees him, forever.
  Just as he does not seem to care about the rift in his 
  church, he also pays little attention to the rift in his own 
  family. Zheenkeef and Shalimyr couple in defiance of 
  the chaos goddess’ marriage to Tinel, yet he takes no 
  heed. Many believe he refuses to admit his knowledge, 
  just as even wise mortals often fail to see those hurtful 
  things closest to them.
  If there is one thing Tinel remains passionate about, 
  it is his rivalry with his brother Terak. He opposes his 
  brother in nearly all things. Like his brother, Tinel has 
  changed the reason for continuing the vendetta from 
  what it was in legendary ages. While he once fought to 
  be the eldest, Tinel now argues with his brother because 
  he sees in Terak’s doctrines the likely downfall of the 
  gods. Terak would create a world where mortals need 
  no gods and live as one people, obeying their leaders, 
  questioning nothing. In such a world, the leaders are 
  gods; truth is unimportant. Terak’s vision of the world 
  is soulless, in Tinel’s esteem, and the individual will be 
  crushed and washed away, if his brother prevails. Thus, 
  the old grudge remains, only weakening in the neutral 
  aspect of Tinel, lost in his studies.
  serVants oF tInel
  Tinel has three primary groups of celestial servants, each 
  with a leader.
  the ScrivenerS
  Tinel commands an enormous body of scribes, all of them 
  mute and hooded. They take note of every event in the 
  Material Plane and Heaven, thus writing the supreme 
  record of history. Their chief is called the Black Scribe, as 
  he alone among them wears rich robes of sable and ermine 
  trimmed in silver as the symbol of his office. Only the 
  Black Scribe speaks, and he conveys news to Tinel and 
  orders to the Scriveners.
  the cAtAloGUerS
  It is said every book ever 
  written by hand, mortal or 
  immortal, is stored in the 
  library of Tinel. Tinel learns 
  all thoughts ever written, 
  though sometimes he must read 
  them from his own library, which 
  is in some ways an aspect of the 
  god’s supreme mind. The Catalogu-
  ers store the works of mortals and all 
  the records of the Scriveners, making 
  them available to Tinel (or other gods, 
  if Tinel wills it) whenever necessary. 
  Their chief, the Grey Librarian, named 
  for her robes of grey wolf fur, trimmed in 
  gold, is the only member of the Cataloguers 
  who speaks to Tinel. But all Cataloguers are 
  capable of speech, and constantly whisper to 
  one another. It is said their halls constantly echo 
  with unearthly whispering and the scratching of 
  their quills.
  the eyeS:
  Made up primarily of swift-winged rooks, the Eyes are 
  Tinel’s creatures, animals and other beings associated 
  with him, who go from the Material Plane to Heaven 
  and back, reporting on all they witness. The Eyes whis-
  per their findings to the Scriveners, who take their 
  notes to be catalogued by Cataloguers. Some Eyes are 
  said to be far more frightening than rooks, ravens, or 
  any natural animal. The chief of the Eyes is called the 
  White Whisperer. Hooded in robes of snow-fox fur 
  trimmed in ebon, the White Whisperer’s true form is 
  a mystery.
  Beyond these groups, Tinel has close ties to the arch-
  angel Uriel, who is the guardian of Heaven and watches 
  the gates Tinel locked long ago. The faithful of Tinel, 
  particularly those concerned with magic, praise Uriel 
  in their prayers, for after Tinel stripped magic from the 
  mortal races, it was Uriel who convinced the Lord of 
  Secrets to return it. Legend has it that the Archangel bore 
  the power of magic back to the mortal races within a great 
  chest, or ark.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  79
  the sCrIptorIuMs  
  oF tInel
  The scriptoriums where Tinelites worship stand in most 
  major population centers, and few shrines to Tinel haunt 
  roadsides or the wilderness. There are a few scriptori-
  ums in hidden towers, like the isolated mages’ towers 
  of legend, but in general, one must go to a city or town 
  to find one.
  Scriptoriums vary in size. Many are just small librar-
  ies with facilities for scribes. The largest are multi-story 
  buildings with thousands of books, or sometimes com-
  plexes of buildings. They are mostly funded by people 
  who pay for access to the faith’s books or hire its scribes to 
  copy texts.
  Money gathered from these fees funds the schooling 
  scriptoriums host. Teachers come to Tinelite centers 
  of worship from miles around, where they may teach 
  fundamental academics, or philosophical and esoteric 
  matters, to reputable students—even each other. Beyond 
  a base stipend provided by the faith, it is customary for 
  those attending lectures to pay the lecturer a fee equal 
  to what the listeners estimate the lecture was worth 
  to them. The scriptoriums do not benefit from these 
  transactions, and see them as part of their works in the 
  name of Tinel.
  For many years, the scriptoriums have been subject 
  to the deep, ugly rift afflicting the faith. Most scrip-
  toriums are controlled by the chaotic good side of the 
  conflict, but a few are run by the neutral branch of 
  the faith. The chaotic good scriptoriums are open to 
  the world, whereas the neutral branches hoard their 
  knowledge jealously, and do not follow the tradition of 
  educating outsiders.
  When Tinel pays attention to mortal affairs, he offers 
  guidance through signs and portents to his faithful. 
  However, the worldview of his church means he can 
  appear distant, as the faithful are looking to learn 
  through discovery, not to be ordered about. This suits 
  Tinel; he views his followers as clever, wise, and worthy 
  of his affections if they seek knowledge out of per-
  sonal desire, not because he pushes them. It is almost 
  unheard of for Tinel to appear or speak directly to one 
  of his followers.
  When a favored Tinelite is in terrible trouble, though, 
  Tinel is not above lending a hand if a sign or small bit of 
  guidance might snatch victory from defeat. He speaks to 
  his followers in whispers of the wind, strange faces seen 
  in clouds, creaking trees, and in other signs and noises, 
  embedded in the world.
  Tinel ignores the schism between his followers. They 
  are both right, and both wrong, and he is content to let 
  them battle out their differences. After all, it is through 
  struggle that mortals learn best. Yet he keeps an eye on 
  the neutral faction, which sometimes comes perilously 
  close in its “knowledge is all” philosophy to the hubris of 
  the Fourteen Wizards.
  doCtrIne
  “When I walk down the road that I know I must walk, 
  and I come to the path I know I must take, I hope to find 
  myself opposed. For if there is a rock in my path, I will 
  not say ‘I must move this rock,’ as might the practical 
  man. I will not say, ‘I will turn around,’ as might the 
  impatient man. I ask, ‘Why has this rock been placed 
  here before me?” Obstacles lie across our many paths in 
  life to teach us the meaning of our journeys. There is 
  nothing that happens to us without the knowledge of the 
  Lord of Secrets. All that we experience in our lifetime is 
  meant to edify. May we have the wisdom to learn.” 
  —the Journals of Madrigan Yewstaff
  There are many aspects of the scriptoriums of Tinel, 
  and even a violent division between his faithful, but two 
  beliefs are universal among all Tinelites.
  First, there is Truth. There are incontestable facts about 
  the universe, and it is the duty and purpose of the faith-
  ful to find and examine the Truth using their senses and 
  empirical evidence.
  Second, mortal life is a test. All beings are being 
  watched and judged as they travel through life. The final 
  reckoning takes place before Maal, and mortals do well in 
  that final reckoning if they solve the personal riddle of our 
  existence. 
  How these beliefs are interpreted varies based on which 
  faction one belongs to.
  the FAction oF tinel, 
  the heAvenly ArchmAGe (chAotic Good)
  The dominant faction of the scriptoriums believes Tinel 
  wants everyone to be happy. However, mortals have free 
  will, and cannot be made happy with the wave of the god’s 
  mighty hand. Mortals must find happiness themselves, 
  by exploring the meaning of their own existence. Every 
  person encounters a great riddle they are meant to unravel 
  over the course of their lives. Almost no one does, and 
  therefore mortals are reborn, sent by Maal to try again. 
  Solving the riddle is only possible if one seeks out the 
  Truth, which is sometimes hard and terrible, and that is 
  only possible if one shares knowledge with others who 
  also seek the Truth.
  The followers of Tinel have an advantage over others in 
  the quest to solve the riddle of their lives, for they know 
  how to seek signs of the Truth. Tinel wants mortals to 
  be happy, and makes signs and portents available to all 
  people throughout the world. The most important of these 
  is the Vision of the Opening Eye. When a Tinelite is 
  young (or young in faith, for a late-in-life convert), they 
  learn a series of meditations to open the closed “eye of 
  the mind.” After some time, usually a few months, the 
  Tinelite is visited in sleep by an incredibly vivid dream. 
  The dream is often filled with strange symbols. One 
  Tinelite might wander a barren field and plant bloody 
  seeds, as eight blue hawks fly overhead. This vision should 
  be the Tinelite’s passion for many years to come, as they 
  seek to unravel its meaning.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  80
  80
  Many never find the meaning of their visions. Those 
  who truly understand them (and have an epiphany, instead 
  of just pretending to know) take new surnames based on 
  their understanding of the vision. 
  Comprehending the vision is only the first step, lik-
  ened to finding one of the keys to Heaven. Tinelites 
  spend the rest of their lives seeking out how the vision 
  unlocks the riddle of their beings, searching for the 
  lock to fit that key. The Tinelites explain each vision 
  contains a great lesson they are expected to understand 
  completely, before death. The true riddle is the process of 
  uncovering and comprehending that lesson. Few manage 
  it in their lifetimes. Those who do are among the most 
  serene mortals one could hope to meet. Sadly, because 
  their riddles are so personal, they cannot pass along 
  answers future generations can fully comprehend, much 
  less apply to their own mysteries, though they might help 
  a seeker in some small ways.
  This vision serves not only as a central pursuit for the 
  members of the chaotic good faction, but also as an expla-
  nation of their view of Tinel. The god provides mortals with 
  clues out of love, so they can find their way. Mortals must 
  preserve and share knowledge to help one another on their 
  journey to find answers. There should be debate, rancor, 
  argument and struggle. The world is not pretty, and mortals 
  must look at every aspect of it in their quests. Therefore, 
  societies should be free, and lawful outlooks run counter to 
  what is best for people. Highly lawful societies only work 
  when there are questions people are not allowed to ask, and 
  places they aren’t allowed to go. Groupthink is the enemy; 
  the greatest good is found in many free individuals, not in 
  united slaves. However, simply looking at all aspects does 
  not mean partaking in them all; these Tinelites are not evil, 
  and do not give in to depravity. The quest seeks the knowl-
  edge to live a good life.
  They regard the neutral faction as heretics who teach 
  lies about Tinel.
  the FAction oF AlooF tinel (neUtrAl)
  The neutral faction agrees that one must seek Truth. Life 
  is a great test; upon this, they agree as well. Both factions 
  use the Vision of the Opening Eye, and therefore both 
  seek to comprehend their visions. But the followers of 
  Aloof Tinel believe a person must collect knowledge and 
  secrets to break the riddle of one’s life for its own sake, not 
  to help others. Secrets should remain within oneself. The 
  vision is a map to the Truth that one must follow to serve 
  Tinel. Once one discovers the secrets of the path, they 
  should keep them hidden. Knowledge belongs to worthy 
  Tinelites and their well-guarded scriptoriums.
  To the Aloof faction, the mortal world is an illusion 
  without consequence, created by the gods to separate 
  the worthy from the worthless. When mortals die, those 
  who have accumulated the most knowledge—the only 
  thing that is real in this fleeting, illusory existence—are 
  sent by Maal to stand before Tinel. Those who show 
  they have unraveled the secrets of life are enlisted to aid 
  Tinel in his studies to preserve the universe from the End 
  Times. Nothing matters but the acquisition of the Truth, 
  to prepare for this final test before the Lord of Secrets. 
  Therefore, this faction encourages the hoarding of learn-
  ing. They believe it is wrong to give knowledge to those 
  who are not be worthy, and will waste Tinel’s time.
  Adherents believe Tinel no longer cares about the 
  Material Plane, that he places no signs in the world, and 
  no longer offers his guiding hand to anyone. Tinel pro-
  vides a vision not a loving embrace but as a way of seeing 
  the pure and beautiful Truth one must seek forevermore. 
  When the vision is comprehended, the Tinelite is well on 
  the way to learning as much of the Truth as they need to 
  pass the test, and serve Tinel. 
  They regard the chaotic good faction of the faith as 
  deluded idiots, chasing phantoms. Tinel is too busy 
  studying his secrets to pay attention to the inconse-
  quential mortal races, when they must prove themselves 
  worthy of him. 
  the sChIsM
  Much blood has been spilled in the past over the division 
  between the factions, but since the faction of Aloof Tinel 
  doesn’t care about much beyond the accumulation of 
  knowledge, it could not maintain the struggle against the 
  dominant faction. For this reason, members of the chaotic 
  good faction dominate the scriptoriums. Scriptoriums 
  rarely mix factions, so it is not easy to find a neutral scrip-
  torium. How long this will continue is unclear, but one 
  thing is certain: The schism has not lost much of its rancor 
  over the years, and members of these two factions still see 
  each other as fools and heretics.
  CoMMon prayers
  The Tinelites believe the mind, when open, can perceive 
  many things the naked eye cannot, including visions, 
  portents, and symbols in the landscape. The opening 
  of the mind’s eye is a lengthy process, and involves the 
  chanting of a daily meditative prayer. The following is one 
  of many variations, as Tinelites tailor the words to their 
  personal outlook:
  “I walk the road of light and shadow,
  I see the blossom grow and die,
  I hear the wind and feel the stillness.
  I feel joyous and desolate,
  I know everything and nothing,
  I am open to all things.
  My eye is open to all things.”
  holy days
  The Tinelites have a calendar filled with holy days, many 
  of them so minor most people, even the most orthodox 
  Tinelites, do not bother to observe them. As a faith, they 
  observe occasions of great historical importance, and 
  moments of profound learning. For example, the birthdate 
  of a great teacher who discovered a new method for pre-
  serving food is a holy day for Tinelites. 
  Not all holy days are so minor. The Festival of the 
  Word and the Festival of Magic are the faith’s greatest 
  sacred events.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  81
  the FeStivAl oF the Word
  More than any other faith of the gods of the tree, 
  Tinelites revere the written word, books, scholarship, and 
  learning. In the Festival of the Word, which takes place 
  every year at the height of summer, they honor and reward 
  the greatest scholars of the day. The event lasts eight days, 
  during which there are great feasts, lectures, recitals, and 
  other celebrations of the written word. Usually, the Festi-
  val takes place on a national scale, so all the scriptoriums 
  in a single country band together to name the worthiest 
  works of scholarship of that year, and bestow kingly gifts 
  on the scholars who made them. In places where neigh-
  boring countries have friendly relations and cultural ties, 
  the scriptoriums of all those nations might band together 
  to issue only one set of awards.
  the FeStivAl oF mAGic
  At the height of winter every year, the council of Five 
  Hierophants decrees a single location where the greatest 
  wizards and sorcerers of the world convene for a great cele-
  bration of the gift of magic. They arrive from all around the 
  world for five days of festivities. Only those who practice 
  the arcane arts can participate in the festival, which involves 
  much debate about arcane pursuits, the relations between 
  those who use magic and those who do not, the policies of 
  the Council of the Five (see below), and other matters of 
  interest to powerful magic users. Celebrants gather for a 
  great competition, where powerful and rare magic items are 
  offered as prizes. The Council of the Five determines the 
  competition’s challenges in the days before the festival, so 
  the nature of the contests change every year. However, there 
  are always at least one in which contestants demonstrate 
  raw magical skill, and one in which they show cleverness 
  and creativity in the use of magic. Sometimes there is even a 
  contest for apprentices, but that is at the whim of the Five.
  saInts
  Almost anyone who has contributed to the furtherance 
  of knowledge and magic might be named a saint, 
  and recorded in Tinelite annals. Sainthood 
  is always awarded posthumously, and carries 
  little weight, due to how often the faith awards it—for 
  inventing new food preservation techniques, as noted 
  previously, or a host of other accomplishments, of 
  petty or grand import.
  holy orders
  There are five holy orders of the scriptoriums, but two 
  are not particularly powerful. Most scriptoriums 
  are run by the inceptors (clergy), who are divided 
  into three levels of status: neophytes, teach-
  ers, and armarii. For those who practice the 
  magical arts, the most powerful order is of the 
  hierophants, which have two levels of power: 
  the common hierophants, and the Five who 
  oversee the order. Protecting the work of these 
  orders and seeking out lost knowledge is the responsibility 
  of the mage guard (holy warriors), which has two levels 
  of status: defenders of the word, and keepers of secrets. 
  In the background of every scriptorium, the two lesser 
  orders do their duties. The scribes, divide themselves into 
  common scribes, and master scribes. The librarians rank 
  themselves as common librarians, and chief librarians. The 
  highest-ranking inceptors of each scriptorium determine 
  its policies and interpretations of the faith. The order of the 
  hierophants is overseen by the Five, the world’s most pow-
  erful arcane spellcasting worshipers of Tinel.
  The average scriptorium has at least one armarius, four 
  teachers, and twelve neophytes in residence at one time. 
  There are often as many as ten scribes, one master scribe, 
  four librarians, and one chief librarian as well. There are 
  usually only four or five of the mage guard at any one 
  scriptorium, and the hierophants, who almost always have 
  their own sanctums, are rarely found at scriptoriums.
  InCeptors oF tInel
  The inceptors preserve both mystical and mundane lore. 
  To be an “inceptor” means to be just beginning, to be 
  taking everything in. While some inceptors possess vast 
  knowledge, and have already taken in a great deal, the 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  82
  82
  title still pertains to them. No matter how venerable, 
  inceptors always eagerly learn more. 
  An ancient order, the inceptors trace the names of their 
  elders across many generations. They keep scriptorium 
  records, meticulously noting of details great and small. 
  They do not have the minds or demeanors of accountants 
  and lawyers, though, for they focus their minds on explo-
  ration, discovery, and questioning. They question what 
  they record. They doubt the facts, and test them constantly 
  for veracity.
  The Bard Imarillus once observed: “Morwyn’s matri-
  archs say, ‘How may I help you?’ The soldiers of Terak 
  ask, ‘How may I defend you?’ The Zhenkefan apostles 
  wonder, ‘What will inspire you?’ But an inceptor of 
  Tinel asks only ‘Why?’ and ‘Why?’ again, until a man 
  wants nothing more than the company of the unholy 
  and unclean.” The inceptors wonder at everything, pick-
  ing apart the details, and finding questions no one else 
  would think to ask. Their inquisitiveness stems from 
  their lifelong mission to understand the world, and help 
  others to understand it.
  There are two distinct phases in the career of an incep-
  tor, whatever his faction. Younger inceptors wander and 
  hunt lore, while the more powerful inceptors remain in 
  the scriptoriums where they work. Exceptions exist, and 
  history is filled with heroic inceptors who never had time 
  to go back to their home scriptoriums to teach others all 
  they learned. These adventuring inceptors are sometimes 
  the source of legends and great tales, and nearly always 
  spend their final days recording the exploits of their lives. 
  Most inceptors are part of the dominant (chaotic good) 
  faction of the scriptoriums. They believe there is no holier 
  act one can perform than to broaden the awareness of 
  another. Their worship of Tinel is individualistic and 
  revolves around small groups, and one-on-one interac-
  tions. These folk live as itinerate teachers and students, 
  both to better themselves and others. They believe good 
  results come from education, and offer people the knowl-
  edge they need in life. To them, the journey is the key. 
  Exploration of knowledge, of the mind, yields the unex-
  pected, and the worthiest answers are the ones one did not 
  seek in the first place.
  Other members of the faction are neutral good. This 
  is a sizable minority, and while they also believe good 
  should be done through knowledge, they do it through 
  large organizations. Neutral good members expand the 
  educational aspects of the scriptoriums. In cities and 
  nations where they have real influence, the Tinelites 
  involve themselves with governments to educate people 
  on a mass scale. These inceptors are happy to use any kind 
  and decent method available to expand the minds of those 
  they encounter, and lack the suspicion of law and govern-
  ment that their chaotic good brethren espouse.
  The inceptors of the neutral faction, on the other hand, 
  care only about uncovering knowledge. They do not aid 
  others in their learning. Instead, they join a cabal of the 
  “worthy” and work together to solve the mysteries of 
  the universe not for each other, but because cooperation 
  brings better results they may apply to their own interests. 
  Their missions nearly always pursue a specific piece of 
  learning, and bring it back to allied inceptors for study. 
  To them, nothing done in this world matters, save what 
  one does in preparation for serving Tinel in the next life. 
  These Tinelites avoid secular concerns as much as possi-
  ble, and are happiest when they are left alone with their 
  books and studies.
  There are many different alignments among the neu-
  tral faction: lawful neutral, chaotic neutral, and neutral 
  evil. The lawful neutral members of the faction work as a 
  hive. They organize cells of neophytes and teachers, work 
  together on research projects, plan missions, and dispatch 
  junior members to undertake them. Their influence has 
  kept the faction from falling apart entirely, in the face of 
  opposition from chaotic good inceptors.
  Neutral evil members of the faction organize the resis-
  tance to the primary church. They see the hoarding of 
  knowledge as a sacred right the chaotic good clergy deny 
  them. They wish to topple the more powerful faction, 
  and resort to evil acts to achieve their goals. Lust for 
  knowledge consumes them to the point that most will 
  kill for it.
  Chaotic neutral members fit in neither faction, though 
  they are loosely associated with the neutral faction. They 
  love secrets—the collection and whispering of them. They 
  are not only disinterested in secular affairs, but do not 
  even care about church matters. They simply roam the 
  world, hunting for hidden lore. This odd offshoot of the 
  order arises from a mystical belief that the Visions of the 
  Opening Eye are secrets Tinel reveals. If every person 
  recorded their visions and put them all together, the 
  combined result would tell the story of all creation, past, 
  present, and future. There is no secret these inceptors love 
  more than the details of a person’s vision, but they believe 
  there is power in all secrets.
  neoPhyte
  All new members of the order are called neophytes, the 
  title by which they are addressed and introduced, and 
  remain so for many years—in some cases, for the rest of 
  their lives—as they work to study the universe and its 
  secrets. Neophytes travel widely, read constantly, debate 
  contentiously, and, most importantly, learn.
  teAcher
  Neophytes might become teachers. A council of inceptors 
  made up of local teachers and armarii grill prospective 
  teachers over a period of three days, asking in-depth 
  questions on topics the neophytes have spent their 
  careers studying. At the end of this time and if the neo-
  phytes prove knowledgeable enough, they are elevated 
  to teachers. It falls to them to spread learning, through 
  his scriptorium or by traveling from town to town, edu-
  cating people. Among the neutral faction of the faith, 
  teachers oversee large projects within their scriptoriums, 
  assembling great reserves of learning on a single topic. 
  Whatever the faction, teachers work to unravel the mys-
  tery of their visions. They are addressed as “master” or 
  “mistress,” and introduced by full title.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  83
  ArmAriUS
  At some point after becoming teachers, devotees might 
  advance to the title of armarius. An armarius must have 
  unraveled the mystery of his vision. Only a teacher who 
  has come to understand his vision can attain this title. The 
  teacher must deliver a lecture to a scriptorium explaining 
  his vision and its interpretation, and at the end of this, he 
  takes on a new surname pertaining to the vision. Because 
  the Tinelites document matters so thoroughly, it is pos-
  sible to go back through generations, and read the notes 
  from very old armarii lectures about their visions. An 
  armarius is addressed as “revered master,” or “revered mis-
  tress,” and introduced by full title. 
  The armarii oversee the scriptoriums and are their 
  supreme authorities, issuing commands to all the other 
  orders except the hierophants. If a scriptorium has sev-
  eral armarii, they make decisions for the scriptorium as a 
  council where a simple majority rules. Once he becomes an 
  armarius, it is the inceptor’s goal to aid others, but also to 
  comprehend the riddle of his life through his interpretation 
  of his vision. Even among these, the most knowledgeable of 
  the Tinelites, it is rare to succeed completely.
  JoInIng the InCeptors
  Prospective members of the inceptors come to the scrip-
  torium seeking training, and are made neophytes once 
  they experience the Vision of the Opening Eye. One 
  cannot become an inceptor without being on a lifelong 
  quest to solve the riddle of one’s existence. A person who 
  has already had the vision is immediately inducted into 
  the order. Neophytes are clerics with domains related to 
  Tinel, such as Knowledge. Most neophytes carry daggers, 
  for Tinel is traditionally shown blasting the servants of 
  Kador with five great knives of magic.
  Mage guard oF tInel
  The mage guard serves two purposes: to protect and 
  recover knowledge, and to oppose anyone who seeks out 
  forbidden knowledge, particularly malicious mages. The 
  mage guard are experts at fighting arcane spell users. 
  While friendly with, and fond of, good-aligned spell 
  casters, their order was founded after a dread cult sought 
  to use magic to reassemble the name of the Nameless 
  One, and destroy all of creation. The elders of what would 
  become the order determined that the world required 
  a force that respected magic, but also knew how to 
  oppose it. Too often, those who knew how to fight 
  evil magic-users were superstitious and small-
  minded tyrants, who didn’t know the difference 
  between a wizard and a warlock in the thrall of 
  dark powers. If another evil body of wizards arose 
  and threatened the world, no one of the Tinelite 
  faith wanted to have to count on fools to 
  stop them.
  Since the world does not always need 
  a force to oppose reckless magic use, the 
  mage guard also protects knowledge, the 
  knowledgeable, and important secrets. The 
  great libraries of the world attract mage guard members, 
  and anyone with a vital secret in need of protection can 
  plead with them to keep it safe. The mage guard protects 
  the works of the past, and thus there are two edicts all the 
  mage guard must follow.
  Never allow the wicked to seize control of learning or 
  secrets if by risking your life, you might prevent it.
  Hold all secrets bestowed to you in sacred trust. Do not 
  reveal them to any but those with whom you have been 
  directed to share.
  In addition, the world has lost a great deal of knowledge 
  over the years. Thus, the mage guard seeks out lost lore 
  and secrets. This takes up most of its time, since members 
  of the order rarely find themselves ordered to seek out 
  and eliminate users of arcane magic. Many in the mage 
  guard go their entire careers without a mission related to 
  the purpose for which the order was founded, but some 
  happen to find themselves fighting evil wizards while 
  questing for lost knowledge. When the faith discovers it’s 
  possible to recover ancient or lost knowledge, it charges 
  the mage guard with the task. Their mission is embodied 
  in the following precept:
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  84
  84
  MInor orders
  Two minor orders also exist in the scriptoriums, and are 
  usually made up of devout Tinelites unable to join one of 
  the other three holy orders. These orders have no dispo-
  sition toward the schism, and their members are just as 
  likely to serve in a neutral scriptorium as a chaotic good 
  one. Most members are acolytes or sages.
  ScribeS
  The holy order of scribes, each addressed and introduced 
  by their order title, are charged with copying manuscripts 
  new and old. They have no central authority figure, a 
  scriptorium with any significant number of scribes will 
  also have a master scribe. The master scribe reports direct-
  ly to the armarius, or armarii council.
  librAriAnS
  The librarians catalogue the Tinelites’ accumulated 
  works. In larger facilities, they are of vital importance to a 
  well-functioning scriptorium. It is not easy to keep track 
  of thousands of books, so in scriptoriums with significant 
  numbers of books, there are several librarians and at least 
  one chief librarian who, like the master scribe, reports 
  directly to the armarii.
  If by the toil of your brow or the blood of your body, 
  you find knowledge which is lost to the wise of the 
  world, it is your sacred duty to recover it. You shall 
  not sacrifice your life for it, if others might recover 
  the knowledge on a separate quest. Rather, you are 
  bound by oath to inform your brethren in Tinel of 
  the lost learning at once, so they can recover it. If you 
  are assigned this mission, you will pursue it using 
  all your strength and skill.
  The mage guard takes orders directly from the armarius, 
  or a council of armarii at their home scriptorium. Only 
  armarii can command the mage guard, for only one who 
  has unlocked his vision bears the insight to direct this 
  deeply holy order. In the field, when several of the mage 
  guard work together, they obey the most experienced 
  member of their own order.
  The mage guard travels with any who value knowledge 
  and individual purpose. They’re irked by anyone whose 
  outlook runs counter to the general Tinelite views, such 
  as most Teraketh, but in general, anyone who is good, or 
  even neutral, can make excellent companions for one of 
  the mage guard. They never travel with evil magic-users, 
  and actively work against them.
  deFenderS oF the Word
  All new members of the mage guard are addressed as 
  “defender,” but in introductions this is extended to the full 
  title, such as: “Defender of the Word Morik, a Mage Guard 
  of the scriptoriums of Tinel.” They go to scriptoriums, 
  where they serve an armarius. There, they might receive 
  orders to go forth and find lost knowledge, or stay at the 
  scriptorium to protect its archives. Some mage guards work 
  with others of their order, forming a “cadre,” and work 
  together on whatever mission their armarius gives them.
  keePer oF SecretS
  The most experienced defenders of the word become 
  keepers of secrets. To become a keeper, defenders must 
  unravel their visions. Unlike inceptors, defenders tell none 
  but their commanding armarius about the vision and its 
  meaning, though they do take on new surnames. They 
  keep their vision’s meaning secret from all but one person, 
  and it is in the imparting of her most personal and care-
  fully kept secret to another that she becomes a keeper of 
  secrets. Keepers of Secrets are addressed as “Keeper” and 
  introduced in the same fashion as defenders.
  The mage guard keeps many secrets: tales about the name 
  of the Nameless One only they know, for instance. They 
  hold them closely. Not even the armarii know these tales. 
  Upon being inducted into the order, each keeper is given 
  a book of secrets. This must be kept on their person, as a 
  private chronicle, for the rest of their lives. These books 
  pass down from keeper to keeper. When one dies, the 
  book is kept in trust by an armarius, until another keeper 
  is elevated and the book can be passed on. Only one living 
  keeper may know the contents of the book at a time. As 
  they travel, keepers add new secrets to the book. When 
  the last page is reached, they hide it away, in a secret place. 
  Many would love to find one of these hiding places.
  Keepers of secrets do not share what they learn in con-
  fidence. Some political leaders, even those as important as 
  queens and emperors, ask for their aid, knowing they can be 
  trusted to pass on messages and lore they will never share 
  with anyone who is not authorized to know them. Keepers 
  never violate the oath of secrecy, on pain of expulsion, and 
  perhaps punishments from Tinel or his servants.
  JoInIng the Mage guard
  There is no explanation for why people are called to join the 
  mage guard—they simply feel a pull, a need to take up the 
  sword and fight for Tinel. Most initiates spend at least six 
  years learning all the skills necessary to be a mage guard, 
  though fewer are required for trained fighters. Candidates 
  must also have had the Vision of the Opening Eye, and must 
  not share it with anyone. Upon completing their training, 
  they become defenders of the word. All the mage guard are 
  fighters (eldritch knights) and most are chaotic good. If you’re 
  using feats, mage guards always take the Mage Slayer feat.
  hIerophants
  “The artist does not use every color; the poet does not 
  include every word. Magic is just as surely a divine art, 
  so why do some believe they should use every spell they 
  might command? It makes only for ugliness and noise, 
  like a song with every note.” So say the hierophants, a 
  powerful order of faithful mages as old as the scriptori-
  ums themselves—perhaps older. The hierophants form 
  a great council of powerful arcane magicians who agree 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  85
  on reasonable laws and limitations for the use of arcane 
  magic, such as bans on demonology and diabolism. The 
  council is only open to those who are already strong in the 
  magical arts, but most Tinelite mages, even apprentices, 
  willingly adhere to the laws they set out. It is the council’s 
  job to determine the will of Tinel as it pertains to the use 
  of arcane magic—an awesome responsibility.
  The hierophants are almost entirely separate from the 
  church structure and its members can only rarely, if ever, 
  be found in scriptoriums. Certainly, any inceptor can 
  point an interested party in the direction of the nearest 
  hierophant, but the order maintains only cursory contact 
  with most of Tinel’s clergy. The chief inceptors at each 
  scriptorium keep in contact with the order, staying abreast 
  of its beliefs and policies, so they might guide arcane 
  spellcasters who come to a scriptorium to worship.
  The order was founded to ensure the Lord of Secrets 
  never again strips the mortal races of magic. Thus, the 
  hierophants interpret Tinel’s will as it pertains to the use 
  of magic. All members are powerful practitioners of arcane 
  magic, but even apprentices outside the faith know the 
  order’s laws. Only the most powerful arcane magicians join 
  the hierophants, to help define those laws. Depending on 
  the strength of local Tinelites, their alignments, and the 
  specific offense, violating the laws might lead to nothing, 
  expose the offender to public censure, or even bring the mage 
  guard down upon him. It’s a gamble evil spellcasters are 
  willing to take, but for those not steeped in wickedness, the 
  hierophants draw a useful line between good and evil magic.
  the Five
  Five of the order’s most powerful members lead the 
  hierophants. When one of the Five dies or passes out of ordi-
  nary existence by whatever mysterious means, the remaining 
  Council of the Five convenes immediately, and elects a new 
  member. The choice is usually obvious, but sometimes the 
  election becomes rancorous. The remaining four of the Five 
  do not have veto power, and ties are usually broken by con-
  tacting the deceased (or otherwise transfigured) predecessor, 
  using the appropriate arcane rites. The Five are addressed 
  as “your eminence” and introduced using this format: “Her 
  Eminence, the Hierophant Amraila, Member of the Council 
  of Five of the Scriptoriums of Tinel.” 
  The Five oversee lesser hierophants’ councils, and 
  determine when and how to enforce the laws set by their 
  meetings, but the order rarely concerns itself with lesser 
  mages who use evil magic. figuring such fools will meet 
  their end eventually. The hierophants exist more to set and 
  interpret laws than enforce them. They are only aroused 
  when someone profoundly powerful and evil arises.
  JoInIng the hIerophants
  The rule of order demands that a region’s hierophants 
  meet in council at least once every three years to 
  discuss matters of magical law, and induct new 
  members. The order recruits strong arcane spellcast-
  ers (including wizards, sorcerers, and bards) who 
  worship Tinel and are known for their virtuous con-
  duct. An invitation comes with the meeting’s location, 
  and enough information to allow a potential candidate to 
  scry upon the site, and teleport there. A candidate who 
  can’t use this information to arrive when summoned is usu-
  ally not considered worthy to join. 
  Upon meeting the council, candidates must explain 
  if and why they desire to join. After the candidate has 
  spoken, council members can ask questions before a vote 
  is taken. This usually results in the candidate’s induction, 
  since she is typically deeply studied through magical and 
  mundane means before being invited at all. But even if 
  a majority on a regional council votes for the candidate, 
  any of the Five can veto an induction for any reason. 
  Addressed as “great lord” or “great lady” a hierophant is 
  introduced by his or her full title.
  The benefits of membership include respect from the 
  faithful and even arcane spell users from other traditions, 
  and influence over the body of law that (at least according 
  to Tinelites) governs magic. The most powerful mem-
  bers learn great magical secrets, beyond those known 
  to most mages. Upon entering the order, a hierophant 
  gains the Comprehend Magic feature. 
  Hierophants raised to the 
  Five gain the Mastery of 
  Magic feature.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  86
  86
  the first child ever born of a womb, and is now the Judge of 
  Souls. In those days, death was rare, and Mormekar was not 
  so icy in temperament. But Terak was reborn, and he had won 
  Morwyn’s heart long before the arrival of Mormekar. She 
  took Terak as a husband as well, and she made him King in 
  Heaven, not Mormekar.
  Indeed, who could blame the fair Queen, for Mormekar 
  is dark and grim. He laughs not, and knows little joy. Their 
  bridal bed was never warm, nor were there many delights in 
  their household, even when Maal was young and playful.
  It was not long before Morwyn could no longer manage of 
  a hall with two husbands. For when she smiled to Mormekar, 
  Terak grew wrathful, and when she showed affection to Terak, 
  Mormekar grew miserable. After some time, she told her two 
  husbands that she would spend half of each passing year with 
  them in turn. For six months, Mormekar would be her hus-
  band, and for the following six, it would be Terak. This suited 
  all three, and ended much conflict.
  Yet the first time Morwyn left Mormekar and took Terak 
  back to her side, the Grim Wanderer grew more miserable than 
  he had ever been. It was as though his heart had been cleft in 
  twain, and he walked the world in sorrow. At last, love-struck 
  madness consumed him; he began destroying the most beautiful 
  things he could find. At the time, Korak the Hammer Hand 
  had been sent on his impossible tasks by Thellyne, to prove his 
  love for her. Korak had coated all of the leaves of all of the trees 
  in the world with a thin layer of gold, and as Quiet Morme-
  kar wandered from place to place he saw his sorrow mocked by 
  trees’ shining beauty.
  So, Mormekar touched the trees, and made their golden 
  leaves fall, and thereupon turned to other wondrous living 
  things, to give them the embrace of Death. Soon, all the ani-
  mals of the world fled from him, for they feared his terrible 
  touch. In that time, many fantastic creatures fell to Death’s 
  touch, and have never been seen again, like the cat with a 
  thousand heads and ten thousand tails, and the snake Korak 
  had made, which had grown so large it surrounded a moun-
  tain, and gnawed on its own tail. The whole world hid away 
  from Mormekar the Shadow, and even Alimus, who pulls the 
  sun around the world each day, ran away, leaving the world 
  covered in ice, snow and darkness.
  Would that Mormekar’s fearful sorrow possessed him but 
  once. Sadly, it overcomes him every year. Just when the leaves 
  of the trees begin to change themselves to gold in memory of 
  Korak, Morwyn leaves Mormekar for Terak, and the Wan-
  derer begins his journey through the world, changing autumn 
  to winter, and all grow cautious, for Death has no mercy, then. 
  But when Morwyn takes her first husband back spring comes, 
  and Death has Mercy at his side once more.
  duty oF death
  Mormekar’s chief concerns are claiming the dead, and 
  ushering the reborn back to the Material Plane. His 
  duty rules him, save for his love for Morwyn. He’s fond 
  Mormekar (MORE-muh-kar) is the neutral god of death, 
  rebirth, the dead, the dying, those who destroy undead, 
  those seeking rebirth, and the reborn. The god’s symbolic 
  creatures include vultures, worms, coyotes, and others 
  that feed on carrion. He is most strongly associated with 
  the crow. Ignorant people connect him to the undead, but 
  undead are anathema to him. The phoenix is one of his 
  symbolic aspects, for the majestic bird dies, is consumed 
  by fire, and reborn in it. In the burning flame of the phoe-
  nix, one might see Mormekar’s face.
  Mormekar is shown as the tallest of all the gods, but 
  willow-wand thin. Cloaked in black and bearing a staff 
  of charred wood (the last remnant of Eliwyn before she 
  was reborn), it is never clear what mortal race he most 
  resembles, for his face is rarely shown completely. His skin 
  has the pallid color of the dead, and his eyes are a color-
  less white.
  Mormekar symbol is his burnt staff, or another charred 
  piece of wood. This recalls the pyre upon which the gods 
  were burned, his staff, and the fire of death and rebirth 
  he wields. When a simple, quick symbol of Mormekar is 
  needed, people use a smear of soot.
  He is worshiped by all people, including some who 
  know nothing about the gods of the tree. The power of 
  death touches all who are mortal. Worship is not grat-
  itude, however, and most are quite wary of the power 
  of Mormekar, avoiding his temples if possible. Yet all 
  who die are, when they can be, brought to a temple of 
  Mormekar for final rites, to ease passage to the land of 
  Mormekar’s son, Maal. In any case, it is not a popular 
  church, and few join its holy orders. No single class is reg-
  ularly associated with Mormekar, nor is any one class less 
  likely to have his worshipers than any other. 
  Myths
  the gold Must Fall
  It Is saId that the grIm wanderer, known as 
  Mormekar the Deliverer to some, and only as Death to 
  others, cares for nothing. As the Last Guide, he neither 
  relishes his duty nor hates it, but simply performs it, for it is 
  his duty to bring death to all dying things, and renew those 
  chosen to be reborn.
  But those who seek deeper truths know that there is one 
  thing for which Mormekar cares. Those who examine the 
  world in autumn, when all things change from fair to dark, 
  know what moves his heart: love for Morwyn the Merci-
  ful, his wife.
  Yet this is love must be stymied every year. Long ago, 
  when Mormekar first appeared in the world, when Terak 
  and Tinel murdered one another and destroyed Eliwyn, the 
  Grim Wanderer came to love the Queen of Heaven, whom 
  men call Morwyn. Together they begat a son, Maal, who was 
  God oF deAth And rebirth
  Mormekar 
  qUiet, FeArFUl, the deliverer, the ShAdoW,  
  the Grim WAnderer, the lASt GUide, deAth
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  87
  of his son, and sees him regularly while he bears the 
  dead to Maal’s Kingdom, but Mormekar never joins 
  Maal’s arguments with the other gods. Mormekar cares 
  nothing for the conflicts of Heaven, good, evil, and the 
  rest. They’re all the winking of an eye, here and gone 
  in one slice of infinity. Thus he has no strong feelings 
  about mortals, so long as they respect his authority. All 
  things die, even worlds and planes. One day he will 
  bury the gods, or burn them on celestial pyres. How 
  death comes, and to whom, are not his concerns, so 
  long as the order of dying is not unnaturally interfered 
  with. Until the end of everything comes, the Wanderer 
  attends to his duty, presiding over all the lesser endings 
  of things.
  Anyone familiar with the legends knows Mormekar’s 
  love for his wife is the only thing that takes precedence 
  over his duties. Over the years, some have asked Death 
  not to take them because they too know a stronger love, 
  but this has never been known to succeed. Otherwise, the 
  undead are an insult to him: a vile act that violates the 
  sanctity of death. He charges all those who worship him 
  to battle the undead, and the necromancers and other, vile 
  beings who create them.
  a solItary god
  Mormekar is a lonely figure among the gods, and has no 
  servants. Prayers to him are heeded by Camael, and other 
  members of the angelic host. There is no room in his wan-
  derings for companions or servants.
  the saCrIstIes  
  oF MorMekar
  The sacristies of Mormekar, where the Mormekim 
  (MORR-muh-kim) worship, were founded in their cur-
  rent form by a visionary justice of Maal. Named Alonzo 
  d’Eriq, he claimed to have been visited by the Grim Wan-
  derer himself. Mormekar told this Maalite of his deep 
  displeasure, for the mortal races had come to lose respect 
  for death. While they wondered at birth, the marvel for 
  which his wife Morwyn is regularly praised, they hid from 
  death. They celebrated the deceased’s life and then left 
  the body to the lowest members of society, for at the time, 
  gravediggers and crypt-keepers came from the dregs of 
  the mortal races. To make matters worse, some among the 
  mortal races violated the sanctity of death, raising up the 
  spirits or bodies of the departed to mock its stillness.
  This lack of respect made Mormekar’s duties more dif-
  ficult to perform. Many who died had no idea they had 
  passed. The god of the dead had to personally inform 
  them, and lead them to Maal’s kingdom. Worse, many 
  rose as undead, created by foul necromancers.
  The god charged d’Eriq with founding a church in 
  Mormekar’s name, to ease the passage of souls with funeral 
  rites given by the Grim Wanderer himself. His church 
  would also “give rest” to the undead, and remind mortals 
  that, just as surely as they are unified by birth, so too are 
  they united by death—the only two things they all share. 
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  88
  88
  The Maalite swore he would spread these lessons and 
  he was true to his word. He traveled to the four corners 
  of the world, teaching all who would listen the rites of 
  the dead, and the wrath Death would unleash upon 
  the disrespectful and blasphemous. For Morme-
  kar left d’Eriq and his church, with words of 
  warning: If his duties were made any more 
  difficult by disrespect, he might prematurely 
  claim the lives of all mortals, or refuse to 
  return the reborn to the world. D’Eriq 
  swore to Mormekar this would not be 
  necessary, and the Mormekim of today see 
  themselves as the inheritors of that promise.
  Mormekar is fond of his church. It’s a 
  rare attachment for the Grim Wanderer. As 
  the Mormekim say, they perform a useful 
  service for their god. Their rites properly 
  ready the dead for Mormekar, and their 
  opposition to necromancy pleases him.
  That said, fondness rarely extends into 
  actual interference or guidance. Mormekar 
  rarely speaks to his clergy or anyone else who 
  worships him, except at the moments of their 
  deaths. Unlike other gods, he has no domain where his 
  faithful go, so there is no chance of standing at his side 
  in the afterlife. He is a god of little warmth; worshippers 
  understand this, and do not expect rewards.
  death Is saCred
  “If I do not do my duty to Mormekar, what am I? I could 
  ignore Death’s decrees as others do, I could pretend death is 
  beyond my ken as they do, but that would make me little 
  more than a coward. I bear the burdens of duty, and all 
  who would do what is right will follow in my steps.” 
  —The fourth decree of the Minister Alonzo d’Eriq
  The Mormekim faith is one of duty, followed by few. 
  While nearly everyone who worships the gods of the tree 
  comes to the sacristies for funeral services, most leave 
  other matters of death to these strange folk, who are 
  completely devoted to its ways. Donations given by the 
  families of the dead more than fund the sacristies. Some 
  people believe the more generously they give, the kinder 
  Mormekar will be to their loved ones, so the sacristies 
  often have far more money than they can use.
  The faith can be explained in three utterances, often 
  repeated by the Mormekim. Mormekar reportedly made 
  these three statements to d’Eriq long ago:
  Death is sacred. Minister to all those who have 
  passed this rite I have given you, and you will 
  be blessed.
  Death is sacred. Obey my command: Seek out those 
  who violate that sanctity and destroy them.
  Death is sacred. When you come to my embrace, do 
  not reject it.
  Alonzo d’Eriq was the first to administer the rite when 
  he founded the order of the ministers. He gave the order a 
  twenty-step rite for preparing the dead, passed down from 
  Mormekar himself. The rite connects the min-
  ister with the deceased’s body and spirit, so 
  all may be properly prepared for Mormekar. 
  It should be performed within one day of 
  death. Mormekim believe if this ceremony 
  is not properly performed, the spirit might 
  become trapped in the world, rising as one 
  of the restless dead. Knowledge of the rite 
  leads some Mormekim believe, perhaps 
  arrogantly, they alone perform a proper and 
  useful duty for the gods.
  If a person dies and does not receive the 
  rite, most clergy of the gods of the tree can 
  perform a fair approximation. An approxima-
  tion is not the rite proper, though, and many 
  faithful request their bodies be brought to the 
  Mormekim if they die, even if they are far from 
  civilization. Different societies have different 
  notions about what happens after the rite—some 
  burn bodies, others bury them. The rite is a prepa-
  ration, not the entirety of the body’s disposal.
  There is more to the faith than the rite, of course. 
  The obedient brotherhood was formed to focus on the 
  second utterance, though it is an edict all Mormekim obey. 
  They stamp out the undead and those who would create the 
  undead. Death must remain sacrosanct and inviolate. 
  The final utterance sets the Mormekim apart from 
  other faiths of the pantheon: They expressly forbid any 
  magic that brings a person back from death, and counsel 
  their companions against the use of such magic. For this 
  reason, it is usually impossible to raise a Mormekim, 
  unless the deceased would return to perform a greater task 
  for the sanctity of death.
  Mormekim care little, if at all, about mortal society or 
  matters of good, evil, law, or chaos. They strive to uphold 
  their divine task. Their scriptures, prayers and everything 
  else about their faith focuses on death, not life, and it is 
  often said (and justifiably so) the Mormekim are more at 
  home surrounded by the dead than by the living.
  Finally, there are no holy days, festivals, or celebrations 
  among the Mormekim. They are a grim people.
  prayers oF MorMekar
  The core of the Mormekim faith is the rite of the dead. 
  Sacristies are holy houses of the rite, where ministers keep 
  all the materials necessary to perform it: sacred ointments, 
  linens, incense, and scriptures, within chambers of dark 
  glory. Administering the rite takes four or five hours, and 
  includes chanting a long series of prayers, most of which 
  are admonishments to the spirit of the deceased, prepar-
  ing it for the afterlife. One of the earliest chants informs 
  the spirit that it has died, as many deceased do not realize 
  they’ve left the mortal coil. Unless informed, they might 
  haunt the living. The following prayer prevents that:
  “I call upon you, (name of the deceased)!
  Heed me this hour!
  You have passed beyond living.
  You are quick no longer.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  89
  The light has left your eyes.
  The heat has fled your flesh.
  Mormekar will claim you.
  The final path is before you.”
  saInts
  There are no saints in the Mormekim faith, but martyr-
  dom is an important part of their observance. Any of the 
  Mormekim who die opposing the undead, or the defiling 
  of the dead, are considered martyrs, and Death’s priests 
  add special step to the rite for them. Mormekim call upon 
  martyrs to protect them. For instance, Brother Astafis is 
  a famous martyr who died trying to destroy a large cadre 
  of vampires, so Mormekim facing vampires might invoke 
  Brother Astafis’ name.
  holy orders
  Two orders make up the sacristies. The ministers (the 
  clergy) see to the dead and prepare them for passage. The 
  obedient brotherhood (holy warriors) fulfills d’Eriq’s prom-
  ise to Mormekar by hunting and destroying the undead. 
  There is no central structure to the faith, with each sacristy 
  being run by consensus of the ministers. They all must 
  agree on any decision affecting the entire sacristy. Each 
  member of the faith is wholly independent, however, and 
  can come and go as he chooses. No one gives orders. They 
  all know their duties and do not need such things.
  The average sacristy has no more than three minis-
  ters and one obedient brother or sister. They are small 
  churches, often little more than a hall with an altar and 
  a massive brazier in the middle, with a small rectory in 
  back. They are austere, grim places, as one might expect. 
  Some of the older sacristies lie over sprawling catacombs, 
  however, and these major resting places of the dead have 
  as many as ten ministers and up to twenty members of the 
  obedient brotherhood keeping the bodies safe from those 
  who would violate them.
  MInIsters oF MorMekar
  The ministers perform the rite, and keep the dead safe from 
  desecration. This is the whole purpose of their order and it 
  keeps them quite busy as naturally, people are constantly 
  dying. Ministers almost never involve themselves in secular 
  affairs, and few leave their sacristy but to fetch supplies and 
  bodies. Yet some make it their mission to travel the world, 
  administering the rite to people who cannot reach a sac-
  risty. Others leave to wage war against necromancers and 
  the undead, pledging to destroy them all.
  Most Mormekim ministers are neutral. They perform 
  their duty for Mormekar and don’t give two figs about 
  mortal society. While they sometimes perform “good” acts 
  such as opposing the undead, they don’t do them because 
  they believe necromancy is evil, but because it is their 
  duty, and the undead defy the cycle of existence their god 
  protects. This makes them seem quite lawful, but save for 
  the rite and commands of Death, most the ministers don’t 
  care about laws or rules. They don’t give each other orders 
  and recognize no ranks in their churches. They serve 
  Death, not living morality.
  Yet many Mormekim are lawful neutral, and care about 
  structures, and authority. They see the Mormekim’s wealth 
  and importance, and believe the only thing keeping the faith 
  from having a more profound impact is its lack of organiza-
  tion. With a proper structure, including a central authority, 
  the Mormekim could spread their faith all over the world 
  and into the halls of power, influencing secular society so 
  greatly that perhaps there would be no more necromancy.
  Another vocal minority consists of neutral good clergy. 
  They’re crusaders against the undead, wanderers who wish 
  to extend the rite to those who might never receive it. They 
  believe the withdrawal of the ministers into their sacristies 
  allows much evil to be done in the world. They want to 
  bring the mercy of Mormekar’s edicts to all people.
  A very few ministers are chaotic neutral, and came to 
  the Mormekim because the faith is about as different 
  from the rest of mortal society as one can get. They enjoy 
  being outsiders concerned only with death, scoffing at 
  “the quick.” Many of these ministers play to the prejudices 
  most folk have about the Mormekim, dressing in black 
  and speaking in mordant voices.
  A neutral evil Mormekim cult exists, and is discussed in 
  Chapter VII. It rejects mainstream doctrine, reveres the 
  undead and sanctifies killing, making it the sworn enemy 
  of the sacristies.
  
  Chapter IV: the gods oF the tree
  90
  90
  JoInIng the MInIsters
  Prospective ministers go to sacristies and take a one-year 
  vow of silence. During this time, they try to understand 
  the stillness of the dead and learn the rite. When they 
  have completed their time of silence, they speak the rite 
  before any other words, and recite it perfectly and in its 
  entirety. If they succeed, they become ministers: clerics 
  with the Repose domain, described in Chapter X. A min-
  ister is addressed as “Father,” or “Mother,” and introduced 
  by full title. 
  obedIent brotherhood  
  oF MorMekar 
  The obedient brotherhood upholds the covenant between 
  mortals and Mormekar as expressed by the second utter-
  ance, “Death is sacred. Obey my command: Seek out 
  those who violate that sanctity and destroy them.” Unlike 
  ministers, obedient brothers and sisters are not dispassion-
  ate beings of duty. They are filled with holy righteousness, 
  and stand opposed to the pure evil of undeath. They are 
  just as concerned with protecting the living from the 
  ravages of necromancy as they are with preserving the 
  sanctity of the dead. They believe the utterances pertain 
  to life as well as death. For instance, since death is sacred, 
  it should not be brought on by something unholy like 
  the undead. Thus, the living should be protected from 
  the undead.
  Members of the obedient brotherhood often join adven-
  turing groups, happy to go on missions that might not 
  involve the undead, but they always prefer war against 
  undeath over any other venture. They have no authority 
  structure, and are free to go wherever they will.
  The order tends to attract grim specimens. Most of the 
  obedient brotherhood are quiet, tend toward dark garb 
  and whispering voices, and have childhoods touched by 
  the ravages of the undead. There are exceptions, of course, 
  and the order does not require a dark outlook. Neverthe-
  less, every obedient brother and sister sees death as one 
  of the two most sacred acts of the mortal races, with the 
  other being birth. They do not shy from the dead and the 
  dying, and wish to give them dignity.
  A member of the obedient brotherhood must not permit 
  the defiling of the dead, including creating undead or 
  looting corpses. They oppose violators. Yet one could 
  deprive one of the undead of its treasures, if these were 
  taken after the creature was damned, or could take items 
  from a body if they know (and do not just believe) that 
  the deceased would have desired this. Furthermore, they 
  are not opposed to all necromancy, but only that which 
  disturbs the slumber of death. An obedient brother would 
  rather die than let undead flourish. He administers the 
  rite to any who need it. 
  Members of this order are excellent traveling compan-
  ions. While they must give top priority to battling the 
  undead and dark necromancy, they are otherwise com-
  pletely free. The order commands them only to go forth 
  and oppose the defiling of death, so if their companions 
  aren’t defiling the dead themselves, they make perfectly 
  pleasant company. They have no disposition toward chaos 
  or law, so other holy warriors, rogues, barbarians, wiz-
  ards, sorcerers, monks, druids—all make fine associates 
  for obedient brothers and sisters. If they will aid the holy 
  warrior in her quest against the undead, even better.
  Their favorite companions are Morwynites, who pro-
  tect life and birth as Mormekim protect the dead and the 
  dying. Together, they make a formidable team.
  JoInIng the obedIent brotherhood
  Initiates to the order must find an obedient brother or 
  sister willing to train them. Together they pray for guid-
  ance from Mormekar, and if they both feel the god wishes 
  the candidate to become an obedient sister (or brother), 
  she becomes one. She then trains for a year, learning the 
  rite and the secrets of destroying the undead. It’s a very 
  simple process. One is an obedient brother or sister all 
  of one’s life, and there are no higher titles in the order. 
  A member of the obedient brotherhood is addressed as 
  “brother” or “sister” and introduced by name, followed by 
  order: “Ming Tan, an Obedient Sister of the Sacristies of 
  Mormekar.” Most are neutral good, and come from the 
  ranks of rangers (hunter) or paladins (oath of vengeance).
  the rItual oF rebIrth
  Mormekar is the god of rebirth as well as death. This 
  rarely has any impact on mortal society, as those who are 
  reborn have no recollection of their previous lives. There 
  are those, however, who believe it is possible to influence 
  one’s rebirth, or even to be reborn in one’s lifetime. Some 
  who have led lives of unspeakable wickedness come to 
  the sacristies of Mormekar pleading to be reborn so they 
  might set their unforgivable acts to rights. These acts are 
  usually crimes that are certain to result in eternal pun-
  ishment in one of the infernal realms—consorting with 
  demons and devils, murdering family, or worse.
  People seeking rebirth pray for days, sometimes weeks, 
  to the other gods of the tree, begging for forgiveness. 
  During this time, the ministers bring food and water but 
  do not speak to the petitioner. At the end of this period, 
  a penitent rises and ministers administer the rite, though 
  she still breaths. The penitent then leaps into one of the 
  massive braziers that sit at the center of each sacristy, 
  showing they are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice 
  for forgiveness, and surrender to the will of the gods.
  Usually, flames consume the penitent, and none know 
  whether they attain forgiveness, or the afterlife torments 
  they were destined for. Once in a great while, for reasons 
  known only to the gods, the fires do not consume the pen-
  itent. They rise from the flames, and the ministers gather 
  around her. They anoint her with three pure oils—one 
  for birth, one for life, and one for death—and give her 
  a new name. Under this new name, she is sent into the 
  word to right the terrible wrongs she did in her prior life. 
  She is now one of the reborn, the third holy order of the 
  Mormekim. She receives no special address, honorifics, 
  or introduction, but can ask for the aid of any faithful 
  Mormekim by saying, “I am reborn.” For details on play-
  ing one of the reborn, see Chapter X.
  
  91
  Maal (MAHL) is the lawful neutral god of justice, law, 
  the dead, the land of the dead, retribution, lawyers, 
  magistrates, judges, and all others who make their 
  living through the law, or have a special love for it. Law 
  is everything to Maal; his laws are perfect and wise, 
  and would be thought to be “good” were they the laws 
  of any mortal realm.
  Maal is associated with the owl, a bird said to know no 
  partiality, sitting in judgment of the world from its bough, 
  and with the sphinx, the first of which was born from one 
  of his many adventures.
  When shown in icons, Maal stands as one of the tall-
  est of the gods. He’s thin, with long hair, and adorned 
  in shining black armor. He is shown to have steely gray 
  eyes that pierce deep into men’s souls. He is always rep-
  resented with Justice, his sword, either held before him 
  with the point toward the ground, or held aloft in his 
  right hand, tip skyward. When pointed down it means 
  that Maal has found someone guilty or unworthy, or 
  that he stands in judgment. The upward sword means 
  he is pleased by an act of righteousness. Many people in 
  the world, even those who are not adherents of Maal’s 
  church, cheer a great deed by raising their swords aloft, 
  tips to heaven.
  Maal’s symbol is the sword Justice. Holy warriors 
  of Maal have small silver swords, generally pointed 
  upward, for their symbol. Clerics also use this symbol, 
  but sometimes the sword lays sideways with an owl—
  Wisdom—perched on its edge, with the sword vertically 
  behindteh owl, or otherwise arrayed with it. Justice was 
  carved from metals created by the Nameless One, so 
  more expensive and formal symbols are crafted from the 
  most exotic metals the faithful can find. The sword in 
  these symbols usually has the word “Justice” carved into 
  it in the cleric’s native language.
  Maal is most popular among humans and dwarves, 
  both of whom often have elaborately legalistic societies. 
  Dwarves love him further because he was the first to 
  delve into the earth and build a home. The King of Souls 
  is also beloved of mixed races, particularly half-orcs 
  who reject the chaotic nature of their orc brethren. This 
  is because Maal’s law applies to all equally, and knows 
  no prejudice. Regardless of popularity, all mortal races 
  worship Maal, since they all come to stand before him 
  in the end.
  Myths 
  FIrst VengeanCe and FIrst law
  before the compact, when maal fIrstborn’s kIngdom was 
  new, before the Three Sisters emerged and Naryne became Queen 
  of Souls, Maal decreed vengeance to be the first great crime.
  Steely Eyed Maal sat then in judgment upon his great 
  throne, as he does now. His grey court was particularly bus-
  tling one day long ago, and his servants had difficulty holding 
  back the throng. Eventually, a man in blue and white came to 
  stand before the Judge of Souls.
  “Speak your name and tell of your life,” Maal’s Voice demanded.
  “I am Ceruill,” the man replied, “a simple bard who was in 
  love.” Ceruill told Maal’s court of his life, often relying on song or 
  poetry to capture important moments. He had been the minstrel 
  in the palace of a great and powerful king, wherein he had fallen 
  in love with the king’s daughter, Ophiel. Unfortunately for him, a 
  neighboring prince named Faristel had also fallen in love with the 
  princess, and had petitioned her father for her hand in marriage.
  But the princess did not love Faristel. Ceruill’s songs and 
  poems had won her heart long before, and when her father 
  told her of Faristel’s proposal, she told her father of her abiding 
  love for the court minstrel. The king had always loved Ceruill 
  dearly, and decided he would allow his daughter to marry for 
  love rather than riches and politics.
  It was arranged, and Ceruill and Ophiel had the most 
  magnificent marriage the kingdom had ever seen. But Faristel 
  was consumed with jealous rage. How could this dotard of a 
  king choose a lowborn minstrel for his daughter’s hand over a 
  prince? He became increasingly convinced the entire affair was 
  a wicked scheme, that Ceruill had cast the court under some 
  sort of dire enchantment—an enchantment that would only be 
  broken upon Ceruill’s death.
  The night after the wedding, Faristel and five of his men-
  at-arms broke into the chambers of Ceruill and Ophiel as 
  they slept in each other’s arms. Faristel bent down and woke 
  Ceruill, whispering in his ear that he would save Ophiel and 
  her father from the minstrel’s foul magic. And with that, he 
  plunged a blade into the bard’s heart.
  Ceruill’s tale told, Maal’s Voice bade him kneel for judg-
  ment. Maal the Judge pondered the story for some time and 
  at last ordained, “Your heart has been rich with love, and you 
  have brought beauty into this world. You shall abide in the 
  fourth hall and be blessed.”
  A
  fter the war of the gods of the tree and expulsion of corpus Infernus, the gods of the tree joined in 
  marriages that produced five children. The gods of the womb, though not as powerful as their parents, are 
  nonetheless more popular among the mortal races, as they are far more concerned with the workings of mortal 
  society than their elders. There are five gods born of the womb: Maal the Judge; Darmon the Traveler; Aymara the Singer; 
  Korak the Maker; and Anwyn the Homely.
  God oF lAW And JUStice
  Maal
  Steely eyed, the JUdGe, FirStborn,  
  JUdGe oF SoUlS, kinG oF SoUlS
  V: the gods oF the woMb 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  92
  92
  “Blood for blood shall not be law, but lawlessness. Say to 
  your people, ‘If you should kill my brother, then I will call upon 
  my lord’s law for justice and shall not seek to avenge my broth-
  er’s death with my own hand.’ I declare this day that none shall 
  have a right to vengeance, but all shall have a right to justice.”
  The wise men and women bowed their heads, ready to take 
  this decree to their lords, when Issama, the chamberlain of a 
  great and powerful queen of the East, stepped forward. “Grave 
  Lord Maal,” she cried out, “What if my lord is a tyrant and 
  shall not give me justice? Am I to allow the foul murder of my 
  brother to go unavenged?”
  The other eleven cringed, ready for Maal to lash out in fury. 
  Instead, he was silent for a great while. At last he spoke: “You are 
  wise, Issama, and you shall sit at my left hand when your time 
  has come. Yes, you will allow this foul murder to go unavenged, 
  because on this day I, Lord Maal, judge and king of your mortal 
  souls, swear this oath to my short-lived cousins: There will 
  always be justice. Though you may not see it in your time, though 
  you may not understand its workings, you must trust in me. 
  There will always be justice, and no crime shall go unpunished. I 
  will take a dark view of anyone who should doubt me, and who 
  lets his sword drip with the blood of vengeance.”
  With that, Maal was silent, and the mortal races knew 
  his great law: A terrible and ancient doom lies upon any who 
  avenges a crime done against him. All must trust in the law, 
  and know that justice will prevail. 
  Over the years following this first edict, Maal summoned the 
  servants of the twelve great rulers to give them laws several 
  more times, in the end forming a great code from which the most 
  Ceruill was led away to the fourth hall to live out eternity in 
  joy, rather than be reborn. Of the next eight men to come before 
  Steely Eyed Maal, four were guards from outside Ophiel’s 
  chamber, and four were Faristel’s men-at-arms. It became 
  clear that moments after Ceruill died, Ophiel’s screams sum-
  moned the guards, resulting in a terrible, bloody battle.
  Finally, Faristel came before Maal, his heart having been 
  pierced by an arrow as he tried to escape. For his crimes, Maal 
  sentenced Faristel to suffer for eternity in the third pit. And 
  once this was done, Maal thought the tale done with.
  For weeks after, more and more men came before Maal from 
  Ophiel’s kingdom, and Faristel’s realm. When he discovered 
  his son was dead, Faristel’s father declared war on Ophiel’s 
  nation. More and more souls came before Maal, of those slain 
  because Faristel had killed Ceruill.
  Eventually, Ophiel and her father both stood before the 
  Judge of Souls. In her grief over Ceruill’s murder, Ophiel had 
  hurled herself into a river. Upon learning of his daughter’s 
  death, the king took his own life, out of misery. More of the 
  king’s subjects came before Maal then, for without a ruler, the 
  nation was soon torn to pieces by its neighbors, leaving blood 
  and fire in their wake.
  When all was done, some fifty thousand souls had stood 
  before Maal, all killed in a chain of events that began with 
  one murder. It became clear to the King of Souls that some sort 
  of order must be brought to the mortal world to prevent this 
  sort of catastrophe in the future, so he summoned before him 
  the representatives of twelve great rulers. These wise men and 
  women journeyed to the lands of the dead to stand before the 
  throne of Judgment, whereupon Maal decreed:
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  93
  perfect of mortal societies could blossom. But the rulers failed to 
  live by the laws; they were eventually all destroyed by wars, and 
  the laws of Maal were lost to antiquity. To this day, only the first 
  law passed from Maal’s lips to mortal ears is remembered, and it 
  is still powerfully difficult for mortal races to obey it.
  Judge the dead
  Maal judges the soul of every mortal who dies, and it is 
  through Maal the final reckoning comes for all. He stands 
  beyond good and evil, but Maal determines whether a 
  mortal has lived a good or evil life by listening to the tales 
  of their lives, and then consulting the black and white led-
  gers of their deeds, as recorded in Gehenna and Elysium, 
  respectively. Once he has learned all there is to learn, he 
  hands down one of four judgments.
  • The truly evil are cast down into Hell, Gehenna, 
  or the Abyss. 
  • Those who led acceptable lives, but failed to distin-
  guish themselves in thought and deed, remain in his 
  realm until it is time for them to be reborn.
  • The truly good, or those who have wrongly suffered, 
  remain in eternal bliss in one of the four halls (see 
  “Servants” below for details on the four halls).
  • For those who led lives in total devotion to a god, 
  their souls might find a place in that god’s realm, if 
  the deity requests them from Maal. 
  Wise like his mother Morwyn, Maal saw how mortal 
  societies could function and, as detailed in the myth 
  above, gave mortals laws that would guide them to perfect 
  order. However, his laws were lost by mortals and evil 
  flourished thus, making Maal weary and filling him with 
  sorrow. Maal wants mortals to rediscover the ancient laws, 
  but due to the Compact he cannot simply present them on 
  tablets. This vexes him, since he wants nothing better than 
  for the mortal races to live in happy order.
  The Compact also prevents Maal from enforcing justice 
  in the world, except in the most egregious cases when 
  all the gods agree he must influence the Material Plane. 
  He swore to the mortal races long ago that justice would 
  always prevail, given time, so Maal must provide justice, 
  or be a liar. Thus, he steers his church and servants in the 
  mortal sphere to advance the cause of justice, in some 
  cases righting ancient wrongs long forgotten by mortals. 
  When a group of adventurers happens upon the site of an 
  ancient injustice they might set to rights, it is said Maal’s 
  hand guided them there.
  In addition to the judgment of souls and the enforcing 
  justice, Maal is also king over the land of the dead. Most 
  of the duties of rulership, however, he has passed on to his 
  wife, Naryne.
  serVants oF Maal
  Maal’s companion and servitor is Wisdom, an owl who 
  sits on his left shoulder when he holds court. From time to 
  time, Wisdom delivers messages from Maal to the Mate-
  rial Plane. The god’s kingdom also teems with celestials 
  who aid souls in their transition from the mortal sphere 
  to eternal life, guide reborn souls back to the Material 
  Plane, take chosen souls to new homes with their patron 
  gods, and escort the souls of the wicked to the infernal 
  planes. Chief among these servants are the Four Riders, 
  who were in the past sent to the Material Plane on great 
  and terrible steeds, to enact the will of their lord. Ever 
  since the Compact, the Four Riders have rarely entered 
  the mortal world. The riders also act as the wardens of the 
  four halls, where souls who performed great deeds in life 
  are rewarded with eternal bliss.
  iSSAmA, coUnSelor to the kinG
  Issama is Warden of the First Hall, the resting place of 
  those who are wise and good of heart. She stands to the 
  left of Maal’s throne, and advises the King of Souls on 
  matters as varied as elven customs, legal loopholes, and 
  contemporary marriage practices. She keeps abreast of the 
  mortal sphere, though she rarely travels there on the back 
  of her grey steed.
  FrAtricide, retribUtion oF blood
  The only member of the Four Riders who still ventures 
  into the Material Plane regularly, Maal sends Fratricide 
  to punish those who kill their kin. This doom is as old 
  as the gods’ fratricide, when Tinel and Terak slew one 
  another, and Maal’s father was born. While many who kill 
  their own blood face mortal justice, Maal might still send 
  Fratricide to punish such criminals, whether they’ve been 
  apprehended or not. No one knows why some receive divine 
  justice and others do not. Fratricide fetches these villains 
  and hurls them into the pits of Hell. Fratricide is not a 
  single figure, but an office inhabited by a living, loyal ser-
  vant of Maal for one hundred years and a day, after which 
  time the servant experiences the rest of his mortal life, and 
  after dying, becomes one of the captains of Maal’s king-
  dom. Fratricide rides upon a flaming, blood red steed. The 
  Retribution of Blood also acts as the Warden of the Second 
  Hall, wherein reside the souls of those who committed 
  great acts of valor and loyalty. When Fratricide rides abroad 
  former bearers of the mantle, who have died and become 
  Maal’s captains, oversee his hall.
  remorSe, WeePer For the WronGed
  No one knows how Remorse came into Maal’s service, 
  but her role in the kingdom of the dead is quite clear. 
  When souls come before Maal who have been griev-
  ously wronged, Remorse asks the King of Souls to right 
  the wrong, and give the wounded succor. Essentially, 
  Remorse petitions on behalf of the most pathetic of the 
  dead. Sometimes Maal ignores Remorse’s pleading, but 
  more often, responds by sending the soul to the Third 
  Hall. Sometimes the tale of sorrow angers the King of 
  Souls so much, he sends Fratricide to right the wrong if 
  it is a blood crime, or names a talesman to do so (see holy 
  orders below). Remorse rides a black steed, and is Warden 
  of the Third Hall, where those who suffered such horrible 
  pain in life reside, so that they need never return to the 
  mortal sphere.
  
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  94
  mAAl’S voice, herAld oF the coUrt
  If Maal’s Voice ever had a name, it is long forgotten, but 
  it is said he was once great among the div, and thus was 
  chosen to be Maal’s first servant. When Maal sits upon 
  the Throne of Judgment, any word he utters is a lasting 
  law or judgment, so for lesser matters of the court, Maal’s 
  Voice speaks for his master. Riding a white steed on the 
  rare occasions he travels forth, Maal’s Voice is Warden of 
  the Fourth Hall, wherein reside those who brought great 
  beauty into the world. Any spell that allows casters to speak 
  with Maal, such as commune, is answered by Maal’s Voice.
  the Courts  
  oF Maal
  Known as the courts of Maal, the god’s church has only a 
  few dedicated worshipers (called Maalites), largely due to 
  the rigorous rules its members must follow. Nevertheless, 
  the court is powerful, prominent, and well respected, 
  since the courts and their representatives are known to be 
  unbiased and wise. In nearly every major city or center 
  of government in human, dwarven, and mixed-race soci-
  eties, there stands a court of Maal. Locals go them to 
  resolve thorny conflicts. Some local governments rely 
  on the courts of Maal to serve as criminal justice 
  systems. Even in cases where a government has its 
  own trial system, leaders consult with the courts to 
  help resolve important issues, especially if they 
  involve powerful nobles.
  A central court heads a large network 
  of lesser courts. The Four Justices, who 
  comprise the high court, 
  issue edicts for the rest 
  of the faithful about 
  the legal policies of 
  various nations, the 
  goals of the courts, and 
  the status of the search for the 
  Sacred Laws. Maal gave mortals 
  these laws at the beginning of the fourth epoch. 
  If followed, they would create a perfect, harmo-
  nious society. These laws were all lost, except for the 
  first: Maal’s doom against vengeance. It is therefore the 
  solemn mission of Maal’s faithful to recover the Sacred 
  Laws, to bring about a new age of enlightenment and peace 
  for all. In all their years of searching, they have not found a 
  single one, and fear diabolical or demonic influence keeps 
  them from being recovered.
  The faithful do not speak of this mission to outsiders, 
  though some members of other churches know of it. 
  While the faithful search, the courts maintain good rela-
  tionships with secular authorities, and uphold their duties 
  as legal arbiters and counselors. The courts also maintain 
  fine relationships with other lawful churches, including 
  the Great Church, which sometimes calls upon the courts 
  of Maal to adjudicate disputes between its members when 
  the case requires a neutral third party.
  In ancient times, the courts were also places where 
  mourners could gather and remember their dead, offering 
  prayers to the King of the Dead to care for their loved ones. 
  The churches of the Mormekim and Narynath have largely 
  taken over these roles, but some still go to the courts to pray 
  that the Judge of Souls will be kind to lost loved ones.
  Maal depends on his courts to carry out justice in the 
  world. He communicates to his followers through omens, 
  or even direct messages via his Voice, or Wisdom. Maal 
  believes his servants are just, but is saddened when some 
  of them fail to mete out justice, or do not understand its 
  true meaning. Those eager to inflict terrible judgments 
  rarely climb high in the hierarchy of his faith, for he 
  makes sure the leaders of the courts know his disapproval. 
  JustICe For all
  “Though the world’s injustices may fill the vessel of your 
  heart with rage and hatred, though you may desire 
  with all your soul to destroy those who have wronged 
  you, remember that there is a true and greater law 
  more perfect than any you might ever recite, more beau-
  tiful than you might ever hope.” 
   —The Writ of Maal,  
  holiest screed of the courts of Maal
  The doctrine of the courts rests on four principles, 
  which are described below.
  there Will be JUStice
  Even before Maal’s first declaration, there 
  were laws against murder and taking 
  justice into one’s own hands. If all 
  involved in the tale of Ceruill 
  and Ophiel had 
  obeyed those laws, 
  much suffering 
  would have been 
  avoided. While the 
  Church of Maal knows 
  mortal laws are fallible 
  (though they are mostly lawful neutral, 
  they do not believe all laws are right simply 
  because they are laws), they know Maal’s law is 
  infallible. Maal promised all crimes would receive 
  justice, so it is therefore a great wrong to commit 
  another crime to see justice done. For instance, kill-
  ing someone who has harmed your family because you 
  believe it is the only way to receive justice is wrong—
  Maal has decreed it so, and you only prove you lack faith 
  in Maal and his promise. “Trust in Maal,” the justiciars 
  say, “for he is compassionate, and his justice will be done.”
  mAAl’S WiSdom iS inFinite
  Gods see further and understand more than even the 
  wisest mortal can. Maal understands society and the 
  mortal spirit better than any king or holy leader ever will, 
  so his laws and decrees are perfect. His Sacred Laws were 
  lost to the mortal races through ignorance, and failure to 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  95
  obey them. Most in the courts believe they still haven’t 
  been found because of outside interference. A few believe 
  they will be found in sequence, once the mortal races 
  master them in order. Thus, the second decree will not 
  appear until all mortals understand and live by the first, 
  surviving decree: Vengeance is wrong. Believers argue that 
  Maal could give mortal races the laws despite the Com-
  pact, but refrains, because he doesn’t want them ignored 
  and lost again. Maal’s faithful debate how many decrees 
  Maal gave mortals, but most agree on twelve: one for each 
  of the mythic leaders to whom they were given. 
  All PeoPle hAve A riGht to be JUdGed
  All people accused of a crime have a right to some sort 
  of trial, and should not simply be executed or punished 
  according to mere whim, so the courts are opposed to 
  low justice, in which a noble punishes a peasant how-
  ever they like. All mortals have the right to some sort 
  of formal trial before mundane authorities, just as all 
  people, no matter how evil, despicable or chaotic, have a 
  right to appear before Maal, and receive final judgment. 
  Believers therefore abhor any magic that entraps or 
  destroys the soul, or prevents it from ever going to Maal. 
  Transforming oneself into a lich qualifies. They refer to 
  all such magic as “anarchic,” and court officers tirelessly 
  pursue those who use it.
  thoSe Who deny the riGht  
  to JUdGment Are enemieS
  Be it a king who gives legal protections to nobles, but 
  allows peasants to suffer the chaotic whims of hetman and 
  gangs, or a sorcerer who traps souls in a magical well to 
  power his spells, the courts oppose those who seek to deny 
  others their right to procedural justice from their own 
  societies, or from Maal, at the cusp of the afterlife. At the 
  very least, courts issue edicts and arguments against those 
  who bar the way to judgment, but in the worst cases, the 
  courts might take up arms. The courts are not egalitarian, 
  however, and do not require a kingdom to treat all its sub-
  jects equally, or issue virtuous laws. A lawful evil empire 
  might escape the courts’ opposition, if all its people have 
  access to some formal justice system.
  prayers oF Maal
  The justiciars and the officers of the courts of Maal pray 
  to their Lord often, particularly when they wonder if a 
  decision they made was correct or ethical. Most often, 
  common folk pray to Maal in three cases: when they need 
  the wisdom to make an important decision, when they’re 
  wronged and crave justice, and when a loved one has died.
  The prayer recited most fervently is called the Entreaty, 
  and it is a cry to Maal for justice, when wronged. While 
  spoken from the perspective of one murdered, its meaning 
  stands beyond any one crime, for any offense committed 
  against the mortal races. The Entreaty is not said lightly, 
  as it is a solemn plea to Maal. It is usually invoked by 
  someone who knows who has wronged them, is des-
  perately trying to control their rage, and wants to avoid 
  taking matters into their own hands.
  “Father Maal, Judge of Souls,
  King of the Dead,
  Hear me in my need.
  My blood runs in rivers,
  And with it mingle my bitter tears.
  I lay dying yet no crime have I done,
  No man have I wronged.
  My innocent blood I offer to you, Father Maal,
  My angry tears are my libations;
  I pray to you that those who wrong me will 
  find Justice,
  By your hand or another’s.
  Let not my blood be washed away,
  Let not my life be forgotten.”
  holy days
  The courts of Maal observe many minor holy days, each 
  generally tied to days of remembrance of the dead. The 
  holiday all observe at the beginning of the year is called 
  the “Day of Offering.” On this day, people are expected to 
  come to the courts, and pray to Maal to forgive them any 
  transgressions they might have committed in the previous 
  year. They accompany their prayers with an offering given 
  to the wronged party. In cases where this is not possible , 
  an offering it is given to the court, to be distributed to those 
  who have been wronged, but received no offering. It is a day 
  filled with tears and apologies. Most people go to the courts 
  of Maal on the Day of Offering, including those who rarely 
  pray to Maal, as it is considered one of the highest and most 
  holy holidays of the gods. It is, after all, courting favor with 
  the king who will ultimately determine the fate of your soul.
  saInts
  Saints are named by Maal himself when he judges souls. 
  Tireless crusaders for justice who come before Maal 
  sometimes find themselves greeted as saints. When Jerik, 
  a hand of Maal who almost single-handedly toppled a 
  goblin kingdom that had enslaved thousands, came before 
  Maal to be judged, he knelt. The Voice of Maal greeted 
  him by saying “Arise, Saint Jerik, and be judged.” In that 
  simple pronouncement, sainthood was conferred.
  On occasion, servants of Maal in the mortal sphere learn 
  in prayer that one of the fallen has been elevated to saint-
  hood. From that point onward, the departed is referred to 
  as a saint by all faithful. In the example above, Jerik’s sister 
  sought to commune with Maal, to ask for guidance some 
  years after her brother’s death. The Voice of Maal told her 
  that her brother, Saint Jerik, would thereafter be a guardian 
  of Maal’s kingdom. After that, all her efforts to commune 
  were answered by her brother, and from this incident, the 
  courts of Maal learned Jerik had been named a saint.
  Due to the unique nature of the ceremony to become a 
  hand of Maal, there have been living saints of Maal who 
  returned from the dead with their new title. Some also learn 
  of their sainthood, only to be later resurrected, though most 
  refuse to be brought back. The true roll of saints is known 
  only to Maal’s dead legions, and may include names never 
  shared with the living. Those who are named saints by Maal 
  reside in his kingdom in eternal bliss, and are not reborn.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
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  96
  The average court has one to three high justiciars, and 
  eight to ten justiciars. There are usually five, ten or fifteen 
  swords of the officers of Maal (almost always a multiple of 
  five), and three to five shields. The prolocutors and hands 
  are charged with wandering the world and spreading 
  justice, so the most powerful members of the courts are 
  rarely found within their walls.
  JustICIars oF Maal 
  The justiciars are the clerical order of the courts of Maal. 
  They keep the court systems operating, with the high jus-
  ticiars overseeing the individual courts. They are looked 
  to for their wisdom, good judgment, and counsel. The 
  deepest purpose of the order is the recovery of the Sacred 
  Laws, and this is what concerns most prolocutors, who 
  are generally wandering, powerful clerics seeking these 
  ancient artifacts of their god.
  There are only two major alignments among clerics of 
  Maal—lawful neutral and lawful good. Lawful neutral justi-
  ciars are the largest contingent of the courts. Their foremost 
  concern is finding the twelve laws of Maal. While their 
  complete dedication to legality makes them excellent judges, 
  they often allow unfortunate outcomes by the standards of 
  goodness, as they feel the preservation of the law is of para-
  mount importance. For this reason, in cases where someone 
  has broken the law but has done so for a good or very under-
  standable reason, lawful neutral justiciars still condemn the 
  criminal, and are uninterested in vague concepts such as 
  “right” or “context.” Some people complain these justiciars 
  do evil by adhering to law so completely, but the justiciars 
  respond that the anyone who breaks the law for some short-
  term good will likely do a profound evil, in the end.
  Lawful good justiciars, however, are much beloved, for 
  they believe that law exists to better the lives of people. They 
  are the “live and let live” sort, associating themselves with 
  people who, perhaps, bend the letter of the law to achieve 
  great good. While they themselves do not stray from the 
  law, and while they certainly try to explain to such people 
  the importance of maintaining laws, one can find a lawful 
  good justiciar adventuring with chaotic good heroes. Such 
  justiciars are paragons of virtue, seeking to aid others 
  through their wisdom and strength. They do not lie, do 
  not swear, do not strike others in anger, and do not raise 
  their voices. All in all, they seek to be exceptional figures of 
  morality, temperance, and wisdom, as Maal is. Lawful good 
  justiciars typically do not rise far in the court system, and it 
  is rare for one of them to sit as one of the Four Justices.
  There are lawful evil clerics who call Maal their lord. 
  Likely receiving power from an infernal source instead 
  of the god they proclaim, these deluded few believe life 
  is misery, and save people from it by sending them to 
  Maal. The clerics of this secret and blasphemous order 
  are discussed in Chapter VII.
  Forms of address for the justiciars are varied, but 
  all are introduced by name and position among 
  the justiciars, such as, “Wilhelm, prolocutor of 
  the courts of Maal.” When referred to without his 
  name, a member of the order is called “a justiciar 
  of Maal,” regardless of his personal title, or more 
  holy orders
  The courts of Maal have two great holy orders: the order 
  of justiciars (joo-STISH-ee-urs; the clergy) and the 
  officers of Maal (holy warriors). A third order, the tales-
  men (TAYLZ-muhn), has few members, none of whom 
  involve themselves in court matters. The Four Justices of 
  the faith act as its central authority, and consist of two 
  highest ranked justiciars and the two greatest known 
  officers of Maal. The Four control the faith from a central 
  court located in a small city, far from prying eyes. 
  The order of justiciars has four levels of status: justiciar, 
  high justiciar, prolocutor (pro-LOOK-yuh-tur), and their 
  two Justices. The officers of Maal are also divided into 
  four groups: swords, shields, hands, and their two Justices. 
  The talesmen are only ever talesmen, and never for long.
  The high justiciars oversee the activities of the courts. 
  The clergy below them see to the court’s judgments, and 
  the officers see to their enforcement. Justiciars who do not 
  serve at a court mostly concern themselves with finding 
  the Sacred Laws, and officers not found at court bring 
  justice to the world through the 
  strength of their blades.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  97
  formally, “a justiciar of the courts of Maal,” since the most 
  important detail about them is that they serve the courts 
  and can mediate disputes. They represent the faith and 
  their order first, in all things.
  JUSticiAr
  New justiciars keep busy. Several justiciars operate in even 
  the smallest courts, as running one involves a fantastic 
  amount of work, given that most courts hear daily petitions 
  from local people asking for help in serious matters such as 
  resolving disputes and remedying cases of injustice. Justi-
  ciars operate as assistants to high justiciars, and must obey 
  their superiors. New justiciars rarely adventure far from 
  home, but it can happen when it involves court business. 
  The courts consider it acceptable for justiciars not suited 
  to minding the courts to defend the principle of organized 
  laws abroad. Justiciars are addressed as “honored justiciar.”
  hiGh JUSticiAr
  With sufficient experience, justiciars can attain the rank of 
  high justiciar, and might be given authority over a court. 
  In major population centers, several high justiciars work 
  in a single court. They form a council and ponder their 
  decisions, but one justiciar is given supreme authority over 
  the court from the Four Justices. High justiciars rise from 
  the ranks of the justiciars after a time automatically, and 
  without needing approval from higher church officials, but 
  they must petition the Four Justices in order to run a court. 
  Petitions can take a great while to grant, with some waiting 
  up to five years before receiving an assignment. If a high 
  justiciar can build a court with her funds, or funds raised, 
  she automatically gains authority over the court. High justi-
  ciars are addressed as “lord justiciar,” or “lady justiciar.”
  ProlocUtor
  High justiciars who distinguish themselves are eventually 
  hailed as prolocutors and are henceforth placed above day-
  to-day matters, such as operating a court. Prolocutors travel 
  the world, quest for the Sacred Laws, visit distant lands, 
  and bring law to the world, speaking the will of Maal to 
  any who would listen. Prolocutors speak for Maal. When 
  they declare something unjust, anyone with a shred of 
  sense listens. Those prolocutors who prefer not to wander 
  find the Four Justices interceding, instructing them to put 
  aside their mundane labors and do Maal’s work abroad. It is 
  rare for this admonishment to be required. A prolocutor is 
  addressed as “most honored justiciar.”
  FoUr JUSticeS
  When one of the two Justices from the order of justiciars 
  steps down or dies, a prolocutor receives a mysterious spir-
  itual call to sit on the council of the Four Justices. They 
  simply know it is their time. No more than one prolocu-
  tor has ever answered the call; the faithful believe Maal 
  chooses the Justices. The call doesn’t always summon the 
  strongest justiciar, and some join the Four Justices just 
  months after being named prolocutors. The call can some-
  times tell a Justice to step down, too. A Justice from the 
  order of justiciars is addressed as “supreme justiciar” and 
  might be introduced as, “Supreme Justiciar Mord, one of 
  the Four Justices of the courts of Maal.”
  JoInIng the JustICIars
  Prospective members must undergo years of legal training 
  before they can join the justiciars. Those already familiar 
  with the law could become a justiciar without additional 
  training, but otherwise a character would have to stop 
  adventuring for two to four years while he learned the law. 
  Upon completing training, they become clerics with the 
  Balance domain (see Chapter X). Most justiciars favor the 
  longsword to symbolize the sword Justice, which Maal has 
  wielded since the war with Kador.
  oFFICers oF Maal
  It is one thing to pass judgment or to demand that the law 
  be followed, but quite another to enforce that judgment, or 
  those demands. When criminals must be pursued or judg-
  ments enforced, the officers of Maal perform such duties. 
  They do so because of an abiding belief that laws make the 
  world better for everyone. It is not possible to become an 
  officer if one secretly harbors a perverse pleasure in punish-
  ing people, or has too much love for her authority. 
  Officers of Maal must not lie, cheat, or in any way know-
  ingly allow an injustice—great or small—to be done. The 
  exception is in cases of tragedy, where an injustice would 
  occur no matter what the officer does. In such cases, the 
  officer must minimize damage to the innocent. Officers of 
  Maal obey legitimate laws, and bring them to the lawless. 
  Officers of Maal oppose anarchic magic or anything else 
  that takes away the rights of mortals to stand before formal 
  justice, or Maal’s presence after they die. 
  Officers of Maal tend to be most interested in their 
  companions’ goodness. They do not expect everyone they 
  know to be tireless champions for law, or the rights of the 
  downtrodden. However, they stop associating with anyone 
  who uses anarchic magic, and do not work with those who 
  flaunt just laws. A rogue who ceaselessly violates the laws 
  of a corrupt city to overthrow their tyranny, while using 
  methods the officer might not use herself, is certainly an 
  appropriate companion. 
  Members of the order are introduced with title preced-
  ing name, followed by, “an officer of the courts of Maal.” 
  So, a shield named Gwaithin would be introduced as 
  “Shield Gwaithin, an officer of the courts of Maal.”
  SWord
  New officers of the court of Maal are called swords, and 
  addressed as “sword.” Having gone through exhaustive 
  training, swords serve courts. Most courts have five 
  swords, each given a separate duty. The high justiciar 
  might say, “You, Sword Pavel, serve as bailiff, to keep 
  order and escort prisoners to and from proceedings,” or 
  “You, Sword Hellyne, serve as a bodyguard to young 
  justiciars whenever they journey beyond this court.” The 
  swords serve and obey the high justiciar of the court, or 
  any lesser justiciars they’re ordered to serve. 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  98
  98
  More mystical members of the court system refer to each 
  sword as a “finger,” with each of their duties likened to the 
  duties of the fingers of the hand. The sword who serves the 
  bailiff is like the thumb, the anchor of the hand. The sword 
  who helps victims find and prosecute their attackers is like 
  the index finger, which indicates evil, and so on. This is an 
  old-fashioned way to think of such things, but what remains 
  of this tradition is that when five swords go out to capture 
  a dangerous criminal, they’re called “fists.” The courts of 
  large cities employ several organized fists, alongside a few 
  unassigned swords. Some of the most promising swords 
  don’t belong to fists. They go on adventures that, while not 
  lofty enough for shields, still serve the courts of Maal. These 
  “unsheathed swords,” as they are called, are the envy of other 
  young officers of Maal, and are usually the very best of the 
  order, allowed to wander because it would be wasteful to 
  shackle them with bureaucratic work at a court. 
  Shield
  After serving many years as a sword, officers go forth and 
  protect people. The high justiciar of the court adminis-
  ters a mystical test involves strange visions and mysterious 
  questions. The high justiciar casts a spell called the test of souls 
  (see Chapter X) on the promising sword, and delves deeply 
  into her very being to affirm she is ready to serve Maal inde-
  pendently, protecting the innocent and preserving the right 
  to justice. If the sword fails, she can never become a shield, 
  though she maintains her status and powers as a sword of 
  Maal. It is no great shame to fail the test; Maal simply wishes 
  the failure to remain a sword. One who passes becomes a 
  shield, expected to fight against lawlessness and anarchic 
  magic, under the guidance of Maal himself. Shields obey 
  high justiciars and, certainly, any edicts set down by the Four 
  Justices, but are no longer subservient to a single court, and 
  do not have to be involved in day-to-day legal affairs. Several 
  shields often band together and form minor holy orders, 
  though these are culturally specific and left to the GM to 
  create. A shield is addressed as, “shield.”
  hAnd oF mAAl
  After a shield survives many adventures, she might be 
  moved to make the journey, no matter how far, to the 
  Court of the Four Justices. There, she is tested by the Jus-
  tices to see if she’s ready to be a hand of Maal. This time, 
  the test of souls ritual includes fifteen hours of interroga-
  tion, culminating in the ultimate question: Is the shield 
  prepared to stand before Maal? If so, she is given a drink 
  of deadly poison. Upon her death, she goes before Maal 
  for judgment. Four days after, the Four Justices bring her 
  back from the dead. While no officer who has experienced 
  this speaks of her time in Maal’s kingdom, it is clearly 
  excruciating to return. 
  The restoration to life works only on willing partici-
  pants, and by the time one is a ranking officer of Maal, 
  the rewards of the afterlife must be rich indeed. A hand 
  of Maal puts those awards aside to walk once more in this 
  imperfect world, so profound is their desire to better mor-
  tals’ lot. Sometimes officers refuse to return, though such 
  occasions are rare and spoken of sadly. Once brought back, 
  the shield is elevated to the title hand of Maal, because it 
  is said she is now the sword, shield, and hand of the King 
  of Souls on Earth. She receives rich gifts from the Four 
  Justices. Hands act as living agents of Maal’s will. They lead 
  armies, topple evil kingdoms, slay terrorizing dragons, and 
  perform other epic works of heroism in the name of law and 
  justice. A hand is addressed as “grim lord,” or “grim lady.”
  FoUr JUSticeS
  When one of the two Justices from the officer order dies 
  or steps down, a hand is supernaturally called to sit upon 
  the council of the Four Justices, exactly as happens for the 
  justiciars. A justice from the order of officers is addressed 
  as “supreme lord” or “supreme lady,” and might be intro-
  duced as, “Supreme Lady J’oinelle, one of the Four Justices 
  of the courts of Maal.”
  JoInIng the oFFICers oF Maal
  Officers are selected by Maal himself, it is said, for their 
  goodness of heart and their courage to do what must be 
  done. Thus, nearly all officers are lawful good. When it 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  99
  talesMan abIlItIes
  If chosen to become a talesman, the character gains all the 
  following benefits for the duration of the quest.
  Divine Nature: Your alignment changes to unaligned, 
  and you count as having no race or type for the purpose 
  of targeting you with spells. For example, you could not 
  be the target of a charm person spell. You also gain resis-
  tance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from 
  nonmagical weapons.
  Magic Resistance: You have advantage on saving throws 
  against spells and other magical effects.
  Protective Aura: Creatures attacking you have disadvan-
  tage on their attack rolls.
  Divine Wrath: You may call upon the wrath of the gods 
  to become instilled with terrifying power that lasts for 1 
  minute. Until the effect ends, you are immune to being 
  frightened, you make Strength and Constitution attack 
  rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, and at the start of 
  each of your turns, you gain temporary hit points equal 
  to your level. Once you use this benefit, you cannot use it 
  again until you finish a long rest.
  comes time to swear their sacred oath, they usually take 
  the Oath of Vengeance.
  talesMen 
  The courts sometimes refer a third order, the talesmen. In 
  ancient times, when Maal delivered his first laws to the 
  mortal races, some cultures gave criminals a right to trial 
  by jury. Whenever a jury needed to be convened, the lord 
  of the area would issue a “writ of tales,” or an order com-
  manding all those capable of appearing at the lord’s court 
  to serve as a potential jury member. Once the candidates 
  responded to the writ, lots were drawn and twelve tales-
  men, or jurors, were selected to hear the case. While the 
  writ of tales is now rarely used, the talesmen remain. 
  From time to time, a crime happens that is so profound, 
  the gods cry out for justice. It might be a crime somehow 
  hidden from them for millennia through powerful magic, 
  or it might be a recent atrocity committed against the 
  worshipers of several of the gods, such as if a major city 
  was wiped out by an evil sorcerer. When such an event 
  occurs, the gods petition Maal for justice, demanding he 
  find an impartial champion, or several such champions, 
  to right the wrong. These champions must not serve any 
  of the gods as clergy. Upon selecting a champion, Maal 
  sends a writ of tales through one of his servants. If the 
  champion accepts they become a talesman, and courts of 
  Maal throughout the Material Plane consider it a duty 
  to aid them in any way possible. A member of the order 
  receives no titles, and none but members of the courts are 
  likely to even know what a talesman is. When seeking 
  aid from the courts, a talesman need only say “I serve the 
  writ,” and whatever they might need will be provided.
  beCoMIng a talesMan
  One does not choose to become a talesman; rather, Maal 
  scours the world for a worthy champion to right a grave 
  wrong. Maal selects only those of non-evil alignments 
  who do not cast spells from a divine source, so no clerics 
  or paladins qualify. Candidates must demonstrate excep-
  tional skill in the areas necessary to battle the injustice. 
  If this wrong can be righted by stealing a powerful ring, 
  Maal would choose an exceptionally gifted rogue. Since 
  these requirements depend on the specifics of the wrong, 
  there is no one path to receiving a writ of tales, but those 
  selected must be powerful enough for the gods to have 
  noticed them. 
  God oF trAvel, WeAlth, And Joy
  Darmon
  Silver tonGUe, clever, Wily, merry, the trAveler, oF the mAny FAceS,  
  the lAUGhinG God, mASter oF the roAd, lord oF the WAyS,  
  chAmPion oF heAven, the Golden meSSenGer
  Darmon (DAR-mahn) is the chaotic good god of trav-
  elers, tricksters and rogues, joy, laughter, good fortune, 
  trade, merchants, diplomacy, messengers, jesters, scouts, 
  rebels, and thieves. He is associated with the fox, the 
  otter, and the kestrel—the cleverest beasts of land, 
  water, and sky. He is also associated with the djinn, who 
  were once among those div confined to the pillar of fire. 
  Darmon once went to the fire pillar, and found those div 
  of good heart who’d been wrongly imprisoned. These 
  he transported to the pillar of the air, where they rule 
  to this day. These powerful beings love Darmon and are 
  fond of his followers.
  Darmon is called “many faced” because he has always 
  disguised himself to walk among the mortal races. Every 
  race shows him as one of their own in icons, generally 
  as very handsome young male with laughing eyes. He is 
  always shown wearing golden laurels on his brow, bear-
  ing his short blade Laughter’s Sting, and wearing his 
  cloak of the heavens.
  Representational tokens for Darmon are extremely 
  symbolic. A circle of gold, filled in, is all that is neces-
  sary to represent Darmon, and many merchants use this 
  symbol to signify their trade. Those who wish to wear holy 
  symbols of Darmon usually wear a large, round gold coin. 
  When in haste, one need only paint a gold circle, though 
  it is considered most fitting to fill it in. 
  Since Darmon has walked among the mortal races more 
  than any other god, and in the early days could reveal 
  himself when he did so, he is the most universally popular 
  of the gods. All races engage in the crafts he taught them. 
  If there is one race most fond of Darmon, though, it is the 
  humans, who are most enamored with his ways.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
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  100
  Myths 
  the MIght oF wIts
  In a past age, when It was common to meet those whose 
  bloodlines were intermingled with the gods’, there was an elven 
  princess named Mirien who was said to be fairer than any 
  mortal ever born. She was descended from Aymara, and that 
  goddess’ features shone in her face and bearing.
  When the time came for Mirien to take a husband, all the 
  gods watched with interest, for she was no common mortal. 
  Her beauty would fill legends, they all knew, but she also had 
  her foremother’s talent for art; to hear her sing was to hear a 
  sound fairer than the heavenly choirs. When Mirien’s mother 
  began greeting suitors for her daughter, Aymara declared the 
  princess her special ward, and that whosoever was worthy of 
  her hand would be blessed, along with their union.
  Each of the gods, inspired by Aymara’s announcement, 
  decided to take one of her mortal suitors as a ward, and the 
  matter of Mirien’s marriage became a great competition 
  among them. As the suitors presented themselves to Mirien 
  and her parents, Morwyn proclaimed, “Let us all agree then: 
  Whoever’s ward proves worthy of Mirien’s love proves also 
  that his sponsor is the best among us; for let it not be said 
  that all the gods looked on and let the fairest mortal ever 
  born take the hand of any but the worthiest among men.” To 
  this all agreed: The one whose ward was granted Mirien’s 
  hand would be named Champion of the Gods, the greatest 
  of them all.
  By this time, the Three Sisters had been found, and Darmon 
  Silver Tongue had fallen in love with Canelle, the fiery one 
  of the three. The Master of the Road expressed his passion by 
  competing with her, and she enjoyed competing with him. 
  Mere moments after Morwyn’s proclamation, Canelle beat her 
  chest and shouted, “Then my ward will win her hand, for all 
  of us know that I am the greatest among the gods! What test 
  has been devised that I cannot master? What contest of skill or 
  speed has been set down in which I am not the victor?” While 
  her braggadocio won her no favors among the rest of the gods, it 
  only made Darmon the Traveler love her more.
  Wily Darmon knew that the only way to Canelle’s heart was 
  to best her. They had played a thousand games of prowess and 
  skill, and she defeated him time and again. She refused to play 
  him at games of wit and chance, which he might win, and he 
  was certain that if he ever bested her, she would finally see him 
  as worthy. He pledged to win Mirien’s hand for his ward.
  While the others selected their wards for beauty, wealth, 
  nobility, or strength, Darmon, clever Darmon, went to the side 
  of a lad of low birth and weak frame named Rinalde Wolfcall. 
  Rinalde was disliked by most in his village, for while they were 
  strong and toiled in the fields, he was wily, and found ways to 
  perform his labors with minimal effort. Where others were brave 
  in times of war, he defeated enemies with stealth and treachery.
  So the Lord of the Ways whispered into Wolfcall’s ear about 
  the fairest lady ever born. He arrayed Rinalde in rich robes of 
  purple and crimson, and gave him a circlet to wear on his brow, 
  as if he might be a prince from a faraway land. Picking up the 
  clever lad in his mighty hand, Darmon Silver Tongue bore his 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  101
  ward to Mirien’s kingdom, just in time to strive for the lady.
  Now, the suitors faced too many challenges to tell of. A great 
  tournament was held, with splendid deeds and stupendous 
  feats, culminating in the withdrawal of Morwyn’s ward, who 
  decided he and Mirien were not a fitting match. By the final 
  contest, all the gods’ wards had been eliminated except those of 
  Terak the Mighty, Canelle the Swift, and Darmon the Trav-
  eler. They would face the champion of Mirien. 
  Before the last contest began, Morwyn and the other gods 
  whose wards had been eliminated declared that the remaining 
  three patron gods couldn’t grant their wards special powers or 
  skills. The suitor who won would have to do it on his own. And 
  while Merry Darmon thought it unfair to change the rules of 
  the game, neither Terak nor Canelle minded, for they were sure 
  of their wards’ impending victories.
  When Mirien’s champion strode onto the tournament field, 
  the people of the kingdom cheered, and Mirien’s mother, the 
  Queen, rose, saying, “Behold! Sir Edrikul, whom none have 
  ever bested!” Edrikul stood a hand higher than the others and 
  wore grim, black, armor. His face was obscured by a great helm 
  with the likeness of a dragon atop it. The Queen declared: “The 
  champion of my daughter challenges each suitor!”
  And so Edrikul came first to Lord Morgan, ward of Terak, 
  known to be the mightiest man alive. When he was but a boy, 
  Morgan had slain a bear with naught but his hands. “Lord 
  Morgan, it is known to all that you are the mightiest man 
  alive, so I challenge you to a contest of might!”
  At this the crowd gasped, and Lord Morgan laughed, saying, 
  “I accept!” Sir Edrikul responded at once, gesturing to a great 
  hoist at the edge of the field. Its load was obscured, and at 
  Edrikul’s signal a squire removed the cover to reveal an awe-
  some anvil, seemingly made for giants.
  “Lord Morgan, this anvil was made for the King of the 
  Cloud Giants long ago, and its weight is as great as a hill’s. 
  For the challenge, each of us will remove his armor, lie under 
  it, and have it dropped on his chest. The mightiest of us should 
  be able to lift it off. You go first.”
  Morgan stared at this terrible, black anvil and blanched. 
  “This I refuse, for it is not strength you seek, but murder!” at 
  which the crowd laughed and jeered. And so Terak’s ward was 
  bested without even beginning the contest.
  Next, Sir Edrikul approached Canelle’s ward, Donivere the 
  Great. Known throughout the land as the greatest sportsman 
  who ever lived, Donivere could strike the mark with his bow 
  from a mile away, and sunder his arrow with a second shot. 
  He had once outrun a horse for a bet. “Donivere, who is called 
  Great,” Edrikul pronounced, “you are the greatest bowman 
  who ever lived, and the swiftest on foot. Thus, I challenge you 
  to a contest of speed and archery!”
  Now, Donivere was no fool and had seen the last challenge, 
  so he hesitated. But with no choice, he eventually muttered, “I 
  accept,” and the crowd cheered. At this Sir Edrikul clapped his 
  gauntleted hands, and a great bow of yew was borne out to 
  him by two squires, which Edrikul drew back and strung.
  “This is the mightiest bow in the kingdom, made by our 
  greatest craftsmen. Each of us will draw it, and fire an arrow 
  at the back of the other. The contestant must outrun the arrow 
  shot from the bow. He that lives shall win the lady Mirien’s 
  hand. You run first.”
  Donivere thought something of the like was coming and, 
  shaking his head in disgust, walked from the field without 
  a word. At this the crowd booed and then laughed merrily, 
  but Rinalde Wolfcall was not pleased. When Sir Edrikul 
  approached him, Rinalde said, “A challenge of wits, Sir Edri-
  kul, for I have proven myself wily? I accept.”
  Edrikul nodded and clapped again. Strong, tall men of the 
  Queen’s guard came onto the field with huge, keen blades and 
  surrounded the two. “You and I shall engage in a war of words, 
  Rinalde Wolfcall,” the Champion of Mirien said, “regaling the 
  Queen and all others with the worst insults each of us may con-
  jure. We shall each of us tell the whole of the assembly what a 
  base and vile creature we think Mirien to be, casting on her the 
  most insidious attributes of perfidy imaginable for the enter-
  tainment of these, her most loyal guards.” Sir Edrikul indicated 
  the tall men with great swords. “You speak first.”
  All eyes were now on Rinalde Wolfcall. The hands of Mir-
  ien’s personal bodyguards, each of whom loved her more than 
  life, tightened on their blades in preparation for a stream of 
  outrages. But rather than walking away from this task that 
  meant sure death, Rinalde said, “I have seen Mirien many 
  times in this tournament, and I have observed that she is the 
  envy of gold, and that starlight seeks to emulate her beauty.” 
  At this the crowd gasped, amazed, for surely this was no way 
  to win a contest of insults. And yet Rinalde continued for a 
  full hour with a magnificent encomium to the princess’ many 
  qualities. Some of the greatest poems to love were composed 
  that day, on that ground, as words tumbled from Rinalde’s 
  lips in song and verse, all hailing Mirien as the finest lady to 
  grace the mortal world—and all said in earnest, for Rinalde 
  had come to love the lady from afar with a passion unyield-
  ing. And when he concluded, the crowd laughed, for clearly 
  this supposedly clever man had lost this contest of wits and 
  been proven a fool.
  But in a moment, the crowd hushed as Sir Edrikul raised 
  his hands. They waited for the great knight to cast the petti-
  est insult at the princess to win the contest, for any ill word 
  would win this challenge. And yet, he said nothing, instead 
  unfastening his helmet and lifting it up. Spilling forth from 
  under Edrikul’s helm, long golden hair and tears revealed the 
  champion to be Princess Mirien, wearing armor that made her 
  seem tall and fearsome, and Rinalde’s words had pierced her 
  heart more surely than any barb or dart. Without a word, the 
  armored princess embraced Darmon’s ward and kissed his lips, 
  for as Rinalde had fallen in love with her from afar, the words 
  of the wily suitor had won her most worthy heart.
  When the two were wed, the other gods bestowed golden 
  laurels on Darmon of the Many Faces to signify him Cham-
  pion of the Gods. For he and his ward alone knew that to win, 
  sometimes you must lose.
  laughter, Joy, and rIChes
  Like his sister, Aymara, Darmon is a preternaturally 
  happy god. He tells jokes in Heaven and when he walks 
  among mortals, improves their lives with humorous japes 
  and beautiful creations. However, his love of golden 
  things and beautiful objects is irrepressible, and he has 
  taught this love to the mortal races, calling the mercantile 
  trades “the finest of the arts.” 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
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  102
  Maal and darMon
  Darmonite freedom of organization drives conflicts with 
  other churches, especially the courts of Maal. While Maal 
  and Darmon are friends according to many epics, many 
  Maalites do not treat Darmonites warmly, and assume 
  they’re all lawless vagabonds. The courts’ official position 
  is each house must be judged on its own merits, and 
  houses that give succor to thieves and lawbreakers can 
  earn no special treatment from the courts simply because 
  they claim to worship Darmon. The religions respect and 
  even love each other’s gods, but treat their churches with 
  mutual distrust.  Most Darmonite houses are pained by 
  the mistrust shown by the Maalites and seek to remedy 
  it by joining with them against immoral houses and 
  their members.
  Darmon gave the mortal races many of the basic tools 
  necessary for civilization: writing, keeping time, crop 
  rotation, sailing, trade, riding, the making of compasses, 
  and many other useful tricks and trades. He did this with 
  his cousin Korak, who at the same time taught the mortal 
  races useful skills such as sewing, weaving, making steel, 
  and building arches. They did this out of a love for mor-
  tals which has not diminished over the ages. Although 
  Darmon delights in mischief, and is always happy to see 
  horrible things happen to bad people (or even people who 
  just think too much of themselves), he has never had a 
  problem with mortals violating all sorts of laws. In his 
  love for mortals, he would see them thrive.
  Darmon wants a world free of stuffiness and useless 
  restrictions. He wants to replace them with wealth, joy, 
  good food, magnificent song, and, most of all, laughter. 
  He’s rarely serious, refusing to put away his tricks and fun, 
  but when he is forced to abandon humor, his temper grows 
  as fierce as his mother’s, father’s, and sister’s. He sides 
  with his parents in conflicts among the gods, but like the 
  other young gods, he is less interested than his elders in 
  such rivalries. He is endlessly inquisitive, loving to see and 
  learn new things, but he prizes above all the freedom to 
  travel and move.
  Darmon is messenger of the gods, so he may venture 
  into the mortal sphere to retrieve someone of importance, 
  or deliver a divine decree. Although the Compact has 
  made these occasions less frequent, Darmon is the god 
  living mortals are most likely to meet.
  serVants oF darMon
  Darmon has one thousand servants running messages 
  across the Material Plane and beyond. Because Darmon 
  is entrusted with messages, he often relies on minions to 
  bear notes from god to god. His closest companion other 
  than his divine relatives is Ix, his silver fox. Darmon 
  delights in watching Ix infuriate Metteron, the golden 
  lion of Terak. Tales of Ix tricking Metteron are well loved, 
  and told to children for entertainment. 
  the houses  
  oF darMon
  The churches of Darmon are called houses, and his faith-
  ful are Darmonites (DAR-muhn-ites). Houses litter the 
  landscape, and few of them are particularly grand. Many 
  are banks, since banking was invented by the houses, 
  though many banks not affiliated with the Darmonite 
  faith. No central authority oversees the houses, and even 
  their spiritual leaders are rarely ordained, or even formally 
  educated. Instead, the church keeps a vast oral history of 
  the faith, including secrets passed through rote memory, 
  along with books of aphorisms and tales.
  The houses serve as meeting points for any interested 
  in the teachings of Darmon. They sponsor fairs, teach 
  languages and other skills, offer counsel and advice, sell 
  items both wondrous and mundane, and resolve disputes 
  among those who cannot, for whatever reason, seek res-
  olution through legal channels. Houses often wind up as 
  havens for thieves, which brings them into conflict with 
  legal authorities, especially the courts of Maal.
  A house’s most common function is to provide a 
  communication network. Not much is required to 
  found a house. One must simply get a community of 
  dedicated Darmonites together, erect a structure, and 
  elect a high wayfarer. Houses crisscross the civilized 
  world. For a modest fee, Darmonite houses will send 
  a message from one house to the next, and from that 
  house to another, until it reaches its destination. Run-
  ners might carry the messages, but houses also train 
  carrier pigeons and other suitable birds to carry small 
  notes. Some houses use magic to send messages. A 
  message might be passed using several methods before 
  it reaches its destination.
  Generally, Darmon is not terribly interested in reli-
  gions, and among the gods, he has the least need to be. 
  He is celebrated in every culture, and prayed to by all 
  those who travel. The houses manage only a fraction of 
  the worship he receives from the mortal races, as even 
  those who are steadfast worshipers of other gods pay him 
  respect and homage. 
  That said, he does help those who worship him, here 
  and there. Whenever he walks among mortals, he is sure 
  to talk with one of his worshipers, and even goes to houses 
  to join debates over things he said in ages past. He is fond 
  of his worshipers, and wishes to see them succeed, but he 
  rarely, if ever, issues edicts sending them on great quests 
  or holy wars.
  If ever some pressing threat came up against the gen-
  eral happiness and health of the mortal races, though, 
  Darmon would not hesitate to use his worshipers to 
  stem the tide of such evil. He only recently started 
  supporting clerics, providing them with great power, at 
  the urging of his beloved sister, Aymara, who reminded 
  him Asmodeus threatens all joy. Thus he supports his 
  servants, keeping in mind he might need to call upon 
  them in the future, to commit great deeds for the good 
  of all mortals. 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  103
  doCtrIne
  “Each one of us is as different as the many faces that 
  adorn the coins of countless nations. To judge one man 
  by the actions of another is as foolish as valuing one 
  coin by the weight of another.”
  —High Wayfarer Vexx Dragonsaddler’s 
  interpretation of Darmon the Traveler’s 
  oft-recited statement, “I am not gold; I 
  am more valuable yet.”
  When someone seeks advice from a high wayfarer, the 
  response is often, “That is a very good question. What 
  do you think is the right thing to do?” The Darmonites 
  encourage free thought, self-reliance, and wit. Dar-
  monites who are serious about the teachings of their god 
  understand that life is too short to be miserable. Joy and 
  laughter should fill one’s days; mutual understanding and 
  friendly debate are infinitely preferable to violence. They 
  think of trade, diplomacy and the many other teachings of 
  Darmon as the best ways to encoun-
  ter as many cultures and people as 
  possible. They crave new experiences, 
  knowledge, and awareness. 
  Slavish devotion to dogma is unheard 
  of, and any who cling to doctrine 
  would be subjects of scorn and rid-
  icule. All of them agree: Darmon 
  wants them to be free, happy, 
  and prosperous. Beyond that, 
  the faith is as varied as the 
  houses that observe it. If one 
  were to try to categorize a 
  universal Darmonite doctrine, 
  it could best be described with 
  four principles: debate, aphorisms, 
  names, and freedom of organization. 
  debate
  The Darmonite faith is a constant quest for self-discovery 
  and insights into the secrets of the spirit. On the surface, 
  and as practiced by most casual participants, it is a simple 
  religion that teaches mutual respect, love, joy, and free-
  dom. Beneath that lies endless debates between its elder 
  practitioners, in a quest to understand the countless teach-
  ings of Darmon of the Many Faces. Sometimes, learned 
  members of the faith seem to enjoy thorny questions more 
  than they do good answers, and one can commonly find 
  a group of Darmonite elders debating some particularly 
  obscure issue well into the night over many, many gob-
  lets of wine. 
  aphorIsMs
  The Master of the Road had thousands of encounters 
  with mortals before the Compact, and in each of them 
  he offered mortals tidbits of advice meant to enlighten 
  them on matters of trade, love, happiness, career, and 
  piety. Many of these sayings were captured in writing, 
  but serious Darmonites might debate their meaning for 
  hours upon hours, endlessly discussing why the Lord of 
  the Ways chose this word over that, this phrase instead of 
  the other. It is this principle of the faith that most easily 
  transfers from house to house. All Darmonites delight 
  in learning a new saying of Darmon’s, and discussing 
  its meaning.
  naMes
  To better understand Darmon and his teachings, more 
  mystically inclined Darmonites take new surnames at 
  various times in their lives. These names are either based 
  on or duplicates of the many names Darmon took while 
  walking the earth. In her youth, Krys might be called 
  Krys Boneblade because legends say Darmon called 
  himself “the Blade of Bone” when he taught people how 
  to fish. At some point in her life, Krys will learn why 
  Darmon took that name—perhaps she sees a bone in an 
  ancestor’s skeleton that looks like a blade, and understands 
  Darmon was saying that all things die, and we shouldn’t 
  fear the end. Perhaps she has some 
  other epiphany, but whatever it is, she’s 
  learned something from that name, and 
  now takes another.
  FreedoM oF organIZatIon
  Debate and taking on new names 
  are important to most Darmonites, 
  but not all. Many see the reli-
  gion as a system by which to 
  justify their poorly lived lives. 
  Thieves often understand Dar-
  mon’s teachings as “Have a good 
  time, live out your passions, and 
  die young.” This completely mis-
  understands of the Champion of 
  Heaven, but without any centralized 
  authority, there is no one to crack down 
  on such errors. Indeed, the freedom of the houses to 
  determine their own structures and beliefs is the very 
  heart of the faith, but it means one is just as likely to find 
  a high wayfarer who preaches, “The rich have had too 
  much for too long, and it’s time they get what’s comin’ 
  to ‘em,” as one who says, “We are all of us brothers, and 
  should strive for joy and mutual benefit.” The former is 
  common in more chaotic locales (in the city of Freeport, 
  for instance, Darmon’s house worships him as the god 
  of pirates), making the Darmonite faith unpopular with 
  authority figures. 
  darMonIte prayers
  The worshipers of Darmon do not engage in common 
  prayers as most religions do. As the religion is based on 
  the nearly limitless aphorisms of Darmon, their version 
  of prayer usually involves the recitation of one such aph-
  orism followed by vigorous debate—with one’s self or 
  others—about its meaning. Here are some sample sayings 
  of Darmon, to give players and GMs an understanding of 
  the ease with which they can be created:
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  104
  104
  laughter’s stIng
  Darmon spent a great deal of time with his mother’s creations, the Titans, and learned as many tricks from them as they did from 
  him. He once bet the King of the Titans that the greatest smiths of his people could not make a weapon powerful enough to cut 
  apart a mountain, but small enough to fit in his pocket. The King ordered it done, and the smiths slaved away, night and day, to 
  make it so. They would have failed, but Darmon’s cousin, Korak Hammer Hand, played a trick on Darmon. Masking himself as a 
  Titan, Korak helped the other smiths make Laughter’s Sting, a tiny blade (well, tiny for Titans) mighty enough to level a moun-
  tain. When the King of the Titans presented the sword, Darmon lost the bet, and had to serve for one hundred years as the King’s 
  throne, bent on hands and knees to take the Titan’s weight, day and night. 
   
  When Darmon found out what Korak had done he was at furious at first but then, laughing, demanded his cousin repay the 
  hurt with labor. Master Korak agreed, and Darmon made him craft ten thousand gems out of fire, silver, and adamantine. Korak 
  mined the silver and precious adamantine from deep in the earth, and worked his most spectacular creations. When the gems were 
  done, Darmon slipped them in a pouch and went to the mighty halls where Urian the Wind Lord resides. Asking the Sky King to 
  drink with him, Darmon produced a bottle of his mother’s wine. The two drank through the night and, by the end of it, Urian slept.
   
  Seizing the moment, Wily Darmon slipped into the night and stole ten thousand stars from the heavens, replacing them with 
  the gems of Clever Handed Korak’s devising. These stolen stars he had sewn into his cloak, making his cloak of the heavens, which 
  he wears to this day. Ever since then, Urian has hunted down these gems that are now stars and, when he finds one, he bashes it out 
  of the sky. As they fall, they leave trails of silver and fire, for they become shooting stars. Sometimes they hit the earth, and when 
  they do there’s nothing left of them but the adamantine, which is why the mightiest of metals can be found deep in the earth, but 
  sometimes fall from heaven, too.
  “Do not use three words when you need only 
  one: ‘Yes.’”
  “We paint our houses different colors for a 
  good reason.”
  “No number is the best. Three builds better than 
  two, two loves better than one, one thinks better 
  than three.”
  “Wait for the good, seek out the bad.”
  “A man is not a rocking horse.”
  “Wheat is better than dust, but dust is better 
  than nothing.”
  “No matter what the wicked say, I always know 
  my mother loves me.”
  “Do not seek what you do not want.”
  “There are twelve houses in the river. They will all 
  sink in the end.”
  holy days
  The last day of the calendar year is a one of enormous 
  importance to the Darmonite faith, and is celebrated with 
  an elaborate festival. Darmon taught the mortal races 
  about time, and helped them set down their various meth-
  ods for keeping it, so the last day of the year recalls this 
  gift and others from the Master of the Road. A parade 
  typically accompanies the festival, and children perform 
  dances to commemorate Darmon’s various gifts. Usually 
  the people celebrate a gift of importance to their liveli-
  hoods; a seaside community might commemorate the gift 
  of sailing, for instance.
  Many of Darmon’s gifts involved skills and practices for 
  which he is not the god. He introduced the idea of crop 
  rotation to the mortal races, but Rontra is the goddess of 
  farming. Also, many communities who worship gods other 
  than Darmon most of the year celebrate the Laughing God 
  at its end. In small towns that lack a house of Darmon, the 
  clergy of other churches organize these celebrations.
  saInts
  The Darmonites believe all mortals are saints—that 
  within everyone lies the ability to become skilled and vir-
  tuous. “You spend your lives whittling away at your better 
  selves,” Darmon once said, sadly, to a man repenting for a 
  life of evil on his deathbed. There is no need to beatify the 
  truly good, for they have only lived up to their potential.
  While not a church of cowards, the Darmonite faith is 
  not exactly a proponent of martyrdom or glorious death. 
  Darmon was once encountered at an oasis by a nomad 
  who had wandered the desert in a quest for enlighten-
  ment. When the nomad asked what is necessary for a 
  good life, wily Darmon said, “Live. Laugh. Love.” And 
  when asked which of these was most important, Darmon 
  said, “This above all else: Live.” No believer honors how 
  one of their own died, and instead celebrate glorious lives.
  holy orders
  Long ago, Darmon told the founder of the house system, 
  “Never give one person absolute authority to control what 
  is most important to you, for such control will someday 
  deny you the freedom I wish for you.” From this simple 
  phrase, the house system was created, whereby the faith is 
  practiced and promoted without any central authority.
  The Darmonite tradition is one of debate and constant 
  re-examination. The members of a house decide who 
  serves as its high wayfarer. Once selected this leader is 
  introduced by title and house—“High Wayfarer Vynald of 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  105
  the Wittenburg House of Darmon,” for example. The high 
  wayfarer inducts the most devoted members of her house 
  as subordinate wayfarers (addressed as “wayfarer,” and 
  introduced in the same fashion as the high wayfarer) and 
  these people serve as spiritual leaders for those who come 
  to the houses. If members of the house determine they 
  are no longer satisfied with the high wayfarer’s leadership, 
  they can vote to strip her of her title. No high wayfarer 
  from one house is more important than any other, and no 
  member of the faith, no matter how senior or powerful, 
  can order another into service. Decisions are made on a 
  broad scale when high wayfarers from various houses con-
  gregate to debate religious matters. They do this often, as 
  the Darmonite faith is not a finished thing, and is always 
  expanding and changing its doctrines.
  The Darmonite faith is not evangelical, but those who 
  practice it can’t help but offer others guidance through the 
  teachings of Darmon. Darmonites believe all places of a 
  reasonable size should host at least one house, preferably sev-
  eral, as the worship of Darmon, and debating his teachings, 
  forms the most useful of religions. “What use is dogma to a 
  person with a really thorny issue?” they ask. “Teach a person 
  to think for themselves, and you’ve really improved their life.” 
  Established houses help nearby communities build their own 
  houses, and aid them through their first few years of opera-
  tion with money, advice, and even by sending them spiritual 
  leaders. Other than this, the houses are not terribly active in 
  politics, and really have no need to be. Travelers donating 
  money and asking for Darmon’s blessings on road, and rich 
  merchants tithing and donating property for the house’s 
  upkeep and growth, all keep house coffers full. Houses also 
  earn income from their message services.
  The three holy orders of the Darmonite faith are the 
  clerics, heroes, and runners. The clerics and the runners are 
  often involved in local house politics and debates. The heroes 
  wander, more concerned with adventure and travel into the 
  unknown, than with the affairs of one town or another.
  The average house has about eighty members, ten of 
  whom are wayfarers, and one high wayfarer. Many have 
  no clerics present, but those that do have at least two, and 
  often as many as twenty the largest houses of major urban 
  areas. Houses on important roads have at least six runners 
  in residence, though they are often out delivering messages.
  wayFarers oF darMon
  Since Darmon only recently began giving powers to his 
  followers, the wayfarers are relatively new. It is impossible 
  to be a cleric of Darmon without being titled a wayfarer—
  if the high wayfarer of a cleric’s house decides to strip the 
  status from him, he can simply leave and go to another 
  house, where he’ll acknowledged as a wayfarer once again. 
  Wise high wayfarers prize Darmonite clerics, who keep 
  the more mystic traditions of Darmon. Any member of 
  a community who studies the sayings and teachings of 
  Darmon and has keen minds can become wayfarer, but 
  only clerics know the special invocations Darmon taught 
  his first empowered priests to use, to request divine magic.
  Clerics know and can recite the countless names of 
  Darmon (a few clerics know them all, but any small group 
  knows all the named between them). The quest to take 
  on and understand one of those names is given to one 
  of the faithful by a cleric, not by a normal wayfarer, and 
  guidance is provided by a cleric on the way to interpret 
  the name and its bearer’s experiences. This most mystical 
  aspect of the faith is the province of clerics alone, not 
  other wayfarers.
  The clergy believe that in all his many meetings with 
  mortals, Darmon set out an elaborate code to understand 
  the very nature of the universe—all the planes of existence, 
  the Nameless One, and the purpose of the cosmos. They 
  believe that were one to truly understand all the sayings 
  of Darmon, she could then see the world with what they 
  call “the Golden Sight.” With the Golden Sight, one could 
  know all things, understand all tongues, travel anywhere, 
  speak with the gods, and know the universe for what it 
  really is. So clerics of Darmon quest for lost aphorisms of 
  Darmon, and interpret them to unlock the Golden Sight. 
  This work of the clergy of Darmon is a religious secret, 
  known only to clerics—not even other members of the 
  houses know they believe in a great, mystical combination 
  of the sayings of Darmon. If everyone knew, the reasoning 
  goes, then many would seek to stymie efforts to discover 
  it. While it’s unlikely one would be killed over the secret, 
  it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  106
  106
  Clerics of Darmon have the same titles as other mem-
  bers of the houses, and automatically become wayfarers, 
  as noted previously. If a house’s faithful have the option, 
  they’ll always make a cleric high wayfarer. No rules say the 
  most powerful cleric of a house must be its high wayfarer, 
  it is rare for it to happen any other way. If a novice cleric 
  moves to a small community with an established high way-
  farer who isn’t a member of the cleric class, however, there 
  is no reason to believe the community will suddenly oust a 
  perfectly good leader in favor of an unseasoned one. 
  Most Darmonite clerics are chaotic good, and they 
  roam the world or work with a particular house, seeking to 
  advance the prosperity of all people, gain wisdom, share it, 
  and further the quest for spiritual enlightenment through 
  Darmon’s aphorisms. Chaotic good clerics of Darmon are 
  often adventurers, ministering to likeminded free spirits 
  who seek travel, joy, and adventure over orderly doldrums.
  There are many neutral good clerics of Darmon in the 
  world as well. They usually serve as wayfarers and high 
  wayfarers in houses, particularly in large mercantile cities 
  and ports. They the gifts of Darmon seriously, and try to 
  help people understand one another. They are diplomats, 
  language experts, and traders, often working to resolve 
  disputes between merchants. Such clerics are absolutely in 
  love with the many splendid differences between all the 
  races, and are ceaselessly fascinated by people. They love 
  learning and exchanging knowledge.
  Finally, chaotic neutral clerics of Darmon are nearly 
  as common as chaotic good counterparts, though they 
  are less likely to be found in cities. Such clerics believe 
  Darmon’s chosen people are rule-breakers, liars, thieves, 
  pirates—people who live on the edge and seek enlighten-
  ment by disobeying worldly authorities. Such clerics travel 
  far and wide, ministering to bandits in the woods, rebel 
  armies in the mountains, and even the murderers found in 
  dark places, throughout the world. Good and evil are of 
  little import to them. They focus instead on the wisdom 
  one can attain by flaunting rules. They are wild experien-
  tialists, trying as many new things and activities as they 
  can, no matter how repugnant.
  JoInIng the wayFarers
  Only clerics devoted to Darmon can join the Wayfarers, 
  and they choose the Travel (see Chapter X) or Trick-
  ery domains.
  heroes oF darMon
  The heroes of Darmon detach themselves from politics 
  and even their religious houses. Unlike wayfarers, heroes 
  abandon attachment to any one place or people and 
  instead seek out new places, new adventures, and new glo-
  ries. The goal of a hero is to do great things in the name 
  of the mortal races. It’s simple enough, and may lead to 
  a life of terrific adventure, terrible danger, and fabulous 
  wealth. While the hero embraces these things, they are 
  not the objective—the hero strives to do good. The Dar-
  monite faith is quite supportive of adventurers and the 
  impulse to go forth and fight monsters, delve dungeons, 
  win treasures, and conquer evil. The hero can be best 
  understood as a perpetually blessed adventurer.
  Like all members of the faith, heroes love 
  debate, and argue over the many sayings of 
  Darmon as fiercely as anyone else. They 
  have the gifts of Darmon, and are excel-
  lent speakers, diplomats, and wily traders. 
  Rather than blessing travelers, as the cler-
  ics do, heroes are the travelers, and possess 
  all the skills necessary to live on the road.
  Heroes have no titles and they do not 
  even like to be called such. The Lord of 
  the Ways has not paid much attention to the holy 
  orders of his houses, so heroes have no reason to think 
  much about what Darmon wants from them specifically, 
  or to ask him for guidance. Instead, they strive to live as 
  Darmon would live, were he mortal. They travel, teach, 
  seek knowledge, smooth over conflicts, slay beasts, trick 
  bad people, make fun of the pompous, and so on. They 
  are perhaps the least obviously “holy” of all the orders, 
  though members of the joyous brotherhood are certainly 
  the most vulgar, and yet they gain his favor for they live as 
  he would live, devoted to him and his ways. They wear his 
  symbol, speak his name in their private prayers, and live 
  to serve him. They simply believe that service to Darmon 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  107
  does not involve much dogma or guidance from their god.
  Because they do not like to be called “heroes of 
  Darmon,” a hero of Darmon goes by “Sir,” or “Dame,” fol-
  lowed by her name. This is not a knighthood bestowed by 
  any temporal power, but in Darmon’s order of arms. 
  The hero must live a life worthy of the name. The code 
  of heroic conduct is as follows.
  • Valor: Fight the good fight against the darkness; 
  protect your companions and strangers alike; take 
  the vanguard into danger, and the rearguard from it.
  • Joy: Live your life as completely as any life can 
  be lived; sponsor beauty and laughter with your 
  wealth; contemplate delight, not despair, and happi-
  ness, not horror.
  • Unity: Build the congress of mortality, do not take 
  from it; ease conflicts and act as mediator; form fast 
  and lifelong friendships; lead others to live more for 
  their friends and family than for themselves.
  • Wealth: Protect the wealth of the good people of 
  the world; take away the wealth of the dark things; 
  celebrate the wonders of prosperity, but do not 
  become obsessed with your own wealth, for you 
  can lead a wealthy life, but your other duties are 
  more important.
  Heroes prefer a balanced party of companions. 
  Although powerful heroes are often found riding alone 
  with their squires, pursuing great adventures, younger 
  heroes form fast friendships with other adventurers, par-
  ticularly warriors, rogues, and arcane spellcasters. 
  JoInIng the heroes oF darMon
  Heroes are taught their skills by other heroes. Essentially, 
  when one heeds the call to take up arms in Darmon’s 
  name, one must find an established hero and ask her for 
  training. These heroes take one such companion at a time. 
  The companion is the hero’s squire, keeping the hero’s 
  horse healthy, polishing their armor, and cleaning their 
  weapons. Typically chaotic good, members of any class 
  can join the heroes of Darmon, though most are fighters, 
  rangers, and rogues.
  runners oF darMon
  There are three orders blessed by Darmon, but only way-
  farer clergy receive divine powers from him. The clerics and 
  heroes are the obviously devout, and anyone looking at a 
  member of either holy order would know immediately that 
  they serve a god. Less obvious are the runners. Bruised and 
  tattered from their travels, drinking in cheap alehouses on 
  the way, and telling bawdy tales to dockworkers, the run-
  ners of Darmon hardly seem to be divine servants.
  Found wherever people worship Darmon, the runners 
  are society’s most skilled messengers. Necessary for war, 
  diplomacy, commerce, and any other mortal endeavor 
  waged across a vast expanse, message carriers are viewed 
  with suspicion in some places for bringing the evils of 
  the outside into secluded areas, and revered as heroes in 
  others. Runners of Darmon care little for how they are 
  viewed and, instead, live to carry 
  their messages wherever they 
  must go. This fits well with a life 
  of adventure, as many runners take 
  messages off to faraway places, and 
  go on side quests with their com-
  panions while they’re there.
  Runners are blessed by 
  Darmon. As the Master of the 
  Road is the messenger for the 
  gods, so the runners are the messengers of mortals. They 
  emulate their god in his many travels, in his constant 
  jesting, in his lust for life, but most importantly, in his 
  perfect record. In all recorded history, there is no tale or 
  myth that shows Darmon failing to deliver a message. The 
  Champion of the Gods has followed men to the depths 
  of Hell to deliver messages from the gods, and so too will 
  the most powerful runners travel to the worst places, if 
  necessary, to do their duty. Runners are instantly identifi-
  able by their common uniform, for all runners wear cloaks 
  in the likeness of Darmon’s Cloak of the Heavens. These 
  are usually midnight blue, with bright pieces of glass sewn 
  on, or silver stars painted on them, but some runners affix 
  gemstones to their cloaks to represent the stars.
  JoInIng the runners
  Rangers and rogues are the best runners, but any class 
  with a love of travel can take on the runner’s tasks. It 
  requires a devotion to walking in Darmon’s footsteps, 
  though, so it is highly unlikely that a cleric or paladin of 
  another faith, a druid, or a monk will assume the role. It 
  is also not a terribly lawful profession, and lawful-minded 
  folk tend to stay away from it.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  108
  108
  Aymara (ai-MAR-uh) is the chaotic good goddess of love, 
  music, passion, romance, marriage, lovers, musicians, 
  artists, and bards. She is associated with all aesthetic 
  delights, and her name is spoken first by those who see 
  the arts as the greatest achievement of the mortal races. 
  Curiously, Aymara did not bring music and dance to the 
  world. Her mother did, but none surpass Aymara’s skill 
  in the arts, and Zheenkeef has never been too interested 
  watching over artists.
  Aymara is usually shown as the most beautiful woman 
  the artist can imagine, and therefore is whatever race the 
  artist prefers. She is usually shown with golden hair, for 
  she is remembered as Aymara the Golden, but occasion-
  ally her hair is dark, and her skin maintains the golden 
  burnish. She is very tall and always dressed in the finest 
  courtly attire. Many depict her with a lyre under her 
  arm or in her lap, as she plays and sings for the delight 
  of others. Other images show her singing so sweetly that 
  even the rocks weep.
  Musical instruments of gold or silver represent the 
  goddess, but a silver lyre like the one she plays in so many 
  legends has become the most common one. Members of 
  her clergy wear small versions of the instruments they 
  play, so a flautist might wear a small silver flute, or a harp-
  ist, a golden harp. If one simply needs a symbol, though, 
  one always uses the lyre, the most universally recognized 
  instrument of Aymara. 
  Songbirds (particularly the nightingale) are associated 
  with the goddess. She is also closely tied to the pegasi, and 
  rides a silver pegasus herself, for the only appropriate steed 
  for the most beautiful of the gods is the most beautiful 
  of beasts. 
  Aymara’s worship is extremely popular among the elves 
  and, in olden days, she was thought to be their mother and 
  father. The elves still sometimes refer to her as mother, 
  and show her in the comely shape of a female elf. The 
  other races revere her, especially at weddings, but she is 
  not particularly popular among dwarves, whose artists are 
  usually adherents of Korak, and make clever and beautiful 
  works with their artisans’ hands. Among all the gods, 
  Aymara is the only one regularly associated with the Shee, 
  the last of the div races remaining on earth. Some believe 
  she tarries in their forests, which are now fairy woods, 
  and many dryads, naiads, pixies, and sprites have reveled 
  under the moon with the Lady of Love.
  Myths
  loVe’s Conquest
  long and long ago, there was a powerful kIng called 
  Aragos. It was said Aragos, having once known love and 
  happiness, and having lost it, became the greatest enemy of love 
  and beauty who ever lived. He outlawed all forms of happiness 
  and delight in his kingdom, declaring music and dance to be 
  treason, and love to be an illegitimate cause for marriage. All 
  unions were to be arranged by the parents of the bride and 
  groom, and all celebrations were to be sanctified with silence.
  The gods found these decrees troublesome, but none more 
  so than Sweet Aymara, who found the two things dearest to 
  her banned in one of the most powerful mortal realms. All the 
  other gods saw her distress, and many were moved to right this 
  wrong, for there is no one more loved by the gods than Aymara 
  the Golden, the Jewel of Heaven.
  Darmon visited Aragos’ kingdom first, and learned that 
  none but the king could alter his dread policies. Aymara’s 
  brother whispered to counselors and nobles, but none had the 
  power to change the law, no matter how swayed they were by 
  Darmon’s words. As Aragos’ patron, Majestic Naryne paid 
  him visits in his dreams and told him to move from his path, 
  for nothing good would come of it in the end. Aragos refused, 
  and convinced Naryne that it was his right as king to make 
  such laws, for they did not strip his subjects of any of the rights 
  granted them by the gods. 
  By the end, most of the gods had come to Aymara and told 
  her there was little they could do to change Aragos’ path. Her 
  parents Tinel and Zheenkeef both saw Aragos’ decisions as the 
  sort of folly that yields greatness. “How will men know inspi-
  ration if they are never laid low? Contented lives rarely sow 
  the seeds of invention,” her mother declared. “Heroes are born 
  of dark times, and dark times are made by such men. Are we as 
  gods to save the mortals from their follies and their splendor?” 
  her father asked. And soon the other gods agreed, telling her 
  that in this case there was no real harm done; after all, it was 
  only music and love being denied, and all would be righted 
  in the end.
  The Sister of Song grew cold toward her family. Aymara 
  the Golden said, softly, “I do not wonder at this, for all of you 
  are jealous of my skills in music and love, the greatest powers 
  that exist.”
  Uproar arose in the hall, with some of gods shouting in 
  outrage, and others laughing at Aymara’s absurd claim. Only 
  Darmon and Morwyn were silent, for Darmon loves his sister 
  well, and would not see her so basely mocked, and Morwyn 
  felt in her heart that her lovely niece might have the right of 
  it. Once the laughter and shouting grew still, Morwyn, gentle 
  Morwyn, put her hand on Fairest Aymara’s cheek and said, 
  “Oh, loveliest of children, you speak wisely, for indeed love 
  and compassion are the most powerful of things. We forget this 
  and think love a luxury, like bathing in pure water, when 
  indeed it is the water itself, without which all things must 
  shrivel and die.”
  This was too much for many of the gods, and soon Terak rose 
  up from his throne and declared, “Love is a fine thing, it is 
  true, but the strength of flesh is greater by far. I will break this 
  king, this Aragos, and show you what is strongest!” And though 
  it set him against his own daughter, Tinel could not allow 
  Terak to make this claim unopposed. Magnificent Tinel stood 
  GoddeSS oF love And the ArtS
  Aymara
  SWeet, lovely, FAireSt, the Golden, the SinGer,  
  SiSter oF SonG, JeWel oF heAven, lAdy oF love
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  109
  and declared, “Knowledge is greater than any fist, learning 
  keener than any blade! It is within the mind that the greatest 
  power is locked. I will show this king his folly and you will all 
  know I speak true!”
  And so, the gods assumed mortal forms and descended to 
  Aragos’ kingdom. The full family of the gods came to open 
  court. It was a grim and bleak affair, for Aragos had forbidden 
  laughter, and all spoke in humble whispers before him. But 
  when the chamberlain called upon Terak in his mortal form, 
  the King of Heaven strode forth and spoke boldly. “Usurper 
  of love!” he named Aragos. “You will lift your laws, or by 
  my axe you will suffer. I’ll destroy half your kingdom with a 
  single blow, and with each following blow destroy half of wat 
  remains, until you yield this folly! Look upon me and tremble!” 
  And Terak suddenly cast off his mortal form, and revealed 
  himself to be a shining lion of white and gold. There could be 
  no mistaking him. All in the court knew Terak walked among 
  them, and they trembled. But Aragos was unmoved.
  “You are as clever as you are mighty, Terak, Marshal of 
  the Heavens.” Aragos bowed his head. “I will slaughter one 
  hundred oxen in your name, and burn many bolts of silk. But 
  this thing you ask I will not do, for by your threat you prove it 
  empty. You will destroy half of my kingdom at a time until you 
  leave only a nib, but in so doing you reveal that you know the 
  madness of destroying a thing to save it. You threaten to destroy 
  in such a manner that there will always be half of something 
  left, betraying that you do not desire to destroy my lands at all, 
  for otherwise you would threaten to destroy them all. And if 
  you do not wish to destroy them, what good is your strength to 
  change me? For I will not change short of being destroyed.”
  “Then I will kill you alone to save your kingdom!” 
  declared Terak.
  “For being a lawful king who cares for his people?” Aragos 
  asked. “I think not! Let the haughty scribes and scholars say 
  what they will about Terak the Mighty, he is no fool. You desire 
  to see law and fairness prevail, and you know I am not evil. 
  You will not kill me, for to do so will tell history that Terak is 
  capricious and careless. I love you too well to believe you would 
  be such as that.”
  Terak then grew silent for a long while, but at last he blessed 
  Aragos, saving face by laughing. “‘Twas a test I gave this hour, 
  Aragos, and you have proved worthy! You show you love me 
  well, and I have no quarrel with you,” Terak declared, and so 
  departed. He was gone but a moment before a wandering wise 
  man appeared before the king.
  “You have shown that might is useless against you, great 
  king, but I wonder if reason will prevail. For your decree is 
  wrong!” But Aragos was wise and knew this was Tinel who 
  stood before him. The two argued the fairness of Aragos’ law 
  for many hours and, at last, Tinel conceded the point. Aragos 
  showed the Keeper of the Keys that pain is only possible when 
  one has something to lose. Joy in all its forms, particularly love, 
  gives one a powerful thing to lose and, therefore, leads to the 
  greatest pain. While it might not be kind of Aragos to outlaw 
  music, dance, and love, it was certainly fair, for he was saving 
  his people from pain, and was no hypocrite. 
  The two brothers bested by a mortal, the gods looked on 
  in wonder. For Aragos had proven himself great among the 
  mortals, and not the small-minded tyrant they had assumed 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  110
  110
  him to be. But then from the back of the hall came a singing, 
  glorious to the ear. And the court parted to reveal the fairest 
  maiden any had ever beheld. She sat in one of the attendant 
  chairs in the corner; in her lap was a silver lyre with a shell of 
  lapis and chalcedony. She sang a wordless tune and her voice 
  filled all who heard it with joy, except Aragos. He rose in his 
  seat and commanded the guards to stop her singing, but they 
  could not, for they were entranced by her glorious voice. So 
  Aragos went to her side to stop her himself, but when he drew 
  close and gazed upon her, he too fell into a deep enchantment. 
  The ice that once covered his heart was shattered, and he was 
  soon sorely in love with this maiden fair. She was, of course, the 
  Lady of Love herself.
  The song completed, Aragos fell to his knees and placed his 
  head in the lady’s lap. He wept for forgiveness, and she gave 
  it to him. At once, he lifted his bans. When the word was sent 
  out that his proscriptions against song, dance, and love were 
  quit, Terak and Tinel protested. “You have proven nothing, 
  Aymara, for you enchanted him with song and love!” Terak 
  grumbled and, for once, his brother Tinel agreed. 
  “And you were fair when you threatened to kill him and 
  destroy his kingdom? Ah, but it is no matter, for it is not in 
  Aragos that you will see the true power of love and music. Look 
  out now, Father and Uncle, at the people of this land. Free 
  now of their king’s tyranny, will they take up arms to over-
  throw him in bitter rage, as you might, Uncle? Will they gather 
  to debate a new government, and new laws to replace the old, 
  as you would, Father?”
  Of course, they did neither. For the many who had once 
  played instruments of music went to secret holds where their 
  gambols and viols and harps and gongs had been hidden away 
  those many years. And when they beheld them, they wept 
  with joy, and then gathered them together and made a great 
  music that filled the entire kingdom. Even young folk who had 
  always lived without music knew how to dance, delighting in 
  the sounds of the instruments, and on every face shone a smile. 
  Aymara then accepted the apology of her father and uncle, for 
  they saw then that hers had proven a greater power in this 
  struggle. And to them she said, “Anyone may kill, Uncle, but 
  if the heart is set, death holds no fear. And though I love you, 
  Father, one cannot rationally argue for love, for love is beyond 
  reason. All hearts, lovely and hardened, may delight at music, 
  even those that have been set against it for many years. And 
  from music’s glory arises love, the most precious of things.”
  Looking at Aragos, they knew it was true. For though he 
  had professed a deep hatred for music for many years, he was 
  now deep in love with this maiden who had played so sweetly 
  on her lyre. And Aymara saw him then as the great king he 
  might be, for he had stared unmoved at the white and golden 
  lion of Terak, and unflinching, argued with her father. So, she 
  took him as husband, and they gave one another three strong 
  sons and four fair daughters. And each of them loved music.
  arts and desIres
  Aymara is a true patron of the arts and desire. As the 
  myth reveals, she cannot abide a place where music is 
  not heard or where love is shunned. She works to make 
  a world safe for love, delight, and art, but she knows 
  the world is not so happy a place that people can spend 
  all their days in revelry. She is realistic about her wish. 
  Aymara reminds mortals that in beauty they can find 
  hope, and in love and music they can be reminded of why 
  they persevere through difficulties.
  Any seeking to ease pain through beauty are especially 
  blessed by Aymara, and she often makes her blessing 
  manifest by filling their lives with love and delight. How-
  ever, she also sees deep into the artist’s temperament, and 
  knows the best among them might require sorrow to make 
  their greatest works. She has been known to oblige, pro-
  viding the tragedies and afflictions for some of the mortal 
  races’ greatest artists, resulting in the saying, “as unhappy 
  as a singer.” She believes the great art that arises from 
  these sorrowful lives do such long-term good that one 
  lifetime of pain is a worthy trade. Besides, these artists 
  end up rewarded in death, abiding with her in Heaven, or 
  in the Fourth Hall of Maal’s kingdom.
  Aymara is certainly mercurial. Her favor falls upon and 
  departs from mortals with equal alacrity. She is very emo-
  tional, longing for true and immortal love. From time to 
  time, she believes she finds a mortal couple with such a love, 
  and heaps blessings on them, only to see them quarrel over 
  nonsense, and then strips them of her blessings. Tales of such 
  star-crossed lovers fill countless comedies and tragedies. 
  If there are two emotions in which she is constant, it 
  is her love of her family and her hatred for Kador. She 
  believes, rightly, that Kador, who is now Asmodeus, plots 
  to destroy the kingdom of Heaven. Because of this, she 
  remains forever vigilant, and even directs an order of mor-
  tals to watch over matters diabolical, prepared for a war 
  against Hell.
  serVants oF ayMara
  Aymara has many servants, all of whom love her perfectly, 
  for she inspires awe and love in all who behold her.
  the chorUS oF the birdS
  In a great aviary of pearl and silver, high in the kingdom 
  of Heaven, there live ten thousand birds. Each bird was, 
  in mortal life, a great singer—usually one who led a mis-
  erable life, and was thereby inspired to create magnificent 
  art. Now the birds sing all day in such glorious harmonies 
  even the angelic choirs wonder at them. Aymara some-
  times sends a member of the Chorus to earth to visit a 
  singer and inspire him—though this is not as common 
  as claimed by the bards, who often say they learned their 
  latest song from a bird of the Chorus.
   ArAthelle
  A silver pegasus, Arathelle is Aymara’s steed in the vaults 
  of Heaven as well as on the rare occasions she descends 
  to the mortal world. Arathelle is a wise and lovely beast, 
  able to call other pegasi to her side and to communicate 
  with all manner of steeds, including the unicorns. Her 
  coat and mane are silver, as though spun from the very 
  metal of the earth, but her eyes are deep as wells, contain-
  ing the insight and wisdom of the ages. Legends tell of 
  heroes favored by Aymara who were saved from the brink 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  111
  of death by Arathelle, swooping down from Heaven 
  and carrying them to safety.
   the Seven
  Aymara’s seven children by Aragos are patrons of 
  musicians: Aragoth, Barawyn, Celedynne, Dariun, 
  Erylwyn, Fionali, and Geromul. They correspond 
  to the notes of the musical scale, the seven 
  rhythms and the seven types of instrument: 
  reeds, drums, horns, flutes and whistles, cym-
  bals and gongs, plucked and struck strings, 
  and bowed strings, in that order. They visit 
  composers and players, aiding their songwrit-
  ing. Just as the Chorus of the Birds does not 
  visit half so many singers as claim to have 
  seen them, the Seven do not aid nearly 
  as many musicians as claim to have 
  been aided.
  the lyCeuMs 
  oF ayMara
  The lyceums of Aymara, where the Aymarans worship, are 
  sacred and lovely places. Popular among those dedicated 
  to Aymara and others, the lyceums host concerts, plays, 
  dances, and other performances. In major cities, there are 
  events in the lyceums almost nightly. There are few perfor-
  mance halls finer than these.
  The worship of Aymara is enormously popular, though 
  few dedicate themselves to her wholly. As the goddess of 
  love as well as the arts, people come to her lyceums at least 
  once in their lives to pray to her when they believe they 
  have found love. The lyceums play host to most marriages 
  as well. While those sworn to only one of the gods in the 
  pantheon or members of the Great Church are likely to get 
  married in those other churches, most people get married at 
  either a lyceum or a Rontran foundation. After all, Aymara 
  is the goddess of love, and can bless a union’s romantic 
  heart, while Grandmother Earth is the wellspring of fertil-
  ity. At either church, the other church’s goddess is invoked 
  during the ceremony.
  On the surface, the Aymaran faith exists to promote 
  love and the arts. It gives money to artists who are worthy 
  of regard, holds festivals in its halls, praises love, and 
  unites couples under its roof. However, the Aymarans are 
  not content to merely celebrate beauty—they know efforts 
  must be made to make and keep the world safe for beauty. 
  This ethos lies at the heart of the Aymaran agenda. While 
  the lyceums promote love and art, the holy orders of the 
  faith work abroad, opposing the enemies of love and 
  beauty, just as Aymara did in legend. Much of this effort 
  is focused on opposing the work of Asmodeus. That is the 
  deeper, more abiding purpose of the Aymaran faith: to 
  oppose Hell and all its works. For if there is one being in 
  all the planes who Aymara hates, it is him. 
  Aymara takes pride in her church, though she seems 
  to have more interest in its public face than in the secret 
  order of the watchful eye. 
  While she does hate Asmo-
  deus, and comes to the aid 
  of the members of this secret 
  order, she believes her church is 
  at its best when it is promoting 
  beauty, not combat.
  Aymara has difficulty under-
  standing the mortal need to attack 
  what offends them. Hell is evil and 
  Asmodeus is the greatest evil of all, 
  but why can’t her faithful be content 
  with the joys of art? She gives them great 
  power to protect those who pursue lives of 
  beauty, and they make her proud, keeping artists 
  and their works safe, yet her faithful don’t just rest 
  then, and make art themselves. They remain vigilant, 
  questing against evil even when it’s a distant threat. She 
  admires their courage, persistence, and faith, but also 
  knows their struggle, waged in secret, might take them 
  closer to the darkness than is healthy. Spend too long 
  studying the ways of the beast to destroy it, and you 
  might become it.
  While Aymara would prefer her church to pursue only 
  love and beauty, this does not mean she tries to move 
  them away from their vigilance and zeal. She simply wor-
  ries over them, like a mother over her children.
  doCtrIne
  “In all the history of the world, hatred and ugliness 
  have never held sway for long. Not once. Though for 
  generations some vile tyrant may seem unassailable, in 
  the end, love and beauty have always prevailed. We 
  must simply hold our faith in beauty deep in our hearts, 
  and its victory is assured, in the end.” 
  —Celebrant Andivae Corallyn,  
  on her 230th birthday
  While Andivae’s statement might not have been true for 
  the entire world—indeed, there might be evil empires 
  that have stood the test of time—her statement holds the 
  essence of Aymaran philosophy. These are not people who 
  rage against the ugliness of the world, but preserve beauty.
  Aymaran churches are places of celebration, joy, art and 
  creation. Spending time within their confines, one might 
  never suspect there is misery and ugliness in the world. 
  The faithful do not dwell on such things, seeking instead 
  to keep the lights of delight, love, and art burning brightly 
  against the outside darkness. Each person, in exploring 
  the greatest expressions of beauty she can make, serves to 
  make the world better. The works of most will be forgot-
  ten as soon as they are made, but the mere act of making 
  something beautiful, expressing your inner light, makes 
  the world better. The Aymarans believe there is no higher 
  or better force in the world than an individual striving for 
  love and beauty.
  Most Aymarans sees themselves as a part of a historical 
  struggle against evil, where their part of the battle is to 
  create beauty and appreciate it; and to love, and be loved. 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
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  112
  sorrow’s song
  In the wars against Kador, Korak made a light blade 
  for Aymara with which she could strike quickly, while 
  dancing. She called the blade “Sorrow’s Song,” since while 
  wielding it she heard the music of warfare, and found it 
  the most sorrowful sound she had ever heard. But even 
  in war, Aymara heard music, danced, and was beautiful. 
  Sorrow’s Song is a rapier, and many of Aymara’s followers, 
  particularly the watchful eyes, seek to learn the song she 
  heard in that great war, so they might better oppose evil.
  Their faith is focused inward, and is based on self-explo-
  ration and creation. By being people who bask in beauty, 
  they oppose those who would cover the world with hate 
  and ugliness. “You’re a soldier of love,” is something often 
  said to criticize people for their lack of militancy against 
  wickedness. Indeed, most Aymarans practice a docile faith 
  and meditate on fair things, not the threat of darkness.
  Yet beneath this seemingly passive outlook, some 
  Aymarans have a militant side. In deep places below the 
  lyceums, in secret conclaves, they plan their unending war 
  on Hell. Long ago, the elders of the Aymaran faith deter-
  mined they could do the most harm to Asmodeus and his 
  machinations if they moved against him in secret. Let the 
  more lawful churches march out to war in their shining 
  armor. The Aymarans would use the shadows to their 
  advantage against evil. If the forces of Hell believe the 
  Aymaran faith produces nothing more than meek, happy 
  romantic artists, agents for joy and goodness can move 
  freely, and strike where least expected.
  Beyond simple alignment concerns, the Aymaran faith 
  opposes Hell for two reasons. First, Aymara never forgot 
  the damage done by Kador to her family, and hates 
  him with perfect spite. Second, Hell would give the 
  narrow-minded and spiritually ugly power; they’d ban 
  beauty and crush delight. 
  ayMaran prayers
  The daily prayer of the Aymaran faith says a great deal 
  about their outlook. Each Aymaran strives to accomplish 
  the points enumerated in this prayer each day, every day. It 
  is typically sung or chanted in the morning, upon waking.
  “Sister of Song, guide me this day.
  I seek the glory in my heart,
  I seek the beauty in my soul,
  I seek the love never ending;
  Help me to find what I seek.
  “There is a song in all things:
  I will hear it, I will hear it.
  There is love in all things:
  I will find it, I will find it.
  “Fairest Aymara, grace unending,
  Show me the perfection that eludes me,
  Lead me to the pure places of the earth,
  Bring me to the unity of all that is best.”
  holy days
  Lords and nobles with a sense of the artistic, or who wish 
  to present themselves as artistically savvy, often work with 
  the faith to promote the Aymaran Festivities. These usually 
  take place in the spring and summer. Their size and impor-
  tance depend on the wealth and prominence of sponsoring 
  nobles. The festivals are often given peculiar, grandiose 
  names which nearly always mention the sponsors, such 
  as, “The Worthy Festival of the Five Perfect Blossoms in 
  Spring, by Lord Pembroke Callington’s Charity.” 
  Local celebrants sanctify the Aymaran Festivities in 
  opening and closing ceremonies. Once every fifteen years, 
  a great council of celebrants convenes to organize a Bardic 
  Championship. At such times, the celebrants spread word to 
  the four corners of the civilized world to tell bards that the 
  Championship is coming, though in times of peace, artists 
  anticipate the event, and travel to where it will likely be held 
  in any event. It takes two years to move from announcement 
  to commencement. At the Championship, bards compete 
  in contests of composition, playing, singing, drama, and 
  comedy. The winners are proclaimed the greatest bards of the 
  civilized world, blessed by Aymara, and are given beautiful 
  silver medallions to mark their victories. A Bardic Champi-
  onship is considered a profoundly holy time for Aymarans, 
  and they come from all around to witness such grandeur.
  saInts
  Most Aymaran saints were talented artists, beatified post-
  humously, after a life of producing great works. A council 
  made up of the fair fellows of at least three lyceums name 
  the saint. Such councils are called by a unanimous vote of 
  the fair fellows from one lyceum—usually the one where 
  the artist in question worshiped. 
  The process of beatification involves a massive cele-
  bration of the artist’s works. The council gathers at the 
  sponsoring lyceum, where the works are displayed or per-
  formed for a week or two, depending upon how large the 
  body of work is. At the end, council members must agree 
  to beatify the artist and, if they do, the artist is henceforth 
  referred to as a saint whenever her name is mentioned.
  holy orders
  The Aymarans are thought to have two great holy orders: 
  the fair fellowship (clergy) and the aesthetes (holy war-
  riors). Most believe the fair fellowship controls the 
  lyceums, the members of which are divided into the sing-
  ers and celebrants. The aesthetes are the “active” order, 
  working against the enemies of beauty.
  But a third, secret order called the watchful eye controls 
  the lyceums and leads the war against Hell. The church 
  secretly funds the watchful eyes, whose members include 
  the unsheathed blades, tireless sentries, songs unsung, and 
  unblinking eyes. While the unblinking eyes, heads of this 
  secret order, stand outside the day-to-day functioning of 
  the faith, they do issue commands to the fair fellowship 
  and aesthetes, when necessary. The church keeps the order 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  113
  secret to protect its members and activities from Hell and 
  its minions. 
  The average lyceum has at least twelve singers and two 
  celebrants in residence. Aesthetes rarely reside at lyceums. 
  One or all the fair fellowship in residence can be part of 
  the watchful eye, as can any number of parishioners. 
  FaIr FellowshIp oF ayMara 
  A beautiful order, the fair fellowship focuses on love, song, 
  and celebration. The amount of song and celebration varies 
  by culture. Dwarven lyceums might stand out among their 
  people because their clergy smile on occasion. Elven lyce-
  ums are even more filled with song and delight than the 
  average elven household—and that’s quite an achievement.
  A member of the fair fellowship who is hit with tragedy 
  tries to rally against the darkness with delight. However, 
  some lose the mirth necessary to be a member, and might 
  wander away to pursue other interests until they find their 
  hearts lifted once more. The fair fellowship has no place for 
  the grim, conniving, heavy-hearted, ponderous, and sad. Of 
  course, there is room for seriousness among the fair fellow-
  ship. Tragedians, dramatists, balladeers, and epic poets who 
  deal with very serious topics are all welcome in the order. 
  There is only difficulty when sorrow infects the person to 
  the point where work becomes impossible.
  Most fair fellows are chaotic good, and such members 
  do not think much of elaborate systems of governance. 
  Most authority is threatened by the raw honesty of real 
  art, and fair fellows test their limits. If a line is drawn, 
  they cross it artistically, and they strongly believe the 
  lyceums are places for such expressions. They dedicate 
  themselves to good, though, and never promote evil in 
  their art. They desire all to be free and happy, and to 
  live in abounding love. Since societies fail to fulfill these 
  desires, the fair fellowship works to uplift people toward 
  these goals with its art. The lyceums are thus places of 
  freedom and goodness, where each person can explore 
  what they need to find love. Outside the lyceums, they 
  promote art and love in all the people they meet, convinc-
  ing peasants to sing and dance, or nobles to recite poetry.
  Some fair fellows are neutral good, and do not have the 
  same rebellious streak common among Aymarans. Nor 
  are they focused on each person’s individual quest for joy. 
  Instead, the ideals of art and love interest them. These fair 
  fellows want great art to fill the world, so they go to great 
  artists and help them. They want love to fill the world, 
  so they find people consumed by hate, and free them of 
  its bondage. While most fair fellows believe it sensible to 
  wander the countryside teaching farmers to dance, neutral 
  good members of the order focus on their pursuits, find-
  ing the places in need of beauty and love, and dedicating 
  themselves to working there.
  A vocal minority of the order is chaotic neutral. These 
  fair fellows focus on revelries of art and of love. They per-
  form bawdy comedies, drink heavily, sing ribald songs, 
  and proposition anyone they find appealing. They believe 
  Aymara is best represented by lives free of modesty and 
  convention, and that all people should experience physical 
  love, song, and dance on a regular basis.
  SinGer
  Most members of the fair fellowship are called singers, 
  and addressed as “kindly brother,” or “kindly sister.” They 
  are introduced by full title. Upon induction into the order, 
  singers are usually charged with spreading delight, love, 
  and beauty in the world. They go abroad, learning the songs 
  of distant cultures, and performing dramas for people in 
  remote lands. Singers who remain at their lyceums assist 
  the celebrants with day-to-day ceremonies and tasks.
  celebrAnt
  Time and experience allow singers to become celebrants 
  in a splendid ceremony of song and comedy. The ceremony 
  culminates in a performance by the celebrants or a display 
  of their work, after which the faithful lift them on their 
  shoulders and carry them around the lyceum three times. 
  Finally, they’re bathed in a fountain, or a great cauldron of 
  cool water. This ceremony represents the legendary return 
  of Aymara to Heaven after she converted one of the forefa-
  thers of the dragons to the path of good. She rode around 
  Heaven three times on Arathelle’s back and then bathed in 
  the river divine, at the foot of the Heavenly mount. 
  After the bathing, all proclaim the fair fellow to be a 
  celebrant, at which time he rises from the water and takes 
  on a new name. The name may come from a famous song, 
  play, or poem, or might even be a musical instrument, 
  a type of music, or a dramatic device. Celebrants take 
  names based on the area of the arts that most interest 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  114
  114
  them. The new name is placed before the celebrant’s birth 
  name, and she is henceforth referred to with both names 
  (such as Andivae Corallyn above, named after the famous 
  comedic rascal, Andivae, but maintaining her birth name, 
  Corallyn). Celebrants are world-renowned artists, and 
  critics of art. In them, bards have loving patrons, and 
  those with a tale to tell find a ready audience among them. 
  They are addressed as “fairest brother” or “fairest sister,” 
  and are introduced by full title.
  To the eyes of the world, there is no higher authority in 
  the Aymaran faith than the celebrants. All celebrants are 
  equal and decide matters by unanimous consent, or major-
  ity rule when unanimity is impossible. Most celebrants 
  stay within a lyceum, which is nominally controlled by a 
  council of all its resident celebrants. 
  JoInIng the FaIr FellowshIp
  Becoming a singer does not take much time; it only 
  requires the proper mental attitude and devotion to 
  Aymara. A prospective member of the order is taught all 
  the traditional Aymaran songs of reverence and worship. 
  This takes a few months, but is not taxing. At the end of 
  the time the new singer becomes a cleric with the Beauty 
  domain, which is described in Chapter X.
  aesthetes oF ayMara 
  The aesthetes are the fairest of all holy orders in the 
  churches of the pantheon. Always attired in shining mail 
  or fine cloth, wearing garland wreathes of roses and lilacs, 
  the aesthetes are shining champions of love and beauty. 
  They compose poetry, play lyres and harps, sing as they 
  ride across the lands, laugh loudly, and delight in the com-
  pany of all good people. Their horses are often covered in 
  gaily ringing bells, and their shields bear the blazon of a 
  golden harp, or some other happy image. The aesthetes 
  seek out places in the world where beauty is threatened, or 
  has been lost, and they fight to make sure beauty prevails. 
  Aesthetes must stay true to their selves and their love of 
  art and beauty. Their credo is simple:
  If you can make the world more beautiful, do so.
  If your life and your toil can protect or recover a 
  work of beauty, give it freely.
  If love is opposed or stymied, do all you can to be 
  its champion.
  Aesthetes prefer the company of bards, with some 
  becoming their personal champions and bodyguards. 
  Aesthetes, like most Aymarans, are fond of the faithful of 
  all the gods of the tree, since the Aymaran faith has uni-
  versally positive relations with the other churches. For this 
  reason, aesthetes travel with members of other churches. 
  Aesthetes avoid keeping company with uncouth or hateful 
  people, and certainly won’t accompany petty thieves who 
  steal and hoard works of beauty, but oppose them instead.
  The order has absolutely no power structure; aesthetes 
  report to no one, though most accept direction from the 
  watchful eyes when necessary. Members rarely gather, and 
  the only time one might see more than one aesthete, is 
  when one trains another. 
  Upon joining the order, candidates receive the title of 
  aesthete, which they maintain for the rest of their days, 
  unless, of course, they fall from grace. They are addressed as 
  “fair sir” or “fair dame” and introduced by full title. Newly 
  made aesthetes each receive a token either from the aesthete 
  who trained them, or from a celebrant who observes their 
  induction to the order. The token is an instrument, a poem, 
  a song, a play, or another symbol of artistic endeavor, and is 
  hers to protect for all her days. This is purely symbolic, but 
  the aesthetes carry the token always, so its beauty remains 
  close and serves as a reminder of their duty.
  JoInIng the aesthetes
  A prospective aesthete simply receives the call from Aymara. 
  Once she hears the goddess summoning her to service, the 
  initiate must find another aesthete for training. This process 
  takes one year of traveling together, doing great deeds in the 
  name of beauty and love. At the end of this time, the aes-
  thete becomes a paladin. Most aesthetes are chaotic good, 
  and when it is time to take their oaths, they typically swear 
  the Oath of Perfection (see Chapter X).
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  115
  watChFul eyes
  The watchful eyes make up the third and secret holy order, 
  the members of which members refer to each other as “the 
  watchers.” They oppose Hell and all its works, and represent 
  its most dangerous enemies. The watchers understand the 
  differences between the powers of the dark planes. Demons 
  seek to destroy, consume, and wallow in vice, but devils, led 
  by their horrid and ingenious mastermind, seek control. Hell 
  moves to make Asmodeus king of the universe, which he 
  believes is his rightful place, according to a unified, contin-
  uous plan devils have pursued for millennia. Someone must 
  oppose it, and thus the order of the watchful eye formed.
  Watchers train themselves to hear the angelic choirs, 
  and sing notes in harmony with the crystalline ringing of 
  the celestial sphere itself. They learn to dance to the song 
  of the blades, just as Aymara did the wars against Kador. 
  They direct lyceums to gather information on diabolical 
  activities. They work as spies, whisperers, wanderers, and 
  artists, all feeding a network that monitors Hell’s plan.
  It’s not clear if Hell knows of the watchers. Certainly, 
  Hell has moved directly against the church before, and 
  the watchers still believe they secretly plot against the 
  faithful. Someday this struggle will come to a head, and 
  each side will reveal its preparations against the other.
  Watchers rarely reveal their affiliation with the order. 
  They do not wear symbols of office or refer to their order, 
  though they do have a series of seemingly innocuous 
  invocations that identify them to one another, particularly 
  when strung together. For example, one might say “I hear 
  the music clearly today!” Another would respond with, 
  “What does it tell you?” This is answered by, “Aymara’s 
  song is in every good person’s ear,” which is answered by 
  “Indeed. I hear it clearly.” Anyone who blatantly identifies 
  himself as a watcher instead is either lying, or is attempt-
  ing to induct someone into the order. 
  As a secret society, the order has many levels of status. 
  Those at lower levels know they serve a higher authority, 
  and the heads of the order are called the unblinking eyes, 
  but have no idea where they reside or who they might be. 
  While there are titles among the watchers, they are for 
  internal reference alone. For example, the unsheathed 
  blades are called “blades.” No one would ever say “I’m 
  Blade Kobor!” However, a message from one of Kobor’s 
  superior to another might say, “Ten blades are ready to 
  move. Blade Kobor has infiltrated the abbey.” 
  blAde
  A new watcher belongs to the unsheathed blades, referred to 
  as “blades.” They are watched closely for anything that would 
  indicate they are diabolical infiltrators. A new blade might 
  wait months, even years, while assuming some position 
  where they can gather intelligence on Hell’s forces, before 
  being contacted with some active mission. Some blades are 
  ordered to perform acts that seem senseless to them. For 
  example: “Wear a purple cloak and walk about the market 
  on such and such a day, but do not talk to anyone but the 
  merchants, and only to buy what you need, as you normally 
  would.” Each blade is supervised by a tireless sentry.
  tireleSS Sentry
  After years of service to the order, the cleverest and most 
  useful members of the order become tireless sentries, 
  referred to as “sentries.” The chiefs of a geographic region, 
  sentries watch over local blades, disseminate orders among 
  them, and pass information up to the song unsung above 
  them. They do not inform blades under their command of 
  the identities of other members of the watchful eye, except 
  when necessary. Thus, if a blade is captured or turned, 
  she cannot betray much of the order. Similarly, a tireless 
  sentry doesn’t learn who her comrade sentries are unless 
  the song unsung who commands her deems it necessary.
  SonG UnSUnG
  Eventually, tireless sentries learn more about the people 
  who control the order. Such individuals receive a sum-
  mons to one of the many secret enclaves of the unblinking 
  eyes, who head of the order. There they learn the identities 
  of other tireless sentries within a cluster of regions, and 
  become their supervisors, coordinating their operations. 
  At the meeting, the candidate takes the title of song 
  unsung (or simply “song”). Songs operate with a good 
  deal of autonomy, sifting through intelligence reports 
  and directing subordinates’ activities. They report to one 
  or two unblinking eyes above them, and regularly attend 
  planning meetings for high-ranking officials of the order. 
  A song unsung will know of others of his rank and if 
  interrogated, might severely injure the order. 
  UnblinkinG eye
  A council of seven, the unblinking eyes (or just “eyes”) 
  plan the Aymaran war on Hell. Only a unanimous vote by 
  the sitting eyes can elevate a song to membership upon the 
  death or retirement of one of the other eyes. The council 
  oversees all operations, making sure the order remains a 
  secret one as it battles Hell. They rarely meet in one place, 
  preferring to communicate by magical means.
  JoInIng the watChers
  Becoming a watcher requires being nominated by a sentry, 
  and likely means one has been watched for at least a year 
  by other members of the order. The induction usually 
  involves the prospective member being kidnapped by 
  friends and acquaintances in the order, and taken to a 
  safe location. There, prospects are asked about their faith, 
  their notions of Hell, and their deepest hopes. The candi-
  dates then undergo a test of souls (see Chapter X). At last, 
  they learn about the order and may join. Refusal results 
  in candidates having their memories erased by magic, 
  but acceptance sees them begin their training to become 
  blades, until they’re ready to act at a moment’s notice or 
  engage in the long-term business of intelligence gathering. 
  Most members are bards (of any kind, though many 
  belong to the College of Virtue, described in Chapter X), 
  rogues (arcane tricksters), sorcerers (of divine inspiration), 
  and others who value song, and pay homage to Aymara. 
  Members of other gods’ clergies, monks, and druids 
  almost never join the watchers. 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  116
  116
  God oF the ForGe And ArtiSAnS
  Korak
  lord oF WriGhtS, GrAnd WriGht, ForGer oF SoUlS,  
  kinG oF the crUcible, mASter, hAmmer hAnd, clever hAnded
  Korak (CORE-ack) is the neutral good god of smiths, 
  artisans, carpenters, masons, and laborers of all variety. 
  He is the champion of the dwarves, the god of hard work, 
  and the defender of cities, and other great symbols of 
  mortal endeavor.
  Korak’s appearance varies from culture to culture. He, 
  along with his cousin Darmon, traveled among the mortal 
  races in disguise, and taught them many tricks and wonders, 
  so each race represents him as one of their own. Regardless 
  of racial appearance, he always looks powerfully muscled, 
  with a great smith’s hammer in his hand, and has deep, black 
  eyes like coal. In some statues and paintings, he wears glit-
  tering armor as he did in times of war, long ago. The elves 
  most often show him holding up some fantastic creation—a 
  swan made of silver, or a crown of pearl and emerald—while 
  dwarves usually represent him toiling away at the forge.
  Korak wields a forge hammer that’s as heavy as a moun-
  tain. Those who follow him and must fight wield any kind 
  of hammer—warhammers, light hammers, even hooked 
  hammers—to emulate the god. Some use mauls with 
  enormous heads of metal on thick wooden shafts, but they 
  must be strong to swing such a weapon.
  The symbols of Korak are his hammer and the anvil. 
  They can be shown together, or an adherent might use 
  just one of them. When a symbol must be made simply 
  or quickly, such as when it must be stamped on a sword’s 
  pommel, an outline of the hammer is sufficient.
  Oxen, the mule, the horse, and other beasts of burden 
  are associated with the god, but the bull is the strongest 
  of his animal affinities. Its strength can be harnessed by 
  those who treat it well, and its horns await those who 
  treat it badly. People also associate Korak with creatures 
  made from metal, particularly mighty gorgons and metal-
  lic golems. 
  Korak, like his cousin Darmon, is universally popular 
  among the mortal races. All mortals make things with 
  their hands, build monuments to their societies, and create 
  wonders from metals and gems. Among the mortal races, 
  though, the dwarves hold him dearest, for Korak taught 
  them many crafts.
  Myths 
  a dwarVen legend
  for the fIrst thousand years of the dwarves’ hIstory, 
  all our peoples were united in a great city. It was built in a 
  fabulous series of caves, where each hall was lovelier than the 
  last. At the end of the thousand years, the caves began to shake 
  and shift. The dwarf-fathers thought themselves under attack, 
  and many people fled. Eventually it became clear: Our city was 
  not built inside of caves at all, but in the head of Korak, the 
  Forger of Souls.
  To His eternal glory, the Grand Wright was not angered 
  that small folk had built homes in His head while He slept, 
  and He did not smite them. Rather, He waited for all to depart 
  from the caves of His mind, and then assumed a form in the 
  likeness of our forefathers. Walking among us, He taught us 
  many cunning secrets, and gave us many blessings. He aided 
  us in building new homes, and taught the dwarves the names 
  of all the gods, blessing each of them, but most especially His 
  beloved sister, Anwyn, who had awoken Him from slumber. 
  He showed us how to respect the Wellspring of Life, Rontra the 
  Earth, as we built new homes in the deep places. He took us 
  on great journeys to each of the highest mountains, introduced 
  us to the other races, and even gave us an audience before His 
  cousin, Darmon, who showed us the wonders of trade.
  At the end of this golden age of the dwarves, the Lord of 
  Wrights, Korak Hammer Hand, turned His thoughts back to 
  His family. He decided to part company with the dwarves. At 
  His farewell, He gave the dwarves three stones of incredible 
  power that He had forged in our fires, and a promise more pre-
  cious than any stone: that one day He would return to teach us 
  new ways. We await him still.
  all For loVe
  after grand wrIght korak departed from the 
  dwarves, he came to the aid of his half-brother Maal, building 
  for him a magnificent subterranean realm, where all the dead 
  might be judged, and live on, if they were not reborn. He set 
  down in that realm a great forge fire, in which flawed souls 
  might be remade at the pleasure of the gods. Though it is rare, 
  from time to time Korak will go to his half-brother’s realm to 
  mend a broken spirit.
  After building Maal’s realm, Clever Handed Korak 
  returned to the mortal world and began to travel with his 
  cousin, Darmon. Both went in disguise and taught the races of 
  mortals many secrets, such as the making of steel, and the secret 
  of arches. The Lord of Wrights came to be very fond of both his 
  half-brother and his cousin, bringing them together on many 
  adventures. They were the sons of an ancient conflict and their 
  mothers opposed each other often, but Master Korak forged a 
  friendship between himself, Maal, and Darmon, that lasts 
  to this day.
  Thus, the three quested together, searching for a wife for 
  Maal, and they were known by gods and mortals both as the 
  Three Companions. In this quest, they came upon the Three 
  Sisters, and Korak Hammer Hand fell madly in love with the 
  guardian of the trees, Thellyne the Huntress. There are many 
  tales of his efforts to woo the lady of the wood, but the grandest 
  is the tale of the seven impossible labors.
  After years of Korak’s courting, Thellyne the Huntress deter-
  mined a way to be rid of him. She demanded of him seven 
  impossible labors, to prove his love. If he succeeded, she would 
  marry him. Master Korak readily agreed. First, she asked him 
  to make the woods of the world more beautiful, so he journeyed 
  
  117
  far and wide, coating every leaf of every tree in a thin layer 
  of gold. Thus leaves turn gold every year, to remember Korak’s 
  journey, and it is why a thin layer of metal applied to a surface 
  is called a “leaf,” by craftsmen.
  Next, she demanded a sign of endless love. So Korak made a 
  perfect ring of gold, for rings have neither beginning nor end, 
  and a perfect circle provides no waypoint at which a journey 
  may stop, so love might circle endlessly. Though she did not 
  accept the gift, mortals still exchange rings as signs of nev-
  er-ending love.
  Next the Huntress asked the Grand Wright to find her a 
  creature that travels neither by walking on land, nor by swim-
  ming in water, nor by flying in the air. Master Korak went 
  to the mountains and found one of the great dragons, whose 
  name was Ouroboros. He took away its legs and wings, so that 
  it could only slither on the ground. He called the new crea-
  ture a snake. 
  But Thellyne was not pleased with the snake, and said she 
  wanted it to be a different color. So, for his fourth labor, the 
  King of the Crucible taught the snake to change its skin, and 
  thus, snakes shed their skins in remembrance. Korak left the 
  snake to its own devices. It retreated to its mountain home, 
  where it eventually grew so big it began to gnaw on its own 
  tail. There are many legends about the fate of Ouroboros, but 
  they need not be spoken here.
  For the fifth labor, Thellyne pointed to a sad-looking creature: 
  a reptile that crept from a hole in the earth. It ran swiftly, but 
  not as fast as the rains, which washed away its home. The reptile 
  raced in circles, lost, until a wolf happened by and gobbled the 
  miserable creature up. “Those lizards, the turtles, are the fastest 
  creatures in the world, and dear to me. They would be happy, but 
  they keep losing their homes. Make them homes with no doors, 
  but which keep them safe; and which might be moved anywhere, 
  but can never be lost.” Master Korak decided to make them shells 
  to carry on their backs, as he had seen snails do. He had trouble 
  hitting upon the right shell. First, he created one of lapis and 
  chalcedony, but it would not keep the turtles safe, since every-
  one would want to steal them. This shell he gave to his cousin, 
  Aymara, and from it she fashioned the first lyre, upon which she 
  plays to this day. The next shell he made was of steel and ada-
  mantine, but it was too heavy for the poor little creatures. This 
  he gave to Thellyne’s sister, Canelle, and she wears it as a breast-
  plate. Finally, he crafted a shell like the shells of the sea, coloring 
  it green like the wood to please Thellyne. He bound these to the 
  turtles’ backs and bellies, so they were safe and never lost their 
  homes, no matter where they went. But the shells were heavy, 
  and the once-swift turtles grew ponderous.
  Now despairing that Korak would complete all the labors, 
  and she would have to marry him, Thellyne demanded that 
  Korak bring her the most beautiful thing in the world. This 
  labor took many years, for the Lord of Wrights had seen many 
  delightful things on his travels, and could not say which was 
  most beautiful of all. At last, talking to his cousin Aymara, 
  he determined what it was, and returned to Thellyne, emp-
  ty-handed. “I bring you my love, for love is the most beautiful 
  thing in the world,” he told her, and she wept, for she knew he 
  was right.
  It was therefore time for the final labor to be decreed, and 
  a weeping Thellyne did not know how to break free from 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  118
  118
  her obligation. So she asked Master Korak to give her what 
  she most desired. Beholding her there, weeping, the Lord of 
  Wrights knew that she most desired freedom from their bar-
  gain. He gave it to her, thus completing the seven impossible 
  labors, but he did not win Thellyne’s hand. For that he con-
  tinues to strive, proving his love for the Mistress of the Wood 
  whenever and however he may. 
  Make wonders
  The greatest builder of the sphere, Korak’s accom-
  plishments with metals, stone, and wood rival even 
  the creations of the Nameless One. He makes perfect 
  things—weapons, homes, halls, even furniture—and is 
  tireless in his efforts. His only distraction is his desire 
  for Thellyne, the goddess of the hunt. He woos her still, 
  though none know if he has influenced her heart.
  Although he hails from the lawful side of the gods’ 
  family, Korak slumbered for many years with the chaotic 
  blood of his aunt Zheenkeef coursing through his veins. 
  He exhibits traits from both sides of the 
  family, and has no patience for the 
  petty struggles of his parents and 
  their siblings. He often stays out 
  of such conflicts, or calls for peace. 
  It is perhaps this very neutrality 
  that makes him such a popular god 
  among mortals.
  From time to time, Korak visits his 
  half-brother Maal, in the Kingdom of 
  the Dead, and reforges a few souls who 
  have demonstrated potential despite 
  living through many flawed incarna-
  tions. He places them in his great crucible 
  and with his mighty hammer, bangs out 
  their worst flaws. In doing so, he makes 
  great heroes and renowned leaders. One who 
  walks an especially extraordinary path in life, 
  a great hero or a noble ruler, is often said to have 
  been “forged in the King’s Crucible.”
  Most of the time, however, Korak dwells in Heaven 
  with his family, the Lords of Good, making for them 
  wondrous things of the richest materials. On his throne 
  in the City of Gods, he watches over those who work with 
  their hands, delighting in their efforts to make great and 
  useful things.
  the FIVe apprentICes
  Korak’s five principal servants work with him in his forge 
  as apprentices. Recently deceased followers of Korak, they 
  serve in his smithies (in Heaven and in the land of the 
  dead, traveling with him) for a century. His mortal fol-
  lowers hope to find a place by his forge in death, for it is a 
  great honor to be chosen. They recite over their labors, “If 
  my hand is steady and my work is true, then I shall stoke 
  the fires for the Grand Wright.” After serving in this 
  capacity, the apprentices go on to become journeymen in 
  Heaven, making wondrous artifacts for the gods. They are 
  journeymen eternally, for there is no Master in Heaven for 
  such crafts but Korak.
  The five apprentices are named after the parts of the 
  forge: Bellows, Fire, Hammer, Anvil, and Tongs. For 
  the century in which they serve, they lose all other iden-
  tifications, and do naught but perform their function. 
  Some great artisans taken before their time refused to 
  return when called back by ceremonies of resurrection, 
  because they became one of the apprentices. Anyone 
  earning a place at Korak’s side is unlikely to ever return 
  from the dead.
  the guIldhalls  
  oF korak
  Koraketh worship in the guildhalls of Korak, also known 
  by members as the Halls of the Grand Wright. Nearly 
  every artisan who worships the gods of the tree belongs 
  to a guildhall. Most who make their living through works 
  of the hand (see below) consider their guildhall 
  their “home” church, even if they pay 
  respects to other members of the 
  pantheon. Thus, guildhalls are cor-
  nerstones of every community.
  The guildhalls, and the entirety 
  of the Koraketh faith, exist to do: to 
  work, and make things. The guild-
  halls aid those who need advice to 
  complete massive projects, and offer 
  supplies when possible. They provide 
  mediation between artisans in profes-
  sional disputes, make sure apprentices 
  aren’t abused by their masters, and col-
  laborate with community leaders on public 
  works. The Koraketh keep clear of political 
  struggles, and anything else that might dis-
  tract them from their work.
  Dedication to actual work in their com-
  munity, and an intimate involvement in the 
  goings-on of local artisans, make the Koraketh so 
  popular that many towns don’t have individual guilds 
  for coopers, thatchers, masons, smiths, or other trades. 
  Instead they all meet within the guildhalls of Korak, 
  which happily makes space available for such purposes.
  Korak favors the guildhalls, and goes to them when he 
  walks the mortal sphere, when he’s not wooing Thellyne. 
  Although the Compact forbids him from directly teach-
  ing his faithful or giving them great powers to pursue his 
  ends, nearly all the gods communicate with their churches 
  through signs and portents. Thus, Korak delivers guidance 
  as a blind old man, or a young artisan hoping to be taught 
  a lesson or two. In this fashion, he observes the Koraketh 
  and teaches them lessons through parables and hands-on 
  examples. 
  Korak dearly loves those who live for artisanship. He 
  believes Koraketh serve the highest calling any mortal 
  can: perfecting the works of the hand. Therefore, the 
  most powerful of Koraketh receive aid from their god in 
  times of need, and the Forger of Souls always watches 
  over them.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  119
  doCtrIne
  “It is the fool who believes himself above work. It is the 
  greater fool who works to no purpose.”
  —from the sermons of the Most Excellent 
  and Venerable Master, Wise Brother Grathor 
  Twicecut, Supreme Maker and Master Wright 
  of the Guildhalls of Korak
  The guildhalls of Korak preach creative and useful work 
  above all else. They say the Grand Wright despises the 
  lazy. Each order in the church has its own interpretation 
  of Korak’s teachings, but all three agree: He loves those 
  who live by the sweat of their brows, and loathes those 
  who sit back and let others work for them.
  The guildhalls also hold, however, one must not build 
  for no purpose, or simply for the pleasure of building, as 
  it is easy to manipulate one into doing evil with the thing 
  created. Thus, one must always consider who will use his 
  creation—who will carry the sharp sword, or live in the 
  impregnable tower. Those who make and build must be 
  ever vigilant that their creations do not fall into evil hands. 
  Thus, many worshipers of Korak liberate holy sites, cleanse 
  evil-tainted ancient cities, and restore lost homes. There are 
  also those of the church who protect the great works of past 
  artisans to ensure they never fall into evil hands.
  In day-to-day life, the worshipers of Korak follow these 
  simple laws:
  • Never be hesitant to dirty your hands in labor, no 
  matter high you rise, no matter how noble you are 
  acclaimed to be. Every day, work.
  • Do not hoard beauty. If you hold the magnificent 
  work of artisans, let others behold it when it is safe to 
  show it. (There is no sense among the worshipers of 
  Korak that it is wrong to hide valuables while travel-
  ing, but misers who hoard great works of the hand so 
  that only they can see them are thought to be wicked.)
  • Always endeavor to aid goodhearted people with 
  your labor whenever it is useful.
  • Demand that your brother be paid fairly for his 
  labor. Pay those who study with you a fair wage, even 
  your apprentices.
  • Do not hold any into service against their will—
  either past their time of contract, or as slaves—for to 
  take a man’s labor is as grave as taking his life.
  • Protect beautiful works of the hand. They must 
  be guarded against all those who would steal 
  or spoil them.
  The doctrines of the three orders, which are described 
  below, add to the core beliefs of the Koraketh.
  The order of makers believes all those with skill are 
  called upon to do great things, and should aid those seek-
  ing to do greatness. They are the “order of heroes,” and are 
  called such with reverence by the other orders. They make 
  items for champions, and artifacts of the greatest beauty.
  The order of builders believes the most lasting labors 
  are those which aid ordinary people. They celebrate the 
  achievements of the common person, and aid simple 
  artisans in their labors, shoeing horses, building gates, 
  sewing sails, and completing other works that keep society 
  functioning. They are the “order of the commons,” and are 
  called such with reverence, by the other orders.
  The order of masons believes all people, common and 
  heroic, are emboldened and enriched by great monuments. 
  The Masons seek to build towering monoliths, magnif-
  icent temples, and glorious palaces so that the lives of 
  mortals might be filled with wonder and reverence. They 
  are the “order of kings,” and are respectfully called such, 
  by the other orders.
  koraketh prayers
  The most common prayer to Korak is said daily by nearly 
  all his worshipers upon waking, and is simply called the 
  Morning Prayer. 
  “Master Korak, guide my Hand,
  Give me strength to lift,
  Precision to join,
  Fortitude to labor.
  “Master Korak, guide my Eye,
  Grant me insight to plan,
  Knowledge to understand,
  Wisdom to teach.
  “Master Korak, guide my Heart,
  Lend me courage to fail, 
  Patience to continue,
  Hope to succeed.”
  Another common prayer is said by an apprentice when 
  binding himself to a master:
  “King of the Crucible, smile on me!
  The first master among us was your apprentice;
  I follow now, as my master did before me.
  I swear to obey,
  I swear to work,
  I swear to serve,
  I swear to learn,
  And when I am a master,
  I swear to teach.
  I bind myself to this oath in your name, 
  Master Korak. 
  May your blessings be upon me.”
  Masters take oaths to fairly teach and compensate 
  apprentices until they’re ready to become a journeyman, 
  or until cannot meet the required standards of the trade 
  despite the master’s earnest efforts to teach them.
  holy days
  Most Koraketh holy days land when communities set 
  aside to celebrate the work of laborers. Guildhalls orga-
  nize such labor festivals, and sponsor the revels. 
  The high holiday of the Great Festival occurs once 
  every ten years. The event always involves a grand com-
  petition, in which artisans from all traditions show off 
  their wares and display their skill. Since the Grand Fes-
  tival attracts skilled artisans from all across the land, the 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  120
  120
  works oF the hand
  “Works of the hand” is the most common phrase among 
  the Koraketh to describe what they revere. For a time, 
  many religious scholars sought to extend the meaning 
  of building and artisanship to structures made purely 
  of magic, as well as abstractions like culture. While the 
  Koraketh certainly enjoy exploring the metaphysical 
  meanings of “building,” they came to be dissatisfied with 
  the regular aspersions cast on what such scholars began 
  calling “petty crafts,” like blacksmithing. Before long, the 
  Koraketh came to discuss their church in terms of “works 
  of the hand:” physical things made by the hands of mor-
  tals, such as buildings, ships, tools, weapons, and so on.
  heads of the three orders choose the location two years in 
  advance, to allow artisans time to plan and embark upon 
  their journeys.
  The Grand Festival awards three main prizes, called 
  Golden Laurels, for Making, Building, and Masonry. While 
  makers, and usually builders, bring their entries to the Great 
  Festival, those whose entries are magnificent castles, monu-
  ments, or other great structures must often provide magical 
  means to present their creations to the panel of judges, who 
  will not travel more than an afternoon’s journey to assess any 
  masterwork. This is normally accomplished through scrying, 
  but sometimes uses magical means of travel.
  Eleven elders of the faith judge the contestants. The 
  panel members cannot compete, to remain impartial. But 
  the heads of the three orders must compete, because the 
  winner of each competition becomes to the head of its 
  corresponding order. Thus, one must compete or retire 
  from consideration for leadership. Theoretically anyone 
  could be vaulted into a high position, but winners have 
  always been powerful members of the Koraketh faith. This 
  likely a comment on the judges’ “impartiality,” but many 
  Koraketh are unsurpassed artisans, so it might not be a 
  matter of bias alone. In truth, the Golden Laurels usually 
  pit the head of each order against another member of great 
  skill. Even losing works of craftsmanship may be among 
  the finest examples of their kind ever wrought, however, 
  and losers could still find clients clamoring for their wares.
  The Great Festival offers several lesser awards, meant to 
  praise less accomplished artisans who have achieved great 
  things with limited resources, but in the end, all eyes gaze 
  upon the contest for the Golden Laurels. If the head of an 
  order dies, falls from grace, or otherwise leaves his duties 
  before a Great Festival, the remaining leaders hold an 
  election They select candidates to fill the vacant seat based 
  on their past Grand Festival performance. In each guild-
  hall, the candidates’ order casts ballots. The candidate 
  that receives the most votes in each guildhall contributes 
  one vote for that candidate from the guildhall as a whole, 
  submitted by its reigning guildmaster. The winner of the 
  election holds their position until the next Great Festival, 
  where they must defend it or resign.
  saInts
  Koraketh saints are remembered at the Great Festival, 
  when the heads of the orders bring out the faith’s ornate 
  Roll of the Saints, and read the names inscribed on it. 
  (They say Saint Dorrik Threehelms once worked through 
  the night on his piece for the Grand Festival and missed 
  his own beatification the following morning, by sleeping 
  through it.) They add members of the faith, living or dead, 
  by unanimous vote, just before the Festival. The three 
  decide on the names of those to be beatified before the 
  festival, add their names, and read them to public before 
  the Grand Festival closes. 
  The heads of the orders look for truly exceptional deeds, 
  not craft-skill alone, when they consider candidates for 
  sainthood. Saints might be remembered for cleansing par-
  ticularly splendid ancient elf or dwarf homes of evil sorcery, 
  for recovering magnificent artifacts, or for saving import-
  ant, beautiful locations from destruction. When the faithful 
  die defending such creations, people remember them as 
  local martyrs, but martyrdom is never acknowledged by the 
  whole faith; Korak wants his followers to live and work, not 
  just die defending what’s already been made. 
  holy orders
  The Koraketh have four holy orders, three of which know no 
  boundaries from guildhall to guildhall. The last order is con-
  cerned only with the authority of individual guildhalls. The 
  three main orders of the guildhalls are the makers, the build-
  ers, and the masons. Those who oversee individual guildhalls 
  are members of the fourth order: the guildmasters. 
  Korak is the supreme authority of the guildhall system: the 
  Grand Wright. The heads of the three cross-guildhall orders 
  gain no authority within individual guildhalls, though the 
  devout respect them as the greatest workers in their crafts. 
  Anyone can climb in status within the three main orders, 
  if they are skilled craftspeople. Each of the three orders is 
  concerned with a different area of artisanship, as follows.
  the holy And revered order oF mAkerS
  The Holy and Revered Order of Makers is made up of 
  smiths of all sorts (particularly goldsmiths and silver-
  smiths), jewelers, armorers, weaponsmiths, fletchers, and 
  others who craft individual works for the use of heroes 
  and common folk alike. They believe the individual’s tie 
  to beauty is one of Korak’s greatest gifts, and that people 
  should be adorned in jewelry, don the finest armor in 
  battle, and wield the greatest weapons in war. 
  the holy And revered order oF bUilderS
  The Holy and Revered Order of Builders is the larg-
  est order, and includes coopers, tanners, carpenters, 
  woodworkers, thatchers, farriers, furriers, shipwrights, 
  wheelwrights, and others whose skills are used to main-
  tain communities. If a skill keeps a town running by its 
  very nature, its practitioners join the builders. They believe 
  Korak’s greatest gifts to the mortal races were the simple 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  121
  areas oF ConCern For the Four holy 
  orders oF the guIldhalls oF korak
  GUild
  tyPicAl trAdeS 
  Makers
  Crafting Items for Adventurers, Soldiers, 
  or Personal Adornment: Armorsmithing, 
  Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Bowmaking, 
  Gemcutting, Weaponsmithing, Jewelry, 
  Fletching
  Builders
  Creating Community Improvements and 
  Useful Items for Day-To-Day Living: 
  Blacksmithing, Bookbinding, Carpentry, 
  Cobbling, Cooping (Making Barrels and 
  Casks), Leatherworking, Painting, Pottery, 
  Weaving, Tailoring, Ropery (Rope and Net 
  Making)
  Masons
  Creating Large Monuments and Lasting 
  Structures (and Certain Esoteric Skills): 
  Locksmithing, Sculpture, Stonemasonry, 
  Trapmaking, Architecture, Calligraphy, 
  Runemaking
  Guildmasters
  Any two trades from at least two of the 
  other three orders to attain Wright status
  arts necessary to survive and thrive, and they take great 
  pride in making commonplace things beautiful. 
  the holy And revered order oF mASonS
  The Holy and Revered Order of Masons is the smallest 
  order, and comprises stonemasons, sculptors, locksmiths, 
  glasscutters, and others whose skills are necessary to build 
  massive structures. If a skill helps build a city’s works 
  or some magnificent structure, its practitioners join the 
  masons. They believe Korak’s lessons are best poured into 
  the construction of magnificent temples, halls and castles, 
  to better glorify his gifts. 
  the CraFt orders
  All three of the main orders have the same 
  structure. Advancement occurs by merit, and 
  members ascend based on the works they 
  create. The GM might let these achieve-
  ments occur in between adventures, or use 
  the downtime rules for crafting to determine 
  when a character can advance to the next stage. 
  Each order uses the following titles and degrees,
  JoUrneymen
  Apprentices fully inducted into the order become either 
  “makers,” “builders,” or “masons.” They are addressed and 
  introduced by full title (such as “Maker Jason”).
  mASterS
  In time, one who creates something of great and lasting 
  beauty becomes a master and is titled as a “master maker,” 
  “master builder,” or “master mason.” He might be called 
  “Master Maker Jason.”
  GrAnd mASterS
  The greatest masters become accepted by all as one of the 
  great craftspeople of a large area. Such a figure is considered 
  a Grand member of the guild, called either “grand maker,” 
  “grand builder,” or “grand mason.” They are addressed as 
  “Illustrious Masters,” and introduced by full title— “Illustri-
  ous Master Jason, of the Makers,” for example.
  SUPreme mASterS
  The most skilled and accomplished masters might unseat 
  the current head of an order (see “Holy Days,” above) and 
  become the supreme members of the guild. The head of 
  the order is either the “supreme maker,” “supreme builder,” 
  or “supreme mason.” He is addressed as “Most Excellent 
  and Venerable Master,” and introduced by that moniker.
  One cannot be a member of more than one of the three 
  major orders (makers, builders, masons). Once an order is 
  chosen, a member must stay in it or go through a complex 
  initiation, rejecting the old order and joining the new. In 
  any given guildhall, the highest-ranked local member of 
  each order lead their comrades. If there are no particularly 
  powerful or revered members of the order locally, they 
  look to reputable members of the order for instruction in 
  other guildhalls, visiting when necessary for guidance and 
  instruction.
  The three orders maintain equal status in a guildhall, 
  but even their most powerful members do not determine 
  local guildhall policy. While each order might make poli-
  cies and religious law for its own members, every guildhall 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  122
  122
  is an independent body, overseen by the local head of the 
  fourth order of the faith, the guildmasters. 
  the order oF guIldMasters
  The guildmasters come from the three other holy orders of 
  the Koraketh, and are members of the faith who wish to lead 
  their local guildhalls in matters both spiritual and mundane. 
  A guildmaster keeps their original title, but adds a title 
  among the guildmasters. Guildmasters may continue to rise 
  in their original orders. Only clerics, paladins, or others who 
  receive spells from Korak can become guildmasters. 
  WriGht
  To advance in the guildmasters, a member must demon-
  strate broad skill in Korak’s arts, crossing the divisions 
  of the other orders. A novice in this order has no special 
  titles, though she might possess one from one of the 
  other orders. To be named a wright—the church’s term 
  for small guildhall’s leader—the novice must create two 
  items of unsurpassed beauty, associated with the trades of 
  two different orders. A wright coordinates the efforts of 
  all three holy orders, and offers local communities use of 
  the hall. She becomes leader and spokesperson for a small 
  group of the faithful. A wright is addressed as “brother” 
  or “sister,” and this address always comes before his name. 
  Old order titles are omitted; Grand Maker Jason, upon 
  becoming a wright, is simply addressed as “Brother Jason.” 
  This is reflects him putting aside his status to focus on his 
  duties as a wright. When formally introduced, however, 
  he maintains all titles and is announced as, “The Illustri-
  ous Master, Brother Jason, Grand Maker and Wright of 
  the Guildhall of Korak.”
  mASter WriGht
  By creating a third item of unsurpassed workmanship 
  from a trade associated with the order he did not work 
  within to qualify for her office, a wright demonstrates 
  her complete understanding of the three types of trades, 
  and becomes a master wright. Master wrights manage 
  the greatest guildhalls, for this is the apex of power in 
  the guildmasters’ order. A master wright is addressed 
  as “wise brother” or “wise sister.” Like a wright, she 
  maintains all order titles for formal purposes and is 
  introduced in the same fashion. 
  guIldhalls and artIsans
  None of the craft orders demand a monopoly on their 
  trades. One does not have to serve Korak to be the vil-
  lage blacksmith. Conversely, one need not be an artisan 
  to worship or bargain for services at a guildhall. Mem-
  bers of the church will provide training and spiritual 
  guidance when necessary, but don’t control a commu-
  nity’s artisans, or ignore people who don’t make things 
  for a living.
  The average guildhall has perhaps a dozen active mem-
  bers of each order associated with it, though few reside 
  at the guildhall, and many are nominal members. One 
  wright lives in residence. The wright is usually a cleric, 
  and supervises two other clerics in residence, and one or 
  two arcstones (see below). A guildhall usually has one or 
  two local artificers (see below) on their membership rolls, 
  but they rarely live there. 
  ClerICs oF korak
  Clerics are not their own order in the guildhalls of Korak. 
  They are members of the three main orders, like all the 
  other artisans. However, they have a special tie to Korak 
  due to their superior wisdom, and call on him for divine 
  power. This makes them especially revered members of 
  their orders, and they tend to rise to leadership positions. 
  Most wrights and master wrights are clerics, skilled at 
  calling Korak’s power to aid their guildhalls.
  The clergy of the guildhalls, while universally good-
  aligned, vary in temper. Most clerics of Korak are neutral 
  good, and believe they should use their gifts to help others 
  in any way necessary. They make millstones and farm 
  implements, and bless temperamental bellows. They take 
  pride in common work, and might spend their entire lives 
  in rural areas, helping the humblest folk thrive against 
  adversity. The builders’ order tends to promote this set of 
  values, and the neutral good alignment. 
  Chaotic good clerics of Korak are known for individual-
  ism, heroism, and tireless adventuring. Some of the greatest 
  saints of the Koraketh have been chaotic good, for in their 
  wild adventures hither and yon, they’ve liberated magnif-
  icent artifacts from the clutches of evil. Such clergy focus 
  on the good a single person can do in life, and perfect their 
  own skills, while improving the craftsmanship of others, 
  one student at a time. Their work and adventures can only 
  be helped by powerful magic items, such as shields and 
  weaponry, making chaotic good clergy a good fit for the 
  makers, who create such things.
  Lawful good clerics of Korak are quite common; most 
  dwarven clerics of the Grand Wright are aligned thus. 
  These clerics hold that works of the hand in stone and 
  steel will outlast even the strongest and wisest of the 
  mortal races. They work with others to build lasting 
  monuments to goodness. Hopefully, these great cities, 
  beautiful monuments, and powerful artifacts will tell 
  future generations that goodness prevails over evil. This 
  attitude brings many lawful good clerics of Korak to the 
  order of masons, but some of the greatest makers of all 
  time have also been lawful good.
  JoInIng the ClerICs oF korak
  To become a cleric of Korak requires a special apprentice-
  ship. Initiates must find an established cleric willing to 
  teach them. They then learn from their new master both a 
  trade any apprentice might learn, such as blacksmithing, 
  and the religious rites necessary to channel power from 
  their god and serve as a spiritual leader of a guildhall. 
  Training takes as long as any apprenticeship might, from 
  five to eight years, though experienced initiates might cut 
  down the training time, especially if they already have 
  proficiency with artisan’s tools. Those who complete their 
  training becomes clerics with the Creation domain, which 
  is described in Chapter X.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  123
  arCstones oF korak
  The arcstones take their name from the secret of arch 
  building, imparted by Korak to the mortal races long ago. 
  They live to defend and recover great artifacts, magnifi-
  cent structures, and important monuments. They preserve 
  works of the hand against outside forces, just as the 
  keystone of an arch takes all the outside pressures on the 
  arch, and helps it hold its shape.
  Most communities with major monuments, fantastically 
  old structures, or powerful artifacts host several arcstones 
  who keep these treasures safe. Arcstones also organize 
  expeditions to explore long-lost cities, recover corrupted 
  temples, and retrieve lost artifacts. 
  Most arcstones live in one area, defending some local 
  masterwork. They become pillars of their communities, 
  and stay active in guildhall affairs, aiding local artisans and 
  occasionally, pitching in on large projects. Fewer arcstones 
  adventure, but aren’t tied to a place or guildhall. Instead, 
  they quest to the reclaim ancient wonders. They might clear 
  a grand dwarf-hold of goblins, or search for a mythic sword. 
  The arcstone must follow Koraketh doctrine carefully, 
  and preserve the sanctity of certain great works of the 
  hand. An arcstone must never allow a great work such as a 
  temple or an artifact to fall into evil’s hands.
  Adventuring arcstones tend to keep company with 
  rogues, who have an eye for wealth, and strange devices. 
  There have been several famous rogue/arcstone pairings, 
  where the two hunting down artifacts. Arcstones often 
  find rangers make useful companions as well.
  Arcstones never adventure with willfully destructive 
  people, or those who disrespect works of the hand. They 
  rarely keep evil company, but can work with greedy sorts 
  in quests to protect or liberate masterworks, as long as 
  their allies don’t demonstrate true malice by harming 
  others for pleasure or avaricious need.
  JoInIng the arCstones
  Korak typically calls neutral good individuals who are 
  proficient with artisan’s tools. Such a candidate finds 
  an established arcstone to teach him a trade any 
  apprentice might learn, such as blacksmithing, and 
  the secrets of the arcstones: combat skills, divine 
  rites, and legends of artifacts to be recovered. This 
  process takes as long as any apprenticeship might: 
  five to eight years. An established character who 
  receives the call can learn all that is necessary to 
  become an arcstone in a dramatically shorter time, 
  if she is already proficient in one set of artisan’s 
  tools. On completing training, arcstones become 
  paladins. When it’s time to take their oaths, they 
  typically swear the Oath of Devotion.
  artIFICers oF korak
  Artificers are members of the three holy orders 
  like everyone else and, because they are such 
  skilled artisans, they climb the ranks of 
  the guildhalls quickly. Renowned for their 
  amazing skills with item creation and structural 
  engineering, artificers are much sought after by anyone 
  wishing to purchase the skills of a truly masterful craftsman.
  Most artificers pour their magic into the items they craft 
  to honor their god. Some can inscribe holy runes, enchant 
  items with divine power, and call upon celestial aid for 
  powerful projects. Artificers have no peer in the Material 
  Plane when it comes to the creation of magical items.
  Artificers can be found in a range of conditions, from the 
  local blacksmith’s shop working on something miraculous 
  out back, to opulent forges covered in powerful runes with 
  bevies of apprentices running about on errands. Powerful 
  artificers are boons to entire nations, for the power of the 
  items they produce are legendary and can make the dif-
  ference between victory and defeat in times of war. Such 
  artificers are treated almost as nobility, receiving lavish 
  respect from both the faith and allied secular authorities. 
  JoInIng the artIFICers
  Most artificers come from the ranks of guild artisans, 
  having melded their commitment to their craft to their reli-
  gious devotion. Many are clerics (of Creation) or arcstones 
  of Korak who focus their talents for a time on crafting, 
  though others are wizards (of Artifice). Any character with 
  a deep and abiding love for making things, and worships 
  Korak, might find a place among the 
  artificers.  
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  124
  124
  seCrets oF anwyn
  Most know Anwyn’s church as a happy home to servants, 
  home-keepers, and others who see to the comfort of 
  others, and much of the information presented here sup-
  ports this idea. However, the church has a terrible secret, 
  revealed in a section called, directly enough, The Secret 
  Church.  If you are a player, ask your GM before reading 
  that  section, even if you play a member of the Anwynite 
  faith. Your GM should read it before you do.
  GoddeSS oF home, heArth, And ServAntS
  Anwyn
  the homely, the bleSSed, GoodlAdy, the Fire keePer, lAdy oF the FeASt,  
  the PlentiFUl, Giver oF GiFtS, SmilinG lAdy, briGht lAdy, heAvenly mAiden
  Anwyn (AHN-win) is the lawful good goddess of the 
  hearth, the home, housewives, servants, peasants, and 
  small folk of all variety. Mortals associate her with com-
  fort, contentedness, and the warm happiness of a good 
  life, whether wealthy or low. 
  Domesticated dogs, which are the servants of men 
  that best love the hearth, are thought to be blessed by 
  the goddess. In some cultures, such as those that do not 
  keep dogs, she might be associated with the domestic cat, 
  which also serves mortals by keeping their homes and 
  farms free of mice. (Many find this association absurd, 
  as cats are too aloof to be linked with the Giver of Gifts.) 
  Finally, she is associated with blink dogs, and many 
  believe they were taught much by Anwyn long ago, and 
  serve her to this day.
  Goodlady Anwyn is loved by halflings and in many of 
  their communities, she is the only god with a full temple 
  in her honor, but all people revere the Lady of the Feast, 
  for she taught them to keep fire and make offerings to 
  the gods, saving them from darkness. She is loved among 
  women who keep homes, for it is Anwyn who keeps 
  families safe and happy, and makes even the simplest 
  meal a feast.
  Anwyn is depicted as a lovely lady in a well kempt, 
  simple dress. She has flowing black hair like her mother’s, 
  and eyes often made of some bright and sparkling stone, so 
  that the light of the hearth can be seen in them. Anwyn the 
  Plentiful is often drawn or carved as a stout maiden with a 
  glorious smile, but some cultures show her instead as a thin, 
  smiling lady with the downcast eyes of a servant.
  Anwyn’s symbol is a warm fire in a circular stone 
  hearth, sometimes with a dog or child curled up next to it. 
  The dog or child can be found on the signs of taverns, or 
  other businesses involving food and comfort, more often 
  than in her churches. For instance, an inn called “The 
  Goodlady’s Rest” might have sign featuring a dog curled 
  by a fire. For haste or simplicity, her symbol can be drawn 
  as a flame rising out of a flattened circle. Her manciple 
  clergy wear depictions of elaborate golden flames fires 
  contained by silver hearths.
  Myths
  FIrst FIre
  when the mortal races fIrst awoke from the fruIts of 
  the trees, they had the fire of life, but not a burning fire with 
  which to keep the dark and cold at bay. Nights were cruel then, 
  so this was a bitter lack.
  The gods took pity on them, and sent Darmon to all the 
  mortal races but the dwarves, who were hidden away at the 
  edge of the world, inside the head of Korak. To each of the four 
  races he found, he gave fire, but each race lost it as soon as it 
  was given. While they received the fire, they did not know how 
  to make it for themselves, or how to contain it. Sometimes it 
  raged wildly, lighting their forests and huts, and they had to 
  flee. Otherwise, it simply blew out. In all cases, they could not 
  bring back the flame. 
  The gods commanded Darmon to bring fire to them once 
  more. Again, it was lost nearly as soon as it was given. And a 
  third time, he walked among the mortal races to give them fire, 
  and for a third time it was lost. The gods were perplexed; these 
  poor peoples were likely to die without fire, and would never 
  thrive and make wonders in the dark.
  Goodlady Anwyn offered to bear fire to the mortal races. 
  The gods argued against this, for Anwyn, called the Heavenly 
  Maiden, was the youngest of them. She was perfectly innocent, 
  and had never walked apart from the other gods. But after 
  much debate they acquiesced, and Anwyn went to mortals and 
  taught them how to make and keep fire. In her journeys, she 
  came across her sleeping brother Korak, and awoke him, but he 
  would not rise, and asked her to leave the fire beside him. So it 
  was that while Korak gave fire to the dwarves, it was borne to 
  them by Anwyn. 
  The Smiling Lady made her way to the other races. She 
  showed them how to make their homes comfortable, and how to 
  properly prepare food so it wouldn’t poison their weak bodies. 
  She taught them of the many perfect cuts of meat that do not 
  rupture an animal’s inner organs, and ruin the fruits of its 
  flesh. She showed them how to harvest food that grew untended 
  from the earth, such as berries and fruits and nuts, and how to 
  prepare these things in many wonderful ways. Eventually, she 
  found her way back to her brother and joined him in instructing 
  the dwarves, so that they too learned these lessons. It was for 
  these many teachings that the mortal races call her the Giver of 
  Gifts, Anwyn the Blessed, and many other names of honor. And 
  in temples erected to her glory, they place hearths at the center, 
  watched over by the manciples of her faith, where they burn the 
  finest cuts of meat in sacrifice to her splendor. At the harvest, all 
  people, whether dedicated to one god or all, bear gifts to her tem-
  ples, presenting them at the hearth in memory of those gifts she 
  gave. Truly, Goodlady Anwyn was the savior of all peoples.
  But she was also savior of the gods—or at least of their 
  comfort. Before her descent to give the mortals fire, the 
  
  125
  Lady of the Feast was least among the gods, much by her 
  own design. For the Giver of Gifts does not desire power 
  or greatness, as do others, and her heart swells to its fullest 
  when she is of service. So Anwyn the Homely was both a god 
  and chief among the gods’ servants, seeing to their houses, 
  their great hearth, and their comfort, and she did so gladly. 
  But when she departed from the heavens for so brief a time, 
  the other gods did not know how to tend their hearth, for 
  all, deep in their hearts, were afraid of fire, the province of 
  their great enemy, Kador. They appointed Shalimyr, lord 
  of the waters, to keep the hearth, for who better to tame fire 
  than the god of water? 
  It took little time for Shalimyr to douse the fire in a mishap, 
  and soon after, the halls of the heavens grew chill and bleak. 
  The gods were quite cross with Grandfather Ocean, yet none of 
  them could rekindle the flames. Before long, they were desperate 
  for fire and called out to Anwyn, but the Smiling Lady was not 
  to be found, so intent was she on her lessons and service to the 
  mortals. In desperation, they fetched the sun from the skies and 
  brought it to their halls to keep themselves warm and happy, 
  enshrouding the earth in an unearthly darkness, which mortals 
  remember to this day. It was not an eclipse, as happens when 
  the sun and moon wrestle. Indeed, the sun was simply gone 
  from the sky, and all on earth trembled.
  Taking this as a sign that not all was well in the heavens, 
  Anwyn the Plentiful returned, rekindled the hearth with the 
  sun’s fire, and sent the sun back to the heavens. The mortal races 
  rejoiced, for she had given them fire and returned to the Sun. 
  They called her the Bright Lady, and burned many offerings in 
  her honor, as she had instructed them. And in the heavens, the 
  gods too rejoiced, for Anwyn, least among them, was the only 
  one unafraid of fire.
  brIngIng pleasure  
  and happIness to the world
  Anwyn seeks the pleasure and happiness of her family, 
  and all the peoples of the world. She craves neither gain 
  or glory, but she accepts harvest offerings and sacrifices 
  with humility. She delights in the small kindnesses of 
  mortals, putting less stock in the great acts of heroes 
  than in the simple goodness of the baseborn. Alone 
  among the gods, she spends her time watching the poor 
  and forgettable, and has long believed that when mortals 
  finally reckon with the evils of Hell and the Abyss, their 
  salvation will come from common stock, not a line of 
  aristocratic heroes.
  serVants
  Anwyn believes herself a servant among the gods, and 
  keeps no servants of her own. However, tending to the 
  home and happiness of the gods is a difficult task, and 
  requires many hands. Thus, she oversees the labors of 
  many angels, particularly those led by archangel Camael, 
  who attends the throne of the gods, and directs angels 
  who tend to their halls. With their aid, Anwyn makes 
  Heaven comfortable and happy. If Anwyn must send a 
  message to one of her servants in the Material Plane, she 
  either calls upon an angel, or sends it herself.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  126
  126
  the role oF woMen
  Real medieval societies set gender-specific social roles 
  which typically gave woman dominion over the house-
  hold. A medieval manor was a quasi-military organiza-
  tion, and not to be trifled with, but fantasy stories often 
  focus more on wandering, individual heroics, where 
  (usually male) knights slay dragons, but nobody gets into 
  how the knight got fed and armored, or what it means for 
  his prospects as a member of a dynasty, seeking marriage.
   
  Ancient peoples who gave women household 
  authority had gods to represent it, but of course, their 
  religions reproduced those societies’ entrenched sexism, 
  too. Anwyn should be thought of as having a parallel in 
  Ancient Greece’s Hestia, but with a gentler image, and 
  without necessarily tying the women of your campaign to 
  household roles. Characters of any gender can command 
  hearth and home in her name, or abandon it for a life of 
  traveling adventure.
  the hearths  
  oF anwyn
  While they are not frequented by high people seeking 
  greatness, or lords seeking guidance, the common folk 
  of the world go the hearths of Anwyn, as the temples 
  of the Anwynites (AHN-win-ites) are known, for rest 
  and counsel, Even in realms where nobles are kind and 
  merchants stick to fair deals, a servant’s or commoner’s 
  life isn’t easy. Toil wears them down. Servants from 
  all lands go to hearths for strength and succor, and the 
  heads of common households, who keep fires burning 
  and cupboards full,  also go to the hearths to rekindle 
  their resolve.
  Hearths in most communities are not only holy places, 
  but communal kitchens. In great ovens, people bake 
  bread and prepare dinners for their families. This creates 
  buzzing communities around the hearths, where com-
  moners and servants gather around, discussing politics, 
  gossip, and other matters great and small. The hearths 
  are usually built with a great, high-ceilinged hall, its 
  large, eponymous hearth at its center. This is where 
  offerings are burned. Before the hearth stands a great 
  stone altar arrayed with food, candles, and wine. Large 
  stone ovens for baking, and great cauldrons for commu-
  nal stews, stand around the hall’s edges. They are warm, 
  comfortable places, with little fringe or ornamentation, 
  that revere the common acts of human life. Connected 
  to the common hall, a wing of the hearth contains the 
  living quarters of the manciples, Anwyn’s clergy. They 
  see to the faithful’s wellbeing, and care for anyone else 
  who seeks the hearth for comfort. They maintain many 
  secrets of cooking and comfort, and teach the ways of 
  the home: how to cook well, clean efficiently, manage 
  meager resources, and thrive under everyday pressure.
  doCtrIne
  “Glory be to the servants! Praise be to mothers, toiling in 
  the pre-dawn dark! Hallowed be the wrinkled hands that 
  work lands they own not. For without these hands and 
  their toil, all would cease. Yet they work. They work for 
  love, they work for duty, they work and sustain us, and 
  they never receive praise. No statues are erected in their 
  name. But in the hearths, we build them statues of bread. 
  We pour them offerings of wine and burn the flesh of beasts 
  in their names. Inside the hearths, the least are Kings and 
  Queens, and we sing great songs in their names.” 
  —High Manciple Tobius Featherboffin, 
  from “How Shall I Know Thee?”
  Anwyn’s manciples present a simple doctrine, quite old, 
  and based on the core teachings of Anwyn. Little altered 
  in thousands of years, this doctrine is publicly professed in 
  all hearths, but is followed with special sincerity by hal-
  fling hearths.
  Service And hUmility
  Through service to others, we make ourselves holy. 
  Through care for others, we are ourselves cared for by 
  greater and more loving powers than any who draw mortal 
  breath. The most treasured people are those who give their 
  lives in the service of others, for love or for money.
  qUiet Joy
  There are those who believe that joy is to be found in 
  drink, or carnal pleasure, or other, wilder delights. But the 
  wise know that it is in the simple things that true joy can 
  be found: the companionship of family, a warm home, and 
  friendly conversation. 
  Food
  Our ancestors are remembered in our prayers and family 
  rituals, but they are felt most keenly in our food. Family 
  recipes keep them in our memories. Certain spice blends 
  and ways of preparing foods are older than any written 
  record, and preserved from generation to generation. Using 
  them, we feel as though our hands are moving in unison 
  with the hands of our grandmothers. Preparing food 
  together and sharing recipes are cherished, hallowed acts.
  chArity
  There are those who can no longer care for themselves, 
  or who do not have enough to eat. Feeding such folk is a 
  great and blessed thing. This sort of charity must be pro-
  vided daily, at the hearths.
  CoMMon prayers
  Anwynite celebrations are sanctified by pouring a glass 
  of wine (called the Gift of Zheenkeef, but accepted by 
  many churches as an offering), breaking a loaf of bread, 
  and lighting a candle. All three are necessary for a proper 
  ceremony. Most commoners celebrate in the Anwynite 
  fashion at least once a week. During the ceremony, the 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  127
  family member who manages the household (by cooking 
  and cleaning, managing its money, and so on) tradition-
  ally invokes the three blessings, but anyone can say them.
  At the pouring of the wine:
  “Praise be! Praise be!
  For we have lived through the darkness,
  For we have survived the cold!
  Praise be! Praise be!
  For the Goodlady Anwyn has aided us,
  And we may drink this libation in her honor.”
  At the breaking of the bread:
  “Smiling Lady, smile down on us,
  For we break this bread in your honor!
  Bread cannot rise without warmth,
  Bread cannot bake without fire,
  We break this bread that we have because of you.
  Smiling Lady, smile down on us,
  And know that we are grateful.”
  At the lighting of the candle:
  “Bright Lady, kindler of hearths,
  We light this fire in memory,
  For without you, there would be no fire,
  Not in Heaven, nor in the world.
  Bright Lady, keeper of hearths,
  We thank you for the flame!”
  holy days
  The week after harvest signals the 
  Anwynites’ primary festival, the 
  Keeping, from which many hearths 
  have grown wealthy. It comes fast 
  on the heels of the Rontran harvest 
  festival. People come to hearths and 
  offer livestock and other foods to 
  Anwyn. Many offerings are burned, 
  but most of them go into the hearth’s 
  larders. While farmers bring wagons 
  filled with food, lords traditionally offer 
  coins, gems and other treasures in lieu of the 
  commoners’ offering. These monies help hearths main-
  tain themselves and feed the poor.
  Anwyn is not connected to the ways of farming, and 
  does not bless the growing of crops or animals. During 
  the Keeping, celebrants ask her to help make food pre-
  pared from them stay nourishing and delicious, even when 
  families must bring forth the oldest stores of pickles and 
  salt meat. The faithful ask for a mild winter, and thank 
  Anwyn for bringing fire to mortals. The festival is marked 
  with much feasting, prayer, and the constant burning of 
  offerings in the central hearth. The manciples burn that 
  which smells sweet or enticing, to proclaim their hearths 
  as places of comfort and plenty. 
  saInts
  There is no sainthood in the Anwynite faith, which reveres 
  humility and common people over heroic glory. Even the 
  most pious and charitable of Anwynites go without special 
  praise, in life or after death, as it is considered unseemly.
  holy orders
  Only one holy order of Anwyn remains: the manciples 
  (MAN-suh-pull), clergy of the hearth. The religion 
  suffered great losses in the past, and reorganized itself 
  in the aftermath. Once, the holy warriors called hearth-
  keepers protected the faith. In its zeal, the Great Hearth 
  dispatched these warriors across the world on missions 
  to establish the faith in places consumed by evil. It was 
  thought that once they were lifted out of lives of pain, the 
  oppressed would rise against their dictators. But these 
  missions were, one and all, disasters. The hearthkeep-
  ers never returned, and the eldest of them died without 
  training replacements. The Supreme Manciple admitted 
  that his council had erred, and it was not Anwyn’s way to 
  make war. Therefore, he disbanded the order, and declared 
  that warrior-priests should serve the faith no more.
  Once, a holy order called the goodwives shared the 
  countless secrets of home, cooking, comfort and medicine 
  and wisdom, as traveling missionaries and servants. When 
  the hearthkeepers perished, the hearths found themselves 
  lacking the numbers needed to perform their holy duties, 
  so the Grand Hearth called them home, and 
  integrated them into the order of manciples. 
  Only a few of the original goodwives 
  remain, and they are greatly respected, 
  but retired—they have no formal 
  power in the faith.
  The structure of the manciples, 
  the sole remaining order, is simple 
  enough to understand. Located in 
  an ancient, great city, the Great 
  Hearth is the faith’s preeminent 
  place of worship, where Anwyn’s 
  feasting table and the cornucopia 
  are kept. Here sits the Supreme 
  Manciple, who oversees the church and 
  order, which is divided into four levels 
  of status: manciples, high manciples, elder 
  manciples, and the Supreme Manciple. The high 
  manciples control individual hearths, while the elder 
  manciples and the Supreme Manciple himself reside at the 
  Great Hearth.
  ManCIples oF anwyn
  With the other orders destroyed or disbanded, the man-
  ciples now comprise the only remaining order of the 
  Anwynite hearths. The manciples are a tightly organized 
  order, devoted to the ethics of lawful alignments. Junior 
  members obey superiors without question. Even among 
  members of the same rank, the less experienced member 
  defers to her elder. This ingrained obedience comes from 
  the church’s dedication to humble service, and is what 
  allows them to feed multitudes and manage hearths in 
  great cities and distant hamlets.
  Anwynites can be of any of the following alignments: 
  lawful good, lawful neutral, and neutral good. Most ortho-
  dox manciples are lawful good, as is most of the Halfling 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  128
  128
  branch of the faith. They believe fully in the Anwynite 
  doctrine of service, and praise the lowest in the social order 
  over nobles and the wealthy. They take great joy in serving 
  their flock. Neutral good clergy are most interested in the 
  community aspects of the Anwynite faith. They delight in 
  sharing meals and tales with the congregation. They are 
  often walking repositories of old family recipes and enjoy 
  sharing such knowledge. Many Halfling clergy are neutral 
  good. Lawful neutral manciples are usually human, and 
  support the church as a way of maintaining the social order. 
  Even the poorest people must be integrated into society. To 
  serve, they must be fed, clothed and given a sense of pur-
  pose. Lawful neutral clergy are least interested in the notion 
  that servants are holier than their masters. This may be part 
  of the doctrine, but such clergy believe masters also have a 
  role to play, to bind many people to a common cause.
  Despite what some would call a dispassionate approach 
  to Anwyn’s mission, lawful neutral manciples tend to rise 
  quickly in the hearth’s hierarchy, though they prefer work-
  ing within it, instead of talking to peasants themselves.
  Certain alignment restrictions apply as a manciple rises 
  in rank. The GM should consult sec-
  tions marked, “For the GM” when 
  advising her players. Otherwise, 
  the manciples possess the fol-
  lowing ranks:
  mAnciPle
  After training and an 
  interview to deter-
  mine her suitability, a 
  petitioner can become 
  a manciple. She is addressed as “friend” and introduced 
  as such. The word “manciple” means steward, servant, 
  or even slave, and indeed, the role of the manciples is to 
  serve their flock. They tend to the hearts, souls and small 
  hurts of common people who come to the hearths to 
  prepare meals or pray. They are taught to be caring, excel-
  lent listeners, and outwardly loving of even their basest 
  congregants.
  hiGh mAnciPle
  A high manciple oversees the entire hearth, and all its 
  operations. This rank is reserved for hearths of a cer-
  tain size, or those in major settlements. Small, remote 
  hearths are not permitted the rank—instead, all manci-
  ples work in a common council. Furthermore, the order 
  only chooses those with a talent for organization, and 
  certain capabilities known only to the elders, to hold 
  the post, so even a revered priest might never attain 
  the rank. A high manciple is addressed as “goodfather” 
  or “goodmother,” which used to be the address for 
  senior goodwives. When that order was disbanded, the 
  Supreme Manciple gave their titles to the high manciples 
  to preserve the lost order’s traditions. High manciples are 
  introduced by their full titles.
  In halfling hearths, a high manciple can be named by the 
  unanimous consent of three other high manciples. Once a 
  halfling is so named, he can found a new hearth, take over 
  an existing one, or wander as he sees fit. There is no higher 
  authority among the halflings than a high manciple, so 
  such clerics are masters of their own fate.
  elder mAnciPle
  Experienced high manciples may be called by the Supreme 
  Manciple to come to the Great Hearth and join its council, 
  as elder manciples. The great feasting table there has room 
  for hundreds, but has never come close to being filled, for it 
  is rare for the clergy to rise to such heights. Therefore, there 
  is no upper limit on the number of elder manciples; one can 
  be named to such a position at the behest of the Supreme 
  Manciple, and need not wait for a vacancy. Elder manciples 
  are addressed as “beloved master” or “beloved mistress” and 
  introduced by their full titles.
  SUPreme mAnciPle
  Upon the death of the Supreme Manciple, the order’s 
  elders cloister themselves and through a secret ritual, 
  select one of their own to replace him. The Supreme Man-
  ciple is addressed as “hallowed lord,” or “hallowed lady,” 
  and introduced by his or her full title.
  JoInIng the ManCIples
  Anyone can become a manciple. It requires a little training, 
  oaths of obedience to the hearths, and a knack for listening. 
  Upon completing their training, acolytes become clerics 
  with the Fire domain (described in Chapter X). Most carry 
  quarterstaffs, for Anwyn carries a staff shod with iron, and 
  uses it to prod the embers of the hearth, move its logs, and 
  give its kindling room to breathe. 
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  129
  the seCret ChurCh
  thiS Section iS intended For the  Gm.  
  Get PermiSSion beFore reAdinG it iF yoU Are A PlAyer. 
  Anwyn’s church is most often joined by common women 
  seeking better lives, but the dark-hearted sometimes know 
  the Anwynite faith is a secret refuge for their kind. They 
  are drawn to its service.
  a seCret hIstory
  When the hearths of Anwyn were first kindled, Anwyn 
  the Plentiful smiled on her servants and gave them gifts. 
  Many were consumed with time, or passed from hand 
  to hand, and vanished from knowledge. But two of gifts 
  remain to this day: a great feasting table that might sit 
  some two hundred men and women, and a golden drink-
  ing horn that her faithful servants called the Cornucopia. 
  It is said that magnificent foods poured from the Cornu-
  copia as surely as wine from a lesser horn, and to eat them 
  would cure any hurt, or soothe the most savage breast.
  Years passed, and the great feasting table became the 
  center of her greatest temple. At it, the highest of her faith 
  would gather and debate matters both secular and spir-
  itual. They feasted on food from the Cornucopia as they 
  did so, and all hearts were merry. Yet as the years passed, 
  the very highest of her faithful began to take her gifts for 
  granted, for indeed, is not Anwyn the most giving of all 
  the gods? And is it not always the way with those who 
  give gladly, that they will give to the ungrateful long after 
  they should? For years, the greatest among her faithful ate 
  the food of her Cornucopia, collected the annual offerings 
  of the many who visited her temples, took payment for 
  blessings and healing, and gave little in way of thanks or 
  offering to the goddess in whose name they acted. 
  The day came when Anwyn could no longer bear it. She 
  appeared before the mightiest of her faithful, standing 
  in golden robes at the center of the great feasting table. 
  “Ungrateful whelps!” she pronounced them, and she made 
  the Cornucopia grow barren. “Your hearts have no love 
  for me. You love only food and wealth, and are not worthy 
  of my service.” No longer would she heed their prayers, 
  nor would she aid them until they atoned, and changed 
  their ways.
  When she left them to consider this, many began at 
  once to tear their rich clothing and to pray for forgiveness. 
  But the chief among them, Supreme Manciple Mitallis, 
  called out, “We have tasted the fruit of the Cornucopia! 
  Have you any doubt that, even if we atone, she will deny 
  us such splendor again in our lifetimes? We have built 
  a great church, revered by all common people, and she 
  would take it from us! But she has signed to this Compact, 
  as have the other gods, and may not interfere in mortal 
  matters overmuch. We are her church; we are her agents. 
  Let us ignore her! Let us make bargains with others, for if 
  she will not feed us, they will!”
  The others agreed. Calling to the darkest infernal power, 
  they made the Cornucopia flow once more. They contin-
  ued to take annual offerings at harvest time in the name 
  of Anwyn, but unknown to the common folk, they served 
  Asmodeus, the highest lord of Hell. Asmodeus delighted 
  in this perversion of such an important church, and by the 
  terms of the Compact, the Anwynites were protected from 
  the wrath of the gods. They became wily agents of Hell
  Thus it has continued to this day. When a good-minded 
  person joins the Anwynite faith, her superiors slowly 
  convert her to the path of greed and gluttony: the way of 
  Anwyn’s elite disciples. Should they prove impossible to 
  corrupt, they vanish in accidents or mysterious circum-
  stances, often while called somewhere unfamiliar, at their 
  church’s behest.
  the seCret sIde oF the hearth
  A cozy communal center is the temple’s public face, but 
  in the shadows cast by the hearth’s fire, evil lurks. When 
  all the worshipers have gone, many so-called servants of 
  Anwyn slip from her sacred halls and kindle great bon-
  fires in the thick woods. There, manciples dance about the 
  red light, naked and painted in the blood of infants stolen 
  from paupers. They perform unspeakable rites of blood 
  and sacrifice to honor Asmodeus. They receive their true 
  strength from him, the old master of fire.
  In the light of day, they undermine the societies they 
  pretend to serve. There are no better ears to own than those 
  of a servant if you seek to work mischief—and unknown 
  to the servants who attend hearth services, their ears are 
  owned by Asmodeus, and his followers. They are cunning, 
  careful, and patient, and they almost never mix their true 
  missions with their role as manciples. They deal with their 
  flock honestly and charitably, appearing to be the good-
  hearted clergy of Anwyn. They work for Asmodeus through 
  agents who know nothing of who hired them. These proxies 
  assassinate and burn, steal and ransack, all to destabilize the 
  good elements of society. They plan their actions to inflict 
  the most suffering, but it all starts by listening to servants 
  and common folk, and the secrets they share.
  No greater threat to good exists than the subverted 
  hearths of Anwyn, but the gods allow it, because it is part 
  and parcel of the Compact. Manciples who serve Asmo-
  deus are not ensorcelled by the King of Hell. They choose 
  the dark path out of free will. Though it is a source of great 
  sorrow for Anwyn and other gods, they know, as Maal has 
  said many times, that justice will come in the end.
  Anwyn mourns the evil that has taken her church, but 
  does nothing to root it out. She, more than any of the 
  gods, puts her faith in the Compact, and believes it is not 
  only necessary to let the conspiracy run its course, but that 
  it will lead to great good in the end, by bringing the forces 
  of darkness together in one place, where they might be 
  exposed and defeated. Rather than toppling her church, 
  which she might do with the acquiescence of all the other 
  gods, she works subtly, through her lowest servants. A 
  time will come when the simplest of her worshipers will 
  rise, and guided gently by her hand, overthrow the evil 
  that infects her church. Until that time comes, Anwyn 
  keeps a careful reckoning of all the wrongs done in her 
  name, and undoubtedly plans to make some final restitu-
  tion when this evil is at last lifted from the world.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  130
  130
  Only halflings remain unaffected; none of their kind 
  agreed to the dark pact. The rest of the faith stands apart 
  from halfling hearths. The halflings remain pure, but as 
  they are shunned by the Anwynite high clergy of other 
  peoples, do not suspect them or wrongdoing beyond a cer-
  tain degree of haughtiness.
  the seCret doCtrIne
  The corrupt church follows the following secret doctrine, 
  as an elaborate justification of their betrayal.
  hUmility
  The mortal races are mere reflections of the gods. The 
  pride of mortals is but a pale thing compared to the pride 
  of the gods, who rejected their rightful lord, the King of 
  the Universe, and cast him into Hell. Asmodeus commit-
  ted no crime; he was usurped by the ungrateful and weak. 
  We must reinstate him in his glory. To prepare the world 
  for this, all people must learn to be humble, for if they 
  resist him, he will destroy them—as is only proper. All 
  people must humble themselves before the King of Hell, 
  who will become, in the end, the lord of all Creation.
  the Joy oF PoWer
  Asmodeus gives power to those who serve him faithfully, 
  and will reward the faithful even more, once he returns to 
  his rightful authority. This power comes from the rightful 
  ruler of all, and one should use it unflinchingly, enjoying 
  one’s reward, but never in any way that would harm the 
  overlord’s interests. Anyone who seeks power they do not 
  deserve, by betraying the secret faith, should be destroyed, 
  and the power given by other gods is undeserved, for it 
  flows without Asmodeus’ permission.
  noUriShinG reAdineSS
  The day of reckoning will come when the conspiracy is 
  exposed. All members of the secret order must be ready 
  to defend themselves when it happens, and must kill any 
  outsider who learns of the cult before the appointed day. 
  As the weak nourish themselves on our bread, strengthen 
  yourself by practicing the arts of war, accumulating weap-
  ons, and recruiting warriors and agents for the cause. 
  When the day comes, your army should be ready.
  loyAlty
  None of Asmodeus’ generals and viceroys can stand 
  alone, but must accept the commands of the cult, and 
  the ranks given by the Great Hearth and its high com-
  mand. Betrayal and disloyalty are punishable by death. 
  Leaders are not to be challenged unless those of similar 
  rank disdain them. Obey your superiors, and as we give 
  bread and succor to common fools, give the proper arms 
  and guidance to subordinates when sending them forth. 
  As the needy return to our hearths daily, so will the well-
  treated servant return from his missions. But we are not 
  unlimited in our charity, and the worst failures must be 
  cast into the fire.
  the seCret hIerarChy
  “We inherit willing lambs, ready for the slaughter. 
  Our secret order will thrive in this church, and this is 
  truly why we were chosen for this destiny by the King 
  of the Universe.” 
  —Supreme Manciple Mitallis when the Great 
  Hearth Council swore to serve Asmodeus
  The secret structure of the hearths is quite different from 
  its public form. It’s organized into nine circles of power, 
  just as there are nine circles of Hell. Evil members of the 
  hearths call themselves “the Order of the Secret Flame,” 
  but avoid speaking its name, to prevent discovery. Never-
  theless, a few intrepid investigators have heard the name, 
  and know it refers to an evil conspiracy inside the faith. 
  Even they do not suspect that this cult effectively controls 
  the faith, except for its autonomous halfling branch.
  As noted above, special restrictions exist on candidates 
  for high manciple. No member of the Anwynite faith can 
  rise in rank without joining the cult, and converting to the 
  lawful evil alignment. In fact, in addition to the alignments 
  listed for the manciples, lawful evil candidates may join, but 
  they already worship the faith’s true master: Asmodeus. The 
  conspiracy has the most success in converting lawful neutral 
  manciples. If they can’t be converted they’re usually killed; 
  they’re the sort of people who’d try to report their recruiter, 
  after all. The exceptions are dimwits who never noticed 
  anyone was trying to recruit them at all.
  In addition, there are those of evil hearts who come to 
  the hearths, attracted by wealth, ease and constant feast-
  ing. They are not accepted as clergy unless they discover 
  the discipline of lawful evil, and they must do so without 
  the cult’s help, for members won’t expose themselves for 
  the sake of these rakes.
  There are a few members of the Anwynite clergy who 
  are not part of the conspiracy. Every now and then, one of 
  them suspects something, or sees some sinister evidence: 
  a bloodstained ritual knife, or a grotesque mask, perhaps. 
  Unfortunately for them, they are surrounded by the enemy 
  and rarely survive after they report their suspicions. Those 
  who bide their time and collect evidence might report it 
  to the Great Hearth, which rewards them with torture, to 
  determine who their “loyal servant” shared information 
  with. Lucky or particularly witless members of the uncor-
  rupted get shipped off to remote hearths before they can 
  get into trouble. Ironically, this punishment ensures that 
  a few impoverished, distant hearths are filled with true 
  Anwynites, and some of them know about the conspiracy.
  The Order of the Secret Flame uses a cell structure, where 
  each group knows only one other member or group above 
  them, and usually only one below. If the order is ever com-
  promised, the damage is limited. The full system of “circles” 
  is not known to most of its members, for few members know 
  that the corruption extends higher than one level above him. 
  When the order gathers to perform its dark rites, members 
  wear masks. Senior members tell their subordinates that 
  those they do not recognize come from other groups which 
  worship Asmodeus, not the Anwynite faith. One must rise 
  high to even know if the entirety of one’s hearth serves Hell.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  131
  The Anwynite faith’s lawful ethics serve the Supreme 
  Manciple well, and disguise the conspiracy. He can move 
  suspicious, uncorrupted clergy away from prying eyes, and 
  issue unusual edicts without fear of being questioned. In 
  other churches, one might expect that once dissident clergy 
  find themselves vanishing or shipped off to remote hearths, 
  they might split from the Great Hearth, or demand rep-
  resentation on the Great Hearth’s council. But the lawful 
  nature of the order ensures this never happens. Instead, 
  they go where they’re sent, and usually keep their “disloyal” 
  thoughts to themselves. 
  The Order of the Secret Flame employs the following 
  structure:
  the FirSt circle
  Those in the first circle of the order do not know of their 
  position, as they are just “likely candidates” for corruption, 
  observed by those in the second circle.
  the Second circle
  Cultists of the second circle are recruiters. They watch 
  younger members of their hearth and identify first circle 
  candidates, passing their identities to a member of the third 
  circle. However, they do not know the whole truth of what 
  they serve. They are told that long ago, Anwyn realized 
  her family had wrongly deposed Kador, so she made a pact 
  with Asmodeus, true master of the fire, to forgive him 
  and release him from Hell. They still pray to Anwyn, but 
  Asmodeus provides their powers. To learn this secret and 
  join the second circle, a first circle prospect is given years 
  of observation and many subtle tests. If it becomes clear 
  the candidate will not turn evil and serve, she is either left 
  to live in ignorance or, if shown too much, killed. Most 
  cultists never rise beyond the second circle, and it is here 
  that petty, corrupt manciples can be found: gluttons who 
  indulge themselves with the church’s food and wealth.
  the third circle
  Members of the third circle head second circle recruiting 
  cells or work as “listeners,” eavesdropping on conversations in 
  the hearth. Pretending to listen and advise the faithful, they 
  hoard the embarrassing secrets of commoners and the elites 
  they serve. Third circle cultists know only the identity of the 
  fourth circle member from whom they receive instruction, 
  who they believe to be the head of the cult, of the second 
  circle cells they command, and of the first circle candidates 
  they test. To recruit a first circle member into the second 
  circle, they must gain the approval of the fourth circle leader.
  the FoUrth circle
  Fourth circle members direct several recruiting cells and 
  listeners, limiting themselves to direct contact with third 
  circle lieutenants. They also perform small missions for 
  the order, but always through outside agents such as paid 
  assassins or misguided adventurers. Upon being raised to 
  the fourth circle, the true nature of the order is revealed, 
  and members pray to Asmodeus instead of Anwyn. They 
  receive commands from a lone member of the fifth circle. 
  the FiFth circle
  Members of the fifth circle learn how the cult has infil-
  trated much of their hearth. They believe the entire order 
  is headed by their sixth circle overseer. Fifth circle cultists 
  manage one task or another within a hearth. A hearth’s 
  fifth circle might include a head of recruitment, a head 
  of listening, and so on. Fifth circle members know that 
  others of their rank dwell within the hearth, but do not 
  meet without wearing masks. Yet the all know the identity 
  of their overseer: He’s the hearth’s high manciple. 
  the Sixth circle
  One must be a high manciple to be raised to the sixth 
  circle. He oversees the entire cult within his hearth, 
  though he only meets with fifth circle subordinates for 
  its secret business. Sixth circle members know the order 
  reaches beyond their hearths, for they were admitted 
  the halFlIng ChurCh
  The corrupt Supreme Manciple and his council deter-
  mined that most of Anwyn’s halfling clergy would never 
  serve Asmodeus. In time, the wisest halflings would 
  discover its diabolical rites. But they also knew there was 
  no easy way to kill them all. 
   
  Thus, the Supreme Manciple removed halfling hearths 
  from the Great Hearth’s authority. In an edict, the ruling 
  council proclaimed halfling ways of worship to be distinct 
  from those of other hearths, and named the high manciples 
  of the halfling hearths chiefs of their own version of the 
  faith. Most halflings saw this as a great honor, but some 
  found the move curious, and wondered what motivated 
  the Great Hearth, which had never separated its wor-
  shipers by race before. For many years, a small cadre of 
  halfling Anwynites searched for the Supreme Manciple’s 
  true motives. They even asked Anwyn herself, but she only 
  answered with a telling silence. She believes they’ll win the 
  war, but must fight it under the strictest interpretation of 
  the Compact, to reap the greatest good out of victory. If the 
  GM wishes, she can flesh out this sect of curious halflings 
  and their investigations. Players may join them, or help 
  them track vanished comrades, who walked too close to the 
  truth of it all.
   
  The leaders of the corrupt church know their reckon-
  ing will come, though many believe it won’t happen until 
  Kador escapes Hell, and will help them prevail. Prophecy 
  says Anwyn’s humblest, most sincere servants will be 
  their downfall—naturally, they believe that’s the halfling 
  church. Thus, the Supreme Manciple and his council 
  monitor halfling hearths, undermining them whenever 
  they can. Whenever they find the rare halfling with a 
  corruptible heart, they recruit him into one of the dark 
  hearths (“bringing the branches of the faith together”) 
  and convert him to the wicked path. Those so corrupted 
  return to halfling hearths to work mischief from within. 
  This plan has yet to bring down any halfling hearths of 
  note, but the infiltrators are patient.
  
  Chapter V: the gods oF the woMb 
  132
  132
  into the circle by their predecessors, who now guide 
  them from the seventh circle. If a high manciple dies 
  unexpectedly, his seventh circle overseer comes to the 
  hearth and raises his proper successor. Having risen 
  through many lies about the size of the cult, members of 
  the sixth circle dare not speculate about its full extent, 
  but believe their seventh-circle overseers are influential 
  enough to pull strings with the Great Hearth, and ele-
  vate high manciples. A sixth-circle member knows other 
  regional high manciples are members of the secret order, 
  but not which ones.
  the Seventh circle
  Seventh circle high manciples command powerful 
  hearths, and oversee all the other local high manciples. 
  They set their sixth circle vassals on complex schemes to 
  strengthen the secret order. Commands flow down to the 
  lowest cells, so that each will do their duty to Asmodeus. 
  Members of the seventh circle rarely meet others of their 
  rank, and only in situations where they can all conceal 
  their true identities. A seventh circle high manciple 
  receives commands and dark blessings from one member 
  of the eighth circle. He does not know if there are others, 
  or even what the overlord’s rank in the church is, if any.
  the eiGhth circle
   All masters of the eighth circle know each other’s true 
  identities, for they’re all the elder manciples of the Great 
  Hearth. They only speak to cult subordinates while mag-
  ically disguised, or through messengers with code words. 
  If anyone ever tracked the conspiracy to the eighth circle, 
  any one of its members would gladly die before revealing 
  that other elder manciples were his dark brethren. Dis-
  ciplined and organized, they do not indulge infighting. 
  They accept accolades and punishments when deserved, 
  and if found incompetent, commit suicide. They receive 
  orders directly from the Supreme Manciple.
  the ninth circle
  There is only one ninth-circle member: the Supreme 
  Manciple. He’s cunning, powerful, and evil to the core, 
  and perhaps the most important servant of Asmodeus on 
  Earth. The King of Hell might have tougher and more 
  magically adept vassals, but none rule a cult so influen-
  tial. The Supreme Manciple rules the cult with cunning 
  and forethought—in fact, he’s a better servant of Asmo-
  deus than most of his devils, who are given to bickering 
  and impulsive acts of evil. Thus, Asmodeus speaks to 
  him directly.
  When the Supreme Manciple dies, his body is spitted 
  and cooked over the Great Hearth. The council of elder 
  manciples feasts on his flesh, ritually taking from him 
  the power he was lent by the King of the Universe. As 
  they chant to Asmodeus, chins covered with the grease 
  of their former leader’s roasted flesh, they receive instruc-
  tion of the King of Hell himself. One of their number, 
  summoned by Asmodeus, climbs onto the feasting table, 
  where he fornicates with, or otherwise shames himself 
  before, all the other elders, who then follow suit with one 
  another. Thus, all share in a dark secret, strengthening 
  their bond under Hell. When this is done, the candidate is 
  dressed in the Supreme Manciple’s robes. 
  Sometimes, babies are born when coupling occurs 
  during the ritual. They’re are raised as faithful servants, 
  unless they’re children of the Supreme Manciple himself. 
  Such babes are sacrificed to Asmodeus a week after being 
  born: hurled into the Great Hearth out of fear of their 
  potential. Anyone with the blood of the Supreme Manci-
  ple running through their veins descends from the King of 
  Hell’s greatest worldly servant, and might use such power 
  to overthrow the conspiracy.
  the lost orders
  Those hearthkeepers who survived the suicide missions 
  they were sent on were murdered. The suppression of 
  the goodwives was far more peaceful, for it was based on 
  sound reasoning, even though the goal was to prevent the 
  order from discovering the Great Hearth’s corruption. A 
  few goodwives never returned to the hearths, and some 
  petition the elders to restore the order, now that the crisis 
  that dissolved it has passed. The Great Hearth’s agents 
  suppress such movements as quietly as they can.
  the heArthkeePerS
  The hearthkeepers were mostly paladins, and always 
  lawful good warriors who delighted in story and song. 
  They protected anyone who came to their hearths. If a 
  congregant was being abused by his master, employer or 
  partner in life, a hearthkeeper would find that person a 
  safe place to stay in the hearth, and confront the abuser. 
  (The manciples no longer allow members of the flock to 
  seek refuge thus, unless they desire them as sacrifices.) 
  Some still feel the call to serve as Anwyn’s paladins, but 
  no hearthkeepers remain to train them, unless some of 
  them hid from the Great Hearth’s purge. Most would-be 
  hearthkeepers are halflings, in whom Anwyn sees hope 
  for the restoration of the order. 
  the GoodWiveS
  The goodwives were keepers of family secrets, genealo-
  gists, experts in common medicines, and midwives. As the 
  name implies, they were a predominantly female order, 
  but there were “goodhusbands” and “goodfolk” as well. 
  Those who took a gendered title specialized in lore related 
  to it, based on tradition and practical considerations. In 
  many societies “goodwives” possessed herbal knowledge, 
  and “goodhusbands” knew how to raise hardy livestock 
  because of traditional associations, but other cultures 
  believed in variant or even opposite connections, and 
  taught order members accordingly. The goodwives traveled 
  widely, serving people they met with their knowledge and 
  often, simple, sweaty labor. This order has been absorbed 
  into the manciples, though a few elders exist outside the 
  hierarchy. Most are clerics, though a few are bards.
  
  133
  The Three Sisters are most often worshiped in a joint 
  temple, called a triad. Some small shrines or chapels 
  are dedicated to just one sister, but large temples always 
  have three altars: one for each goddess. The clergy and 
  holy warriors of the Three Sisters travel widely and 
  pursue duties away from the triad. Thus, a peculiar power 
  structure rules their faiths. The ruling cleric of a triad 
  may follow one of the Sisters, but in her role as overseer, 
  becomes a representative of all three goddesses.
  This goddess’ three holy orders have been bound 
  together for as long as the Three Sisters themselves, who 
  awoke on the bank of a mythic river (theologians dispute 
  its name and location) as siblings and boon companions 
  from their first divine breaths. They squabble like all 
  gods, but help each other in adventures across Creation, 
  and in serving it through their holy purviews. The Sis-
  ters’ awakening, and their eastward journey across the 
  world, rests at the heart of triad philosophy. It’s a spiri-
  tual mystery that inspires the triad’s shared holy order: 
  The Unity.
  Triads are homes to the three faiths of the Sisters, each 
  of which sets its own outlook and holy orders. Most triad 
  visitors seek blessings from just one goddess. Nevertheless, 
  each of the Sisters represents familial unity and cooper-
  ation and their clerics never omit mention of this, even 
  while serving individual goddesses’ altars. Triad tapestries 
  depict 3,333 tales of the Sisters’ journey to the East. Each 
  represents one story, so triads constantly rustle as wind 
  and passers-by disturb the many, many flowing tapestries.
  The triad uses three intersecting rings as its symbol, 
  arrayed in a triangle with one circle above the others. (At 
  altars to individual sisters, the top circle is that of the rel-
  evant goddess; at places of collective worship, the sign is 
  often designed to be spun in prayer, so no goddess is pre-
  eminent.) Each ring represents one of the Sisters’ crowns: 
  a red circle for Canelle, a black circle for Naryne, and a 
  gold circle for Thellyne. Every altar in a triad features this 
  symbol, inscribed alongside with the sign of the Sister the 
  altar honors. 
  Myths
  The following legend is kept secret, but taught to the 
  Three Sisters’ clergy, to keep the three primary evil gods 
  hidden from public knowledge. People learn the Sisters 
  were born by the river, and some public sermons talk 
  about them overcoming “darkness” in the form of personal 
  conflicts, but the Brothers are never mentioned. If the 
  GM prefers the Evil Ones be publicly known, the myth 
  isn’t a secret, but by default, the Three Brothers never 
  appear in the Great Sage Matalou’s writings.
  the wakIng oF the sIsters
  we do not know why the sIsters awoke. mystIcs belIeve 
  they arose because they were needed, or the Nameless One 
  created them for some secret need. Those who ascribe to a more 
  scientific school of thought believe that the Compact created the 
  Sisters, for it created an order in which belief is power, and the 
  mortal races believed in forces that none of the existing gods 
  represented. Others say the quest of the Three Companions 
  created the Sisters, or that the Sisters were mortals who cast a 
  spell to become gods, and sacrificed their mortal memories in 
  the process.
  Whatever the reason, the Sisters awoke there by the water’s 
  edge. Which river? It is lost to antiquity, though some say it is 
  the oldest river in the world, left unchanged by the cataclysms 
  of the ages. As the Sisters stirred, they found they were not 
  alone, for beside them, the Three Brothers awoke, as alike in 
  form to the Sisters as to one another.
  All six of these new gods were born a family, for in nose, 
  hand, eye, jaw, ear—all the common markings of family like-
  ness—they were similar. But in disposition, they could not be 
  more hateful to each other. The Sisters argued about all manner 
  of things, but eventually found a common bond in their char-
  itable hearts. But the Brothers battled each other instantly, 
  ceaselessly, by the shore of the river. Each wished to prove him-
  self strongest.
  The siblings learned their names from the winds, the sounds 
  of the water, or in secret sounds, relayed by divine energies. 
  Each Sister shared a name with a corresponding Brother who 
  was alike in nature, though the names changed as differences in 
  temperament arose. This was cause for some small wonder but 
  also unhappiness, for each disliked their counterpart.
  The dark-haired Sister with keen eyes and a noble mien 
  found her name was Naryne, from the tall rocks that looked 
  down on the river valley. But her dark-haired Brother with 
  the cruel gaze and the powerful shoulders called himself 
  Naran, for the rocks that blocked the entrance to the same 
  valley. She believed moral laws should prevent the strong 
  from abusing the weak; he believed the strong must make 
  their own rules, to be obeyed until they weakened, and were 
  overthrown.
  T
  he last three gods to join the Lords of Good, the Three Sisters’ origins are shrouded in mystery. This 
  section is intended for the Game Master; players should avoid reading it until the GM gives them the okay, or if they’re 
  playing a follower of the Three Sisters. Unlike the other gods, the Three Sisters share one church, divided into three 
  distinct sects—one for each goddess. The Three Sisters are: Naryne the Noble, Canelle the Swift, and Thellyne the Huntress. 
  the GoddeSSeS oF FAmiliAl Unity
  The Three Sisters
  IV: the three sIsters 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  134
  134
  The golden-haired Sister of careful manner and skill, 
  who loved woodcraft and nature, called herself Thellyne, or 
  “Gentle Wind.” Her straw-haired Brother, of red cheeks and 
  constant appetite, called himself Thellos, or “Hungry Wind.” 
  She believed that nature should be respected for its gifts, and 
  protected; he believed nature’s bounty should be plundered for 
  pleasure, and once consumed, should be abandoned for new, 
  ripe territory.
  The Sister with red hair, swift feet, and strong arms 
  called herself Canelle, which sounded to her like the 
  swiftest beasts in the river’s cradle. The red-haired 
  Brother, with his pointed teeth and angry growls, 
  called himself Canarak, which sounded to him 
  like the fiercest of creatures. She believed she 
  should perfect herself with discipline for dis-
  cipline’s sake, with no true opponent but 
  herself; he believed in mastering strength to 
  destroy his enemies, or dominate them with 
  terror and pain.
  The Brothers struck a truce, and agreed 
  to divide the world between themselves. 
  Each Brother would take his closest 
  Sister as his wife. They’d let their children 
  war with each other until one dynasty 
  remained. The Brother who ruled it, would 
  rule Creation.
  The Sisters were not party to this 
  plan, and were cleverer than their 
  fierce Brothers. Shadows on the tall 
  rocks, the gentle wind, and the swift 
  beasts told them of the Brothers’ plot. 
  Therefore, when the Brothers came to 
  them with false smiles, the Sisters pretended 
  to be charmed, and cooked a feast for them. 
  But the Sisters put nightshade in the Brothers’ portions, 
  and the evil ones slipped into dreamless slumber.
  The Sisters ran east, beyond the tall stones. They discov-
  ered people, lands, and creatures that they had only known 
  from wind-whispers and shadows before. They did not 
  teach mortals, for they were creatures of divine instinct, not 
  learned skill, and knew not how knowledge was shared thus. 
  They learned of learning itself from mortals, and marveled 
  at how creatures so weak could strengthen themselves with 
  knowledge alone. They applied these methods to themselves, 
  and refined their power with wisdom. In the 3,333 tales of 
  their journey they formed perfect bonds of sisterhood, which 
  we revere to this day.
  At last, they came to a lovely pool on the edge of the world, 
  and there they abided, until the Three Companions, descendants 
  of the Tree, found them, and were amazed, for they knew not 
  of these river-born goddesses. Each Companion fell in love with 
  one of them. Naryne returned Maal’s affection, and they were 
  wed, but the other Companions’ love went unrequited. Never-
  theless, all Sisters were admitted to the Heavens, and made part 
  of the family of the gods. While all the gods must know of their 
  wicked Brothers, it is not known if the Sisters ever again stood 
  against the evil ones. It is said that if the Sisters and Brothers 
  meet again, it will be in a war that ends the world.
  the trIads  
  oF the sIsters
  Triads are places of quiet worship, infrequently visited. 
  Their facilities are available to worshipers of any of the 
  Three Sisters, but few laypeople worship them so fervently 
  as to require a temple. Thus triads are usually found only 
  in major population centers, such as capital cities, and 
  other places where nobles congregate. The noble wor-
  shipers of Naryne keep the triads in operation, with 
  generous donations that go to all three faiths. Some 
  cultures which revere sport support large, popular 
  triads where people pray for their favorite ath-
  letes. They donate to Canelle’s portion of the 
  church. Barring these circumstances, the 
  average mid-sized city has little need for 
  a temple to Three Sisters. Most worship-
  ers resort to visiting the Great Church, 
  which keeps adjoining altars to them.
  Triad clergy think of the Three 
  Brothers as metaphors, not gods. In their 
  recounting of the journey, they say the 
  Sisters awoke by the river and there, 
  confronted and rejected their evil 
  halves. (Chapter VII explains, that 
  the Three Brothers truly exist, and 
  have acted in secret for centuries, 
  but of course the GM determines 
  the truth of it). Thus, few scholars to 
  believe the Brothers are truly gods. If 
  anyone outside the faith learned their 
  myths, further studies would tell them 
  that the Brothers are nothing but symbols of 
  the Sisters’ “shadow sides,” which they rejected. 
  doCtrIne
  What did they teach on this eastward journey, from 
  childhood to adulthood, from sleeping to waking, 
  from doubting to knowing? The Three Sisters, blessed 
  are their names, came to us in innocence, and did 
  not instruct us, but provided their perfect examples. 
  They showed us that no great thing can be done alone. 
  Without the breath of life, the eye cannot sees and the 
  arm cannot act. Without the eye, the breath knows 
  not its purpose, and the arm goes astray. Without the 
  arm, breath and eye cannot act, but only contemplate. 
  We must have difference, they taught us, for we are 
  all parts of a greater Unity. We must experience the 
  world in its different lights, dark, red, and gold, acting 
  together as the colors of Creation do, or we are lost.” 
  – An interpretation of the Journey to the 
  East by Reverend Mother Grywin Estalla, 
  Variegate Priestess of the Eastwatch Triad
  Each of Sisters and their faiths contain many differences, 
  but they all turn upon the Journey to the East. The thou-
  sands of stories (officially 3,333, but varied local traditions 
  increase that number) focus on ways in which the Sisters 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  135
  learned to work together. Mystical interpretations of these 
  tales form the core doctrine of the triad:
  Each of us must balance our desires to control, 
  observe, and act
  In tale after tale, the Sisters bickered. Naryne set down 
  rules and issued commands. Thellyne hid and observed, and 
  Canelle aggressively charged at every challenge. In these 
  acts, the triads see three primal impulses. Only those who 
  combine and balance them can lead happy lives.
  For every person, two others exist to lead them to 
  perfection
  Triads believe that two people might be good enough for 
  ordinary love and companionship, but in great adventures 
  and life’s most difficult struggles, everyone is best supported 
  by two others, who the gods have hidden until it is time for 
  them to unite, even if only for one task. The complementary 
  two might never be found, or might be members of one’s 
  family. In any event, truly propitious unions come in threes.
  We will find paradise when Heaven, Earth, and 
  the Underworld are unified
  It is no coincidence that at the end of their great jour-
  ney, the Three Sisters separated. Canelle resides on the 
  mountain of Heaven beside the other gods, Thellyne wan-
  ders the world, and Naryne sits beside Maal, in the land of 
  the dead. The sins of the mortal races, their distance from 
  the gods, and their desire to do evil required the separa-
  tion of Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld. Mortals do 
  evil, so they must be judged by Maal, in a separate place. 
  Even the gods must separate themselves from the mortal 
  affairs, for the sake of the Compact. When mortals find 
  balance in their inner natures and relationships, and obey 
  the gods, the three realms will reunite.
  Few people worship the Sisters in the form of the triad, 
  but most serious worshipers of any one of the Sisters 
  comes to study the journey and its interpretations. Anyone 
  seeking to become a variegate priest or priestess must con-
  template these matters at length.
  holy days
  Two holy days unify the three faiths of the Sisters. The 
  first is celebrated early in the year. Called Waking Day, 
  it commemorates the waking of the Three Sisters by the 
  riverbanks, their eventual rejection of evil, and their 
  departure. Waking Day is observed in silent contempla-
  tion, followed by a children’s morality play that portrays 
  the Waking and one tale of the Journey to the East. These 
  skits don’t mention the Three Brothers at all, and portray 
  evil as a whisper urging the Sisters to argue until after a 
  dream, they work together to escape the river valley.
  Later in the year, the faithful observe the Ascension, 
  remembering the day the Sisters were embraced by 
  Heaven and made Lords of Good. On the Ascension, the 
  faithful make many sacrifices to the Sister they worship, 
  or all three. They pray for forgiveness and guidance. In the 
  evening, adults reenact several stories from the Journey to 
  the East, and finally the Meeting, when the Three Com-
  panions met the Sisters.
  holy orders
  Because the triads are not terribly popular, and the Sisters’ 
  clergy and holy warriors are often absent on missions, it is all 
  but impossible to staff a triad with a high-ranking member 
  of each Sister’s clergy. Instead, the three churches have a 
  long-standing arrangement, in which any cleric of a Sister 
  can serve as a “variegate priest” or “variegate priestess” for a 
  period of no less than one year and no more than five years. 
  A variegate priest puts aside the trappings of the god-
  dess he has served, and wears robes of the three sacred 
  colors: red, gold, and black. He oversees a triad, deter-
  mining its position on matters both secular and religious. 
  Acting as a cleric of all Three Sisters, he offers spiritual 
  counsel to worshipers of any of the three faiths, and sees 
  to the training of each of their clergies. A variegate priest 
  is addressed as “revered father,” or “revered mother,” and is 
  introduced as a variegate priest, omitting any titles related 
  to a specific Sister.
  Variegate priests induct members into the Unity: an 
  order of triad-worshipers. From time to time, three people 
  come to a triad seeking to be bound together as special 
  companions, fates and lives tied together as surely as the 
  Sisters’ were. If the variegate priest believes their inten-
  tions are true, he can induct them into the Unity (see “The 
  Unity,” following), after which they are so bound.
  The average triad has one variegate priest in residence. 
  A few holy warriors and clergy of the individual altars 
  come in from time to time. There are also various acolytes 
  and students in residence, but they do not perform reli-
  gious functions beyond study and meditation.
  VarIegate prIests oF the trIad
  Only members of the clergies of Naryne, Canelle, or 
  Thellyne can become variegate priests. They must train for 
  at least six months (but usually, at least a year) with dev-
  otees of the other two Sisters; at the end of this time, the 
  candidate is tested by all the clergy of the triad he seeks to 
  lead. The woodwardens come in from their woods, the red 
  masters return from their athletic training circuits, and 
  the seneschals descend from the palaces where they serve. 
  The candidate is questioned for several hours on the intri-
  cacies of all three religions. The priesthoods then votes by 
  secret ballot. A majority must approve of the candidate, 
  who serves for five years. Reappointments (which require 
  new elections) are rare, but possible.
  the unIty
  When three people believe themselves as united as the 
  Three Sisters at the end of their journey, They can petition 
  a triad to be inducted into the Unity. The Unity has no 
  formal titles, and its members have no status within the 
  churches of the individual Sisters. In fact, they need not 
  be particularly devout worshipers of any Sister. 
  Becoming part of a Unity means agreeing to tie yourself 
  to two other people in the eyes of the gods. The variegate 
  priests perform an ancient ritual that does this, at the end 
  of which the three members of the Unity are, for all intents 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  136
  136
  and purposes, a family. Triads perform the ritual because 
  they believe it is in the forming of such unions that the 
  perfection of the mortal races will be achieved, and paradise 
  will be realized. Priests require a genuine bond, without 
  coercion or inequality, and use test of souls to ensure it exists. 
  The exact nature of the emotional bond varies, ranging 
  from the forms of love that mortal races feel toward one 
  another, to a sense of camaraderie greater than the usual 
  ties which hold teams of hardened adventurers together.
  When the ritual is complete, the three emerge as a Unity. 
  They take on a new name that all three share, to signify 
  their new familial bond—and indeed, they are all now 
  family in the eyes of the gods. By becoming a Unity, the 
  three live out the mystery of the Journey to the East. One 
  becomes the Breath, as Naryne is sometimes called, the 
  speaker for the three. One becomes the Eye, as Thellyne is 
  for the Sisters, and observes for the three. One becomes the 
  Arm, as Canelle was, and takes direct action for the Unity. 
  As the three explore their bond it grows stronger, and they 
  develop the ability to perform miraculous deeds together. 
  Characters interested in forming a Unity can do so by 
  taking the Triad Feats, as explained in Chapter X.
  GoddeSS oF nobility
  Naryne
  hiGh, GlorioUS, lAdy oF lAdieS, qUeen oF qUeenS,  
  the breAth, the noble, qUeen oF SoUlS, the dArk SiSter
  Naryne (nah-REEN) is the lawful neutral goddess of 
  nobility, royalty, kingdoms, leadership, rulership, kings, 
  queens, and nobles. She is founded of orders of nobles 
  among the mortal races, some of which endure to this day. 
  She is also associated with the dead and the departed, as 
  their queen. She is more interested in the orderliness and 
  proper succession of noble lines, than in any one instance 
  of good or evil.
  Cultures associate the Dark Sister with beasts that 
  represent nobility, such as the lion, but she is more often 
  symbolized by the swan, which her own church uses, and 
  considers the Queen of Beasts. Naryne is also associated 
  with dragons, the greatest, oldest, and most powerful 
  living creatures. Each culture prefers a particular color or 
  breed of dragon.
  Naryne is painted as a glorious queen, as tall as her hus-
  band, with dark hair and piercing eyes. She wears a crown 
  and royal robes. In her hand, she holds a scepter, symbol 
  of her authority in Heaven, Earth, and the lands of the 
  dead. Her crown holds five shining stars, which she won 
  from Urian during the Journey to the East.
  Naryne’s followers use her gold crown and its stars as 
  their faith’s symbol. It marks her shrines and triad altars, 
  and it serves as part of the heraldry for her most faithful 
  worshipers. This is often simplified to just a golden crown, 
  or a simple drawing of a crown with stars on it. Simple 
  versions of the starry crown are used to decorate small 
  things, or as improvised markings.
  Naryne counts the nobility among her most ardent 
  followers. They have the wealth to make her faith, 
  and the triads where it resides, powerful and opulent. 
  Many rich, important nobles have chapels dedicated 
  to Naryne in their castles, palaces, and manses. Other 
  lords and ladies support their local triads with generous 
  donations. Outside of the nobility, people honoring the 
  long dead appeal to the Dark Sister. For instance, if a 
  peasant family believes one of its ancestors was admit-
  ted to the third hall of the land of the dead, they’d 
  pray to Naryne in remembrance of her. Though Maal is 
  King of the Dead and the Judge of Souls, Naryne rules 
  over the afterlife itself, and all souls therein fall under 
  her dominion.
  Myths 
  the lIne oF kIngs
  durIng the Journey to the east, glorIous naryne was the 
  Breath of the Three, blessed may their names always be. She was 
  calculating and wise, and seeing things as they were, spoke the 
  truth. Thus she agreed to marry Maal, King of Souls, for she saw 
  the union’s benefits for her family. The marriage united the Sisters 
  with the Lords of Heaven, assuring their place in the world.
  Once they were so united, her thoughts went to the mortal 
  races she had observed in their great journey. In their folly, 
  mortals warred with one another, the strongest seizing power 
  from the weakest. This belief had been Iblis’ folly, and she knew 
  it well, for it was an evil she banished from her own heart, to 
  escape the river-lands of her birth. Having married Maal, she 
  would now be queen of these mortals when they died, and she 
  felt no small responsibility to improve them. She resolved to 
  teach mortals law and leadership. 
  Thus, she walked among the five races once more. Maal was 
  lonely in the realm of the dead, but he had his mother’s wisdom, 
  and was not jealous. He knew his wife sought to bring law to 
  the mortals, and that all would be well. 
  High Naryne had searched the highs and the lows of every 
  lands. She supped with the simplest dwarven craftsman and 
  the mightiest human warlords. She found the wisest, kindest, 
  fairest, cleverest, and sometimes even the strongest mortals, 
  until a hundred of these paragons assembled before her. She 
  offered them one hundred crowns, wrought of gold that had 
  once paid for the passage of souls, and said, “You bear my 
  blessing to be kings and queens of the mortal races, for you are 
  worthy of these crowns. Should anyone question your right, 
  remind them that in the world below, where all your kin go in 
  the end, I am queen, and will not look kindly upon any who 
  would usurp these crowns. They are of my chill gold, given to 
  Death, and whosoever wears them falsely, by usurpation or 
  unworthy rule, must repay me, in my black halls.”
  So Naryne, the Lady of Ladies, became the Queen of 
  Queens, for she began lines of nobility that, in some places, 
  survive to this day. Even when mighty lords do not descend 
  from the First Kings and Queens,  they invoke Naryne as their 
  protector and advisor. As Queen of Queens she is worshiped 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  137
  by nobles alone, for in that aspect she is their personal goddess, 
  who gives their bloodlines, and thrones Heaven’s protection. 
  When she returned to the land of the dead, Maal was pleased, 
  for he saw that the lady he loved was not only fair, but just and 
  wise. Although their union would never produce offspring, they 
  would rule well together, for all eternity.
  rule the lands oF the dead
  Naryne sanctifies noble bloodlines and rules the land of 
  the dead. The Compact prevents her from going to mor-
  tals uncloaked, and declaring new rulers when an old line 
  dies out, so she finds modern nobles less moral, strong and 
  clever than their ancient forebears. She sometimes travels 
  in disguise to hint her preferences during succession crises 
  in the old bloodlines, but the contenders know Naryne’s 
  blessing strengthens their claims, and research stories of 
  old visitations, so they often invent visions and omens that 
  support them. By the terms of the Compact, she Queen of 
  Queens cannot answer these lies directly, so from her point 
  of view, the wrong candidate often wins the throne.
  Naryne offers guidance to rulers who seek her out 
  with prayers and virtuous works. She also encourages her 
  followers to support the aristocracy. To the Dark Sister, 
  rightful succession is always more important than the 
  qualities of any individual ruler. The institution itself 
  binds society together, and in the long run, true blood-
  lines mostly produce good lords—or at least, reliable ones. 
  She encourages vassals to maintain their oaths, and for 
  the well-born to respect the rules of precedence. Thus, a 
  righteous noble who overthrows a tyrannical king wins 
  no blessing from Naryne. The king was the rightful ruler. 
  Toppling him injures the line of kings, which could have 
  served the people for another thousand years.
  But the land of the dead takes up most of her attention. 
  She rules over the kingdom Maal built. Its attendants and 
  celestials answer to her. Even the four wardens who serve 
  Maal do so with her leave. Unlike the marriage of Zheen-
  keef and Tinel, where secrets abound, or Morwyn’s two 
  marriages, in which the affections are often faint, Maal and 
  Naryne share an unquestionable love. Their union is the 
  strongest, and their loyalty to one another is unshakable.
  serVants oF naryne
  Naryne commands an ebony chariot drawn by twelve 
  giant swans. The chariot bears her from the land of the 
  dead to Heaven and sometimes even to the Material 
  Plane, though she usually visits the mortal realm in 
  disguise. The twelve swans all speak every mortal and 
  immortal tongue that ever existed, for the spirits of the 
  dead taught them. The swans are Inixos, Yaili, Marit, 
  Oona, Pilai, Weili, Uxos, Darila, Marila, Tani, Sa’ool, 
  and Jeini. Every one hundred years, each swan descends 
  to the Material Plane in the form of a powerful, beautiful 
  bard, and walks the world, unburdened by duty, for a year. 
  They display deep wisdom, for they know nearly every tale 
  of mortal history. Many swans, as mortals, marry and bear 
  children, only to abandon their progeny when they return 
  to the land of the dead. The separation never lasts long, for 
  all mortals must come to Maal and Naryne’s kingdom.
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  138
  138
  Naryne’s other key companion is her seneschal Wahilla, 
  who was the fairest and wisest of all the mortals the Sis-
  ters met on their eastward journey. Wahilla was a halfling 
  maiden. People of all races came for miles around to sit 
  with and take counsel from her. Legends claim she was the 
  wisest mortal to ever live, for she saw as clearly as the gods 
  themselves what courses lay before mortals, as well as their 
  true desires and greatest fears. When Naryne returned to 
  the mortal world after marrying Maal, Wahilla was old and 
  childless. Naryne could not make her Queen of the World, 
  for the halfling could not found the mightiest bloodline, 
  to which all other kings and queens would do homage. 
  Instead, she came to the old woman’s side and revealed 
  her true form. Wahilla wept and said, “I knew when I first 
  saw you, in those days of my youth so long ago, that you 
  were not made of mortal stuff. You have been the star that 
  guided my heart all these long years, and I have missed 
  you.” The goddess and the old woman wept in one another’s 
  arms, and from that moment, Naryne could not bear to 
  be parted from her. So Wahilla never died, but rather was 
  taken to Heaven bodily, where Morwyn, as a wedding gift 
  to Naryne, healed the ancient halfling of age and affliction, 
  though not barrenness. The two have never been separated 
  since, and Wahilla’s counsel guides Naryne, as the counsel 
  of all great seneschals guides their rulers. Thus, many sene-
  schals make offerings to Wahilla as well as the Dark Sister, 
  for they would learn the halfling’s great wisdom.
  the ChurCh oF  
  the dark sIster
  The Narynites occupy the dark altars of the 
  triads, and the serve richly appointed chapels 
  dedicated to Naryne in the palaces of kings. 
  Her orders draw their membership almost 
  exclusively from nobles who support the 
  faith. In many cultures, aristocrats give 
  their lesser sons and daughters—those 
  children least likely to inherit—to the 
  church, to join one priesthood or another. 
  As many nobles are educated and raised 
  by Narynite priests, they often choose 
  the Dark Sister’s church. Thus, members 
  of the clergy usually have noble blood, 
  though they can be bastards, and need not 
  descend from the hundred the goddess 
  blessed in mythic times.
  Common folk do join the faith, but they 
  are few. Most are holy warriors, called by 
  Naryne to serve for reasons known only to her. 
  Many assume these are great nobles, reborn 
  from the land of the dead as commoners, return-
  ing to their proper status in new lives.
  Narynites serve as the companions and advisors of 
  nobles, and rarely visit their triad altars, preferring to join 
  the clergy of a private chapel, in a noble’s castle. Noble 
  patrons usually build altars to all the gods, but the grand-
  est is usually consecrated to Naryne. Since Narynites 
  rarely dwell at the triads, a variegate priest performs most 
  of her services for commoners, such as helping them pray 
  to ancestors in the land of the dead.
  Naryne has little time for her church, tending as she does 
  to the land of the dead. As it is, the holy orders of her faith 
  have more in common with Wahilla. She appreciates that 
  mortals work to preserve the bloodlines she established long 
  ago, and she does what she can to aid them without violat-
  ing the Compact. However, she does believe that when the 
  line of succession is unclear, her servants should not favor 
  descent over worthiness to rule, for she gave crowns of gold 
  to mortals for their actions, not their ancestry.
  doCtrIne
  “I knew a man who many called wise who said to me, 
  ‘Kings exist to take from common folk. How will there 
  ever be freedom when we have kings?’ I called upon 
  the powers given to me by the Dark Sister to make this 
  wise man sleep, and in his slumber, I bound his hands 
  and took him to the docks, which are kept peaceful and 
  tidy by the order of our king, may the Lady smile on 
  him. There I woke this fellow, who many called wise. 
  Before he could protest, I said, ‘In a land without a 
  king, there would be slave ships here on the docks, and 
  I could have sold you to them. How can there ever be 
  freedom in a land without kings?’” 
  —from “A Life of Service,” 
  by Seneschal Ualda Ionese
  In the Journey to the East, Naryne distinguished herself 
  from her sisters with wisdom, intellect, and a talent for 
  command. She guided them through treacherous 
  paths that required thought and moral reasoning 
  instead of physical brawn, or nimble fingers. 
  When she returned to the mortal world, her 
  followers believe she used all she had learned 
  to choose the First Kings and Queens.
  Yet nobility is not a matter of descent, 
  but character. All but the basest villains 
  keep some nobility in their hearts. Those 
  entrusted by Naryne to lead the mortal 
  races are part of a greater order, able to 
  pass the spirit of true nobility to their 
  children, and their children may pass 
  it further down the ages, to rule with 
  wisdom. This blessing is the Queen of 
  Queens’ to give. Narynites seek out and 
  serve such nobles, from emperors and 
  queens, to the dukes of city-states. They aid 
  landed knights, and even the lord-governors 
  of distant colonies. Certainly, there are petty, 
  wicked and greedy nobles who aren’t worthy of 
  their titles, but the Narynites serve them too, to guide 
  them to the just path. They look at nobility as an institu-
  tion, and believe that wisdom lost to one generation can be 
  recovered, so long as aristocratic institutions endure.
  The gods left the world to its own devices, and now 
  watch it, to see how mortals behave without divine 
  stewardship. But the world is a wicked place, and its 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  139
  inhabitants, left to themselves, become monsters, brutally 
  killing one another to take whatever they desire. Only 
  nobility, in the hearts of people and in noble-born leaders, 
  stands between society and murderous darkness. Order 
  prevents mortals from turning to evil. 
  Most practicing Narynites have noble blood, or belong 
  to one of the holy orders founded to serve the nobility. 
  However, many who make a life of service to nobles, such 
  as chamberlains, heralds, footmen, and handmaids, also 
  worship Naryne. The faith tells them they serve the high-
  est calling, promoting nobility in all mortal hearts.
  narynIte prayers
  At the ascension of a new king or other high noble, a 
  great book of prayers is opened that contains scriptures 
  only read for the nobility. The following prayer is read just 
  before the crown is placed on the noble’s head.
  “Once there were one hundred crowns of gold,
  But we no longer have the crowns.
  Once there were one hundred kings and queens,
  But they have all of them long ago died.
  Once we were visited by the Queen of Queens,
  But she has long since quit this wicked world.
  Yet you are charged,
  In the name of Naryne, the Queen of Souls,
  To remember the crowns,
  To remember the first chosen,
  To remember your Queen.
  Though they are gone,
  They are not forgotten.”
  saInts
  Faithful Narynites who performed some historic deed to 
  preserve the true order of nobility are those most likely to 
  be named saints. If someone recovered one of the one hun-
  dred crowns and gave it to her king, she would be named 
  a saint by all Narynites. If a proper ruler was overthrown 
  by rebels, but put back on the throne by a small group of 
  dedicated followers, those followers might all be recognized 
  by local Narynites as saints. The magnitude of the deed 
  determines how likely it is for someone to be revered as a 
  saint, but the deed must be truly spectacular and maintain 
  the strength of a noble line for a long while. 
  Martyrs are those who die protecting their noble lord. 
  Using this doctrine, the Narynites inspire honor guards, 
  telling them they will receive accolades from the Queen of 
  Queens in the land of the dead, should they die defending 
  their charges.
  holy orders
  The Narynites serve secular authority more stridently than 
  other churches do. Called seneschals, the faith’s clergy 
  advise the nobility, and see to proper successions whenever 
  they can. A second order, the swan knights, was founded to 
  protect and serve the nobility, usually by tying themselves 
  to a specific aristocrat or family. In their service to nobles, 
  Narynite holy orders often drift from the triads, which is 
  one of the many reasons variegate priests are necessary. 
  senesChals oF naryne 
  Advisors, protectors, and educators of the nobility, the 
  seneschals tie themselves to a bloodline or household for 
  a lifetime. An elven seneschal might serve generations 
  of human kings. They swear to protect the members of 
  the bloodline, educate their children, and give spiritual 
  advice, including guidance on how to honor the gods of 
  the tree, and counsel during successions. Seneschals guard 
  family relics, noble regalia, and artifacts that prove the 
  rights of those they serve to occupy their thrones.
  Many seneschals travel across the world, often accom-
  panying adventurous young nobles. Some, not bound to 
  a noble family, might venture in search of one, while a 
  few go on quests for the lost one hundred crowns, and the 
  families that once held them. Many seneschals of noble 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  140
  140
  blood end up serving their own families, but some search 
  for a family of higher station to improve their house’s posi-
  tion, or find other nobles to escape conflicts among their 
  own relatives.
  Most seneschals are lawful neutral. They focus 
  on proper service to the nobility, caring little about 
  whether the noble they serve is good or evil, wise 
  or foolish. They guide the nobles they serve toward 
  wisdom, but failure does not instill in them a crisis of 
  confidence; rather, they continue to serve faithfully, 
  knowing they must instill the spirit of nobility no 
  matter the difficulties they face.
  Some seneschals are lawful good. They seek out the 
  wisest and finest nobles to serve, tying themselves only to 
  the greatest examples of nobility among the mortal races, 
  or never attach themselves to anyone at all. Unattached 
  seneschals scour the world for the one hundred crowns 
  and one hundred bloodlines, believing that if the crowns 
  and their lineages could be restored, peace would prevail. 
  Many end up attached to Maalite counterparts who seek 
  their lost Sacred Laws. Some say the crowns and the Laws 
  will be found together.
  There are also lawful evil seneschals who attach them-
  selves to the most powerful and selfish nobles, teaching 
  their masters how to bleed more from their people, crush 
  their enemies, and ensure the dominance of their blood-
  lines. These seneschals believe nobles only deserve their 
  titles if they’re strong, and prepared to do whatever it 
  takes to maintain law. If that means murder, torture, war, 
  or tyranny, so be it. 
  Seneschals maintain the titles they were born with, 
  and continue to be addressed by those titles. Since most 
  seneschals are already nobles, this can include “sir,” “lord,” 
  “duke,” or even “prince,” and all their feminine counter-
  parts. They are introduced as “consecrated seneschals of 
  the Narynites” before any noble introductions, such as 
  “defender of the third march.” In the rare case a seneschal 
  has no noble blood, he is addressed as “master:” a non-no-
  ble indication of respect.
  JoInIng the senesChals
  Becoming a seneschal requires about three years of edu-
  cation by another seneschal in the mysteries of Naryne, 
  the religious ceremonies of her faith, all religious matters, 
  to better serve as an educator. Upon completing training, 
  the new seneschal becomes a cleric with the Knowledge 
  domain. Seneschals favor maces, which symbolize the 
  scepter Naryne always carries.
  swan knIghts oF naryne 
  The swan knights of Naryne are mostly noble-born, and 
  protect and serve those of noble blood. Some might serve 
  nobles seated on thrones, but many protect children, 
  keeping them safe through youth and adulthood, travel-
  ing with them, and teaching them martial matters. Swan 
  knights act as sacred bodyguards to the nobility. They’ve 
  sworn to give their lives to keep their charges safe. To 
  see them is to behold the very flower of chivalry. They 
  wear helms ornamented with the white swans of Naryne, 
  and are laden with shining armor and shields. Fair as 
  they are dangerous, they protect what is truly noble in 
  the hearts of mortals, and would die before letting that 
  light be extinguished.
  Noble status isn’t enough to earn a swan knight’s 
  protection. They seek out the best, most virtuous 
  charges. This could mean they protect the one good 
  child in an otherwise greedy and wicked family. The 
  darker the lands, the more commonly evil festers in 
  the hearts of nobles, and the less likely one is to see a 
  swan knight. 
  Swan knights must not knowingly allow their charges 
  to be maimed or killed, must not willingly do evil or 
  allow evil to be done, and must not turn a deaf ear 
  on the pleas of those who are good of heart. Swan 
  knights must not offer services to someone who is 
  only noble in blood, not spirit (any known non-good 
  noble). Thus, most swan knights are lawful good.
  A swan knight keeps the company of good nobles, and 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  141
  associates with anyone that noble chooses for compan-
  ions. The knight might advise her charge to steer clear 
  of evil associates, but if the noble chooses to travel with 
  such folk, so too will she, keeping her charge safe from 
  them. Swan knights who have not yet found a noble to 
  serve (or older swan knights whose charge died without 
  issue) choose companions who can help them meet good-
  hearted nobles. They are quite driven about this; without a 
  noble to serve, they consider themselves pointless.
  A swan knight is addressed by whatever titles he already 
  bears as a noble, and introduced as a “sworn knight of 
  Naryne.” In the rare case that a knight has no noble titles, 
  she will be addressed as “dame” (or “sir”) at the very least.
  JoInIng the swan knIghts
  One becomes a swan knight by heeding Naryne’s call, 
  and finding an established swan knight for training. As 
  most swan knights are nobles, so this can be as simple as 
  receiving training from a knight already in his household. 
  Becoming a swan knight requires one to forever relinquish 
  all noble privileges, including the protection of a swan 
  knight, if the initiate enjoyed that privilege. Training takes 
  about five years, though this is almost all martial training, 
  so one versed in the martial arts could become a swan 
  knight very quickly. Upon completing their training, swan 
  knights become paladins, and swear the Oath of Devotion.
  the GoddeSS oF victory And StrenGth
  Canelle
  tAll, SWiFt, Fleet-Footed, triUmPhAnt, the victorioUS,  
  the red SiSter, the rUnner oF heAven, the Arm
  Canelle (cuh-NELL) is the chaotic good goddess of 
  victory, athletics, competition, raw physical strength, 
  glory, running, games, athletes, and competitors. She is 
  associated with swift horses and the hippogriff, which is 
  both swift horse and soaring eagle. No finer beast lives to 
  symbolize victory.
  All mortal races play sports and games, and therefore 
  all have some reverence for Canelle. However, most of 
  her worshipers are humans, who have an obsession with 
  sport. Anyone in need of victory, including in battle, 
  might invoke her name. Thus, she is often mentioned in 
  prayers along with Terak. Fighters, barbarians, rogues, 
  and others who make their way by physical prowess tend 
  to worship her, and it is rare to see those who follow 
  more cerebral pursuits, such as wizards, espouse faith 
  in Canelle.
  Canelle is depicted as a very tall woman (though a 
  little shorter than Naryne) with perfect musculature. 
  She is usually shown wearing a steel breastplate, or garb 
  appropriate for a sport popular with the artist’s cul-
  ture—perhaps wrestling, running, jousting, or chariot 
  racing. Indeed, she is often shown behind the reigns of a 
  chariot with four snorting chargers rearing up, about to 
  leap into a full gallop. In all portrayals, she has red hair 
  and often wears some item of red clothing too, for she is 
  the Red Sister. On her brow, she wears a wreath made of 
  leaves—usually laurel, holly, or another thick, waxy leaf 
  that holds its shape well. This is the symbol of athletic 
  victory because, like such victories, crowns of leaves are 
  impermanent, and their value is purely one of honor.
  As with her sisters, Canelle is represented by a crown. 
  Hers is a wreath of leaves. Members of her clergy wear 
  such wreaths on their brows, or around their necks. This 
  might be ostentatious if the cleric in question isn’t a great 
  athlete, but most of them are. The wreath is rarely simpli-
  fied, as such symbols are easy to draw, or make out of local 
  materials, but if necessary, it can be drawn as the bottom 
  half of a circle or a low-slung arc, with four dots repre-
  senting leaves. This might be used on weapon pommels 
  and other small items.
  Myths 
  the lonely runner
  on theIr eastward Journey, each of the three sIsters 
  observed something in the world that became dear to her. For 
  Swift Canelle it was the many games mortals invented in the 
  short time since emerging from the fruits. She came to love 
  these games, and their many contests of strength and speed.
  Once the fate of the sisters became tied to that of the gods of the 
  tree, Tall Canelle spent more time among mortals than gods. This 
  was for two reasons. First, Darmon’s passion for her perplexed 
  and annoyed her, making time among the gods irksome. Second, 
  she found herself happiest testing her speed and might against 
  mortal athletes. But this passion for competition with mortals 
  dissipated, for she never found a challenge. As her power waxed, 
  it seemed the skills of mortals waned. As the years accumulated, 
  the mortal races diminished in power, length of life, and prowess. 
  But what they lost individually, they gained collectively, for their 
  numbers swelled, and they filled every land.
  When Canelle the Victorious had lost all hope of ever being 
  challenged by a mortal again, there arose from the East a great 
  champion. No one knew his name; he was called the Lonely 
  Runner, because when he ran a race, he left everyone else so far 
  behind, that he always ran the finish alone.
  Seeing an challenge, Canelle entered herself into a great 
  tournament held by the archons of the West’s largest city. The 
  finest athletes of the five races had come to compete for the prize: 
  a hart, five hands high, made of pure gold. The tournament 
  grounds were littered with champions, but only two had any 
  chance of winning: The Lonely Runner and Canelle.
  In the archery contest, each achieved perfect marks; in every 
  following contest, they both achieved the highest possible scores. 
  At last, the competition was to be decided by the final race. 
  None of the other competitors even took to the field, for none 
  might win but this strange Easterner or this red-headed giant 
  of a woman. The crowd roared as the two walked onto the field, 
  and all fell silent when the flag fell.
  Fleet-footed Canelle and the Lonely Runner left their start-
  ing positions more swiftly than arrows. Side by side, they shot 
  
  142
  142
  around the field, neither giving the other an inch of advantage. 
  Absolute silence reigned throughout the crowd. Around and 
  around the runners went, still elbow to elbow, breath to breath. 
  As they reached the finish, neither sped past the other, and they 
  crossed the line at the same moment.
  “We will run again!” Canelle demanded at once. “A month 
  from now! A year! We will run again, and know who is best!”
  But the Lonely Runner hunched over and panted. He could 
  not speak for some time, for he had run his greatest race, and 
  was but a man. When at last he could, he said, “Great lady! 
  I’ll run against you if you command it. But should we run 
  again and again and again, it is sure to go sore against me, in 
  the end. I may run at your side for another year, or many years, 
  but in the end I will age, and you will not.”
  At this, Triumphant Canelle was amazed, for mortals did 
  not yet worship her and her sisters, and her name was not 
  known to the temples of the world. The Lonely Runner saw her 
  face and remarked, “Indeed, milady, I know who you are, for 
  you raced my father’s father before I was born, and he told me 
  of you, the Red Lady who will run against only the best, defeat 
  them, and then disappear. My father told me that you come to 
  teach us humility, to remind us that no matter how great we 
  think we are, there is one better. But as I grew greater in skill 
  and speed, I learned the truth: You come for the challenge. They 
  call me the Lonely Runner, and so I am, for I have not been 
  challenged in many years, and my heart is heavy with misery. 
  I have spent all my days becoming the best, and it is a lonely 
  path. You have given me joy this once, for you have challenged 
  me, and I hope I have returned the delight, but if you race me 
  again, some day you will be victorious over an old man, and 
  your joy will be gone again.”
  And Tall Canelle knew he was right; someday she would 
  outrace him, not because she was better, but because she was 
  immortal. She left him there without a word and went to one of 
  the great houses of Urian. The lord of the heavens was not sure 
  what to make of these three sisters who had come into his family 
  so suddenly, but he heard Canelle’s plea, and agreed to its terms.
  So it was that Canelle the Victorious returned to the mortal 
  realm and found the Lonely Runner. Taking him by the hand, 
  she led him into the heavens, and placed him among the stars. 
  There he can still be seen, running across the night skies. The 
  race between him and Swift Canelle has been preserved for 
  eternity, for he will never age.
  trIuMph oF the IndIVIdual
  Canelle and Terak both revere strength and physical prow-
  ess, but where Terak puts his faith in the strength of united 
  effort, for the preservation of society and law, Canelle 
  believes the greatest good is accomplished through indi-
  vidual effort. She is wholly individualistic, often arguing 
  with her sister Naryne that promoting law and nobility robs 
  individuals of the ability to achieve their best. All people 
  must be free to pursue their own path to personal perfec-
  tion. If achieved, it leads to goodness, for the individual 
  becomes self-reliant, and can find joy purely through their 
  own efforts. Canelle finds most lawful gods arrogant, want-
  ing to impose their laws and orders on people, encouraging 
  them to be weak, for if you offer someone protection long 
  enough, he loses all incentive to earn his own strength.
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  143
  When interacting with mortals, Canelle 
  values bold physical action over cunning or 
  calculation. She loves the competitive spirit, 
  where athletes and other rivals spur each 
  other to greater heights, no matter who 
  wins. She cannot abide those who 
  desire victory at any cost, however. 
  Those who cheat or ruin others for 
  their own glory earn her deepest 
  animosity. She has little tolerance 
  for weakness, but understands 
  that some people cannot gain the 
  kind of strength she loves. She 
  despises malevolence, considering 
  it the deepest sort of weakness, so 
  even the slow, clumsy weak people 
  gain her esteem when they demonstrate 
  honor, seeking victory without weakening 
  others, and strength of character, which gives 
  people the power to endure hardship.
  serVants
  As the most self-reliant of the gods, Canelle has no ser-
  vants in Heaven, and considers the need for such a sign 
  of weakness. She does, however, rely on the archangel 
  Camael, as other gods do, to ensure she hears prayers. 
  Although she has no servants, she does raise horses; her 
  limitless stables hold the greatest steeds in existence. 
  There are legends of Canelle giving one of her celestial 
  steeds to a particularly devout follower. While there are 
  too many of these horses to name, they are all keenly 
  intelligent, strong, and swifter than the wind. Canelle’s 
  most faithful servants find themselves elevated to grooms 
  in her stables after their death.
  the ChurCh oF the 
  red sIster
  People who seek personal perfection practice the Canellan 
  (cuh-NELL-uhn) faith. Even though most hold the faith 
  in high esteem, few seek out its clergy for advice or guid-
  ance. After all, personal perfection is a private process; 
  people develop personal relationships with Canelle, pray-
  ing to her in the mornings before they exercise. Some seek 
  Canelle’s aid to overcome personal weaknesses, such as a 
  chronic injury. Those who require victory in massive ath-
  letic competitions or in battles, might also seek aid from 
  the Canellan faith. None of these instances are common 
  enough to form a strong church, and like the other Sis-
  ters’ faiths, the red altars of Canelle are often quiet and 
  ignored, tended to by a lone variegate priest. 
  Triad altars are the most commonly found Canellan places 
  of worship. Most athletic venues, however, have small shrines 
  or altars dedicated to the Red Sister. Often, the altars stand 
  before statues of Canelle and the Lonely Runner, depicted 
  racing together. Most Canellans do not require these altars, 
  since they believe their bodies are temples to the goddess.
  Canelle is almost as involved with her 
  faith as Shalimyr is with his, but she does not 
  violate the Compact, as her involvement has 
  little effect on the world. She sends her horses 
  to race against her worshipers’ steeds, dis-
  guises herself to compete against the 
  faithful, tests their commitment to 
  their paths of personal perfection, and 
  in other ways, challenges Canellans 
  constantly. Powerful members of 
  her faith have certainly encountered 
  Canelle, through signs or personal 
  interactions. Her interest and 
  involvement comes from the fact that 
  her faithful truly understand her. She 
  does want mortals to achieve personal 
  perfection, and looks forward to more 
  races like the one she had with the Lonely 
  Runner. She finds her followers endlessly fasci-
  nating and entertaining.
  doCtrIne
  “When the Red Sister comes for you, will you be ready? 
  Will you run your greatest race? Or will you plead for 
  another chance? There is only one race, and you are 
  running it now.” 
  —The Red Master Rindon,  
  “Make Ready Your Soul”
  While the Journey to the East stands at the heart of the 
  triads’ theology, the story of the Lonely Runner is the core 
  of the Canellan faith alone. It echoes many of the Three 
  Sisters’ adventures, or Canelle’s part in those adventures, 
  and brings one lesson to the forefront: Mortals die, but 
  they should first truly live. Everyone dies in the end, but 
  within every person lies the potential to become almost 
  godlike in strength, speed, and power. 
  This is not hubris—Canellans do not preach becoming 
  gods, or greater than the gods. They believe if people 
  strive their whole lives to perfect their bodies and self-dis-
  cipline, they can experience divine joy, and feel oneness 
  with Canelle and the other gods, as the Lonely Runner 
  felt when he ran in step with the swiftest god of Heaven.
  Devotees of the Canellan believe the gods want every 
  person to gain personal strength and discipline. The Com-
  pact proves it, for it trusts mortals to master themselves. To 
  reject the gods’ will is the worst folly. Canelle watches over 
  mortal efforts at self-mastery, guiding them to victory and 
  personal perfection, so that by running his swiftest race, 
  or enduring mortal pains for the sake of self-improvement, 
  people might please her, and the other gods. Thus, the body 
  is the only essential temple to Canelle, for it is where the 
  struggle for victory takes place. Holy places merit respect, 
  but one can worship without ever visiting them.
  When everyone achieves self-perfection, peace and joy 
  will spread across the world. Canellans believe the cause 
  of most evil is craving of things without being willing 
  to work for them, and hoarding things for no reason but 
  greed and status. Physical perfection would reduce needs 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  144
  144
  to a minimum, and living without luxuries would leave 
  plenty for everyone. On the way to personal perfection, all 
  Canellans must obey these laws.
  • A Canellan must work to improve his body daily
  • A Canellan cannot imbibe spirits (beer and ale are 
  fine), smoke tobacco, or use other intoxicants
  • A Canellan must always obey the rules of fair com-
  petitions and contests
  • A Canellan must never purposefully lose a competi-
  tion for any reason
  • A Canellan cannot gamble on or against himself in 
  any competition
  Canellan prayers
  The runner’s prayer is said just before a competition 
  of any kind.
  “Red Sister, arm of the Three,
  Lend me your strength.
  Fleet-footed Canelle, Runner of Heaven,
  Lend me your speed.
  I run to please you;
  By your grace, victory is mine.”
  saInts
  The Canellans recognize no saints or martyrs in their faith. 
  People who achieve personal perfection are celebrated in 
  Heaven, and enjoy the fruits of their labor while they live.
  holy orders
  The two holy orders of Canelle are the red masters 
  (clergy) and the purified (holy warriors), both of whom 
  deal with the world from such personal and individual 
  points of view it is impossible for them to muster any sort 
  of structure or chain of authority. The red masters guide 
  those seeking personal perfection, and the purified seek 
  to achieve it. Becoming a member of the Canellan faith 
  requires seeking out a red master, and training in the 
  ways of either order. Once training is done, one can do 
  whatever one believes is right; there are members of the 
  holy orders of Canelle who haven’t stood before a red altar 
  since they were inducted into their order.
  red Masters oF Canelle
  The red masters train, guide, and inspire those who 
  need or seek victory. They advise leaders and support the 
  near-perfect athletes, warriors and a smattering of others 
  who’ve proven themselves adept at some challenging 
  pursuit. Red masters must have already excelled in some 
  personal sport or vigorous art, so few of them are young. 
  The order is for athletes and other disciplined folk, not 
  those who merely aspire to become such.
  Most red masters are chaotic good. They seek out 
  people who can be elevated to greatness and, by achieving 
  that greatness, do good in mortal society. For instance, a 
  mighty athlete who serves as an example to many mor-
  tals should be taught spiritual greatness, for her victory 
  inspires others to strive for perfection. These red masters 
  rail against any effort to force people into societal roles or 
  deprive them of opportunities to achieve their potential. 
  For instance, a society strongly divided between nobles 
  and serfs requires the serfs to work all day in the fields 
  growing food. The serfs stand little chance of testing their 
  potential; they must be free to leave the fields and seek 
  personal perfection. The more restrictive the society, the 
  more ardently the red masters oppose it. Several victorious 
  revolutions have been supported by cadres of red masters 
  who wished to help peasants achieve perfection.
  Neutral good red masters, only slightly less common, 
  take a step further, leading massive groups of people 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  145
  to sports and other physical arts for physical self-im-
  provement. They organize schools and gymnasiums, 
  travel to the countryside to train peasants in military 
  drills, and support many sports. They believe the order 
  should raise as many as people as possible toward phys-
  ical betterment. Many fighters from rural settings first 
  realized they possessed special physical prowess when a 
  neutral good red master came to their community and 
  trained them.
  Chaotic neutral red masters care less about the bet-
  terment of the people than they do about contests 
  and victory. They oversee gladiatorial competitions, 
  delighting in struggles between mortals. They revere 
  raw competition and love the thrill of victory. These red 
  masters train and bless gladiators and pit fighters, even 
  those that are enslaved, believing that by participating in 
  such contests they come closer to divinity than most free 
  men could.
  Students address red masters as “teacher,” or “master,” 
  and this is the title they maintain for the rest of their lives. 
  A red master is introduced as, for example, “Red Master 
  Garonai of the Canellan Altar.” 
  JoInIng the red Masters
  To become a red master, one must have won a major vic-
  tory of some kind, such as a great athletic contest or major 
  battle. One then trains for a year with a red master (track-
  ing one down can be quite challenging). Upon completing 
  their training, red masters become clerics with the War 
  domain. Red masters typically carry bows and spears to 
  emulate their mistress, who is always shown with these 
  weapons, though she never uses the bow for any purpose 
  other than target shooting.
  purIFIed oF Canelle 
  Canelle calls the purified to achieve personal perfection 
  and, in their quest to constantly improve their bodies, 
  struggle against evil. They believe that their bodies are 
  temples to Canelle, walking vessels of holiness, and that 
  they’re charged by Canelle to use their bodies’ power to 
  battle the enemies of self-mastery.
  The purified have no formal structure and, like the red 
  masters, are free to go and do whatever they like, in their 
  efforts to live up to the order’s ethos. One of the purified 
  becomes a pure brother or sister. She is addressed as “pure 
  sister,” and introduced by this title. This is the only title 
  the purified ever attain in the order, as purification mat-
  ters more than social rank. 
  The purified seek personal perfection through daily 
  rituals and grueling exercises, but channel the resulting 
  abilities against evil. The purified also abide by the laws 
  of the Canellan faith, and mustn’t knowingly use their 
  strength and power to commit evil acts, or allow them to 
  happen. They are living, holy vessels, and tend to be cha-
  otic good. They enjoy the company of all good people, but 
  cannot tolerate evil companions.
  JoInIng the purIFIed
  To become purified, one who receives the call must track 
  down a red master and be trained in the ways of personal 
  purification, which takes three years of physical train-
  ing and education. The purified perform a daily ritual of 
  physical training, prayer, and ablutions, the last of which 
  keeps them pure and holy in the name of Canelle. At the 
  end of this time, they become paladins. Later, when they 
  swear their sacred oaths, they take the Oath of Perfection, 
  described in Chapter X.
  GoddeSS oF WoodcrAFt, nAtUre, And the hUnt
  Thellyne 
  liGht-Footed, keen-eyed, Silent, the hUntreSS, the Archer,  
  the FAir SiSter, the eye, the WoodlAnd GUArdiAn, the Golden SiSter
  Thellyne (thell-EEN) is the neutral good goddess of 
  the woods and woodcraft, including hunting, trapping, 
  tracking. She’s the matron of woodsmen, hunters, rangers, 
  and all others whose lives rely on the forest. She is associ-
  ated with the hunting hawks, dogs, and horses, but most 
  closely with the hunted: the stag and the hart, greatest of 
  all hunted creatures. Unicorns are also sacred to her, for 
  she helped to create them when she first met the druids. 
  All people who love the woods love Thellyne, which 
  means she is not terribly popular with dwarves. Elves 
  favor her, but so do the humans, halflings, and gnomes 
  who reside in or by wooded regions. Rangers and bar-
  barians are her most frequent worshipers. Rarely, druids 
  revere her over Eliwyn. She has few followers among 
  those interested in cities, high culture, or refined learning.
  Thellyne is shown as shorter than the other two Sisters. 
  She has long golden hair, knit into a long braid or left 
  flowing behind her. She wears greens and browns to blend 
  into the woods, and a long white leather cloak, attached 
  to a great helm made the White Hart’s skull. From this 
  helm protrude the enormous white horns of that mythical 
  beast. She is usually depicted as an elf. On her back or in 
  her hand rests her great yew bow, Gwedryl, which means 
  the True Seeker.
  Like her sisters, Thellyne is represented by her crown—in 
  this case, a pair of great, white horns. Those faithful to her 
  will often wear a pair of actual horns about their necks or 
  affixed to their helms, though they can use a painted symbol. 
  Sometimes the symbol is the full image of a stag or hart.
  Myths 
  the whIte hart
  long after the three sIsters were welcomed Into the 
  family of the gods, long after Korak had pleaded his troth to 
  Thellyne the Archer and been rejected many times, long after 
  Silent Thellyne had welcomed the druids into the grove of 
  
  146
  146
  Eliwyn and chosen to live on the earth, rather than in the 
  heavenly sphere among the other gods, the Fair Sister won the 
  horns of the White Hart.
  Word of the Hart had spread to forests across the land, and 
  nearly every hunter who revered Thellyne the Huntress prayed 
  to her to set the beast before him. From old men who had felled a 
  thousand stags, to young huntresses new to their bows, all desired 
  to win the horns and hide of the Hart. The legendary crea-
  ture was said to stand ten feet high at the shoulder, and fifteen 
  from the tip of its great horns. It had been seen in only fleeting 
  moments, and was the loveliest game beast that ever lived.
  Of all the hunters of the world, only one did not hunger in 
  her heart to win this beast’s hide. Her name was Nayariel, 
  and she was born and raised in a great elven wood. It was 
  said that none of her race had a keener eye, and no elf, man, or 
  any other mortal ever lived who was as perfect a shot with a 
  bow. Nayariel was known to be the greatest hunter of her day, 
  perhaps the greatest ever, and she did not wish to still the great 
  White Hart—for she and the Hart were the same.
  In her youth, Nayariel had asked a great wizard to help 
  her become the greatest hunter who ever lived. The wizard 
  obliged by transforming her into every game beast under the 
  sun. Before long, she knew their ways, thoughts, and very 
  souls, and possessed the keen insight necessary to slay any 
  beast. But the wizard did not tell her that for the rest of her 
  life, she would transform back into these beasts. As time went 
  on, Nayariel found herself adopting the forms of rabbits, 
  foxes, wild hens and other lesser game on fewer and few occa-
  sions, until she only transformed into the White Hart. She 
  traveled across the world looking for some means to lift this 
  curse, for the wizard who had granted this ‘gift’ had disap-
  peared. In her travels, she continued to transform, spreading 
  the Hart’s legend. 
  In time, a great field of hunters from around the world 
  assembled in an ancient wood where the Hart had last been 
  seen. Indeed, Nayariel had hidden herself away there, hoping 
  none would find her. Every day she prayed to Light-footed 
  Thellyne to spare her and lift from her this curse, but the Wood-
  land Guardian did not do so, for she had other plans for the 
  White Hart.
  The great mass of hunters, which included legendary heroes 
  from all the mortal races, descended on the wood, sending 
  their hounds before them and beating the brush to call out the 
  White Hart. Some noted that all the world’s greatest hunters 
  but Nayariel were there; but if they thought much of this, it 
  did not slow their progress. After a day of hunting, they set up 
  camp, sang songs, drank beer and mead, and slept the sleep of 
  the innocent.
  But in the night, Thellyne appeared in a dream to the hunt-
  ers. She showed them a vision of the White Hart, pierced in the 
  heart by an arrow—and where it was pierced, a river of tears 
  sprang forth. The river flowed into the sea, and where it passed 
  trees they hung their boughs low in sorrow, and when it met 
  the great sea the waters turned red with blood. On the morrow, 
  those of the hunters who were wise, including the great heroes 
  among them, turned from the path. Ulfik, a renowned hunter 
  and champion, declared to the others, “This way is folly! For the 
  Fair Sister shows us we must not hunt this beast, and any who 
  kill it will bring great sorrow to the world!”
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  147
  the loner In the unIty?
  Thellyne is referred to as shy, individualistic, and unin-
  volved with other gods. Yet she is also part of the Unity 
  of the Three Sisters. This mystery is part of the triad faith. 
  The Three Sisters live apart, in Heaven, on Earth, and 
  in the land of the dead. Canelle focuses on individual 
  strength, Naryne on leaders, and Thellyne on the isolation 
  of nature. Despite their differences they are loving sisters, 
  forever bound to one another in the Unity. So it is with 
  the mortal races and all good creations, where individuals 
  and elements differ, but find completeness together.
  But some of the hunters did not listen, and continued, lust-
  ing for the horns and hide of the Hart. That afternoon, they 
  saw their quarry, for Nayariel was transformed into the fair 
  White Hart, and ran before the hunters. Their hounds gave 
  chase as the field of hunters loosed arrows at her. It was not 
  long before the White Hart staggered and fell, pierced by a 
  dozen shafts. When the hunters came to the Hart, they cheered 
  and blew their horns. And when they cut open the Hart to 
  dress it, they found the body of Nayariel inside, pierced with a 
  dozen wounds.
  It was then that Thellyne stepped from the woods before 
  them. “I denied you this beast, and yet you slew her. You are not 
  faithful to me—you are snarling wolves, hungry for blood, and 
  you will know this poor child’s curse for the rest of your days!” 
  And with these words the hunters who slew the White Hart 
  were transformed into wolves for a time; and they changed 
  again with every full moon. Thus were the first werewolves 
  born, and their evil persists to this day.
  Though Nayariel was killed, Silent Thellyne took her spirit 
  as a companion, for great hunters need companions to help 
  them beat the bushes and dress their quarry. As for the precious 
  hide and horns of the White Hart, Thellyne and Nayariel 
  dressed and tanned the hide so that Thellyne the Huntress 
  might wear it as a cloak. They hollowed out the head, so that 
  Thellyne might pull it over her brow as a helm; when she does 
  so, the great white horns jut out before her to remind her fol-
  lowers that they must never kill the fairest beasts merely for the 
  sport of it.
  guardIan oF nature
  Thellyne is known as the Woodland Guardian by mortals 
  and gods alike. She places the woods and nature above 
  other concerns. She observes the classical ethos of the 
  hunter: respect for the woods, love of the animals, and 
  gratitude to those creatures who give their lives to the 
  hunt. She ignores mortal society, and conflicts between 
  law and chaos bore her. Rather, she loves the calm and 
  beauty of the woods and opposes any evil which would 
  destroy it. Thellyne also opposes the organized efforts 
  of good people to ruin the natural woodlands, even if it 
  would benefit their communities. Unless shown proper 
  respect and appeased by sacrifice, mortals have learned 
  it’s unwise to clear her woodlands, no matter how worthy 
  their reasons.
  Thellyne stays out of Heaven’s politics. She remains 
  in the mortal world and, while she adheres to the Com-
  pact, dwells in the world’s deep woods nonetheless. Most 
  assume she associates with the powerful druids in the 
  grove of Eliwyn, hidden from all but a few mortals, or 
  abides for long stretches of time among the fey, in their 
  fairy woods. Regardless, she is an elusive and private god-
  dess. While she provides powers to her clergy, she rarely 
  answers prayers.
  nayarIel
  Although there are legends of Thellyne being attended 
  by dryads and naiads, the Golden Sister’s sole compan-
  ion is Nayariel. She accompanies Thellyne on her hunts, 
  and shares her fire. On rare occasions when the goddess 
  involves herself in mortal or Heavenly matters, Nayariel 
  minds the wilds in her stead. Nayariel is a fair elf maiden 
  who still has the skills of the greatest mortal hunter who 
  ever lived. She can transform herself into the shape of any 
  natural beast at will, and sometimes even becomes the 
  White Hart once more.
  the ChurCh oF  
  the golden sIster
  The “church” of the Thellynites, if it deserves so lofty a 
  name, is a loose collection of clergy and holy warriors, all of 
  whom prefer the isolation in the woods to the company of 
  other people. The golden altar to Thellyne in the triads usu-
  ally stands unattended, except by a variegate priest, as the 
  triads are usually found in the cities Thellyne’s clergy abhor.
  Thellyne is popular among trappers, hunters, and 
  those who live in the woodlands, but such poor folk do 
  not make her church rich or prominent. Hidden away in 
  the woodlands, small shrines honor her. They’re built by 
  devout commoners, or by her wandering clergy. These 
  simple, small shrines are altars made from natural out-
  croppings, with boughs of trees gently bent into shelves. 
  They are found in serene and lovely parts of the woods, 
  and dark things dare not disturb them.
  Thellyne is almost unaware she even has a church, 
  and fittingly, the church barely exists. Thellynites revere 
  unspoiled nature, and just as they rarely disturb the forest, 
  they avoid calling on Thellyne, nature personified, so that 
  they won’t degrade her with petty, mortal desires. This is 
  exactly as she likes it. She is perhaps the humblest of the 
  gods (though Anwyn has a strong claim to that title) and 
  doesn’t avoid prayer out of haughtiness, but a desire to be 
  one with beasts, birds and endless trees. 
  Thellyne grants clergy powers, but rarely visits or guides 
  them. Only the most powerful members of her faith 
  stand a chance of knowingly meeting her in the deep 
  woods, but these are rare occasions. Yet Thellyne loves 
  those who respect the woods, and smiles on her followers. 
  She gives them gifts if she meets them, but they do not 
  always know that the lone elf, hunting cat or whispering 
  winds were her.
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  148
  148
  doCtrIne
  “There was nature before the Eye opened. Trees grew 
  tall before the Fair Sister ever stirred. Our lady reveres 
  a power greater and older than she, and so too must we. 
  It is a fool who believes himself greater than nature, 
  and folly has its price.” 
  —Woodwarden Hillace,  
  “The Fair Sister Speaks”
  The Thellynites believe the lesson of the White Hart 
  is easy to understand, though perhaps difficult to fully 
  accept. As the mortal races grow in power, one might 
  assume it eclipses that of anything else in the world. The 
  Three Sisters gained power on their Journey to the East 
  too, yet still saw forces greater than themselves. So too 
  must mortals learn to respect the Earth, which came 
  before Thellyne, and set her upon the riverbank of 
  her birth. Nature is more powerful than mortals 
  will ever be, so the Thellynites seek to follow 
  its laws, as follows:
  Silence
  Thellynites learn to be still, listen deeply, 
  and observe, rather than to act. All the 
  best things in the world are so subtle that 
  if you traipsed and trammeled through 
  life, you’d miss it all. The Thellynites 
  sanctify celebrations with silence, and 
  their religious ceremonies involve 
  more listening than speaking. They 
  are an observant people, like the 
  Sister they serve.
  nAtUrAl cycleS
  Even the most powerful mortal 
  will die someday, his flesh con-
  sumed by the worms and turned to 
  dirt. If we believe we are above the 
  cycles of nature, we are fools, and will be destroyed. There 
  is more power in the little animal that knows its place, 
  than in a great wizard who believes he can break the 
  natural order. This doctrine ensures Thellynites oppose 
  anyone who would twist nature by, for example, changing 
  animals and plants, raising the undead, or living forever.
  cAUtion
  The woods teach dangerous lessons. Assume you are safe, 
  and the woods send a bear to eat you. Trust the firm ground 
  beneath you, and the woods send quicksand. A Thellynite 
  must always show caution and never assume he knows his 
  surroundings, even if he’s been there a thousand times.
  reSPect
  Thellynites demand respect for the ancient places of the 
  Earth: woods, ancient caves, stony mountains, and other 
  grand, natural places. They oppose those who disrespect 
  or mar these places, whether for selfish gain or to win 
  some advantage for their people.
  The key to the doctrine is the premise that the natural 
  cycle is innately good. Thellynites believe that left to its 
  own, the natural world would grow into perfection and 
  goodness. However, evil forces both mortal and unnat-
  ural, undermine the natural cycle. Thus, Thellynites 
  oppose them.
  thellynIte prayers
  The most common Thellynite prayer 
  is silence. The length of the silence 
  is determined by the holiness of the 
  occasion. Sometimes a group of 
  Thellynites sit silently in the woods 
  for an entire day, simply listening to 
  the sounds of nature.
  saInts
  There is no sainthood or martyrdom 
  among the Thellynites. They see every 
  member of their faith as simply 
  part of the natural cycle. To glo-
  rify one is as absurd as loving 
  one year’s summer or spring 
  above another’s—civilized fools 
  might do that, but followers of 
  the goddess do not think of their 
  experiences, but nature’s transfor-
  mations alone. Where other religions would honor an 
  individual for great deeds, Thellynites ascribe noble to 
  parents, allies, enemy mistakes, and nature’s favor. All 
  deeds arise from the web of life, which no mortal escapes.
  holy orders
  The Thellynites have two holy orders: the woodwardens 
  (the clergy), who protect forests from dark powers and 
  minister to the humans and beasts who live in them, and 
  the hallowed hunters, who destroy any creature or power 
  that would defile the wilderness. One woodwarden might 
  unite with a lone hallowed hunter to protect a chosen wild 
  region. This alliance, called a greenbond, is the closest 
  thing to a structure that the Thellynites possess.
  The Thellynite faith has no central authority; no one 
  member may command another. In the greenbonds, the 
  senior member usually leads, but this isn’t a hard and fast 
  rule. Once indoctrinated into one of the Thellynite orders, 
  the initiate chooses her own path, much as Canellans do.
  gwedryl
  Thellyne won her bow, Gwedryl, on the Journey to the 
  East, when she drank the blood of twelve dragons. This 
  gave her pure sight, which led her to the bow, hanging in 
  a forest glade. 
  
  Chapter VI: the three sIsters
  149
  woodwardens oF thellyne 
  Young woodwardens wander the world, seeking a forest 
  in need of a guardian. When they find one they take up 
  residence, protecting the people and animals living there. 
  He balanced their needs, but never allows people to ravage 
  the wild. Hunted animals must rebuild their numbers. 
  Gathered plants must be allowed to regrow. Among some 
  primitive or woodland societies, the woodwarden might be 
  the spiritual leader of an entire people. Unlike druids, their 
  order does not require reclusive behavior. They are clergy 
  after all, and minister to groups, small or large. In remote 
  areas, their only congregants might be the animals, but they 
  serve nonetheless, keeping dark things from the woods.
  Some woodwardens never settle in a single forest 
  and adventure around the world, battling the enemies 
  of nature. These priests are rare, but considered just as 
  devout as their settled counterparts.
  All woodwardens share the same basic tenets: The natu-
  ral world should be protected, the people and animals who 
  reside therein served, and the laws of the Thellynite faith 
  observed. The differences between the three alignments of 
  woodwardens are based on where they choose to practice.
  Most woodwardens are neutral good. They protect the 
  largest wild places, seeking to do the most good. Lawful 
  good woodwardens seek woodlands near civilization. Taking 
  up residence in the forest or a neighboring town, they teach 
  people to honor nature, and tread lightly upon it. Many of 
  these woodwardens minister to towns of loggers, teaching 
  them how to properly respect and replenish the trees. Cha-
  otic good woodwardens might settle anywhere. Those who 
  live near civilization dissuade people from damaging the 
  woods in any way. This might lead two woodwardens into 
  conflict; lawful good woodwarden tolerate some exploitation 
  of the forest, but their chaotic good brethren do not.
  Members of the woodwardens are addressed as 
  “warden.” In the rare formal introductions, the woodwar-
  den is introduced as, “a woodwarden of the Thellynites.” 
  JoInIng the woodwardens
  Initiates seeking to become woodwardens must find an 
  established member of the order and become her appren-
  tice, spending up to five years learning woodcraft and 
  Thellyne’s teachings. When the master deems his training 
  complete, she leads him to the depths of the woods, strips 
  him of all possessions, and leaves him to find his way back. 
  Students who manage this become woodwardens, clerics 
  with the Nature domain, and masters of their own destinies.
  hallowed hunters oF thellyne 
  Like many rangers, hallowed hunters drive evil 
  creatures from the woods, but unlike rangers (who 
  they often count as allies), however, they receive 
  powers from Thellyne, the goddess of the hunt. 
  Thus the order trains powerful hunters, who 
  might even lead good rangers against nature’s 
  enemies. Hallowed hunters must protect wood-
  lands, and must not willingly allow evil to take 
  over natural places. Hunters cannot knowingly 
  do evil, or assist in the commission of evil. Most of them 
  are neutral good.
  Hallowed hunters keep the company of those who love 
  the woodlands, especially rangers and woodwardens. 
  While they might join other good people, they do not 
  stray from the woodlands for long, and have no real desire 
  to spend time in cities or towns. They do not long abide 
  the company of those who do evil, and actively oppose 
  those who would harm the natural world.
  Hallowed hunters are called “hunters,” or “huntresses,” 
  and are addressed as such.
  JoInIng the hallowed hunters
  When one receives the call to become a hallowed hunter, 
  she must track down a member of the order. If the initi-
  ated hunter agrees to take the candidate as her apprentice, 
  the training can take up to eight years, as the two travel 
  together, and the young hunter-to-be learns the secrets of 
  the woods. In some cases, a ranger 
  receives the call, and requires 
  only training in the ways pecu-
  liar to Thellyne. This training 
  only takes six months. Once 
  trained, the hallowed 
  hunter becomes a pala-
  din, and is free to go 
  wherever he believes 
  he’s needed, as 
  there is no author-
  ity to gainsay 
  his 
  desire. These pal-
  a-
  dins always 
  swear the Oath of 
  the Ancients.
  
  150
  150
  T
  his chapter presents the four central evil churches and several evil “sects” of the established 
  churches described earlier in this book. The existence and orders of evil gods are mysterious to most people—even 
  those who belong to good faiths. After all, people don’t openly worship the god of eating babies. No one reveals to 
  the rest of the tavern that they are a high priest of the god of killing grandmothers and slaughtering puppies—no one, that 
  is, except for the supremely confident or stupid. 
  Mortal cultures, unless they’ve become highly perverted (like big pirate cities), do not think of themselves as evil, nor 
  does obvious evil benefit the average person. Banal evil that benefits the individual, like common greed and selfishness, 
  does not require worship of an evil god—one can worship a good god and do evil and petty things. Even in a town with 
  large numbers of nasty people living in it, most people are artisans, merchants, and other common folk. Why would these 
  people donate money to build a big temple in the town square to the Unseeing Horror that Consumes Souls—and even if 
  they didn’t donate money, why would they let it stay there?
  Any god who is openly identified as a “god of evil” does not likely receive many converts, and any church that proclaims 
  itself evil is liable to get thrown out of town by an angry mob—or worse. Thus, the few evil churches provided are collected 
  here, and it’s recommended this chapter be read only by those playing evil characters or—if no one in the campaign is 
  evil—by the GM alone.
  The Evil Gods
  The mythology of the gods of the tree includes four main 
  evil churches. The worshipers of Asmodeus, who was 
  Kador, make up the primary evil faith, but each of the 
  Three Brothers, as mysterious in origin as their Three Sis-
  ters, has a dark church consecrated in their names. Much 
  to the sorrow of goodhearted folk the world over, these 
  four wicked faiths have a secret alliance of sorts, skulking 
  together in the thick of night to perform hideous crimes. 
  As the GM, you decide how much anyone in “respectable” 
  society knows about these churches. They could be a com-
  plete secret, or the common enemies of all good people 
  in a war that has been raging for a thousand years. Either 
  extreme or anything in between will work. 
  Myths
  The following myth is written from the perspective of evil 
  worshipers, who are assumed to know the names of all the 
  evil gods. This may or may not be the case in your campaign. 
  the Four pIllars oF eVIl
  when the three sIsters and three brothers awoke by 
  the river, the gods of the tree knew nothing of these new beings. 
  But Asmodeus, King of the Universe, sees farther than any 
  other god, and knew at once of their awakening. When the 
  Three Sisters fled from their brothers, Canarak, Thellos, and 
  Naran thought to give them chase.
  “I want the smell of them. I want to keep them forever,” 
  greedy Thellos said, licking his lips, and his brothers agreed—
  but then a voice held them fast.
  “I would be cautious, if I were you,” the Dark Lord Asmo-
  deus said as he emerged from the shadow. His horns shone in 
  the moonlight, and the Brothers knew a figure of great power 
  stood before them.
  “What’s it to you, pus-face?” vicious Canarak snarled, 
  but Asmodeus the Great only laughed, for he liked the spirit 
  of these brothers, and saw in them the key to his re-ascen-
  dance to glory.
  Asmodeus told the Three Brothers the secrets of the world—
  of the Nameless One and the war of the gods; of Hell and 
  the Abyss; of the tree of life and the gods born of it, who had 
  betrayed him. He told the Three Brothers that the heavenly gods 
  would surely embrace their sisters, make them a part of their 
  wretched family, and make war on the Brothers. The Perfect 
  One told these three newborn gods the only path to safety for 
  them was to trust in the largesse of the King of the Universe. 
  He would keep them secret; he would keep them safe.
  This did not sit well with Canarak, who thought this fallen 
  god was a liar and secret weakling. The Fierce Brother hurled 
  himself at Asmodeus, seeking to rip out the heart of Fire’s 
  Father. This struggle went poorly for Canarak, who Asmodeus 
  lit on fire and hurled into the river. Canarak’s savage hand 
  was stilled, for he found respect for the Dark Lord.
  Thellos also needed convincing. The Hungry Brother asked 
  Asmodeus what the three would gain if they trusted him. The 
  King of the Universe showed the Feasting Maw the glories 
  of Hell, with its golden-spired pain-halls and its delights of 
  blood and flesh. “This man will show us great pleasures, broth-
  ers!” Greedy Thellos declared, and he too was won over by the 
  lord of Hell.
  But Naran, Lordly Naran, was never easily swayed, and his 
  heart never lightly moved to a new course. “I mistrust you, Asmo-
  deus who was Kador. You seek a throne that has been denied you; 
  when you have it, you will cast us aside. I see this clearly.” Indeed, 
  the Piercing Eye, as Naran is called, saw correctly.
  “You are wise, Naran, and you speak truly,” Asmodeus said 
  with a smile. “All that you see before you, above you, below you, is 
  mine. It is my right, my domain, and I do not wish to share. Yet, 
  you three are mightier than any of my servants, and should I win 
  my throne, it will not be through my efforts alone. I therefore pro-
  pose a bargain, for share I must.” So it was that Asmodeus set out 
  the Dark Pact, the only agreement ever made by the Perfect One 
  with any beings other than the Creator, his father.
  VII: FaIth In eVIl
  
  Chapter VII: FaIth In eVIl 
  151
  The gods born of the tree are myopic and think only of the 
  world of mortals; this Asmodeus knew well. They treat the four 
  great pillars upon which the universe rests as prisons for the 
  div, strange outlandish places that do not matter short of their 
  support of the sphere. Yet they are the foundations of existence, 
  and should they be ruled by these four great and assembled 
  powers, the reign of the gods could not last long. Therefore, the 
  King of the Universe proposed to the Three Brothers that each of 
  them seek control of one of the pillars, working in secret through 
  followers, mortal and otherwise, to gain the power of the very 
  roots of existence. Asmodeus, the Father of Fire, would seek 
  control of the fire pillar, where the div were outcast. Canarak 
  would take the raging pillar of water. Thellos would gain 
  the pillar of air, where the winds are as hungry as he; Naran 
  would win the pillar of earth, binding its strength and riches.
  They agreed that when the pillars were won, the four would 
  wage war on the gods, until Asmodeus conquered Heaven and 
  was named King of the Universe. Canarak would win over 
  the demons of the Abyss. Naran would be placed in command of 
  Hell in Asmodeus’ stead, and Thellos would wander the earth, 
  sating his unholy hungers. This was the Dark Pact. 
  For generations, the four pillars of evil, as we call them, 
  unearthed the secrets and powers necessary to gain control of 
  the pillars of Creation. On the eve of their victory, the so-called 
  “Lords of Good” imposed their Compact on the Great Sphere. 
  While the Three Brothers were not a part of this Compact, and 
  may continue to work freely, though in secret, all four were 
  bound to work their greatest deeds through the mortal races. 
  Because of this Compact it is the way of things that we, the 
  mortal races, are the key to success for all divine powers. Our 
  faith, prayers, blood, and souls fuel their might. So it is that 
  we must aid the four pillars of evil in their quest to topple the 
  wretched whelps of Heaven; when we do, we will be kings of 
  the world, lords of all we survey, and servants only to the four 
  great powers that deserve our obedience. These four are strong 
  and worthy, and they must rule. They will rule.
  God oF lieS, PoWer, And Fire
  Asmodeus
  the PerFect one, kinG oF the UniverSe,  
  the GreAt, the dArk lord, Fire’S FAther
  Asmodeus is the lawful evil god of lies, power, and fire. 
  Rarely seen, descriptions of him are generally fanciful. 
  Some say stands 10,000 leagues tall, with a tail of fire 
  and horns as black as midnight. Others say he is a small 
  figure, robed in red and deepest blue, wielding a scepter 
  of might, with two small horns on his forehead. None 
  but the mightiest powers of evil know what Asmodeus 
  looks like since he was cast into 
  the pit of Hell, and his worship-
  ers do not make statues in his 
  likeness, for they believe it would 
  anger the King of the Universe 
  if mere mortal hands sought to 
  cast his form.
  Asmodeus is the master of 
  Hell, but unlike the other lords 
  of Hell, he has a purpose that 
  goes far beyond power in that 
  foul place. He is the god of fire, 
  of those wrongly usurped, of 
  power for power’s sake, of lies 
  and revenge. He believes himself 
  to be the King of the Universe, 
  the rightful heir of the Creator, 
  the Nameless One. All that is 
  good is his enemy, for it has no 
  right to exist without his blessing. The Lords of Good 
  occupy his palace because they betrayed him; his hate 
  for them is limitless. He would topple the heavens, 
  destroy all established orders of goodness, and rule the 
  Great Sphere. He is a ready sponsor for all who do evil 
  in the name of power, or anyone seeking revenge for 
  betrayal, usurpation, or other wrongs, perceived or real. 
  Asmodeus is the father of deceit and is the greatest liar 
  in the universe, capable of deceiving even other gods, 
  save for Morwyn, Naryne, Maal, and Naran: the wisest 
  among them.
  Asmodeus charges his mightiest followers and most 
  trusted worshipers with one goal: the conquest of the plane 
  of fire in his name. All powerful worshipers of Asmodeus 
  are directed toward this goal. Because of the Compact, 
  Asmodeus can only gain real and meaningful control of the 
  pillar if mortals give it to him.
  The faithful of Asmodeus repre-
  sent their church with the symbol 
  of a burning tree. The tree is usu-
  ally made to look like Eliwyn, the 
  Tree of Life. All people, good 
  and evil, know it as the fearful 
  brand of the Asmodean cults. His 
  followers do not wear it openly, 
  lest they be hunted down. Most 
  Asmodean cults have local, secret 
  symbols that reveal themselves to 
  each other and no one else—for 
  instance, one group might wear 
  what looks like a military medal, 
  and easily explained as such to the 
  unsuspecting, but which clearly 
  broadcasts their affiliation to other 
  members of that organization.
  One universal Asmodean symbol exists: Any Asmo-
  dean worshiper in distress can strip a holly branch (or 
  similar branch in lands without holly) of all its bark and 
  carry it in his left hand. Recognizing this symbol, another 
  Asmodean is to say to the person bearing the branch, “Are 
  you in distress?” to which the branch-wielder says, “I have 
  lost that which is mine.” This is a rarely used and highly 
  secret way for an Asmodean in a foreign culture to find 
  like-minded followers when in dire trouble.
  
  152
  152
  the pyres oF asModeus
  The Asmodeans are the oldest evil religion in the world, 
  with beliefs dating back to the div. In the earliest days of 
  the mortal races born of the tree, some mortals uncovered 
  ancient div tomes detailing the secrets taught to them by 
  Fire’s Father. In memory of this, the Asmodeans all take 
  on secret names fashioned after the names of the div. They 
  get these from ancient scrolls listing the div followers of 
  Kador. In Asmodean functions, they refer to each other 
  only by these secret names.
  They call themselves the Ancient and Secret Brotherhood 
  of the First Fire, naming their places of worship “pyres,” for 
  at the pyres they burn away weakness, sentimentality, and 
  any attachment to the trappings of so-called “good” cultures. 
  Permanent structures housing pyres are rare, though in evil 
  empires and places that openly allow the worship of Asmo-
  deus, pyres are magnificent temples with golden spires. These 
  are rare, however; as the enemy of good, Asmodeus is more 
  often so hated that worshipers must hide and practice only in 
  the dark of night, lest they be hunted down and destroyed. 
  Asmodeus is a jealous and angry god, and his worshipers are 
  always careful to show him the utmost respect. 
  The pyres have no central authority, as it would be 
  difficult to sustain such a thing in secret. The ranking 
  pyromancer leads each pyre, commanding local worshipers 
  to commit evil acts in the name of their dark lord, includ-
  ing the undertaking of missions far from home. The sole 
  unholy order of the pyres, the pyromancers are the supreme 
  authorities of the faithful, but they must not grow too full 
  of themselves. Powerful pyromancers receive direct instruc-
  tions from Hell, and are kept in line by Asmodeus’ mortal 
  and infernal servants. Weaker pyromancers learn of their 
  failures swiftly, when they’re killed in the night by other 
  pyromancers, or by the creatures of Hell. A pyromancer is 
  addressed (in private) as “Great Father” or “Great Mother.” 
  Pyromancers, like other worshipers of Asmodeus, must 
  keep their identities secret in good societies, which means 
  they do not cast spells when any non-Asmodean can see, 
  unless they can be assured of the witness’ destruction. 
  The conspiracy at the heart of the Anwynite church is 
  in no way connected to the pyres, by design. Though the 
  heads of that conspiracy are aware of the pyres and their 
  deeds, they keep them at a distance so as not to compro-
  mise their own secret order.
  doCtrIne
  “Do not speak to me of what should be. Do not tell me of the 
  injustice of the wicked or the terrors of evil. Injustice rules 
  every house! Your so-called goodness suffocates the world! 
  Your gods are criminals; your priests and priestesses are 
  whores and whoremongers who belch lies from their pulpits.”
  —The Pyromancer Horatio “Krafalimus 
  Hazan” Gorrik on the hour of his execution
  The Asmodean faith revolves around the “Great Wrong,” 
  or the “Wicked Injustice,” as they call the toppling of 
  Asmodeus from his palace in the skies by the Lords of 
  Good. To the Asmodean mind, Asmodeus is the rightful 
  overlord of the universe, who had his authority wrongly 
  
  Chapter VII: FaIth In eVIl 
  153
  usurped. One can see the kind of people attracted to his 
  faith by considering who this story would ensnare: those 
  who feel they’ve been overlooked, wronged, or denied 
  their rightful power and authority. The faith is home to 
  the formerly mighty who’ve toppled, and to sniveling nar-
  cissists who feel they’ve never been given their proper due. 
  Asmodeus promises real power, revenge for these wrongs, 
  and trembling respect from all who have wronged them.
  This promise comes with a cost. The Asmodeans tie 
  their souls to their Father’s Fire and agree to do anything, 
  no matter how wicked or awful, to receive this power. Part 
  of the pyres’ philosophy is the burning away of attachment 
  and sentiment, leaving nothing but loyalty to the cult and 
  the desire for power. New worshipers cast their infant 
  children into the pyre, kill loved ones and drink their 
  blood, or commit similar hideous acts of willful evil to 
  show they will serve the Dark Lord with utter fidelity. 
  As a day-to-day doctrine, the Asmodeans preach a path 
  both lawful and deeply evil.
  obedience And hUmility
  Asmodeus is the greatest power in the universe, and the 
  faithful must serve him without question. If a pyromancer 
  commands a subordinate to do a deed in the name of the 
  Dark Lord, one must obey without question. Pyromancers 
  must loyally serve any Hell-priest of greater standing, 
  and obey legitimate commands from the Father of Fire, 
  relayed through servitors or nightmare visions.
  PoWer WithoUt qUeStion
  Life is a tiny little thing. The only way to really live is to 
  attain great power. With power, one can survive, control 
  people and one’s surroundings, and crush one’s enemies. 
  Never question the will to power. Do whatever you must 
  to attain and increase it, unless your plans run counter to 
  the will of Asmodeus.
  Good iS WeAk And FAlSe
  By their very definition, good powers and people are weak 
  and worthless. They only attain power by theft. Yet they 
  lie to themselves, hiding behind false doctrines like “hon-
  esty,” or “honor,” while using cowardly means to achieve 
  what they desire. Asmodeans lie, cheat, beg, or steal, but 
  never allow themselves to grow weak-hearted by believing 
  in false doctrines like “valor.” Asmodeans are honest with 
  themselves, even if they’re false to the rest of the world.
  Pyromancers of Asmodeus must be lawful evil. While 
  it is possible to begin learning the ways of the pyres 
  while neutral evil or lawful neutral, one must eventually 
  obey the word of higher pyromancers (become lawful) 
  and give oneself over completely to the evil ways of 
  Asmodeus. Otherwise, the Hell-priest ceases to advance 
  in rank, and may be killed or manipulated by stronger 
  comrades in the faith.
  Lawful evil pyromancers spread the faith and serve 
  Asmodeus. They build recruitment systems, contact Hell 
  regularly for instructions, train new pyromancers and 
  worshipers, and in every way conceivable, act like an evil 
  virus in good societies. The most powerful work toward 
  the goals of the four pillars, researching the plane of fire 
  and assembling mighty expeditions of evil adventurers to 
  work toward the conquest of that plane. 
  JoInIng the pyroManCers
  One becomes a pyromancer by becoming a member of 
  the Asmodean faith, and demonstrating talent for its 
  rites and dark philosophy. One is then trained by another 
  pyromancer, which takes about two years. At the end of 
  this time, the pyromancer becomes a cleric with a domain 
  associated with Asmodeus, such as Fire or Tyranny. Most 
  pyromancers wield wavy and flanged blades (resembling 
  shimmering and branched flames) of any sort, from dag-
  gers to great swords.
  God oF deStrUction, violence, And rAGe
  Canarak
  the Fierce brother,  
  the SAvAGe hAnd, vicioUS
  Canarak is the chaotic evil god of violence, rage, 
  bloodlust, carnage, brutality, savagery, and 
  murder. He is only happy when he rages 
  and destroys. He has no great plan or 
  idea. He spent the years since his 
  awakening by the river seeking out 
  like-minded races and leading them 
  in battle, appearing as one of them. In 
  this way, he has become the favored 
  god of most of the chaotic evil races 
  of the world. The orcs, for example, see 
  him as a powerful orc god-king who 
  will lead them into the final battle against 
  the pathetic dwarves and elves. He drives 
  these races on under hundreds of names and 
  in hundreds of shapes, but his followers among 
  the five mortal races know him for what he is: the 
  father of destruction and bloodlust. Canarak is 
  not bound by the Compact and can influ-
  ence mortal events directly, but he must 
  be careful, lest he bring the wrath of 
  Heaven down on his head. The Com-
  pact does not protect him either.
  Canarak keeps himself secret and 
  works to fulfill the dark pact with the 
  Three Brothers because, like many 
  mad pack animals, he is somewhat 
  loyal to his family, and wants to ascend 
  to power alongside his kin. Of course, 
  if that ever comes to pass he will likely 
  turn on them, but for now, he doesn’t want 
  them to fall behind. He works with them, but his 
  
  154
  154
  special concern is conquering the pillar of water so that 
  Heaven will fall, and the Abyss will become his personal 
  domain. Though he is chaotic evil, there is no alliance 
  between Canarak and the Abyss. He would conquer the 
  demon princes and make their home his domain. Thus, 
  the denizens of the Abyss fear and despise him.
  Canarak is a tall, feral figure with long red hair, matted 
  with dirt and blood. His mouth is filled with sharp teeth and 
  his hands hold two wicked, curved blades. He is never shown 
  in armor but usually naked, ready to pounce on a foe.
  The symbol of his worshipers is a humanoid hand with 
  bestial claws. This is the symbol that even good people rec-
  ognize as the sign of Canarak, if they’ve heard of him. As 
  a secret sign, Canaraketh wear fangs, claws, iron nails or 
  sharpened bones arranged in a group of four, with one other 
  set apart: the four clawed fingers and thumb of their god.
  abattoIrs oF Canarak
  Evil humanoid races worship Canarak under countless 
  names and guises. The Canaraketh have no established 
  order and rarely even meet for religious “services,” if they 
  can be called that. It is a highly erratic faith, with each 
  worshiper believing if they are strong enough, they will 
  stand at Canarak’s side when the pillars are conquered and 
  the end times come. They strive for a personal connec-
  tion with Canarak, which they experience in the thrill of 
  destruction and murder.
  When they do meet, the Canaraketh call their places 
  of worship—usually secluded glades or hidden under-
  ground temples—abattoirs. They are sites of slaughter and 
  carnage. Most religious services involve stripping bare 
  captured innocents and placing them at the center of the 
  abattoir, where worshipers fall on them, ripping them 
  apart with hands and teeth. The Canaraketh are an awful 
  and horrifying people.
  These ceremonies, and inductions of new worshipers 
  (which usually involves cannibalism) are overseen by the 
  clergy of Canarak, the reavers. A reaver receives no special 
  address, and his authority is only respected as long as he is 
  powerful and dangerous. Old and frail reavers are torn to 
  pieces by their fellows.
  doCtrIne
  “You shudder with delight when you rip open a foe’s 
  belly with a well-placed blow. So do I. The difference 
  between you and me is that I embrace it. I am alive! 
  What are you?” 
  –The first question to a prospective 
  convert of the Canaraketh
  The beliefs of the Canaraketh are easily summarized 
  as follows.
  cAnArAk iS the Joy oF SlAUGhter
  Canarak is the rush and thrill felt when one sees a foe’s head 
  explode after being struck by a mallet. The Savage Hand is 
  present in those times, and the only way to feel close to him 
  is to continue to feed that appetite for death and mayhem. 
  
  Chapter VII: FaIth In eVIl 
  155
  cAnArAk Will deStroy yoUr enemieS
  Canarak aids those who please him in the destruction of 
  all those who oppose them. And in the end times, he will 
  have his exalted at his side when they destroy all they hate.
  All thAt iS eStAbliShed mUSt be deStroyed
  Canarak is denied his rightful position in the heavens 
  and must hide and consort with the worthless, evil races. 
  So too must his followers. Indeed, the Canaraketh make 
  alliances with chaotic evil humanoids to serve their aims. 
  This humiliation will end when all lies in ruins and flame. 
  Canarak whispers to humanoid priests that only their race 
  is fit to fight with him, and loves it when followers from 
  two such deluded races kill each other—the strong survi-
  vors are better servants, after all. Followers from the five 
  mortal races often command evil humanoids.
  Canaraketh are wildly evil, but the faith has appeal 
  to those who feel powerless and wish to see established 
  orders overturned. There are even some bookish worship-
  ers of Canarak who seek the destruction of established 
  ways of thinking.
  Most reavers, and indeed most Canaraketh, are cha-
  otic evil. These destructive miscreants work to topple 
  everything, with one peculiar exception. Ranking reavers 
  focus on Canarak’s conquest of the pillar of water. In this 
  mission, many of them ally themselves with the Shalimyn. 
  Since there are active members of the Shalimyn basins 
  who are also chaotic evil, this is often a fruitful friendship, 
  but what Shalimyr thinks of it, none can say.
  Some reavers are neutral evil and care only about the 
  personal power that Canarak provides them. While most 
  of the Canaraketh destroy simply for the sake of joyous 
  destruction itself, these reavers work within an established 
  order if it will give them power and might. This includes 
  adventuring with good people, which most reavers 
  will not do.
  A few Canaraketh reavers are even willing to do good 
  things. They are the chaotic neutral followers of the Fierce 
  Brother, and they seek only to undermine and destroy 
  established orders—even evil ones. They fight against any 
  established society, battling lawful evil empires as fiercely 
  as lawful good ones.
  JoInIng the reaVers
  The process of initiation is dark and savage. Initiates 
  indulge in acts of horrific brutality to gain the dark god’s 
  favor. All reavers are clerics with the War domain. Most 
  favor scimitars and curved weapons.
  God oF Greed, GlUttony, And deSire
  Thellos
  the hUnGry brother,  
  the FeAStinG mAW, Greedy
  Thellos is the neutral evil god of gluttony, selfish desire, 
  greed, and lust for things and people. He is pure selfish-
  ness. He desires to make himself fatter, wealthier, happier, 
  and mightier by any means. He does not care who he 
  must steal from or what he otherwise must do to improve 
  his situation. There is no sharing for him, no sense 
  there can ever be enough. He wants only to feed 
  his desires. 
  Like Canarak and Naran, Thellos 
  appears in many guises, appearing to 
  the neutral evil humanoid races of 
  the world as one of their own. The 
  goblins see him as the fat goblin lord 
  who will lead them to the land of 
  milk and honey, where they will no 
  longer have to fear bigger creatures.
  Thellos is part of the Dark Pact 
  to improve his situation, but if he 
  thought he could better himself by 
  allying with the lords of good, he 
  would. He cannot understand loyalty, 
  love, or anything else decent. For now, 
  he works to conquer the pillar of the air 
  to gain power. He hides most often on the 
  Material Plane, where he satisfies his appetites 
  with his followers and others. He is not bound by the 
  Compact and often appears to those who worship him, 
  influencing mortal affairs directly. 
  Thellos is shown as a fat god with a pig-like nose, sandy 
  hair, and watery blue eyes, surrounded by a feast and a 
  mountain of gold.
  His faithful represent themselves with a 
  gaping maw: a wide-open mouth with a las-
  civious red tongue dripping with desire. This 
  is a secret symbol known only to skilled 
  religious scholars. The symbol most know 
  for Thellos is rarely used any longer: a fat 
  old man suckling at the breast of a gaunt 
  and impoverished woman. This was 
  painted on the banners of his worshipers 
  in ancient times, when they marched 
  openly. His cult’s weapons, armor and 
  ornaments often use the motif of a 
  mouth with a protruding tongue, which 
  might be rendered subtly so that follow-
  ers can identify each other.
  halls oF pleasure
  The Thellosh, as his worshipers call themselves, 
  congregate in what they call the halls of pleasure. 
  More than one brothel or gambling house hides a secret 
  Thellosh temple. In these depraved halls, the Thellosh 
  hold gluttonous feasts and crazed orgies. They also work 
  together to establish the cult’s economic dominance. 
  There are several trade consortiums secretly controlled by 
  wicked merchants; they follow Thellos out of avarice.
  
  156
  156
  The halls of pleasure are overseen by a council of the 
  wealthiest members. One buys into the position, in return 
  for which one receives a percentage of the hall’s profits. 
  They invest in illicit activities and legal ones, all in secret. 
  Members of the council often murder one another to cut 
  down the number of shares, though the hall of pleasure 
  itself is considered neutral territory. The council sets the 
  buy-in price, which usually increases with time. Not all 
  the money goes to the council members; much of it fur-
  thers the investments of the halls, and expands Thellosh 
  influence. Many thieves’ guilds are secretly overseen by a 
  Thellosh council, and the faith is enormously popular with 
  thieves who find Darmonites too goody-goody.
  The clerics of the uncharitable brotherhood serve on 
  these councils, or otherwise aid them in their efforts to 
  dominate economies. As the clergy of the Thellosh, the 
  uncharitable brotherhood works to extend the power and 
  selfish splendor of the faith by recruiting new members 
  and strengthening the financial positions of existing ones. 
  It is forbidden for one of the Thellosh to harm an unchar-
  itable brother, no matter the potential for personal gain. 
  An uncharitable brother is addressed as “uncharitable 
  brother” or “uncharitable sister.” 
  doCtrIne
  “Everything that I might have, I will have. Why 
  should I not take what I can while I can? What use is 
  charity? The only reason anyone helps anyone else is if 
  they stand to gain; that’s the way of the world. At least 
  I have the sense to admit it.” 
  —Uncharitable Brother Forist Timberlane
  The doctrine of the Thellosh is simple: Do whatever you 
  can to improve your position. Murder, cheat, lie, or even 
  tell the truth, if you’d profit by it. Save the little girl 
  from the fire, set the fire that kills the little girl. It’s all 
  the same, if it improves of your personal position. The 
  faith attracts the most selfish people in the world with its 
  simple premise: We owe others nothing. We get where 
  we get by our own talent, skill, and power, and if I have 
  more than someone else, it’s because I deserve it. Charity 
  is for idiots. The poor would destroy us if they thought it 
  would get them ahead, so crush the poor before they get 
  the chance.
  Most Thellosh have little interest in their faith except 
  for how it will improve their lives. Only the most pious 
  actually care about Thellos. The faithful believe his dark 
  favor is greater than any other wealth. They serve the 
  greed of others to glorify Thellos. These are the most dan-
  gerous members of the cult, and not so easily manipulated 
  by their own base desires. They seek to conquer the pillar 
  of air in their master’s name.
  Most uncharitable brothers are neutral evil. They strive 
  to improve their personal positions while also aiding the 
  growth of their halls. Most seek the wealth necessary to 
  buy a seat on the local council. Ideally, they would then 
  dominate of the council and earn greater wealth and 
  personal prestige. All this is an effort to sate unending 
  hungers and lusts. They are very selfish people.
  
  Chapter VII: FaIth In eVIl 
  157
  A few uncharitable brothers are lawful evil; these are per-
  haps the most dangerous additions to a hall of pleasure. They 
  differ from most Thellosh, but since they are uncharitable 
  brothers, they won’t be killed for it. They serve their council 
  and hall in any way necessary, thinking more of the well-be-
  ing of the organization than their own profit. They’ll stoop to 
  any level of depravity to further the goals of the hall.
  Even fewer members of the order are chaotic evil. These 
  unhappy clerics take resentment to a new level; while they 
  are willing to serve their council for a while, they eventu-
  ally become convinced the whole hall should serve their 
  desires. They refuse to cooperate with others or exhibit 
  any patience, demanding the instant gratification of any 
  whim. When powerful, they usually wipe out the council 
  members of their hall and become depraved monarchs 
  over the faithful, building petty empires dedicated to their 
  personal pleasure.
  JoInIng the unCharItable brothers
  Only clerics sworn to Thellosh can become uncharitable 
  brothers. When they complete their training, they become 
  clerics with the Corruption domain, which is described in 
  Chapter X. Thellos famously wields a blind man’s cane, 
  stolen because he wanted a walking stick. His followers 
  simulate this by wielding quarterstaffs and clubs.
  God oF tyrAnny, Pride, And cUnninG
  Naran
  the WiSe brother,  
  the PiercinG eye, lordly)
  Naran is the lawful evil god of cunning, tyranny, pride, 
  slavery, plots, villainy, and conspiracies. He is the leader 
  of the Three Brothers, and he seeks to move them into a 
  position of world dominance. He trusts Asmodeus only 
  as far as the Dark Pact, knowing its terms will not be vio-
  lated. However, once the pact is fulfilled, he expects the 
  self-proclaimed King of the Universe to betray him and his 
  brothers. For this reason, Naran plans a multi-tiered war. 
  He stays hidden, manipulating the mortal races toward 
  evil; he moves to take control of the earth pillar; he plans to 
  topple the gods of the tree once the pillar is taken; and he 
  plans to destroy Asmodeus once that war is won.
  Naran is capable of plotting so 
  carefully because he is the most 
  cunning of all the gods. He is 
  perhaps as wise as Morwyn, 
  but where she turns her 
  wisdom to good, his is 
  directed toward pure 
  malevolence and con-
  trol. He is the lord of 
  evil schemes. 
  Naran, like his brothers, 
  manipulates evil humanoids 
  into believing he is their per-
  sonal god. To the hobgoblins, 
  he appears to be a great hobgoblin 
  general god, leading them into the great war 
  in which they will conquer the world. Among mortal 
  followers, he is known to be the patron of those who use 
  cunning and a lordly mien to control others.
  Naran is shown as an imperiously tall man with long 
  dark hair, clearly a twin to Naryne. His gaze is piercing, 
  like Maal’s, but he does not seem as noble. He has a wicked 
  sneer, and in religious art, usually leads a thousand slaves 
  on black chains. Naran wields a mighty three-headed flail. 
  One head burns with the fire of desire for power and the 
  heat of a cunning mind. One head moves with the weight 
  and ponderous strength of self-control. The third head 
  crackles with the lightning of the oppressor’s whip.
  His followers use a metal collar attached to a black chain 
  as their sign. This is the symbol of the slave master, and many 
  of his worshipers make their living capturing and selling 
  slaves. This symbol is well known to people who oppose the 
  Naran. Those in need of a secret symbol of Naran wear two 
  or more black metal rings on their fingers (two adjacent fin-
  gers, or two joints on a single finger is common) connected 
  by chains. This is a secret symbol known only to followers of 
  Naran, explained away as a foreign piece of jewelry.
  redoubts oF naran
  The Naranath regularly attend services, either publicly 
  in evil homelands, or in secret places elsewhere. In either 
  case, their temples are called redoubts, for these places of 
  prayer to the Wise Brother are fortified to resist assault or 
  imprison the enslaved. In societies 
  that practice slavery, Naran 
  is worshiped openly as the 
  patron to slavers, and slave 
  sales take place on the foot-
  steps of the redoubts. 
  Each redoubt is run by the high-
  est-ranking member of the local 
  clergy. As with all the evil faiths, the 
  Naranath cannot have a worldwide orga-
  nization, not only because of the difficulty of 
  issuing orders, but because its high leadership would 
  become the targets of every good power in the world. The 
  clerics of the Naranath are called overseers. They oversee 
  not just the faithful, but also any plans for war or political 
  subversion their redoubts are part of. In good societies, they 
  might undermine an expedition against a slaver colony; 
  in evil societies, they might direct the redoubt’s slave 
  trade. An overseer is addressed as “Redoubtable Lord,” or 
  “Redoubtable Lady.”
  The Naranath are a cunning and proud people, and any 
  slight to their honor or power is likely to be met with a 
  response ten times as cunning, a knife in the dark, or if it is 
  to their benefit, an open fight to demonstrate their power. 
  They are cautious, though, and bide their time if necessary.
  
  Chapter VII: FaIth In eVIl 
  158
  158
  has the tightest control of his faithful, all in his efforts to 
  rule the pillar of earth, the first of several steps toward 
  greatness.
  Almost all overseers are lawful evil. They work closely 
  with the members of their redoubt, using the resources of 
  the faithful to build their organization’s power base. They 
  put their faith over their own well-being because they 
  know they will be rewarded for it in the end. Some loyally 
  undertake suicide missions; others live in false identities 
  for decades. If Naran wills it, or it’s part of an intelligent 
  plot, it must be done.
  Some overseers are neutral evil. They see themselves as 
  part of a large power structure that keeps them safe and 
  builds their personal power and prestige. These selfish 
  overseers, many of whom skim money from their redoubt’s 
  operations, do not last long. If they grow too powerful and 
  continue to manipulate their church for personal gain, they 
  are killed by Naran himself, and made examples of. 
  A rare few Naranath overseers are lawful neutral. These 
  worshipers only develop in evil nations where the faith 
  has a strong public presence. They enforce the foul law 
  of the land and the principle of “might is right” without 
  prejudice. They take no pleasure in this, but simply believe 
  they are doing their duty. They tally slaves with a certain 
  degree of sad indifference, and temper their compassion 
  with loyalty to church and state.
  JoInIng the oVerseers oF naran
  Overseers are clerics with the Tyranny domain, which is 
  described in Chapter X.  
  doCtrIne
  “The weak must be protected? If it wasn’t so dangerous, 
  the idea would be laughable. The strong must be servants 
  to those who need their aid? The very notion defies every-
  thing nature tells us. Does the strongest lion serve the 
  weakest? I am strong, and I will not serve the weak. I 
  will take what I want and do what I will, and damned 
  be he who stands in my way!” 
  —The Naranath Declaration of Duke Farvan Ulgost
  Naran teaches his followers to look for weakness, seize 
  opportunities, and be strong. Unlike the Thellosh, the 
  Naranath do not practice a selfish religion. They believe 
  the strong must rule, and obey those who are stronger 
  than they, to gain power as vassals. They work together to 
  build up the Naranath, recruiting converts with promises 
  of power and working closely with various infernal cults. 
  If Asmodeus is King of the Universe, the Naranath see 
  themselves as servants of its Crown Prince. But someday, 
  the Prince will be King.
  The Naranath preach that cunning, self-control, and 
  control of others are all equally valuable and necessary. 
  For instance, many Naranath are officials in good gov-
  ernments who bide their time, waiting to seize authority 
  and power. They wait in lesser positions, keeping their 
  desire for power in check until they hit upon just the right 
  moment to pounce. 
  While the faith has no worldwide organization, all 
  high-ranking Naranath are visited personally by their 
  god, who directs their actions. Of the Three Brothers, he 
  
  Chapter VII: FaIth In eVIl 
  159
  the Cult oF the bloody blade
  lAWFUl evil corrUPted cUlt oF mAAl
  Long banned from the courts of Maal, these people 
  believe justice cannot be served by the faint of heart. There 
  are crimes that must be dealt with in the most brutal and 
  merciless manner possible—and if a few mistakes are 
  made along the way, so be it—Maal’s wisdom is infinite, 
  and he promised justice would come.
  The members of the Cult of the Bloody Blade are a pro-
  found disappointment to other members of the courts of 
  Maal. They are generally justiciars who showed too much 
  zeal in the prosecution of the wicked, and becoming what 
  they persecuted. These outcasts hold their own courts 
  in hiding, often hauling the accused blindfolded before 
  them, to respond to secret evidence. These courts have 
  their own “officers,” who are usually money-driven mer-
  cenaries, but sometimes actual fallen officers join the dark 
  courts. These warriors form fists like other Maalites, and 
  hunt “criminals” (defined in strange ways, depending on 
  the dark court) with sadistic zeal. 
  The Cult of the Bloody Blade is quite powerful in 
  some evil cultures, serving as their only law enforcement 
  group. Their symbol is Maal’s longsword Justice, dripping 
  with blood.
  The cult tries to follow the same power structure as the 
  courts of Maal. It even has three “Justices” who claim to 
  Evil & Heretical Cults of the Tree
  be its central authority. How they keep in contact with 
  the many tendrils of the outcast cult is unclear. All the 
  cult’s members, especially these false Justices, are consid-
  ered enemies of the mainline courts of Maal. The mother 
  church is their most implacable foe.
  doCtrIne
  “All have the right to justice; some have more of a right 
  than others.” 
  —Justice Willem Baneblade
  The stereotypical witch-finding inquisitor is a member of 
  the Cult of the Bloody Blade. These cultists are so con-
  vinced they know what is right and just they’ll brutally 
  murder children they believe have been “infected” with 
  the criminal element. The ends justify the means.
  The Cult of the Bloody Blade is unconcerned with fiends, 
  undead, and other obviously evil powers. In fact, they 
  might even make bargains with such beings, for the cult 
  believes the greatest threats to the mortal races come from 
  within, in the forms of lawlessness and anarchic magic. 
  They’ll torture and mutilate a known thief to track down 
  his “ringleader.” They have no pity for criminals; if they 
  accidentally kill an innocent, they believe Maal will make 
  amends, for the god has guaranteed justice, in the end.
  the Cult oF the bound rod
  lAWFUl evil corrUPted cUlt oF terAk
  In areas plagued with racial strife, the Cult of 
  the Bound Rod is never far away. The members 
  of the cult see themselves as full members of 
  Terak’s temples. They’re only being kept outside 
  the faith for a while, until it rids itself of its 
  absurd lawful good members. 
  The soldiers of this order usually meet in secret, 
  but in areas rife with evil or racial conflict, they 
  speak publicly, and build temples with the bound 
  rod symbol prominently displayed. 
  The cult has no central organization, but it 
  operates along the same lines as the main tem-
  ples, with each temple headed by a commander. 
  Because the cult is outcast and small, a com-
  mander is the highest figure in the cult; there is 
  no council of commanders.
  Many gods of the tree have evil worshipers. Some of these followers are heretics, but many more are wicked people who 
  exploit one of the dark interpretations of their god’s doctrine. 
  While the Narynites, Shalimyn, and Tinelites allow evil clergy to participate openly in their churches, most of the other 
  churches do not. Thus, these evil worshipers form secret cults. Their fiercest foes are the orthodox clergy of their faith. In 
  an evil cult, clergy who are only one alignment shift from the alignment of their god usually continue to receive powers, 
  though the reasons remain obscure and troubling to religious scholars. Fully heretical cults’ clergy stand two alignment 
  shifts from their god, and likely receive power from some other entity: another god or one of the infernal powers in dis-
  guise. No one can be sure. Whether a cult is corrupted or heretical is marked next to its name.
  Cults have only one alignment, meaning that the clergy of those cults and almost all their members possess the same 
  alignment, listed early in the cult section.
  
  Chapter VII: FaIth In eVIl 
  160
  160
  This cult prefers to represent itself with the fasces, but 
  to distinguish itself from lawful neutral worshipers of 
  Terak, the cult uses a wooden rod with five bands of iron 
  as its symbol. Most evil worshipers display both symbols.
   doCtrIne
  “I will wear the five symbols; I will wear them with 
  pride. I will give the tithe; I will give it with pride. I 
  will treat my body well; I will treat it with pride. But 
  I will not pretend that I am brother to the elf if I am a 
  man. He is what he is, and I am what I am, and we 
  shall not seek to bring our ways together—our separa-
  tion will make us stronger.” 
  —The first oath of a new member of the 
  cult of the Bounded Rod
  The cult embraces the doctrine of the Teraketh, except 
  for the assertion that all races are brothers. The cult 
  believes the greatest misery comes upon mortal races 
  when they commingle, and the only path to pleasing 
  Terak the Mighty is to separate the races into distinct 
  groups. Each race is like one of the bands of iron—they 
  never touch, but together they make the rod stronger.
  The cult is split into five distinct bands—one for each 
  race—though the halfling and gnome bands have few 
  members. Among humans, dwarves, and elves, many young 
  people gravitate toward this cult, seeking to promote the 
  purity of their culture and reject “corrupting influences.” 
  For instance, dwarf members speak only dwarven, and 
  often refuse to visit communities where other races live.
  Theoretically, the different bands of the cult work 
  together but of course, do not share members. Their goal 
  is to undo racially mixed societies and to lead all five 
  races to “racially pure” homelands. They do not hesitate to 
  resort to violence to accomplish their goals, beating and 
  even killing anyone who offends their sense of purity. The 
  dwarf who happily trades with elves is likely to get a beat-
  ing from a roaming band of dwarven cultists. All these 
  cults rely on fear and hatred to spread their message, their 
  hearts set on cruel evil.
  Of course, each band has an inner mystery: Their race 
  is the only one Terak trusts to lead the peoples of the 
  world. The other races are imperfect, and while cooper-
  ating with them to separate their peoples is acceptable, 
  they must ultimately serve, or be destroyed. Indeed, each 
  band claims other races secretly plot against “Terak’s 
  truly chosen,” and conceal horrific cultural practices 
  that demonstrate that they’re unfit to be anything but 
  servants. For instance, dwarf and elf bands often claim 
  that humans, who bear children more frequently, secretly 
  eat unwanted babies or sacrifice them to Asmodeus. 
  Ultimately, one band—one race—must command the 
  Teraketh faith.
  This is not to say the bands treat their own races well. 
  On the surface, cultists seem very respectful and kind to 
  their own, but they punish anyone who fails to conform 
  to an idealized, violent and bigoted vision of what their 
  respective races represent. Lawful good members of the 
  Teraketh oppose them adamantly. 
  the Cult oF the bloody lIbatIon
   chAotic evil corrUPted cUlt oF ZheenkeeF
  Cultists of the Bloody Libation wander the woods hold-
  ing wild orgies, drinking wine until they are sick, and 
  summoning demons to dance with them beneath the 
  moonlight. They have no established order and congregate 
  under each full moon, called to their meeting spots by 
  some unseen force. There they commit acts of debauch-
  ery to impress the goddess (but which in truth would 
  bore her—decadence is hardly novel). The cult’s symbol 
  the image of five babes, one from each race, drinking 
  the blood of a jackal struck with five wounds, but this is 
  reserved for high rituals. The simple image of a bleeding 
  heart is commonly used instead.
  doCtrIne
  “I see her when I think I will die from drink, not when 
  I show caution and temperance. Could there be any 
  clearer sign of her will?”
  —Apostle Migudrum Ophellus
  “The grape is like the blood of the mother of madness,” 
  they say. “It nourishes her children, and we do her a 
  disservice when we do not drink to our fill and beyond.” 
  The cult believes the most holy thing any person can do 
  is engage in the worst kind of excess. Their belief is easily 
  understood in their addition to the Vintner’s Creed: “If 
  there is a line drawn by society, Zheenkeef wants you to 
  cross it. You honor her when you do so. If they tell you it 
  is wrong, it is right.”
  Thus, cultists engage in madness, murder, and carnal 
  atrocities of the worst kind, all in the name of their god. 
  This includes consorting with demons, who they believe 
  were born of Zheenkeef’s womb.
  The main church cannot be bothered to oppose or 
  embrace the cult, but most Zhenkefans find them utterly 
  distasteful and refuse to have them as part of their vine-
  yards. However, in some societies, the cult makes up the 
  main body of the vineyard and is the established Zhenke-
  fan church.
  
  161
  the Cult oF the ICy breath
  neUtrAl evil corrUPted cUlt oF mormekAr
  Wandering the world and meeting 
  in hidden places—caves carved into 
  temples, catacombs of lost cathe-
  drals, dungeons from ancient 
  kingdoms—these cultists cele-
  brate the horror and splendor 
  of death. They pray to 
  Mormekar, the only 
  power that matters, call-
  ing for his might to enter 
  them. They raise the 
  undead, and their might-
  iest members become 
  liches. Why Mormekar 
  grants them power is a mystery 
  that none of his followers can com-
  prehend, and most refuse to believe 
  that he does. The cult represents itself 
  with a jagged shard of ice. Cult members 
  who are clerics choose the Death domain 
  instead of the Repose domain.
  doCtrIne
  “I will do only one thing that matters in life, and that 
  is dying. It is a gift I give you now, your death, for you 
  will feel his icy breath before I.” 
  —The ceremonial utterance of  
  an assassin of the Icy Breath
  In doctrine, the Cult of the Icy Breath stands a world 
  apart from the sacristies. While they agree death is sacred, 
  they neither believe undead violate death’s sanctity, nor 
  hold that resurrection or other life-restorative magic is 
  wrong, if those it is used on would linger to share the gift 
  of death widely. They believe death is the only significant 
  and beautiful thing of which the mortal races are capable. 
  They celebrate it and bring others to it—with or without 
  their permission.
  If a cultist meets an imprisoned man, she kills him 
  to set him free. If a cultist finds a hungry child, he kills 
  her rather than feeds her. The cult believes death is the 
  highest state any mortal might aspire to, but adherents 
  make the sacrifice of continuing to live for a while, so they 
  might help others across.
  When all mortals feel Mormekar’s icy breath, they’ll 
  find true peace and bliss within the god’s embrace, for 
  when the last funeral dirge ends, Mormekar will free of 
  his awful duty. Therefore, cultists kill as many people as 
  they can before they die. They use whatever means they 
  can to achieve their goal, though the cult accepts that 
  there’s room to consider individual talents, and creative 
  expression. A general can get a lot more people killed 
  than a thug, so members are not opposed using both 
  lawful and chaotic methods. 
  Obviously, the rest of the Mormekim oppose these 
  maniacs fervently.
  
  Chapter VII: FaIth In eVIl 
  162
  162
  the Cult oF possessIon
  chAotic evil hereticAl cUlt oF dArmon
  Members control the houses of Darmon, so there are 
  heretical clerics of Darmon who encourage evil congre-
  gations to commit acts of escalating wickedness in his 
  name. Located in houses of Darmon, they wear the same 
  holy symbols, utter the same aphorisms as other adher-
  ents, and rarely refer to themselves as part of a cult. It is 
  only upon studying their actions one sees they are evil—
  profoundly so. It is likely that the house of Darmon in 
  Freeport, which was established to revere and protect 
  pirates, is run by heretics of this cult. These cultists rep-
  resent themselves in the same manner as other wayfarers, 
  with signs of wealth—particularly the gold coin. 
  doCtrIne
  “Will you buy your way into heaven?”
  —Utterance of Darmon
  These heretics, taking a rhetorical comment by the Cham-
  pion of Heaven, formed a cult based on the accumulation 
  and preservation of wealth. Unlike the Thellosh, they 
  don’t accumulate it with careful planning, but preach 
  theft, fraud—anything that accumulates hard cash as 
  quickly as possible. Their logic is simple: They believe that 
  each year, the 1,001 wealthiest people to die can buy their 
  way into Heaven.
  Since the members of this cult wish to be among those 
  wealthiest people, they must enrich themselves at others’ 
  expense (the poorer people are, the more easily wealth 
  propels the elect to Heaven) and protect their hoards until 
  they die. Once that happens, their wealth must be buried 
  with them, entombed until the end of the year. After that, 
  someone else can steal it.
  One of the only rules among the brigands of this cult, 
  who believe they are stealing their way into Heaven, is 
  that the Houses of Darmon are sacred ground, and no one 
  can be robbed or harmed within one hundred feet of one. 
  Beyond that, it’s each person for themselves.
  Cult oF eVerlastIng nIght
  chAotic neUtrAl hereticAl cUlt oF UriAn
  The Cult of Everlasting Night’s faithful congregate in the 
  midnight dark, around makeshift shrines built by moonlit 
  pools. The cult has no central authority, but its powerful 
  members communicate with one another on their tireless 
  quest to fulfill their “revelation.” Members of this cult 
  represent themselves with a moonless night shining with 
  twelve stars, one for each generation since the cult’s doc-
  trine was revealed.
  doCtrIne
  “I have seen the Sky Father, and he has commanded me 
  to kill him.”
  —The opening words of Skylark’s Song 
  Ionus Poin’s revelation
  Ionus Poin, born twelve generations ago, claimed in vivid 
  detail to have seen the Sky Father, Urian, in a dream. Urian 
  told him that in sixteen generations, the sun and moon 
  would come to Earth and destroy all the mortal races. The 
  only way to stop this holocaust was to destroy the very 
  sun and moon in the sky. By means of prayer, magic, and 
  powerful pacts with outside forces, these two parts of Urian 
  must be destroyed. That’s the cult’s revelation. 
  This doomsday cult seeks out neither evil nor good. 
  None of the cultists wish to harm anyone, nor do they 
  seek to help people with day to day problems—their 
  concerns are cosmic, bent toward destroying the sun and 
  moon. Many members are unhinged wizards who believe 
  that if they destroy the lights of Urian, they’ll prove 
  themselves masters of the arcane arts, beyond even Tinel’s 
  ability to bind. Who gives these bizarre heretics their 
  power? None can say, but it is clear that something has 
  bent their minds beyond ordinary reasoning. When their 
  clerics pray, sometimes they speak a language unknown to 
  any creature in the Great Sphere—mortal or god.
  The cult believes it must keep its mission secret to avoid an 
  all-out panic, but should someone come across their plans, 
  they will not kill them to preserve the secret. The cult isn’t 
  evil. They’re polite religious zealots who absolutely believe 
  they can—they must—annihilate the sun and the moon.
  
  163
  N
  ow that you’ve seen the complete mythology, and churches for all its gods, including a few of the 
  evil ones, we’ll provide ideas for incorporating these rules into a campaign world, from top-level concerns, like 
  alignment, to nitty-gritty specifics, like geographical locations and adventure hooks. Obviously, nothing provided 
  in this chapter must be incorporated into your campaign to use the material in this book. Rather, it provides suggested 
  hooks to integrate the mythology into your campaign.
  The mythology and churches described carry with them some serious campaign-affecting specifics—that there is a Hell 
  ruled by Asmodeus, for instance. This chapter provides even more ways to integrate the contents of this book into your 
  world. If you’re only looking for ideas on how to use selected parts of the material, move on to the next chapter.
  protect the little people or bear the weight of crowns, 
  stand at the pinnacle of goodness.
  neUtrAl Good “hoPe”
  The mortal races have free will. Many people pursue 
  self-aggrandizement at the expense of the happiness and 
  sometimes even the lives of others. The mortal world is 
  awash with wickedness, but the neutral good perspective is 
  that there’s always hope for the redemption of the wicked 
  and the betterment of all. Person by person, deed by deed, 
  the world can be made better. Neutral good deities want a 
  world where all people are equal, and live in harmony and 
  peace. They hope those ends will be achieved through good 
  deeds on the small and great scales, and therefore consider 
  all goodness worthy, for it represents hope.
  chAotic Good “Freedom”
  The individual is the most powerful force in the world. 
  The moment you turn a person into a face in the crowd, 
  their ability to achieve greatness and do the most good 
  vanishes. Within every mortal lies the secret to making a 
  better world. Anyone who wishes to quash that creativity, 
  that spark, is either a tyrant or a misguided fool who thinks 
  it possible to make rules applicable to all situations. It’s 
  not possible; the chaotic good deities know it. They there-
  fore strive for the liberation of the minds and spirits of all 
  people, believing the ideas of a peasant, and his dreams and 
  yearnings, are no less valid than those of a king.
  lAWFUl neUtrAl “order”
  All mortals are petty people. Left to their own devices, 
  mortals would live in squalor, darkness, and misery. They 
  need rules and instructions, like children, so they know how 
  to behave and build societies. These rules must be expertly 
  crafted. If followed, they will lead to utopia. Lawful neutral 
  deities believe rules and structures are more important than 
  specific moral problems. Laws make societies more perfect 
  than anything achievable in their absence.
  neUtrAl “detAchment”
  All of existence was created in a moment with the utterance 
  of a single word, and it will all disappear in a moment with 
  the utterance of that same word. Everything in between is 
  Alignments
  The meanings of alignments often shift from player to 
  player, which is fine because they represent an effort to 
  capture characters’ outlooks—and as we all know, people 
  change outlooks often. 
  However, alignments as metaphysical concepts should be 
  constant, because they represent cosmic forces in a perpetual 
  struggle with one another. Thus, it is important to define the 
  alignments not from the eyes of a single person, but as eter-
  nal concepts. After all, a god is above the petty concerns of 
  the average individual; he’s not chaotic good because he just 
  doesn’t like the pressure of rules. For a god, alignment rep-
  resents an outlook on how the universe should be structured, 
  what should be valued in mortal societies, and what should 
  be opposed and wiped from the world. 
  Of course, the gods do things that might seem evil from 
  a mortal perspective in pursuit of these principles. For 
  example, Terak kills his own son to teach him a lesson, 
  and because his son asks him to, in a sense. In the eyes of 
  a mortal, this might appear evil, but for an immortal, who 
  knows mortal life is fleeting and the soul is all that really 
  matters, it might be no more severe than a spanking. For 
  this reason, the alignments of the gods represent conceptual 
  leanings more than individual behaviors.
  With that in mind, here is what the alignments mean 
  from a cosmic perspective—particularly from the view 
  of the gods of the tree. A religious philosopher who has 
  studied the gods of this mythology might interpret the 
  alignments like this.
  lAWFUl Good “chArity”
  There must be an established order to things, with leaders 
  and followers, kings and commoners. The role of those at 
  the top is to protect those below them and aid the weak 
  when they are in need. The role of those at the bottom is 
  to work, obey their lords, and live happy, unremarkable 
  lives in peace. Lawful good deities see the world through 
  the eyes of righteous authority and benevolence. It is 
  expected that most people will live small, uninteresting 
  lives—that’s good. The alternative, as has been shown 
  in earlier epochs, is a life touched by war and death. The 
  more protected the common person is, the more they’re 
  blissfully unaware of evil, and the greater the success of 
  good. To make this possible, a few must lead dangerous, 
  bold lives. These powerful few, who risk their lives to 
  VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns 
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  164
  164
  fleeting and illusory. The lives of mortals, of gods, of every-
  thing is a brief tale, ending in the wink of an eye, compared 
  to the ageless, infinite emptiness surrounding it. Neutral 
  deities know this, and are utterly detached from great 
  mythic struggles. They perform their duty, their cosmic 
  function, because it is their role in the play, but they refuse 
  to believe there is any salient difference between good and 
  evil, law and chaos, or that the end of existence will come 
  out any differently if one side or another prevails.
  chAotic neUtrAl “chAnGe”
  From stagnation comes oblivion. The world is a test, or 
  a dream, or a challenge, and the only way to fail is to be 
  boring. Think of the world as large empty box into which 
  you have been thrown. You can sit, doing nothing, or you 
  can exert every influence, perform every act you can imag-
  ine, do everything you can think of to escape the box. 
  And if escape is impossible, at the very least you can help 
  yourself to forget about the box for a while. Change is the 
  only path to discovery. Overthrowing established orders, 
  rethinking long-held positions—these are necessary to 
  pass the test, to still be around when the dream ends, to 
  win the challenge. Chaotic neutral deities know this and 
  seek to be ever-shifting, changing the rules whenever pos-
  sible in hope of new discoveries.
  lAWFUl evil “tyrAnny”
  All of existence is filled with scared, pathetic fools. If you 
  give control of the world over to the gods born from the 
  tree (mortal societies aren’t even worthy of discussion) 
  you are left with anarchy. Only the strongest and smartest 
  should control things, and all who serve them should obey 
  unconditionally. This is the way the world was intended 
  to be from the very beginning and, inevitably, it is how it 
  will be in the end. The lawful evil powers are certain they 
  are the rightful rulers of it all.
  neUtrAl evil “Greed”
  In a sense, this is the pettiest of the evil alignments. It 
  doesn’t matter whose side you are on, who wins conflicts, 
  or what you must do. Come out on top in the end. You 
  don’t need to have the most power or be exalted above all 
  others. But if you’re in a better position at the end than 
  you were when you started, no matter what it took to get 
  there, you’ve done well. Neutral evil powers are the most 
  easily manipulated and won over because they are so pre-
  dictable. They simply want to improve their positions.
  chAotic evil “brUtAlity”
  The appetites of the chaotic evil powers have no end. 
  Hunger for blood, for wanton pleasure, for destruc-
  tion—nothing will ever sate it. There is no higher purpose 
  driving the chaotic evil powers. Such powers are the 
  absence of reason, the embodiment of dark urges. They 
  will destroy, consume and corrupt for all eternity.
  gods by alIgnMent
  Alignment is important to religious characters and their 
  gods. They determine a character’s worldview, as well as 
  her disposition toward other characters, gods, and crea-
  tures. Many of us decide what sort of character we want 
  to play by class and alignment before we worry about such 
  fine details as religion.
  Thus, the religions in this book have been distilled into 
  two important factors in the following table. For each 
  alignment, there’s a list of the gods, noting each deity’s 
  “base” alignment. It also shows which gods a character of 
  given alignment may worship and still be within one align-
  ment shift of the god’s “base” alignment. This is important, 
  because a cleric can only worship a god within one align-
  ment shift of their own, and cannot be neutral unless her 
  god is. Thus, a lawful neutral cleric can only serve as clergy 
  for a lawful good, lawful neutral, or lawful evil god.
  gods and ChurChes by alIgnMent
  AliGnment
  GodS oF thiS AliGnment
  PoSSible chUrcheS For clericS oF thiS AliGnment
  Lawful Good
  Morwyn, Terak*, Anwyn, Rontra
  Morwyn, Terak, Anwyn, Rontra, Urian, Korak, Thellyne, Maal, 
  Naryne, The Great Church
  Neutral Good
  Urian, Korak, Thellyne
  Urian, Korak, Thellyne, Morwyn, Terak, Anwyn, Rontra, Darmon, 
  Aymara, Canelle, Mormekar, Tinel, The Great Church
  Chaotic Good
  Darmon, Tinel*, Aymara, 
  Canelle
  Darmon, Tinel, Aymara, Canelle, Urian, Korak, Thellyne, Shalimyr, 
  Zheenkeef
  Lawful Neutral
  Terak*, Maal, Naryne
  Terak, Maal, Naryne, Morwyn, Anwyn, Rontra, Mormekar, Tinel, The 
  Great Church, Naran
  Neutral***
  Mormekar, Tinel*, Eliwyn**, The 
  Mormekar, Tinel, Nameless One**
  Chaotic Neutral
  Shalimyr, Zheenkeef
  Shalimyr, Zheenkeef, Darmon, Aymara, Canelle, Mormekar, Tinel, 
  Canarak
  Lawful Evil
  Asmodeus/Kador, Naran
  Asmodeus/Kador, Naran, Terak, Maal, Naryne, Thellos
  Neutral Evil
  Thellos
  , Naran, Canarak, Mormekar, Tinel
  Chaotic Evil
  Canarak
  Canarak, Thellos, Shalimyr, Zheenkeef
  * Due to a very real schism in this god’s outlook, he is considered to have two alignments.
  ** This god provides no powers to clergy, and is therefore not listed in column 3 of this table.
  *** Clerics cannot be “true” neutral unless their deity is.
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  165
  ChurCh attItudes
  G
  n
  e
  r
  U
  S
  t
  m
  Z
  ti
  mo mA
  k
  A
  d
  Ay
  c
  th
  n
  AS
  cA
  nA
  tS
  the GreAt chUrch (G)
  X
  N
  N
  F
  W
  W
  F
  F
  S
  W
  W
  F
  F
  F
  W
  F
  W
  W
  F
  H
  An
  An
  An
  AnWyn* (A)
  F
  N
  N
  F
  F
  N
  A
  A
  N
  W
  N
  F
  F
  X
  W
  F
  W
  F
  F
  H
  H
  H
  H
  AymArA (Ay)
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  A
  X
  F
  F
  F
  H
  H
  H
  H
  cAnArAk (cA)
  H
  N
  N
  H
  H
  W
  H
  H
  S
  H
  N
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  W
  X
  A
  A
  cAnelle (c)
  W
  N
  N
  W
  F
  F
  N
  W
  W
  F
  N
  N
  F
  W
  F
  F
  X
  A
  A
  H
  H
  H
  H
  dArmon (d)
  W
  N
  N
  F
  F
  F
  W
  W
  F
  F
  N
  F
  F
  W
  X
  A
  F
  F
  F
  H
  H
  H
  H
  eliWyn (e)
  N
  N
  X
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  kAdor/ASmodeUS (AS)
  H
  S
  An
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  X
  F
  F
  F
  korAk (k)
  F
  N
  N
  F
  W
  W
  F
  F
  W
  F
  W
  F
  X
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  F
  H
  H
  H
  H
  mAAl (mA)
  F
  N
  N
  F
  F
  S
  W
  F
  S
  N
  F
  X
  F
  F
  S
  F
  W
  W
  A
  H
  H
  H
  H
  mormekAr (mo)
  W
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  F
  N
  N
  X
  F
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  An
  An
  An
  An
  morWyn (m)
  F
  N
  N
  A
  F
  W
  F
  X
  S
  W
  F
  F
  A
  A
  S
  F
  W
  F
  F
  H
  H
  H
  H 
  nAmeleSS one (n)
  N
  X
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  N
  nArAn (nA)
  H
  N
  N
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  N
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  F
  A
  X
  A
  nAryne (n)
  F
  N
  N
  F
  W
  S
  W
  F
  An
  N
  N
  A
  F
  F
  S
  F
  A
  A
  X
  H
  H
  H
  H
  rontrA (r)
  W
  N
  F
  X
  F
  W
  W
  A
  N
  N
  N
  W
  F
  F
  W
  F
  N
  F
  N
  H
  H
  H
  H
  ShAlimyr (S)
  S
  N
  W
  N
  N
  X
  S
  S
  A
  W
  N
  S
  W
  N
  F
  F
  F
  F
  An
  H
  S
  H
  An
  terAk (t)
  W
  N
  N
  W
  W
  W
  X
  A
  S
  An
  S
  W
  A
  A
  S
  F
  F
  F
  F
  H
  H
  H
  H
  thelloS (tS)
  H
  N
  N
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  N
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  H
  F
  A
  A
  X
  thellyne (th)
  W
  N
  F
  A
  F
  F
  W
  W
  W
  W
  N
  N
  F
  W
  F
  F
  A
  X
  A
  H
  H
  H
  H
  tinel (ti)
  W
  W
  N
  W
  W
  W
  An
  S
  F
  X
  W
  W
  W
  W
  F
  F
  W
  W
  W
  H
  H
  H
  H
  UriAn (U)
  W
  N
  W
  A
  X
  W
  W
  F
  W
  W
  W
  W
  W
  W
  W
  F
  W
  A
  W
  H
  H
  H
  H
  ZheenkeeF (Z)
  S
  N
  N
  W
  F
  A
  S
  An
  X
  F
  W
  S
  W
  W
  F
  F
  F
  W
  S
  H
  S
  An
  S
  * This line represents the attitudes of true Anwynites. For conspirators, use the Kador line.
  dIsposItIon
  Understanding the relationships between churches through-
  out the world reveals the prevailing feelings of the faithful 
  toward one another. Obviously, you can decide any church 
  has a different attitude than what has been provided in this 
  book. The information herein assumes a civilized society 
  where outright armed conflict between the churches would 
  not be tolerated by the religions’ members or secular authori-
  ties. However, given the history of the gods and the volatility 
  of mortal societies, one church could engage in a long war 
  with another. Throughout human history, there have been 
  bitter religious conflicts between and within societies, so it is 
  certainly sensible to place such a conflict within your world. 
  Perhaps one nation has Zheenkeef as its patron, another 
  Morwyn—or one is a nation of warriors loyal to Terak, while 
  the other is ruled by magistrates who honor Tinel, and their 
  religious differences have brought them into armed con-
  flict for centuries. Each accepts the other’s god exists and is 
  powerful, but sees the other side as heathens who make the 
  wrong patron preeminent. Remember, the peculiar nature of 
  a polytheistic religion is that it is uncommon for someone to 
  say “this god does not exist.” Rather, conflict arises from how 
  one of the gods is worshiped or how much status one ought 
  to have compared to the others. There are so many kinds of 
  religious conflicts possible between well-meaning people that 
  you should be able to dream up countless reasons for wars in 
  the names of the gods.
  The guidelines do as little “world defining” outside 
  of the churches as possible, making this book useful as 
  an add-on to an existing campaign. Perhaps your reli-
  gious characters have never really had a sense of who 
  their gods are or what they stand for. You can just throw 
  the mythology of the gods of the tree into the world for 
  instant church structures, sets of beliefs, and doctrines for 
  every religion. However, it would be risky to just make 
  up a conflict between the churches without thinking it 
  through, so if you don’t have time to closely integrate the 
  religions of Book of the Righteous into your world, consider 
  using the following chart as a default when questions 
  come up. Remember, this is for interactions between the 
  churches, not their gods, though churches are influenced 
  by the mythic social ties of the gods they represent.
  key
  Read from left to right, the table explains how the church 
  on the left feels about each of the churches above. Each 
  entry pertains to the members of the church whose line 
  you are reading. It is possible that these feelings are not 
  reciprocated.
  H: Openly hostile. Members of the faith are more likely 
  to attack adherents of this church on sight than talk. 
  Devout members are willing to die opposing the work of 
  this church.
  An: Antipathy. Members of the faith have an absolute 
  mistrust for this church. The faithful will not happily 
  adventure with people from this church and might pepper 
  their speech with insults and taunts when talking to them.
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  166
  166
  S: Suspicion. Members of the faith look upon adherents 
  of this religion with caution, skepticism, and care. They 
  would travel with such folk and even befriend them, 
  but are likely to think of such friends as “exceptions to 
  the rule.”
  N: Neutral. Members of the faith have no positive or neg-
  ative prejudices toward worshipers of this god.
  W: Warm. Members of the faith are openly warm and 
  receptive to members of this church. They view them as 
  good people with whom they have something in common, 
  though they are not particularly closely aligned. They will 
  happily travel with such folk.
  F: Friendly. Members of the faith see the worshipers of 
  this god as their friends and people with whom they share 
  much. They will take the words of such people seriously, 
  and offer aid if possible. There is no question they will 
  travel with such folk.
  A : Allies. Members of the faith see this church almost as 
  an extension of their own. They will gladly attend the reli-
  gious services of this church and find them almost equal 
  to their own church’s services. They view leaders of this 
  church as authority figures to be respected as highly as the 
  leaders of their own church.
  geographICal 
  IntegratIon
  There are several areas of the text that call for “world 
  specifying,” which are marked with a symbol. For exam-
  ple, there is the old city where the Great Cathedral of 
  the Great Church is located. If you have a fully defined 
  campaign world, pick an appropriate city for this cathe-
  dral if you want to integrate the mythology and its 
  churches into your world.
  The book provides only church-based landmarks you 
  should define for your game world. The mythology ref-
  erences many locations you can place wherever you find 
  suitable. The following entries describe places of mythic 
  significance along with a few other locations that might be 
  interesting to establish in your world.
  ArAGoS’ kinGdom
  It might be fun to have a kingdom in your world that is 
  the historic home of Aragos, the king who outlawed music 
  and happiness, but went on to repent and marry Aymara. 
  Such a place might now be dedicated to Aymara, or per-
  haps it has fallen on dark times.
  bAttleGroUndS
  There are several mythical battles in the mythology, 
  including multiple clashes between Tinel and Terak. You 
  might pick several places on your campaign map where 
  titanic struggles occurred, and mark them with odd geo-
  logical phenomena or powerful magical effects.
  birthPlAceS oF heroeS
  There are a few heroes mentioned in the mythology. 
  They’re mortals who became immortal servants of the 
  gods. Examples include Terak’s son Aerix, Maal’s advisor 
  Issama, and Thellyne’s hunting companion Nayariel. The 
  earthly homes of these people, if preserved, would be 
  major landmarks and holy places.
  the birthPlAce oF the titAnS
  Somewhere in the world is a deep, still pool by which 
  Zheenkeef sculpted the Titans, and where she and 
  Shalimyr first lay together.
  cArASon
  The site of the ancient struggle between Morwynites and 
  Zhenkefans might still be a city today.
  the dArk river
  Instead of an entrance to Hell or the Land of the Dead, 
  or in addition to them, you might want to have a place on 
  your map where mortals can find the Dark River that flows 
  through the Great Sphere and comes to the Land of the 
  Dead, the Abyss, Gehenna, and Hell—and even goes on to 
  flow through Elysium and Heaven. The Dark River need 
  not flow through the Material Plane—this is optional.
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  167
  the entrAnce to hell
  You might want to have a place in your world where the 
  gates to Hell can be found. These gates would be locked to 
  any but a god or similarly powerful figure, but can play an 
  important role in your campaign nonetheless.
  the entrAnce to mAAl’S kinGdom
  It’s a common mythological theme for mortals to jour-
  ney to the underworld, and plead with the lord of the 
  dead for a life back. If you would like to have such an 
  event take place during the history of your campaign 
  world, or even over the course of your campaign, you 
  might want to place a legendary entrance to Maal’s 
  Kingdom on your map.
  the Grove oF eliWyn
  Hidden away from all but the most powerful druids, 
  Eliwyn is in a sacred grove protected by Rontra the Earth 
  and Thellyne the Huntress. From what myths say about 
  the place, it’s near a seashore, but little else is known 
  about it. Of course, the world has been through so much 
  upheaval since Eliwyn first grew that the grove might now 
  be on top of a mountain or in some other unlikely loca-
  tion. All that’s certain is that mortals can’t find it unless 
  something remarkable happens.
  the hAllS oF UriAn
  Urian has four great halls where the winds are caged. It is 
  possible, if you like, for a mortal to find one or all those 
  halls and meet the winds.
  the lAndinG PlAceS oF the FrUitS
  Three of the fruits of Eliwyn were hurled across the world 
  by Zheenkeef. The places these fruits landed can be placed 
  on the map if you like, and might be sacred places to each 
  of the races in question.
  the moUntAin Pool oF the SiSterS
  The Three Companions found the Three Sisters at a 
  mountain pool, singing to one another. The pool is said 
  to be far in the East, and is sacred to all six gods and 
  their followers.
  the river vAlley oF the brotherS And SiSterS
  The Three Brothers and Three Sisters awoke at the edge 
  of a river in the middle of a river valley surrounded by 
  great rocks. That valley is said to be far in the West. 
  Many have searched for this river valley, and indeed 
  it can be a place of great power for the followers of 
  the siblings.
  the rUinS oF the moUntAin PAlAce
  The Nameless One built a palace at the top of the tallest 
  mountain but it was destroyed in the war between Terak 
  and Tinel. These ruins might no longer exist, but if you 
  like, you could put them in your campaign world.
  the temPle oF rebirth
  This ancient temple of Rontra, high in the mountains, has 
  been there for a thousand years (at least), and contains an 
  ancient library. If you do not want to have this temple in 
  your campaign, and are playing as though the Great Sage 
  Matalou’s treatise was written long before the time of your 
  campaign, it could easily be long destroyed.
  the UnderWAter PAlAce
  The palace of the Nameless One in the sea can be an 
  important location if your campaign ever takes characters 
  deep below the waves.
  InCorporatIng 
  Mythology
  When plugging the myths into your campaign, you can do 
  a lot more than place clerics and temples of the gods across 
  the landscape. You can include symbols of the gods in 
  numerous settings—for instance, a tavern that uses a refer-
  ence to one of the gods in its name, indicating to the players 
  that the proprietor is one of the faithful. These references go 
  beyond just using the holy symbol of the god. One can also 
  rely on the signature weapons, animal affinities, or special 
  words (for churches, priests and doctrines) of each god. 
  In many myths, interactions with the gods are indirect. 
  The hero doesn’t necessarily meet someone on the road 
  who glows brightly and says, “I am your god!” Instead, 
  interactions with gods happen in dreams or through sym-
  bols. A Teraketh cleric hunting Asmodean cultists might 
  dream of a golden lion swallowing a fire—though that 
  might be a little obvious if the player knows these symbols 
  well. It is possible to use any element of the god’s church 
  or myths to represent the god in your campaign.
  CaMpaIgn and 
  adVenture hooks
  Little hooks and ideas for adventures fill this book, as do 
  as huge ideas that can span an entire campaign. Depend-
  ing on the religions your PCs follow, many permutations 
  of religious-themed adventures become available. We list 
  here various campaign-spanning ideas and single adven-
  ture hooks for your convenience, but your players will 
  also develop personal hooks based on their faiths. A Dar-
  monite character seeks to understand the name she has 
  chosen, while a Maalite quests for the Sacred Laws.
  If you give your players rumors of very difficult adventures, 
  they might pass on them and instead tell their church hier-
  archy about the rumor. Many players, once their characters 
  belong to a detailed church hierarchy, grow to rely on their 
  heroes’ connections to the faith. This is fine and should 
  be encouraged. However, you can put pressure on players 
  through that hierarchy as well, perhaps by sending their 
  characters on quests they would otherwise not attempt.
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  168
  168
  The biggest difficulty will be when the players want to 
  drag along a large contingent of fellow church members 
  to help them on such quests. For instance, a group of PC 
  Maalites might know they are about to fight a dragon who 
  has an artifact of the faith in its hoard. The PCs might ask 
  their court to send a couple fists with them to help dis-
  patch the evil beast. There are three ways to handle this. 
  First, allow it—and ramp up the challenge by making 
  the creature stronger, and able to call on its own servants. 
  Second, have the church hierarchy tell them the aid is 
  simply not available, though you’ll need to keep this fact 
  consistent—don’t have twenty holy warriors from that 
  same temple show up during the next adventure to save 
  the day. Third, the church hierarchy, perhaps in the form 
  of a powerful priest, might tell the PCs they are fated for 
  this task. The will of the gods is real. However, make sure 
  you develop the reason for this destiny. The PCs might be 
  so fated to prepare them for some even greater challenge 
  down the road.
  AdventUre ideAS
  • The player characters happen upon an ancient temple of 
  one or more gods (likely gods they worship) which was 
  long ago desecrated by followers of Hell. In the temple’s 
  catacombs lies the burial place of a great holy warrior of 
  the faith, whose remains have been disturbed, and whose 
  soul the desecrators have trapped there. Her remains 
  might be surrounded by infernal guardians who make sure 
  her spirit cannot escape.
  • The player characters find a stronghold of one of the 
  Three Brothers and must wipe it out, discovering along 
  the way the true history of the Three Sisters and the 
  Three Brothers.
  • The player characters meet a town that has been deluded 
  by false priests. They use magic items or strange spells to 
  simulate clerical abilities, or might be clerics who serve 
  dark forces, instead of the gods they pretend to represent. 
  The heroes must discover the truth, expose them and 
  depose them. The characters can’t just make accusations, 
  as the town is more likely to believe the priests they trust. 
  The heroes need proof.
  • The player characters happen upon an evil humanoid 
  temple and discover, after defeating its residents, that 
  it honors one of the Three Brothers under a different 
  name—a name it’s been using to disguise itself elsewhere.
  • The player characters get an opportunity to recover one 
  of the artifacts of the gods, such as one of the three gems 
  Korak gave to the dwarves’ forefathers. The artifact sits 
  in the hoard of some hard to defeat monsters. Retrieving 
  the artifact makes them heroes, but fame and the sug-
  gestion that the characters are acting according to certain 
  prophecies complicate their lives. This could be the cam-
  paign’s focus.
  • A common evil humanoid (such as an orc warlord) has 
  grown incredibly powerful. People claim he has unbe-
  lievable strength and crushes foes far more easily than 
  even the strongest of his kind. In their quest to destroy 
  this orc, the PCs discover he drinks blood from a pool 
  that collects in his cave home. The cave is an ancient 
  temple to one of the evil powers and, through whatever 
  means you like, the characters trace back the source: a 
  servant of one of the gods, chained for eons and bleed-
  ing. The blood might drip from a distant dungeon or 
  even another plane. A titan or unicorn are both very 
  appropriate subjects of this torment. They must stop the 
  bleeding and either free the prisoner, or, if it’s an evil or 
  violent creature, better secure it.
  • An invading fleet approaches the characters’ country. The 
  heroes must find a mythic house of Urian and convince 
  him to unchain one of the winds against the fleet—or 
  they must unchain the wind without permission, and risk 
  his wrath.
  • The adventuring party, likely high-level and old friends, 
  is approached by someone who secretly serves a deity. 
  They enlist characters to aid their “noble patron” against 
  the “dark lord” who rules distant land. The characters 
  must recover an artifact capable of shifting the odds in 
  the patron’s favor. Gradually, it becomes clear that the 
  characters serve one god against another. The patron 
  might be a virtuous deity abiding by the Compact, or an 
  evil god turning good heroes against Heaven.
  • Clergy escort a holy relic from one church to another, 
  across a great distance. They enlist the characters to help 
  guard the relic from bandits, evil forces, or heretical 
  branches of their own faith.
  • Spells to commune with the Lords of Heaven aren’t 
  functioning. In severe cases, certain clerical abilities 
  might not function. Religious leaders are perplexed. The 
  player characters must track down one of the many locks 
  to Heaven and somehow open it, to visit the gods and 
  discover why they’ve fallen silent.
  • The characters encounter the nine apostles of Zheenkeef 
  from Carason. They still wander the world, accursed. 
  The heroes must help them make restitution so they can 
  find peace.
  cAmPAiGn ideAS
  • An apocalyptic cult tries to collect all the sounds of the 
  Nameless One’s name, to end the world. The sounds are 
  distributed across the world in texts, bells, mountain 
  halls, and other mysterious places. The player characters 
  must stop the cult. Along the way, they find themselves 
  allied with the powers of both good and evil, as every-
  one has a vested interest in stopping the word from 
  ever being uttered. For such a plan to even function, 
  the cult must counter Tinel, who guards against this 
  very circumstance. What power stands behind the cult, 
  protecting it from Tinel’s wrath? Is it the cause of the 
  god’s growing indifference? The ultimate enemy must 
  be strong enough to stand against the gods, making it 
  a suitable final foe. Candidates range from Asmodeus, 
  who wishes to learn the name to hold Creation hos-
  tage, to one of the legendary sorcerers who once battled 
  Tinel, and has somehow escaped imprisonment.
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  169
  • The player characters quest for the Laws of Maal, fol-
  lowing clues scattered around the world. Whether they 
  find all the laws, or even one of them, is up to you, but 
  along the way they are certain to be opposed by chaot-
  ic-aligned powers.
  • The player characters unravel the conspiracy infest-
  ing the church of Anwyn. They must track the secret 
  cult to its source and destroy it. This won’t be easy; 
  the cult covers its tracks well, and will sacrifice one of 
  its own branches to make the heroes believe defeat-
  ing it finished off the sect for good. If the characters 
  grow successful enough, Asmodeus intervenes with 
  devils and mighty mortal servants, for the conspiracy 
  is precious to him. Should he respond with sufficient 
  strength, other gods may feel compelled to act, threat-
  ening the Compact.
  • The signs point to the ripening of the fifth and final 
  fruit. It is a time of great change in the world, and 
  Hell and Heaven begin to war on earth. The player 
  characters must find the fruit and protect it so that 
  Heaven can prevail. In their journeys, they discover 
  the reason for Asmodeus’ obsession with the fifth 
  fruit, which is bound in the second prophesy of the 
  Nameless One.
  • The player characters, all low-level religious figures, are 
  assigned by their churches to serve as spiritual advi-
  sors to a small, half-founded wilderness settlement. 
  The heroes help shepherd the settlement’s growth 
  from a tiny outpost under assault, to a thriving town 
  with temples to each of their gods. This campaign 
  can incorporate “Western” themes (protecting hardy 
  frontier-dwellers, clinging to faith as a source of civili-
  zation) or revise them. Perhaps this colony impinges on 
  the territory of people with a better claim to the land, so 
  by colonizing the area, even followers of the good gods 
  unwittingly do evil.
  • One or more of the player characters are deeply reli-
  gious Urianath and go on a quest to discover the lost 
  secrets of the order of the griffins, to bring it back.
  • The player characters are drawn into the plans of the 
  Aymaran Order of the Watchful Eye. The time of 
  struggle between the Aymarans and Hell is approach-
  ing, and the heroes must prepare for war with Hell.
  • Over the course of the campaign, good people lose all 
  power over fire, then air, and then water. The player 
  characters discover that the pillars of these elements 
  have been taken over by Asmodeus and the Brothers. 
  The PCs must stop the followers of Naran from gaining 
  control of the pillar of earth. If they fail, it spawns a 
  war of the gods in which the player characters become 
  heavily involved.
  • Shalimyr has decided that mortals are wicked. It’s time 
  to flood the world, wiping out all but the properly obe-
  dient. This pitches the gods into internecine conflict, 
  and your player characters must either oppose Shalimyr, 
  or aid him in “purifying” the Material Plane.
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  170
  170
  perks
  Many players expect perks from joining a religious orga-
  nization. The reasoning is simple: “I am a cleric of Terak. 
  The Teraketh have magic axes; gimme a magic axe. Why 
  wouldn’t you? I’m out risking my life for the temples daily, 
  I should have a magic axe. Give it!” 
  It’s a compelling argument. If you don’t mind giving 
  your players perks, feel free. However, there should be a 
  little give and take. Characters who avail themselves of 
  such benefits should be expected to help their church in 
  return, in direct proportion to the aid the faith provides. 
  This includes heavier tithes, onerous services and some-
  times, donations from the heroes’ own supply of magic 
  items. (Where do you think those magic axes come from?)
  Faithful PCs who are neck-deep in perks from their 
  churches might be buried in religious bureaucracy. If the 
  Teraketh give a soldier a magic axe and twenty potions of 
  healing before his adventure, it means the soldier is essen-
  tially adventuring for the temple. His superiors want to 
  know every detail of the adventure when he returns, and 
  will be quite upset if the PC hasn’t looked after the temple’s 
  interests when it comes to divvying up treasure, particu-
  larly if some of the soldier’s companions represent interests 
  counter to the temple’s, and walk away with important 
  magic items that the soldier had a legitimate claim to.
  The PC who goes to the trough of his church should soon 
  learn that life is a lot simpler for the more chaotic-leaning 
  clergy, who have no real hierarchy to call upon for perks.
  Regardless, consider the following recommendations.
  loAninG mAGic itemS
  A church should be willing to loan common magic items 
  to members of its own holy orders for a period of time, 
  usually in return for some financial investment or special 
  favor. Other devout heroes may also qualify, but must 
  either provide greater favors, or use the items as directed 
  by the church, on specific quests.
  cAStinG SPellS
  Clergy who reside at a church should be willing to cast 
  spells for holy order members for free or at cost (if there 
  are costs), unless there are extenuating circumstances. 
  There should be an additional charge or service required 
  for non-clergy to be so blessed. If the benefactor isn’t a 
  member of the church, resident clergy may charge an even 
  higher price, or refuse to help.
  reqUired donAtionS
   A church should request that faithful heroes who have 
  extra magic items or money donate them to the faith. 
  The clergy may grow fairly intrusive about looking into a 
  fellow church member’s possessions, especially if the hero 
  has benefited heavily from church sponsorship.
  This grows more complex if the requested recipient 
  of a church’s generosity is of an opposing ideology. For 
  instance, a Teraketh soldier might have befriended a like-
  aligned Tinelite armarius. That armarius is killed in a 
  region without a Tinelite scriptorium. The soldier takes 
  his friend’s body to the local Teraketh Temple for a raise 
  dead spell. Had the soldier been killed instead, the spell 
  would be cast for free, unless extenuating circumstances 
  prevented it. However, as fond as the PC soldier might be 
  of his armarius friend, it is unlikely he will be able to con-
  vince a fellow soldier to call upon the power of Terak to 
  bring a servant of his rival back to life. The argument from 
  the PC soldier to do so would have to be incredibly com-
  pelling. In a less extreme case, the casting soldier might 
  bring a friend of the PC’s back to life for free only if, for 
  instance, the dead friend has done some great service for 
  the Temple, or saved the life of the PC soldier.
  Jus Cogens
  In the real world, we have a notion of jus cogens, which 
  includes crimes every nation must condemn. No treaty 
  may permit such a crime. In our world, such crimes include 
  genocide, slavery, piracy, and attacking a diplomat. It’s fan-
  tastically useful to establish such a set of laws for your game 
  world, based on the notion that good and neutral gods lay 
  down taboos none may violate, regardless of sect. Players 
  find it handy to know what is considered unquestionably 
  evil. This way, when they encounter someone committing 
  such a crime, they don’t have to ask, “Is that evil in our 
  world?” Of course, just as people still violate such principles 
  in our world, people in the campaign may find excuses for 
  breaking even the fundamental moral rules gods set down.
  If you don’t have the time or desire to define the jus cogens 
  rules for your world, you use the following list or a modified 
  version of it. This is a list of behaviors that all people who 
  worship the gods of the tree acknowledge are evil. Evil gods 
  agree—they just believe “evil” acts are what the faithful 
  must perform to break the shackles of “weak” morality.
  • Assaulting an anointed member of the clergy of one 
  of the gods of the tree without provocation
  • Cannibalism, defined as eating a fellow sapient being, 
  regardless of race or species (though eating a member of 
  the five mortal races is considered especially heinous)
  • Consorting with demons or devils
  • Creating the undead
  • Denying the existence of one or more of the 
  gods of the tree
  • Desecrating or destroying a temple to one of 
  the gods of the tree (though a temple may be 
  deconsecrated, converted, or dismantled with its reli-
  gion’s permission)
  • Destroying or imprisoning a soul
  • Genocide directed at one of the five mortal races 
  (and perhaps other beings—the gods are not of one 
  mind about the exact parameters) and specific classes 
  of people within them (such as by gender or even 
  alignment—one may not kill all evil-aligned beings 
  simply for possessing an aura of evil)
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  171
  • Incest, sexual assault and any form of sexual contact 
  without consent between adults
  • Killing a member of your own family, or any prepu-
  bescent member of the five mortal races (some make 
  exceptions for judicially authorized executions, for-
  mal duels, and wars)
  • Slavery (though some accept servitude in the educa-
  tion of an apprentice, or of imprisoned criminals, or 
  of debtors, the gods all condemn slavery by birth, or 
  capturing people to be enslaved)
  Absent from the list are many laws that are commonly 
  understood as moral wrongs, like murder or theft, as some 
  of the gods and their faithful might argue people commit 
  these crimes without an evil heart—one of the Shalimyn 
  might find some murders justified, while a Darmonite 
  wayfarer might argue that many thefts are acceptable. The 
  above crimes are ones that any of the faithful would agree 
  mark a person as willfully evil. How the various followers 
  of the gods respond to the discovery that a person is will-
  fully evil is another matter entirely.
  You might wish to add or remove behaviors. It would be 
  reasonable to decide all the faithful in your world agree that 
  torture and the use of poison are evil. Then again, you might 
  feel that the Shalimyn, Zhenkefans, and many Darmonites 
  have no problem with these behaviors (which is why we did 
  not include them on the list). In making such a list of “uni-
  versal evil,” you do a great deal to codify the moral outlook of 
  your world—something many players find extremely useful.
  eVIl Creatures
  Are certain humanoids inherently evil? Some prefer cam-
  paigns where orcs and goblins have thriving cultures with 
  which the players interact, and fight other creatures out 
  of circumstance, not some innate enmity. Others like to 
  establish that orcs and goblins are innately evil—created, 
  perhaps, to be the soldiers of dark gods. 
  Saying all humanoids (such as orcs, goblins, bugbears, 
  hobgoblins, gnolls) are evil by definition might run 
  counter to the feel of your campaign, but it may also fit 
  with the mythic origins you give them. Either way, answer 
  this question for your players, because it will provide 
  moral assumptions they can apply during adventures. This 
  also says something about the natures of those beings. If 
  humanoids are inherently evil, it means they cannot make 
  meaningful moral choices by, say, deciding to perform 
  good deeds, and act on evil instincts. This affects their 
  social organization, legendary origins and even biology. 
  Can innately evil beings even form normal families and 
  societies? If not, what arises in their place?
  As an alternative, the gods may decide that despite being 
  capable of making moral decisions, certain humanoids fall 
  outside their “grace.” In this book, creatures outside of the 
  five mortal races are often considered to dwell outside the 
  grace of the gods of the tree. Their deeds are not recorded 
  in the black and white ledgers; they do not confront Maal’s 
  judgment. This means that as far as the gods are concerned, 
  how one treats them is not a moral question based on what 
  harm it does to them, but to the members of the five mortal 
  races interacting with them. 
  If orcs are innately evil or outside of the gods’ grace, kill-
  ing an orc might not be considered wrong because the orc 
  was harmed, but it might be thought to “pollute the soul” of 
  anyone in the five mortal races who commits the act without 
  a reasonable justification. Such distinctions call into question 
  how good the “good gods” really are, of course, and give evil 
  gods an excellent argument for why goodness is a lie.
  heretICal teaChIngs 
  and blaspheMy
  You might desire a world where heresy is a major issue. 
  Doctrinal arguments influence real-world faiths, but 
  need not exist in fantasy religions, where the gods can 
  correct errors. The difference between heresy and the list 
  of evil acts above is that heresy is a belief or pronounce-
  ment counter to the establishment’s teachings about the 
  religion. The list of evil acts above are just as likely to be 
  punished in the afterlife or by a celestial servant of a god 
  as they are by a mortal servant. Heresy, on the other hand, 
  might not offend the god it pertains to at all.
  the goblIn ChIldren
  A paladin (or other holy warrior for good), after slaying 
  goblin marauders, discovers their unattended children. 
  An ancient, clichéd moral question in fantasy games 
  arises: Should the paladin kill them, care for them, or 
  what? Here are some options using the discussion above 
  for guidance.
  •  Goblins aren’t innately evil. If this is the case, the 
  paladin must care for goblin children. She might 
  have to raise them herself, find foster parents, or take 
  them to another goblin community.
  •  Goblins are innately evil. In this case, the paladin 
  might be able to kill these children, but ask yourself: 
  Is it accurate to portray the young of an innately evil 
  species as being like ordinary kids? They would be 
  unlikely to have development stages that resemble 
  actual people, who devote brainpower to learning 
  moral agency, and have altruistic parents. It’s more 
  likely innately evil goblin young are small, swift, 
  sharp-toothed predators. In any event, killing a 
  helpless creature might be considered evil nonethe-
  less, because it dishonors the paladin’s soul.
  •  Goblins are outside the gods’ grace. If goblins 
  are not beings the gods believe are subject to such 
  questions, they have no answers for the paladin, 
  unless they teach that deeds themselves, rather than 
  who they are done to, decide moral questions. As 
  above, it might be “ignoble,” or otherwise spiritually 
  polluting.
  
  Chapter VIII: dIVIne CaMpaIgns
  172
  172
  For example, a cult could profess that Terak is a lion. 
  Believers might claim his core form is not like that of 
  a man at all, and when he first emerged from the fruit, 
  he was like a lion standing on its hind legs. They might 
  represent Terak as a lion-headed figure in statues and 
  paintings, keep lions, and observe taboos against kill-
  ing or otherwise interfering with them. In some fantasy 
  worlds, this wouldn’t matter at all. People might find it an 
  interesting belief, and agree to live and let live. But such a 
  teaching might be decreed heretical instead, condemning 
  believers to death or routine discrimination. Terak might 
  not care. He might believe the heresy is wrong (assum-
  ing his true form emulates that of the mortal races) but 
  not worth bothering about. He might even tell each side 
  their interpretation is correct for some mysterious pur-
  pose. If Terak communicates an opinion either way, it’s 
  liable to end the schism quickly, barring certain strange 
  circumstances (such as, for example, some other lion-god 
  pretending to be Terak).
  How your culture and the powerful churches of your world 
  treat dissent is an important decision. Keep in mind that 
  there is a difference between blasphemy and heresy (or at 
  least we think there is). Heresy is a crime against the earthly 
  establishment that bears the name of the god, disagreeing 
  with their beliefs about the god, but doing so out of faith 
  in the god. Blasphemy is the act of insulting, defaming, or 
  slurring the god in question. The two biggest examples of 
  blasphemy made their way onto the cavalcade of evil above: 
  destroying or desecrating a temple, and denying the existence 
  of a god. All religious characters should agree blasphemy is 
  evil, remembering that in a world with multiple pantheons, 
  you need not deny the existence of the other pantheon, or try 
  to destroy its works, to worship your own.
  what ForM, FaIth?
  While this book includes extensive descriptions of all 
  the gods’ churches, there are some questions you need 
  to answer to ensure the material fits into your world. 
  Here are some key questions your players will likely want 
  answered as they step into roles as characters with thor-
  oughly defined religions.
  • How popular are the various churches in the regions 
  where your game takes place? Your players should 
  know how popular their local church is, how popular 
  the faith was in the area where they grew up, and the 
  religion’s general reputation. This should be easy to 
  define, and helps flesh out their characters. Characters 
  might believe their religions are more or less popular 
  than they really are as functions of their upbringings, or 
  out of a certain degree of self-delusion.
  • Where are the major centers of worship in the region? 
  Deciding this is of paramount importance to your 
  players. Place churches, great and small, in the area. If 
  there is a small chapel in the players’ base of operations, 
  is there a greater church in the nearby city? This will 
  include rival churches; your players should know the 
  religious landscape where you set your game, because it 
  tells them where their superiors are, and their options 
  for moving up as they gain prestige.
  • Who runs the churches?  If the players portray charac-
  ters whose church has a supreme authority, they need to 
  know where it’s based, and either who the leader is, or 
  who ruling council’s most prominent figures are. More 
  importantly, they should know the names of the local 
  leaders of their faith, from immediate superiors to the 
  highest-ranking local church official. Supplying this 
  information helps players feel their characters are part 
  of a living, breathing faith.
  • How do people interact with the faith? The sections 
  describing each church include suggestions as to how 
  people usually perceive the faith. The information is 
  meant cannot possibly replace specific details about how 
  a church is perceived and interacted with by a particular 
  community. Tell the players the status of local clergy or 
  holy warriors, whether they are expected to administer 
  religious rites, and if people are likely to come to them 
  for spiritual advice. Perhaps their local church is an 
  exception to a description which calls it a popular reli-
  gion. It’s ignored, even disliked. Why?
  • What are services like? Rites, rituals, and services have 
  been given light detail only, since few games demand 
  them, and because doing so might feel too restrictive. 
  However, questions might arise. Do the clergy stand 
  on a pulpit and speak in an ancient tongue that none of 
  their congregants can understand? Do all the faithful 
  sit in a circle, with everyone speaking when they feel 
  moved to? If you want to take your campaign into the 
  church and explore religious rites and ceremonies, do it. 
  Make up the exact procedure of a Darmonite wedding 
  ceremony if you’d enjoy it.
  • How do people choose between churches, and why? 
  Essentially, if you think about a world with a complete 
  pantheon and churches for each of the gods in the pan-
  theon, as well as one for the pantheon in its entirety, 
  it begs this question: How does a person decide to 
  become a member of one church over another? There 
  are some clear explanations for this. Smiths are likely to 
  worship Korak over any other god, and artists are most 
  likely to worship Aymara. But wouldn’t a smith who 
  isn’t terribly pious—and there are always such people 
  in the world—just worship all the gods and make offer-
  ings to them whenever appropriate? Why tie oneself to 
  a specific church? There is no definitive answer because 
  it is, essentially, a matter of culture. It’s up to you to 
  decide how it works in your world. Perhaps the central 
  kingdom of your game has worshiped Darmon and 
  Aymara for generations, considering them its patron 
  gods. In such a place, most people belong to one or 
  both churches—it’s possible for people to be faithful 
  members of two or more churches if you want it to 
  be—and the reason for their faith is obvious: They were 
  raised that way, and never imagined questioning it. This 
  is something for you to define for your players, if you 
  wish, and is one of the strongest steps to take in tying 
  the religion to your game world.
  
  173
  CosMologICal 
  IMplICatIons
  If you already have a cosmology defined for your cam-
  paign, you might find it impossible to incorporate the 
  material in this book without some modifications. In this 
  section, some of the broader cosmological implications 
  of the mythology are considered. The rest of the chapter 
  provides ideas for modifying the material to work around 
  elements that do not fit into your cosmology.
  The following list provides a breakdown of all the major 
  cosmological elements in the mythology. Using this list as 
  a reference can help you isolate any conflicts.
  • The universe was created by one creator god
  • The elemental planes (earth, air, fire, water) are 
  four pillars
  • The known universe is an enormous sphere sup-
  ported by the four pillars
  • Inside the Great Sphere stands the mortal world 
  (Material Plane), the land of the dead, the mountain 
  of Heaven, Elysium, Gehenna, the Abyss, and the 
  nine planes of Hell
  • Each of these planes are contained in their own sub-
  spheres (see Chapter II for a diagram), except for the 
  Abyss, which burrows through the Great Sphere and 
  out into the infinite void
  • Between all these spheres flows astral space
  • The Material Plane is contained in a great crystal 
  sphere formed of positive and negative energy
  • The Material Plane coexists with the ethereal and 
  shadow planes
  • The creator god made the first living creature of the 
  sphere, called Kador, who turned evil, and is now 
  lord of Hell under the name Asmodeus
  • The creator god left the sphere and was never 
  heard from again
  • There is a tree of life with five fruits from which the 
  pantheon’s four main gods were born
  • The tree’s roots touch the center of the earth and its 
  branches reach to Heaven
  • There was a race that populated the earth before any 
  of the “player character” races, called the div, ances-
  tors of “geniekind”
  • It is possible for the spirit of a dead person 
  to be reborn
  • Kador/Asmodeus almost destroyed the world 
  and the gods
  • There is a Hell with nine layers, ruled by Asmodeus
  • There is an Abyss of infinite layers, ruled by the 
  demon princes
  • On the two opposing planes of Elysium and Gehenna, 
  all mortals are watched and their deeds, recorded—all 
  good deeds by the guardian angels of Elysium, and all 
  evil deeds by the daemons of Gehenna
  • There is a land of the dead where two gods rule; one 
  of them judges every soul that comes before him
  • Upon their death, mortal souls might be sent to Hell, 
  Gehenna, or the Abyss for eternal punishment; reside 
  in bliss in the halls of the dead, or await rebirth in those 
  same halls; or ascend to Heaven to live beside their gods
  • Many div fought the gods and were cast into the pil-
  lars, to be imprisoned for eternity
  • Good div who served the gods were elevated into the 
  celestial host: angels, archangels, and major servants 
  of the gods (like demi-gods)
  • The five mortal races—dwarves, elves, gnomes, hal-
  flings, and humans—were also born from fruits on 
  the tree of life, making mortals and gods “cousins”
  • The gods did not create any of the mortal races, so 
  there are no “racial” gods
  • Elves are descended from the div and are essentially 
  the same race as fairies—but where fairies chose to 
  maintain their immortality and lose free will, elves 
  chose free will in exchange for mortality
  • The primary pantheon of the gods has no evil gods 
  in it. They are either good or neutral, and oppose the 
  evil gods, devils, and demons
  • The pantheon has agreed to a Compact that subjects 
  them to several laws
  • Mortals have free will and can live however they 
  like, receiving guidance and temptation from the 
  agents of Heaven and Hell
  • No one god rules over all the others
  • No god in the primary pantheon can directly inter-
  fere with mortal affairs, and other, evil gods meddle 
  cautiously and secretly
  • When a mortal worships a god, it gives that god power
  • When a mortal follows the teachings of a god, even 
  without formal worship, it gives that god power
  • When mortals do evil, it gives Hell and the Abyss power
  • There is an unripe fruit still hanging from the Tree of 
  Life, and no one knows what will happen when it ripens
  • If the name of the Creator is ever spoken again, it 
  will end the universe
  I
  f this book was only written to serve new campaigns, it wouldn’t be very useful at all. Many of us 
  already have existing campaigns and, in thus, an existing set of gods. Whether those gods are just names and domains, 
  or well developed deities with existing churches, it can be difficult to combine those existing faiths with the religions in 
  this book. In this chapter, you will find ideas for changing or integrating the contents of this book.
  IX: do It yourselF 
  
  174
  174
  There is a lot more detail to the mythology, such as the 
  origins of all the races, or where dragons and orcs came 
  from, but these parts can be discarded without altering 
  the fundamental core of the mythos. The elements listed 
  above are “key” parts of the mythology, and you need to 
  do some rewriting or use other fancy footwork if you don’t 
  want one of these points in your game world. The rest of 
  this chapter shows how you might do this.
  standard CosMology
  Over the years, fantasy gamers and supplements have 
  developed a standard set of cosmological assumptions for 
  fantasy campaigns, which we have tried to adhere to in 
  many ways. Let’s explore this book’s key departures, and 
  ways to pull this mythology back toward that standard. 
  Alignment is the universal designator for most stan-
  dard cosmologies. The Material Plane is surrounded 
  by different planes for each of the many alignment 
  possibilities. The seven kingdoms of Heaven comprise 
  the lawful good plane. Hell is the lawful evil plane 
  and devils represent the lawful forces of evil. In this 
  system, the neutral good and chaotic good gods have 
  their own planes and might be disconnected from the 
  gods of other alignments. Thus, in the “standard” cos-
  mology, when people die, their souls go to the plane 
  of their alignment. In Book of the Righteous’ cosmology, 
  the members of the five mortal races (dwarves, elves, 
  gnomes, halflings, humans and part-humans) all go to 
  Maal’s kingdom, at least at first, and there are no spe-
  cific planes for alignments such as chaotic neutral, or 
  neutral good.
  two aspeCt theory
  If you want the gods appropriate to reside in planes of that 
  match their respective alignments, we recommend you 
  institute the following cosmological set-up. Perhaps as 
  your characters grow in power they theorize the existence 
  of these additional planes, and prove they’re real through 
  planar travel.
  The great thing about being a god is that you can 
  be in two places at the same time. In the “two aspect” 
  scenario, the gods are two-faced (literally). One face is 
  their personality: names, relations with one another, and 
  family structures. The other face represents their raw 
  supernatural power, defined by domain and alignment. 
  For example, Terak’s personality is that of the blustering 
  King of the Gods, married to Morwyn; his power con-
  sists of pure Valor and War.
  In such a cosmology, the gods reside in two places. 
  Their personalities dwell in the three planes where gods 
  reside according to our mythology (Heaven, Earth, and 
  the land of the dead), but as beings of pure divine energy, 
  they also dwell in planes that match their respective align-
  ments. As Terak and Tinel both contain deep schisms 
  and potentially, multiple personal alignments, they each 
  manifest on multiple alignment planes. Alignment planes 
  are the “backstage” of the gods’ mythic theatre. Each god 
  has an existence deeper than its legends, and usually only 
  invites the most trusted servants and companion deities 
  
  Chapter IX: do It yourselF 
  175
  to witness it, though some are not so secretive, and truly 
  dwell where the myths say they do. 
  In this scenario, your world would have all the follow-
  ing planes (keeping in mind that we’re not offering names 
  for or descriptions of the new alignment planes as, we 
  assume, you will want to provide them):
  mAteriAl PlAne
  The earth, sun, moon, stars, and seas are all in the 
  Material Plane. It is neutral, and is the mythic home 
  of Thellyne, Rontra, Urian, and Shalimyr. Unbound by 
  the Compact, the Three Brothers of evil also wander the 
  Material Plane in mythic guises.
  the UnderWorld
  The home of the dead and the Kingdom of Maal, the 
  underworld has the four halls of final judgment, and grey 
  places where the dead await judgment. It is also neutral. It 
  is the mythic home of Maal and Naryne.
  AStrAl PlAne
  The dark parts of the Great Sphere between the planes 
  where there is, essentially, nothing. This plane is neutral. 
  Strange gods might dwell here, but this book doesn’t 
  cover them. 
  lAWFUl Good
  The seven-citied mountain of Heaven is the primary 
  mythic home of the gods. It is the peak of goodness, and 
  the “natural order” of the universe. This is where nearly all 
  the lords of Heaven live in their legendary guises, sitting 
  on their thrones in the great palace at the peak. This is the 
  place mortals mean when they say “Heaven.” But it is also 
  the primordial home of Charity and Mercy (Morwyn), 
  Valor and Honor (Terak), Home and Service (Anwyn), 
  Life and Growth (Rontra). Morwyn can be “Queen of 
  Heaven” because the mythic home of the gods also her 
  true home.
  neUtrAl Good
  The halls of virtue, the hallowed fields, Elysium—what-
  ever you wish to call the neutral good plane, it should 
  be a place of pure kindness, creation, and joy. It is where 
  the guardian angels reside and watch over all mortals, 
  recording good deeds. It is also the primordial home of 
  Creation and Labor (Korak), Nature and Natural Beauty 
  (Thellyne), and Benevolence and Nurturing (Urian). 
  chAotic Good
  The domain of celebration and glory, standard cosmologies 
  often tie this plane to Valhalla or some other real-world 
  mythological place of hunting, drink, song, and wild 
  splendor. However you wish to establish the plane of pure 
  chaotic good, it should be primordial home to the powers 
  of Travel and Tricks (Darmon); Art, Song, and Love 
  (Aymara); Knowledge and Learning (Tinel); and Compe-
  tition and Strength (Canelle).
  lAWFUl neUtrAl
  The “clockwork plane” of perfect order, planning, and 
  structure. However you wish to represent it, it would be 
  home to the true powers of Justice and Law (Maal), Unity 
  (Terak), and Nobility and Order (Naryne).
  neUtrAl
  The grey places, usually a land of mists and nothingness as 
  far as the eye can see, the neutral plane is often a gateway 
  to all the other planes. It is the home to the true powers of 
  Death (Mormekar) and Secrets (Tinel).
  chAotic neUtrAl
  The shifting realms of non-stop chaos, where the ground 
  changes and moves under your feet and entire landmasses 
  float off into nothingness in the wink of an eye. It is home 
  to the true powers of Madness and Inspiration (Zheen-
  keef) and Change and Destruction (Shalimyr).
  lAWFUl evil
  Hell. The nine circles of Hell contain the structured 
  punishments and horrors that await those who have lived 
  lives of selfish tyranny. Ruled by Asmodeus and his eight 
  subordinate lords, Hell is the primordial home of Lies 
  and Power (Asmodeus, who has a mythic presence here as 
  well), and Pride and Tyranny (Naran).
  neUtrAl evil
  Gehenna, land of dark horrors, where daemons watch 
  over the mortal races and record their evil deeds in black 
  ledgers. It is also home to the primordial powers of Greed 
  and Gluttony (Thellos).
  chAotic evil
  The Abyss. Home to demons, this plane is a place of con-
  stantly shifting power, war, and destruction. The Abyss is 
  the true home of Murder and Bloodlust (Canarak).
  traVelIng the planes
  With this structure, characters can travel many more 
  planes, but the GM doesn’t need to substantially rewrite 
  the mythology. You might decide Maal consigns the dead 
  who most typify a specific alignment, and are not to be 
  reborn, to the appropriate plane—thus sending the most 
  chaotic evil mortals to the Abyss and lawful evil to Hell as 
  written, but also sending chaotic neutral souls to the cha-
  otic neutral plane, and so on.
  A possible twist on this scenario is that the planes 
  listed here but not mentioned in the mythology were 
  created by the various gods whose powers call them 
  home. For instance, the plane of chaotic good was built 
  by Darmon and is a place where the gods of chaotic good 
  reside when not with the other Lords of Heaven. This 
  way, the alignment plane is always home to the “power” 
  aspect of the god, but the “personality” aspect of the 
  god dwells there some of the time as well. You’d need to 
  decide what that means, exactly, in your game world. A 
  
  Chapter IX: do It yourselF 
  176
  176
  god whose mythic self was away, might have a “power” 
  self that behaves differently, or its energies might be con-
  tained in an artifact or place.
  planes outsIde the sphere
  The other simple way to introduce more planes without 
  having to rewrite the mythology is to say the Nameless 
  One did, in fact, create more spheres than the planes 
  of the Great Sphere, leading to a potentially limitless 
  number of planes. In fact, since the Abyss has broken 
  through the Great Sphere and spirals out through the 
  emptiness, it might have tunneled into another sphere of 
  the Nameless One’s creation, and acts as a bridge between 
  the known and “outer” planes. The elemental “pillars” 
  might fuel other spheres, and may only be pillar-shaped 
  from a limited, mortal frame of reference.
  In this scenario, characters using planar travel might 
  reach the locked gates of Heaven, Hell, the Abyss, the 
  land of the dead, or the ether, and still dwell in the Great 
  Sphere, but it might be within their power to travel from 
  their Great Sphere to another one, through intermediary 
  realms or the void between realms, and thus see alterna-
  tive Material Planes, Heavens, Hells and other connected 
  realms, with their own gods and peoples.
  obJeCtIVe  
  to subJeCtIVe
  Appendix I is written from an “objective” point of view, 
  meaning it states the Great Sage Matalou’s scriptures are 
  essentially correct. While he does not know the answers 
  to some of the mysteries raised in the mythology, any-
  thing he addresses is accurate.
  The simplest way to use the material of this book in its 
  entirety without having to make any significant modifica-
  tions is to simply tell your players that the Great Sage was 
  wrong about many things. It is easy enough to position 
  the mythology of Appendix I as an ancient and outdated 
  one. This  helps deal with any inconsistencies between this 
  book’s myths and your pre-established cosmology. 
  This shift does not help with the church sections, 
  however. Some myths use elements that might conflict 
  with your established campaign setting. For instance, you 
  might have already told your players that there is no after-
  life; in such a case, the church of Maal, particularly the 
  myths of the god upon which it is based, would make little 
  sense. You can continue to incorporate the church into 
  your world under the idea that its “objective” beliefs are, 
  perhaps, wrong; your players know there is no afterlife, 
  but in the game world, it’s a matter for debate. The church 
  of Maal would become a deluded group of people who 
  believe that their god, who is really just the god of justice, 
  rules over a non-existent afterlife. People believe contra-
  dictory things in our world, so there’s nothing wrong with 
  such controversies in the campaign world, too. One group 
  might say there is no afterlife, another says there is. Only 
  the gods themselves can say which is right, and they aren’t 
  always forthcoming about such things. Thus, if you want 
  to leave the churches as written to contradict your cosmol-
  ogy, it still works, in most cases. 
  If you want to make something contradictory to a 
  church’s faith a universally known and acknowledged fact 
  (such as everyone in the campaign world knowing there’s 
  no afterlife), then you should make the church either pro-
  phetic, or heretical. The faith either knows something no 
  one else knows, or insists on believing something blatantly 
  counterfactual, similar to real people who believe the 
  world is flat. In either case, most people would hold the 
  church in low esteem.
  naMes
  One easy way to use the material of this book in a 
  campaign that’s already started is to simply change the 
  names of the gods and their servants to match those 
  you already have. For instance, if you have a cleric who 
  worships Cycrikkal, the god of magic, and you’ve merely 
  alluded to other gods in Cycrikkal’s pantheon, it can be 
  very easy to use this material. Change Tinel’s name to 
  Cycrikkal, change the names of the other gods to names 
  appropriate to your game world (or leave them as they 
  are), and away you go.
  However, you might find the names of the gods pre-
  sented here do not fit with the kinds of names you have 
  in your campaign. For instance, if you’ve populated your 
  world with Jeans and Alains and Marcels, it would be very 
  odd to have a group of gods whose names are in no way 
  Gallic. For this reason, we provide some explanation of 
  the system we used to name our gods below.
  We’ve used two methods for naming the gods and 
  their servants in Book of the Righteous. Asmodeus and 
  his servants, the archangels, and the div are all based on 
  real-world mysticism that has arisen from the religions 
  of Abraham (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism). This 
  might seem odd, given that we made everything else 
  up. But these legends have become part of the fabric of 
  many fantasy worlds. Everyone expects to oppose devils, 
  and everyone expects those devils to be headed by some-
  one with a name like “Asmodeus.” People expect gods 
  to be served by angels and archangels. Classic fantasy 
  games combine these with Greco-Roman and Fertile 
  Crescent myths from all eras. For this reason, we kept 
  names strongly influenced by Roman and Middle Eastern 
  sources. Just as one might see a griffin or a centaur in a 
  game and not wonder what those two creatures from Gre-
  co-Roman myth are doing in this world, we believe one 
  might see Asmodeus without wondering why medieval 
  mysticism has encroached upon a fantasy world.
  Beyond devils and angels, we relied on what we can 
  best described as “fantasy naming conventions.” These 
  are names without a meaning in any real-world language, 
  that are generally European in sound—they don’t rely on 
  tonality or clicks and glottal stops, and can be easily spelled 
  out in English: Alaric, Karentellak, Morik, Rimel, and so 
  on. We have adopted some naming conventions like those 
  of real languages like Gaelic in an effort evoke a feeling of 
  
  Chapter IX: do It yourselF 
  177
  consistency. For instance, we use the fake suffix ‘wyn’ to 
  signify femininity, and the suffix ‘ak’ to signify masculinity. 
  The idea is to make names that sound like they come from 
  the same language. We named Zheenkeef using a series of 
  sounds dissimilar to all the other gods, including the rela-
  tively exotic ‘zh’-sound, because it helps set her apart.
  It should be very easy, therefore, to create new names 
  that follow rules that better fit your game world. For 
  instance, if you’ve created a Germanic-sounding setting 
  with cities called Arkenheim or Bernbad, then you proba-
  bly want to change the names of the gods to use Germanic 
  phonemes. You might even use rough translations of 
  their domains as new names, or borrow the names of old 
  Germanic deities. Thus, Terak might be called Kriegsherr 
  (“warlord”), or might use the name Ziu (Old German for 
  the Norse Tyr).
  eXIstIng pantheons
  You might have a very complete set of gods already 
  named, in which case you might want to keep that list of 
  gods and merely use the churches and mythology (altered 
  where appropriate to your campaign) under those names. 
  In such a case, it might be useful to know which of the 
  gods from this book match up with gods from other 
  fantasy pantheons. The PH lists gods and domains from 
  historical and fantasy pantheons as examples. If your 
  characters have been worshiping the god of magic under a 
  different name, you can keep that name and introduce the 
  rules for the church of Tinel to that character’s church, 
  while, say, adding the healing halls of Morwyn (or what-
  ever you choose to name her) as a new element. 
  CoMplete relIgIons
  What if you’ve already designed a complete game world 
  with a thorough religion, hundreds of gods and several 
  myths? Or, what if you’ve already established that the cul-
  ture your PCs are from is monotheistic? No matter how 
  much you like the mythology in this book, these scenarios 
  make it a challenge to work it into you world, right? Not 
  necessarily so. 
  the past returns
  Put your characters in the middle of a storyline where 
  the old gods return, in the form of earthshaking events 
  or newly-uncovered mythology. In the case of a game 
  set in a monotheistic society, perhaps people have been 
  worshiping just one of the gods of the pantheon or, worse, 
  Asmodeus masquerading as the only god. Over the 
  course of the game, through visions, lost documents and 
  destroyed temples from the ancient times, the characters 
  find out about the old religion and the gods found in this 
  book. Some of them can even become founders of new 
  churches to these rediscovered gods. 
  In a situation where many gods already exist in the 
  campaign world, characters might discover that the 
  material in this book represents old names for some of 
  these extant gods. Others might be divine servants who’ve 
  been worshiped as gods. When characters discover the 
  truth, how will the followers of such “defrocked” dei-
  ties react?
  The Past Returns scenario usually leaves most of the 
  information about churches and how they are set up 
  unused. However, if you include this information in arti-
  facts from the past, you’ll give characters the challenge 
  of rekindling lost religious orders and forms of worship. 
  For instance, a fighter who has worshiped Ignak, god of 
  war, all his life, discovers the real name of Ignak is Terak, 
  uncovers the old ways of worshiping him, reestablishes his 
  order of crusaders, becoming the first such holy warrior in 
  a thousand years. Many players enjoy such opportunities 
  to make lasting changes to the game world.
  the FrIendly ForeIgn Culture
  Campaign worlds often possess several continents and 
  nations, not all of which are known to your heroes. The 
  easiest way to introduce them to the information in this 
  book is through a mouthpiece for one of those foreign 
  lands. Perhaps they journey to a far-off continent and see 
  the gleaming temples of Terak, Tinel, and Morwyn in the 
  city square. They meet a foreign bard who says, “In my 
  land, your gods all have different names.”
  In any case, tweak details here and there to make 
  the similarities between the gods of this book and the 
  existing gods in your campaign obvious to the charac-
  ters. Through this mechanism, they’ll discover all sorts 
  of lost lore about their gods, such as the creation myths 
  and other stories presented throughout this book, and 
  decide what to do about this new information. Perhaps 
  they share and investigate Tinel’s myths, but use the 
  name of the campaign’s established god of magic. Per-
  haps they’ll even adopt the names and holy orders they 
  found in foreign lands. 
  the warrIng ForeIgn Culture
  Your campaign might revolve around a culture that 
  worships three gods—of snow, of fire, and of darkness, 
  say—and there’s no easy way to incorporate the highly 
  disparate mythology of Book of the Righteous. However, 
  you might decide it belongs to a hostile culture that comes 
  into conflict with what you’ve already established. Perhaps 
  a society that worships the gods of the tree attacks the 
  heroes’ nations—or the characters’ expansionistic empire 
  invades a country where people worship the Lords of 
  Heaven. The enemy benefits from thoroughly thought-out 
  cosmology and religious structure characters can exploit, 
  destroy, or even learn to respect.
  the JoInIng oF MythologIes
  In real mythology, conquests, alliances and migrations 
  joined disparate legends together. Rome adopted Egyp-
  tian gods, for example, and deified historical figures. The 
  Egyptian god Set became a god of foreigners, then kings, 
  based on the fortunes of its priesthood. If the mythology 
  
  Chapter IX: do It yourselF 
  178
  178
  in this book was analyzed, an anthropologist might 
  believe the Three Sisters were once gods of a separate 
  mythos, but were incorporated into the gods of the tree 
  after the people who worshiped them were either con-
  quered or migrated to places where the gods of the tree 
  were preeminent. The Sisters’ Journey to the East might 
  be a myth that remembers their followers’ travels. 
  It’s easy to use this principle in your game world. Suppose 
  that the kingdom to which the heroes belong gets swal-
  lowed by another kingdom through political marriage, war, 
  or other means. The new rulers do not simply impose their 
  religion, but add the new lands’ faiths to their own. This 
  can lead to some real fun, as you design myths explaining 
  how your characters’ gods joined the gods of the tree, or 
  vice versa. Usually, the friendlier the joining of cultures, the 
  more important the role of the new gods. By this logic, the 
  Three Sisters would have come from a peaceful joining. A 
  conquered culture might find their gods become handmaids 
  to Morwyn, hunting companions to Thellyne, or otherwise 
  subservient to the conquerors’ gods, but in some empires, 
  new gods become equal aspects of the old ones, or combine 
  under completely new names.
  the wanIng Mythology
  You might have characters who already worship a com-
  pletely different set of gods from the ones in this book, but 
  you want to incorporate this book into religious makeup of 
  the very region where your heroes live. However, you don’t 
  want to make the gods that already exist in your campaign 
  part of the gods of the tree. We recommend the Waning 
  Mythology gambit.
  Book of the Righteous assumes it presents a society’s 
  central religions. Conflicts swell between churches of 
  the mythology, and there is a sprawling Great Church to 
  which many people belong. It is quite easy to say this was 
  the case some thousand years ago, or more, before the 
  time of your campaign, but since then, the mythology of 
  the gods of the tree has waned. People who still worship 
  them follow the “old ways,” and are considered archaic 
  bumpkins. This can make for some very interesting con-
  flicts between your religious characters and those who 
  worship the old gods, as the followers of the gods of the 
  tree will try to re-elevate their pantheon.
  FroM another dIMensIon
  If your game world allows planar and interdimensional 
  travel, the gods in this book might come from some super-
  natural realm: existing divine planes, alternate Material 
  Planes, or even whole universes with their own systems 
  of planes. The Great Sphere might exist as a separate con-
  tinuum the heroes discover through gates in the Abyss or 
  elemental planes, mishaps in planar travel, artifacts, or the 
  workings of gods—Lords of Heaven, gods known in the 
  campaign, or other deities. This works particularly well if 
  your campaign is set in a universe where evil and destruc-
  tion is rising. The PCs can go to a better universe, where 
  the gods of the tree have managed to make things peace-
  ful, and might try to bring good gods back to their home 
  to help repair the damage.
  sIngle gods
  You might want to incorporate individual gods from this 
  book into your world, but not the whole mythology. This 
  is easy; none of the gods require their connection to the 
  overarching mythology or each other to function, though 
  in some cases you’ll have to do a little bit of rewriting to 
  decouple the gods and remove certain references. Where 
  myths include other gods, it should be easy to change 
  them to the gods you’ve already developed for your world. 
  For instance, if you want to add Korak to your existing 
  pantheon, rename Thellyne to one of the goddesses in 
  your pantheon. Away you go. 
  Perhaps you like the way the Temples of Terak are struc-
  tured, including their titles and core philosophies. These 
  hardly ever require the entire mythology, but may refer to 
  certain elements. In the Teraketh example, the temples 
  are highly influenced by the legend of Aerix. You can 
  either keep the myth specific to that church or rewrite it. 
  Individual church structures should work as-is, with two 
  exceptions. First, the Great Church honors all the gods of 
  the tree, and needs to be reworked to represent your cam-
  paign’s pantheon. Second, the evil cult hidden among the 
  Anwynites should either be removed, or changed to a sect 
  worshiping a different lawful evil deity, to stand on its own.
  raCIal gods
  The rules imply the gods are real—they give followers 
  magical powers, after all. This in turn suggests people can 
  decipher the gods’ true natures, since they are as real as sci-
  entific phenomena. Gods command natural and conceptual 
  domains: winds, music, nature, and so on. The mythology 
  of the tree doesn’t include much duplication among the 
  gods, so Korak, the god of artisanship, is not one of many 
  craft-gods. Thus, blacksmiths seeking spiritual understand-
  ing will usually become aware of Korak, regardless of race. 
  Dwarves love him, but he is not just “god of the dwarves,” 
  and when a dwarf goes into battle, she remembers Terak, 
  too. And when she dies, her soul stands before Maal, just as 
  the souls of humans, elves and other mortals do.
  Therefore, this book doesn’t present racial gods. 
  Rather than naming Aymara the goddess of the elves 
  because she’s good with music and love, she’s the goddess 
  of music and love: domains the elves especially value, 
  but which are not theirs alone. The mythology of the 
  tree rejects racial gods as well. None of the gods created 
  mortal races. “Racial mythologies” are often like the 
  Pygmalion myth: The god of the dwarves carved the 
  dwarves out of stone, creating them to be like him, and 
  that’s why he’s god of the dwarves.
  If you prefer gods for individual fantasy races, you can 
  adopt them, however. The myths in this book are all written 
  from mortal perspectives. It would not be hard for dwarves 
  to disagree with everyone else’s creation myth. They might 
  believe the fruit that hit Korak had been turned to stone by 
  Zheenkeef’s blood; Korak carved that stone into shapes in 
  his image, creating the dwarves by his own hand. They even 
  
  179
  might believe Eliwyn doesn’t exist, and that they were Kor-
  ak’s thoughts, which grew solid because of his crafty mind, 
  and dug their way out. It’s in your hands. Similarly, elves 
  might believe Aymara created them, and while she’s the 
  goddess of music and love for others, the elves reverse her as 
  the Great Mother of them all.
  The extreme way to create racial gods is to say the 
  book presents “human mythology,” adhered to only by 
  humans and a few members of the other races. Humans 
  insist they know how and why all the races were created, 
  and when the other races refer to their gods, they’re 
  describing human gods under different names. This is 
  extreme, but reconciles clashing mythologies, and can 
  inspire adventures fueled by religious strife between the 
  mortal races.
  alterIng  
  the ChurChes
  Perhaps you intend to use most of the material in this book, 
  but you’ve already established that the god of magic is 
  lawful good and has a completely different church structure 
  than that of the Tinelites. Yet the gods themselves stand 
  beyond mortal concepts of alignment, and you should feel 
  free to bend the rules about required alignments for clergy 
  if it would better suit your campaign. For example, Tinel 
  might seem chaotic good or neutral most of the time, but 
  perhaps in your world, he has a lawful good aspect that his 
  priests honor—or perhaps, he loathes some chaotic evil 
  sect, and has established this church to crush it. 
  Thus, it’s easy to alter information about the gods, but 
  keep the rest of the mythology intact. Their divine respon-
  sibilities are more important. Even gods that have strong 
  alignment tendencies could have strange stories justifying 
  an unexpected change. For instance, Maal and Zheenkeef 
  seem to represent the essence of law and chaos, respec-
  tively. But what if Maal is a capricious, chaotic judge, who 
  judges souls unfairly unless propitiated through ritual 
  phrases, good acts, or, like some real-world underworld 
  gods, bribery? What if Zheenkeef is really a lawful figure 
  who generates change according to some mysterious 
  cosmic timetable? She transforms into an ascetic goddess 
  whose followers strictly schedule periods of debauchery 
  and self-denial.
  Altering the churches becomes a little more compli-
  cated if you want to remove one of the two main holy 
  orders. If you want a church to do without clerics or pala-
  dins, be sure to examine and rethink its power structure. 
  As it stands, almost all churches rely on high level-clerics, 
  high-level paladins, or both to function. This obviously 
  isn’t possible if one such order doesn’t exist at all.
  If, as in the case above, where you want Tinel to be 
  lawful good, and his church to work entirely differently, 
  you might have fun with one of the scenarios from the 
  “Complete Religions” section. It can be quite amusing 
  to have your character who worships Tinel, “of Law and 
  Light,” encounter a foreigner who worships Tinel “the 
  Uncaring.” 
  
  Chapter IX: do It yourselF 
  180
  180
  alterIng  
  the Mythology
  Several key features of the mythology might not work 
  with your world or its cosmology. We’ll get to cosmologi-
  cal changes in a little bit. But first, let’s approach some of 
  the most important features of the mythology that might 
  need tweaking.
  the sIngle neMesIs
  Many fantasy mythologies possess a large pantheon of 
  evil gods. Sometimes that pantheon is as large, or even 
  larger than, the roster of good gods. The mythology in 
  this book focuses around a single, powerful evil god who 
  is now the lord of Hell. While there are also the Three 
  Brothers, they are not a primary part of the mythology. 
  We’ve included them as an example of how easy it is to 
  add more evil gods. Just give them a connection to some 
  part of the mythology, and slide them in with the under-
  standing that their followers are “evil churches” that have 
  hidden throughout history—until now.
  If you want a world divided between the gods of good 
  and evil, the mythology presented in this book can handle 
  it. Create a second mythology for the evil gods and their 
  followers, which provides an alternative explanation for the 
  creation of the world and the mortal races. The struggles 
  between good and evil gods become not just a battle for 
  the mortal world, but for history; whose idea of creation 
  will prevail? The strange thing about gods and creation 
  myths is that it might be the case that both myths are right 
  (or wrong), but the winner of the war determines which 
  legends are true. If there are some small crossovers between 
  the two mythologies (like the history up until the fruits first 
  ripen), even better.
  gender and rule
  Many legends that have survived the ages—Greek, Norse, 
  Finnish—describe a single, powerful king of the gods. In 
  some of them, the king is so powerful he could destroy 
  all the other gods, and thus commands complete obedi-
  ence. We offer Morwyn: a matriarch who is likely one of 
  the weakest deities, though clearly the wisest, and whose 
  power is only legalistic. This doesn’t present the same 
  masculine-centered power as a lot of mythologies. There’s 
  a “King of Heaven,” Terak, but he’s more of a consort, and 
  despite his personal strength is neither an overall political 
  leader (though he commands warriors, if necessary) nor 
  particularly respected for his title.
  The game explicitly states there is no gender limitation 
  on any profession—a woman is just as likely to become 
  a fighter as a man.  Similarly, gender doesn’t determine 
  which gods rule Heaven. While many of the gods have 
  somewhat traditional genders for their portfolios, only a 
  few place gender restrictions on membership, and these 
  can easily be changed. Furthermore, ancient and contem-
  porary cultures define genders other than the male/female 
  binary, and do not always associate gender with a specific 
  physiology. Whenever a church describes a gender role, it 
  should be broadly inclusive of several genders defined by 
  your campaign’s cultures.
  As for the gods? Although cultures assign them genders, 
  the gods don’t have to stick to them, and may encourage 
  different groups to assign them other genders. In some 
  nations, Terak might be known as Terwyn, goddess of 
  war and wisdom. Other countries might honor Terak and 
  Terwyn together, or as aspects of a non-binary deity, Tereef. 
  It should also be noted that in the case of Zheenkeef, 
  the appellation of “goddess” isn’t necessarily accurate. 
  Zheenkeef is partly inspired by Dionysus and Loki, who 
  are both strongly associated with transgender and gen-
  der-shifting roles. Note also that Zheenkeef doesn’t use 
  the gendered naming conventions of other gods.
  However, some cultures might impose more restrictive 
  gender definitions. In such a case, you might want a strong 
  god of the dominant gender: a patriarch, matriarch or 
  non-binary ruling deity. This often reflects cultural norms, 
  so the gender of the supreme deity is either the privileged 
  gender in that society, or the gender expected of rulers or 
  high officials. In such a case, we recommend using either 
  Morwyn or Terak (changing their genders if necessary) and 
  eliminating the portion of the mythology where Morwyn 
  declares that no god shall ever be the leader of all the 
  others. If you want a matriarch, Morwyn might become 
  the true Queen of Heaven, and commands all the other 
  gods, most of whom she raised. If you want an utterly dom-
  inant patriarch, when Morwyn married Terak he became 
  King, and now rules Heaven in name and deed. Then 
  again, Terak might be Queen of the Gods, as Terwyn, and 
  Morwyn might be King, as Morak, or they might not pos-
  sess binary gender roles, as Tereef and Moreef.
  
  Chapter IX: do It yourselF 
  181
  the CoMpaCt
  The point of the Compact is to keep the gods from show-
  ing up all the time. There are a lot of informal rules to 
  the Compact that aren’t thoroughly spelled out (it can be 
  violated if all the gods agree, and sometimes a god blows 
  it off) to leave your hands untied when playing with the 
  gods. However, the main point is that the gods aren’t just 
  descending from Heaven and solving problems that should 
  be left to the players’ heroes. Aristotle had an expression 
  for such interventions, which you’ve likely heard: deus ex 
  machina, or “god from the machine.” It was a reference 
  to Greek dramas that worked the hero into an impossible 
  conundrum, only to have a god descend and resolve it 
  with the wave of a hand. Aristotle complained it was the 
  worst possible way to resolve a story—and he was right, 
  where roleplaying games are concerned. We’ve included 
  the Compact to make sure your players know they can’t 
  expect the “airstrike of the gods,” when things get bad.
  However, you might like games where gods walk among 
  mortals. If so, set your campaign in an Age of Heroes before 
  the Compact, or in some apocalyptic conflict where they 
  break it. In the latter case, we recommend the gods abandon 
  the Compact because Asmodeus has grown too powerful, 
  before or over the course of your campaign. In the latter case, 
  you can have the Compact shattered due to something the 
  players’ heroes do or witness, changing the tone of the world. 
  The strangeness and wonder of a world where the gods walk 
  among men will be far more evident to your players if they’ve 
  gotten used to a world where the gods stay in Heaven.
  In a world without the Compact, think hard about the 
  power level of manifested gods. If they bring down the kind 
  of might ascribed to them in certain myths, or implied by 
  their ability to empower clerics and paladins, their battles 
  may crack the world, and the heroes become more witnesses 
  than participants in their stories. Then again, you might use 
  Homer’s Iliad as an example, where great mortal heroes can 
  defy and even injure the gods. It might be the case that the 
  gods cannot manifest their full power, which is largely bound 
  up in answering prayers and minding their domains, and 
  take forms that are awe-inspiring, but can still be defeated. 
  the great ChurCh
  Perhaps one of the more “controversial” elements of the 
  churches presented in Book of the Righteous is the combined 
  church of the pantheon. This is not a very common device 
  in fantasy RPGs, especially in worlds with large panthe-
  ons of deities. Usually a single unified church shows up in 
  a monotheistic religion. However, we’ve added the Great 
  Church because it makes sense that eventually, the faiths 
  would coalesce into a single religious group. 
  However, the interaction between the Great Church 
  and the other faiths (the tacit conflict over influence) might 
  not be the sort of religious conflict that interests you, or 
  the idea of a Great Church in general might not be to your 
  liking. No matter your feelings on the subject, it’s been 
  intentionally kept separate from the other faiths, and from 
  the mythology in general. If you don’t like an aspect of the 
  Church, change it, or if you want to axe the idea entirely, do 
  so; such a cut will not hurt anything else in the book. You 
  can still allow paladins and clerics who aren’t tied to any 
  one god; they just don’t have a large religion backing them.
  addIng gods
  The Three Sisters were included in part to show how easy 
  it is to add new gods. There are several ways to approach 
  this, and all of them require no major changes to the 
  material supplied in this book.
  eXIstIng deMI-gods 
  Suppose you have a character who worships the god of 
  the moon, and you don’t want to change that to worship 
  of Urian, who is the god of the moon, the sun, and every-
  thing else in the skies. There is already a legend about the 
  moon in the book, with Faro pulling the moon across the 
  heavens. It is completely reasonable to say Faro, though 
  not as powerful as Urian, is powerful enough to provide 
  followers with divine gifts.
  If you like, you can then define a church of Faro, write 
  some myths about him, and away you go. You have a “god 
  of the moon” with a foundation in the broader mythology. 
  Most of the gods have their servants listed, and any one of 
  them can be turned into a demi-god capable of bestowing 
  divine magical abilities.
  new gods
  Like the Three Sisters, the gods can easily have met and 
  befriended other deities over the years, as suggested above 
  in The Joining of Mythologies. As opposed to the sugges-
  tion in that section, you could determine that another set 
  of gods joined the mythology long, long ago.
  All this requires is for you to make up a church and a 
  series of myths about the new god or gods, and provide one 
  or two myths explaining how the new gods came join the 
  gods of the tree. You should do this for gods with different 
  portfolios than those belonging to the existing gods and 
  you could even have gods overlap. For instance, Canelle 
  and Terak have some overlap, in that both are gods of phys-
  ical strength. However, they also possess unique features, 
  including different alignments and perspectives on the use 
  of strength. Similarly, you might choose to have a god of 
  magic with a very different profile from Tinel. Having two 
  gods of something specific, like hunting, might make less 
  sense and bears some scrutiny, but historical mythologies 
  have managed it. Artemis and Apollo are both hunting dei-
  ties, for example—she is the goddess of game hunting, and 
  he destroys monsters with his bow.
  Something that happens quite often in real-world myths 
  is that the children of a major god become the gods of 
  some sub-set of their parent’s province. For instance, if you 
  wanted a god of soldiers, it would make a great deal of sense 
  to say one of Terak’s children plays that role. 
  The gods as we have provided them cover a broad swath 
  of divine provinces. You can subdivide their areas of con-
  cern, creating less powerful demi-gods tied to the more 
  senior god. All you must do is make up the demi-god and 
  create the connection.
  
  182
  182
  The gods welcome followers from any of the twelve classes 
  presented in the PH. Certain classes have stronger ties to 
  the divine than do others. Clerics and paladins, for exam-
  ple, have direct ties to the gods, while druids along with 
  some monks and rangers might see themselves as cham-
  pions of the divine. Characters from other classes might 
  have strong religious inclinations and use their talents and 
  skills to advance the cause of their gods in the world. This 
  section expands the features available to all classes in the 
  game to support characters who choose to join one of the 
  orders described in the earlier chapters. Even if you’re not 
  using the pantheon described in this book, the following 
  options are available to any member of these classes at the 
  indicated levels.
  barbarIans
  Barbarians can come from any land, but most live in the 
  remotest parts of the world, where they must contend with 
  dangers and hardships without the comforts and trappings 
  of civilization. As most barbarians live in nature, they 
  favor the Old Gods who embody the primal and elemental 
  forces. Of them, barbarians are drawn closest to Urian the 
  Sky, Rontra the Earth, and Shalimyr the Waters, though 
  many also honor Eliwyn, the Tree of Life.
  path oF the harrIer
  Barbarians channel their rage in many ways. For some, 
  it brings about a near-mindless frenzy, an overpowering 
  urge to slaughter. For others, it provides clarity, focus, and 
  a drive to eliminate any obstacle that stands in their path. 
  The Path of the Harrier leads to a place where barbarians 
  can control their rage and focus it in constructive ways. 
  Unlike many other barbarians, those who follow the Path 
  of the Harrier favor ranged weapons, loosing missile after 
  missile with frightening alacrity and accuracy.
  deAdly FocUS
  When you choose this path at 3rd level, you focus your 
  hatred on your enemy whenever you rage. While raging, 
  you gain the following additional benefits:
  • Targets of your ranged attacks do not benefit from 
  bonuses to AC that originate from any cover less 
  than total cover.
  • Your speed increases by 10 feet if you aren’t wearing 
  heavy armor.
  • When you make a ranged attack, you gain a bonus 
  to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as 
  a barbarian, equal to the bonus in the Rage Damage 
  column of the Barbarian table for your level.
  FerocioUS Action
  Starting at 6th level, while you are raging, you can take a 
  bonus action on each of your turns in combat to use either 
  the Dash or Disengage action.
  inFlict horrible WoUnd
  Beginning at 10th level, when you score a critical hit, you 
  can forgo rolling one of the additional weapon damage 
  dice from your Brutal Critical class feature to instead 
  inflict a horrible wound upon the target creature. The 
  target creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw 
  (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modi-
  fier) or become maimed in some way—you take out one 
  of its eyes, or lop off a few fingers or perhaps an ear. The 
  creature becomes stunned for 1 minute or until it takes 
  damage. A creature stunned in this way can make a 
  Wisdom saving throw at the start of its turn; if it succeeds 
  it is no longer stunned.
  bloody mUrder
  When you reach 14th level, whenever you kill a creature 
  within your reach while you are raging, you can use a 
  bonus action to tear off the creature’s head or some other 
  body part and raise it in the air. Each creature within 30 
  feet of you that than can see and hear you must succeed on 
  a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + 
  your Charisma modifier) or be frightened until the end of 
  your next turn. 
  bards
  Most bards find welcome wherever they go. Entertainers 
  without peer, their music and stories can move the hardest 
  of hearts and inspire courage and hope in the most down-
  trodden. They keep the lore and histories of the land, carry 
  news from far-flung places, and might even bear messages 
  and warnings. Bards also play a part in the spread of reli-
  gion, for most are versed in the old myths and recount 
  them for audiences, reminding them of who they are and 
  from where they come. Bards can be found among the 
  followers of any religion, but most follow Aymara, the 
  Sister of Song.
  I
  ntroducing a complete religion necessitates rules to help realize the religion in play. All the options 
  presented in this chapter support the various churches described in the opening chapters to cover those areas the PH 
  cannot cover. Thus, you will find new class features for most of the classes, and a selection of backgrounds, feats, spells, 
  magic items, and creatures.
  Classes
  X: new rules
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  183
  College oF VIrtue
  The movements of the celestial bodies and the delicate dance 
  of the planes of existence create a form of music, one reflected 
  in the orderly universe. The College of Virtue emerged as 
  an institution devoted to its study and to preserve the uni-
  verse’s harmony against those forces of chaos and destruction 
  that would disrupt it. Steeped in religious mysticism, the 
  College’s bards act as forces of good and order in the world, 
  working to thwart evil wherever they find it and uplift others 
  with the music they create. Most see themselves as holy war-
  riors, champions of the gods, and they commit their lives to 
  furthering their interests in the material plane.
  bonUS ProFiciencieS
  Upon joining the College of Virtue at 3rd level, you gain 
  proficiency in medium armor and shields. Additionally, 
  you gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.
  mUSic oF the SPhereS
  Also at 3rd level, you learn how to make the music of the 
  heavens and inspire others to greatness. When a creature 
  you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, 
  you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of 
  Bardic Inspiration. Roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add 
  the number to the total of the creature’s attack roll. You 
  can use this feature after the creature makes the roll, 
  but before the GM determines whether the attack roll 
  succeeds or fails. If the target of the attack is a fiend or 
  undead, it takes extra radiant damage equal to the number 
  rolled on the Bardic Inspiration die.
  extrA AttAck
  Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, 
  when you take the Attack action.
  bolSterinG WordS
  At 14th level, you speak with the voice of heaven. Your words 
  bolster confidence and awaken courage in others. As a bonus 
  action, you can choose one creature within 60 feet of you. If 
  the target creature can see and hear you, you can expend one 
  of your uses of Bardic Inspiration and roll the Bardic Inspira-
  tion die. The target creature gains a number of temporary hit 
  points equal to the number rolled. These temporary hit points 
  last until they are lost or the target creature completes a long 
  rest. While it has these temporary hit points, the creature 
  becomes immune to the frightened condition.
  ClerICs
  Of all the mortals in service to the gods, it is clerics on 
  whom the gods depend the most. These devotees pledge 
  their lives to serve the gods, becoming tireless champions 
  of their causes. They might found temples in which they 
  can offer succor to the needy and religious instruction. Or, 
  some venture into the world to fight the enemies of their 
  faith. Each church has a clergy which is usually made up 
  of priests and clerics, thus most clerics devoted to specific 
  deities join the appropriate orders or, less likely, belong to 
  a corrupted or heretical group. Clerics sworn to the Lords 
  of Heaven pantheon typically join the Great Church.
  aIr doMaIn
  The wind and the sky are the province of the Air domain. 
  The powers of this domain are granted by gods who claim 
  the boundless skies as their dominion, and for many wor-
  shipers of these gods the Air domain serves as the more 
  placid counterpart to the raging Tempest domain. While 
  the wind does sometimes surge into a gusting gale, the 
  domain of Air also represents the tranquil calm of a still 
  night, or the soothing breeze that sends ripples across the 
  pond. It is the wind that lifts birds to soaring heights, and 
  in every swooping eagle clerics of the Air domain see the 
  hands of their gods at work.
  aIr doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  feather fall, fog cloud
  3rd
  gust of wind, hold person
  5th
  fly, wind wall
  7th
  conjure minor elementals, freedom of 
  movement
  9th
  conjure elemental, hold monster
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  184
  184
  bonUS cAntriP
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the 
  fist of air cantrip if you don’t already know it.
  reed in the Wind
  Also starting at 1st level, you can surrender your motion to 
  the divine winds, flowing out of the way of incoming harm. 
  When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, 
  you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage 
  against you, provided you are not restrained or prone.
  You can use this feature a number of times equal to your 
  Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all 
  expended uses when you finish a long rest.
  chAnnel divinity: eye oF the Storm
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to create a swirling vortex of air that encircles you, yet 
  leaves you unruffled at the center of the tornado.
  As an action, you present your holy symbol, and you 
  become surrounded by swirling air that lasts for 1 minute. 
  During that time, you become immune to inhaled poi-
  sons and any spells whose effects can be dispersed by a 
  strong wind.
  Additionally, the vortex has a number of charges of 
  divine power equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 
  one charge). When you or a creature that you can see 
  within 30 feet of you is attacked by a creature that you 
  can see with a ranged weapon, you can expend 1 of these 
  charges as a reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack 
  roll, using a gust of wind to bat the weapon aside. Alter-
  natively, when you cast fist of air, you can expend 1 of these 
  charges to add 1d6 to the damage dealt by the cantrip.
  one With the Wind
  Beginning at 6th level, you can use your action to cast 
  gaseous form, targeting only yourself. When affected by 
  gaseous form, your flying speed is equal to your normal 
  base speed and you can talk. Once you use this feature, 
  you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
  PoWerFUl SPellcAStinG
  Beginning at 8th level, when you deal damage with any 
  cleric cantrip, add your Wisdom modifier to the damage.
  reed in the Storm
  Starting at 17th level, when you use your Reed in the 
  Wind feature, instead of halving the attack’s damage, you 
  take no damage from that attack.
  balanCe doMaIn
  There cannot be good without evil, law without chaos, 
  light without dark. These forces act in the cosmos, striv-
  ing for dominance, but always checked by their opposite. 
  Their conflict creates stability in the universe—a stability 
  that must be preserved so existence can continue. Gods of 
  balance preserve the delicate equilibrium between cosmic 
  forces to ensure all things work as they should. They tend 
  to be impartial gods, moved to action only when the scales 
  tip toward one side or the other. They then throw their 
  weight behind the weaker force until balance is restored. 
  Most gods of balance focus on one of good versus evil or 
  law versus chaos. 
  balanCe doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  detect evil and good, sanctuary
  3rd
  calm emotions, warding bond
  5th
  dispel magic, tongues
  7th
  banishment, freedom of movement
  9th
  dispel evil and good, geas
  bonUS ProFiciencieS
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain profi-
  ciency with heavy armor and Insight.
  ServAnt oF bAlAnce
  Also starting at 1st level, you can use your action to touch 
  a willing creature other than yourself and spend 1 Hit 
  Die. Roll the die and the creature touched regains hit 
  points equal to the number rolled. 
  chAnnel divinity: divine retribUtion
  Beginning at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divin-
  ity to restore balance on the battlefield.
  When a creature other than you hits you or a creature 
  within your reach, you can use a reaction to make one 
  weapon attack with advantage.
  chAnnel divinity: even the Field
  Starting at 6th level, when a creature within 30 feet of you 
  becomes blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, invisi-
  ble, paralyzed, poisoned, restrained, or stunned, you can 
  use your reaction and use your Channel Divinity to force 
  one creature you can see within 30 feet of you to make a 
  Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you bestow the 
  same condition on that creature. The condition lasts until 
  the triggering condition is removed.
  divine Strike
  At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon 
  strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns 
  when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can 
  cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to 
  the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage 
  increases to 2d8.
  PArAGon oF bAlAnce 
  Beginning at 17th level, you cannot be charmed or 
  frightened. In addition, once per round, when you take 
  damage, a creature you choose within 30 feet of you must 
  succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell 
  save DC or take psychic damage equal to the amount of 
  damage you took.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  185
  beauty doMaIn
  Gods of beauty embody all that is lovely, charming, and 
  beautiful in the world, from the qualities of attractiveness 
  to the profound beauty of nature. They are often gods of 
  love, lust, or sexuality as well, although some are more 
  focused on purely aesthetic beauty, or patrons of the arts 
  or performance. Although usually kind and good, deities 
  of beauty can sometimes be vain and petty, especially 
  in contests of skill or attractiveness. Beauty can also be 
  deceptive, and not all gods associated with this domain 
  are as pleasant as they seem. Aymara, a God of the 
  Womb, includes Beauty in her portfolio.
  beauty doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  charm person, heroism
  3rd
  enthrall, suggestion
  5th
  bestow curse, remove curse
  7th
  compulsion, confusion
  9th
  dominate person, geas
  bonUS cAntriP
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the 
  friends cantrip if you don’t already have it.
  AllUrinG PreSence
  You become proficient in Deception or Persuasion. Your 
  proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you 
  make using the skill you chose.
  chAnnel divinity: beGUilinG beAUty
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to infuse your appearance with the power from your god 
  to ensnare a creature with your beauty.
  As an action, you present your holy symbol, and one 
  creature you choose within 30 feet of you that can see 
  you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If you or your 
  companions are fighting it, the creature makes the saving 
  throw with advantage. On a failed saving throw, the 
  creature becomes charmed by you for 1 minute or until 
  you or one of your companions do anything harmful 
  to it. When the effect ends, the creature knows you 
  charmed it.
  chAnnel divinity: blindinG beAUty
  Starting at 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to become a vision of divine beauty so profound it causes 
  those around you to become blinded by weeping.
  As an action, you present your holy symbol and are 
  enveloped in a vision of divine beauty; all creatures within 
  30 feet of you that can see you must make a Wisdom 
  saving throw. Blinding beauty has no effect on creatures 
  that cannot be blinded or charmed. On a failure, the 
  creature is blinded for 1 minute. At the end of each of its 
  turns, the creature can make another saving throw. On a 
  success, the effect ends for that creature.
  PoWerFUl SPellcAStinG
  Beginning at 8th level, when you deal damage with any 
  cleric cantrip, add your Wisdom modifier to the damage.
  PerFect beAUty
  Starting at 17th level, you become transformed into a vision 
  of perfect beauty. A creature charmed by your Beguiling 
  Beauty remains so until you or one of your companions 
  does anything harmful to it or you use Beguiling Beauty 
  again. When the creature is no longer charmed in this 
  way, it becomes hostile toward you and might attack you, 
  depending on its nature as the GM decides.
  CreatIon doMaIn
  Almost every culture has a legend about where the world 
  came from, and many of them center on the idea that the 
  world as the mortal races know it is a creation made by a 
  divine hand. The gods of the Creation domain might be 
  revered as the creators of the world, or they might simply 
  be worshiped as the gods who hold dominion over forges, 
  craftsmen, shipwrights, artists, and other makers. Of course, 
  there is also an aspect of creation that clears away the rubble 
  of the old before the new can be made; for every making, 
  there is also an unmaking. Clerics gifted with the powers 
  of the Creation domain are highly valued by the leaders 
  of expeditions, as their ability to conjure up just what the 
  expedition needs on a moment’s notice allows the group to 
  quickly deal with any adversity that might come their way.
  CreatIon doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  create or destroy water, identify
  3rd
  magic weapon, shatter
  5th
  glyph of warding, tiny hut
  7th
  fabricate, stone shape
  9th
  creation, wall of stone
  diSciPle oF creAtion
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain pro-
  ficiency with all kinds of artisans’ tools. Your proficiency 
  bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses 
  artisans’ tools.
  GiFt oF mAkinG
  Also when you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain 
  the thaumaturgy cantrip if you do not already know it, and 
  can use it to create a nonmagical trinket or tool that can 
  fit into your hand. The object created lasts until the end of 
  your next turn.
  chAnnel divinity: divine FAbricAtion
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to create objects using the powers of the divine forges.
  You can spend 1 minute presenting your holy symbol and 
  describe a nonmagical inanimate object that can fit entirely 
  within a cube that is 10 feet on each side. The object 
  
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  appears on the ground in an unoccupied space you choose 
  within 30 feet of you; if there is not enough room for the 
  object to be created in such a space, you cannot use your 
  Channel Divinity in this way. The object you describe must 
  be one that you have seen before, and must have a value 
  of less than 3,000 gp. The object is visibly crude, though 
  perfectly functional, obviously magical (covered in a shim-
  mering sheen visible even in dim light), and lacks any kind 
  of fine detail or ornamentation. The object disappears after 
  1 hour, or if you use this feature again, or if you are ever 
  more than 30 feet away from the object.
  SimPle enchAntment
  Beginning at 6th level, when you cast the magic weapon 
  spell, it does not require concentration to maintain its 
  effect. If you cast magic weapon and then cast it again 
  before the spell ends, the first casting of the spell ends 
  immediately.
  divine Strike
  At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon 
  strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns 
  when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can 
  cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 bludgeoning damage 
  to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra 
  damage increases to 2d8.
  SUPreme FAbricAtion
  Starting at 17th level, when you use your Divine Fabrica-
  tion feature, the object you create must fit entirely within 
  a cube that is 50 feet on each side.
  CorruptIon doMaIn
  The Corruption domain embodies the darkness that lurks 
  in all creatures and the act of giving in to evil impulses. 
  Only evil deities are ever associated with corruption, for 
  they work through their servants to lead others down the 
  path to evil. Clerics of corruption are as cancers in the 
  world, tempting others toward wickedness to gain favor 
  from their gods. Most conceal their true agenda and 
  nature, wearing pleasing masks to conceal the horror they 
  would visit on others.
  CorruptIon doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  charm person, disguise self
  3rd
  crown of madness, suggestion
  5th
  fear, major image
  7th
  confusion, polymorph
  9th
  modify memory, seeming
  toolS oF corrUPtion
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain profi-
  ciency in Deception and gain the friends and minor illusion 
  cantrips if you don’t have them already.
  chAnnel divinity: inveiGlinG WordS
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use Channel Divinity to 
  influence another creature and make them amenable to 
  your vile suggestions.
  As an action, choose one creature that you can see 
  within 60 feet of you. If that creature can hear you and 
  
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  understand what you say, it must make a Wisdom saving 
  throw. If the creature succeeds, you can’t use this feature 
  on it again until you finish a long rest.
  If the creature fails its save, it becomes charmed for 
  1 minute or until you or your companions do anything 
  harmful to it. The charmed creature regards you as a 
  trusted friend and confidant and you have advantage on 
  Charisma checks you make against it. When the effect 
  ends, the creature knows it was charmed by you.
  corrUPtinG WordS
  Starting at 6th level, when you have a creature charmed 
  from your use of Inveigling Words, you can use an action 
  to end the effect and cast the suggestion spell against the 
  target without expending a casting. 
  divine Strike
  At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes 
  with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a 
  creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal 
  an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target. When you reach 
  14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
  corrUPtinG chArm
  Starting at 17th level, creatures that become charmed from 
  spells you cast or from your class features change their 
  alignment to evil, if they are not evil already. If they are 
  already evil, they have advantage on attack rolls and saving 
  throws until they stop being charmed. When a creature 
  stops being charmed, it must succeed on Wisdom saving 
  throw or the change to its alignment becomes permanent.
  earth doMaIn
  The gods of the earth have dominion over the solid foun-
  dations upon which the world is built. These gods not 
  only command stones and move mountains, but also hold 
  sway over the fertile soil in which plants grow, the pre-
  cious gems and metals mortal races draw from mines deep 
  beneath the ground, and the deep caverns and subterra-
  nean realms that form the pillars upon which the surface 
  world rests. There is a strong bond between the Earth 
  domain and the mortal races; it is in the earth that farm-
  ers work to grow the crops needed to feed their families, 
  and in the earth that miners delve to retrieve the stones 
  and metals necessary to build the fundamental structures 
  of civilization. Clerics bestowed with the powers of the 
  Earth domain carry with them the strength and immov-
  ability of stone, and use their divinely-granted gifts to 
  protect those around them from harm.
  earth doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  entangle, heroism
  3rd
  acid arrow, shatter
  5th
  meld into stone, plant growth
  7th
  conjure minor elementals, stoneskin
  9th
  conjure elemental, wall of stone
  StrenGth oF the moUntAin
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain 
  proficiency with heavy armor. Additionally, you have 
  advantage on Strength saving throws.
  endUrAnce oF Stone
  Also starting at 1st level, your hit point maximum 
  increases by 1, and increases by 1 again whenever you gain 
  a level in this class. 
  chAnnel divinity: Shelter oF the lAnd
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to shield your allies against harm.
  As an action, you present your holy symbol and lay a 
  protective blessing upon your allies that radiates outward 
  from you. For 1 minute, whenever a creature other than 
  you that is within 60 feet of you and that you can see 
  takes bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you can 
  choose to reduce that damage by an amount equal to your 
  Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).
  Potency oF the Soil
  Beginning at 6th level, when you cast a spell that targets 
  only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, if that 
  spell causes the target to regain hit points, you can choose 
  for a different creature in range to also regain the same 
  number of hit points.
  divine Strike
  At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon 
  strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns 
  when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can 
  cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 force damage to 
  the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage 
  increases to 2d8.
  FoUndAtionS oF the deeP eArth
  Starting at 17th level, you become immune to petrification 
  and, if you are not incapacitated, you cannot be moved 
  against your will. 
  FIre doMaIn
  The mortal races have long had a strong connection to 
  fire; it is the mastery of fire that is the first technology 
  developed by any group clawing its way toward civiliza-
  tion. Fire is a primal force, and the gods who claim fire 
  as a part of their portfolio are often similarly primal. Fire 
  is a cornerstone of civilization, and yet at the same time 
  it is never truly tamed; its presence invokes wariness of 
  danger, and it remains strongly associated with unpre-
  dictability, destruction, and catastrophe. Clerics who have 
  been granted the blessings of the Fire domain are often 
  similarly regarded: though on the outside they might 
  appear calm and in control, inside them roils a dangerous 
  power that, when stoked and unleashed, can do as much 
  to unmake civilization as to prop it up. Even at their 
  calmest, clerics with this domain give the impression that 
  
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  smoldering embers lie just out of sight, waiting on the 
  right trigger to fan the flames waiting at their fingertips.
  FIre doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  burning hands, hellish rebuke
  3rd
  flaming sphere, heat metal
  5th
  daylight, fireball
  7th
  conjure minor elementals, wall of fire
  9th
  conjure elemental, flame strike
  bonUS cAntriP
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the 
  fire bolt and produce flame cantrips if you don’t already 
  know them. These cantrips count as cleric spells for you.
  Allied to the Fire
  Also starting at 1st level, you gain resistance to fire damage.
  chAnnel divinity: Stoke the blAZe
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to cause the flames created by your spells to burn with an 
  intensity stoked by divine power.
  When you roll fire damage, after you have rolled you 
  can use your Channel Divinity to deal maximum damage 
  to a single target, instead of what you rolled.
  SeArinG rAdiAnce
  Beginning at 6th level, when you would cast a spell that 
  deals fire damage, you can choose for half of the damage 
  dealt to be radiant damage, and the rest to be fire damage. 
  You must make this decision before you resolve the 
  spell’s effect.
  PoWerFUl SPellcAStinG
  Beginning at 8th level, when you deal damage with any 
  cleric cantrip, add your Wisdom modifier to the damage.
  UntoUched by the FlAme
  Starting at 17th level, you become immune to fire damage.
  Madness doMaIn
  The gods of madness might be frightening, inscru-
  table beings lurking at the frayed edges of reality or 
  they might simply be hedonistic gods who urge their 
  followers to seek excess in all things and delight in the 
  chaos and insanity that often results. Gods of madness 
  might be worshiped in secret by strange cults seeking 
  forbidden power, but they could be beloved deities who 
  bring gaiety and joy to the lives of ordinary people. Their 
  clerics are sometimes dangerous figures, working to tear 
  down propriety and disrupt the status quo. They can be 
  erratic and capricious, acting with enigmatic motives 
  and a desire to expand—or sunder—the minds of people 
  they meet.
  Madness doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  dissonant whispers, hideous laughter
  3rd
  crown of madness, suggestion
  5th
  fear, hypnotic pattern
  7th
  confusion, phantasmal killer
  9th
  dominate person, modify memory
  bleSSinG oF mAdneSS
  Starting at 1st level when you choose this domain, your 
  mind becomes unhinged, flooded with strange thoughts 
  and ideas. You gain periodic bursts of frightening clar-
  ity, which are fueled by special dice called madness dice, 
  which are d6s. You have a number of madness dice equal 
  to 1 + half your level (minimum 2 dice). You can expend 
  a madness die and add the number rolled to one ability 
  check, attack roll, or saving throw you make. When you 
  do so, you have disadvantage on all ability checks, attack 
  rolls, and saving throws until the end of your next turn. 
  You regain all expended madness dice when you finish 
  a long rest.
  chAnnel divinity: AFFlict mAdneSS
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to flood your foe with erratic thoughts. 
  As an action, you present your holy symbol and invoke 
  the name of your deity. One creature of your choice you 
  can see within 60 feet must succeed on a Wisdom saving 
  throw or become insane until the end of your next turn. 
  Constructs are immune to this effect. While insane, the 
  creature cannot use actions, bonus actions, or reactions, 
  though it can still move on its turn.
  chAnnel divinity: Flood oF mAdneSS
  Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to amplify your own madness. 
  When you would expend a madness die, you can use a 
  bonus action to turn your madness die into a d12. If the 
  ability check, attack roll, or saving throw succeeds, you do 
  not have the usual disadvantage on ability checks, attack 
  rolls, and saving throws from expending a madness die.
  divine Strike
  At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon 
  strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns 
  when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can 
  cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 psychic damage to 
  the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage 
  increases to 2d8.
  inFectioUS mAdneSS
  At 17th level, you can no longer be charmed or frightened. 
  In addition, whenever you expend a madness die, you can 
  also bestow a madness die to one creature you can see 
  within 60 feet of you.
  
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  repose doMaIn
  For some cultures, death is a thing to be feared, and as 
  such, those cultures’ gods of death are often figures of 
  foreboding and evil. For others, death is merely a tran-
  sition, and the gods of death are shepherds of souls, 
  carrying them on to the next realm. For clerics of this 
  latter kind of death god, the Repose domain represents 
  the gifts of these gods, focusing on ensuring that malign 
  forces do not interrupt the natural cycle of life and death. 
  Clerics with the Repose domain also gain mastery over 
  many things that are a part of death, such as stillness, 
  unawareness, and nonexistence. More than anything, 
  clerics of the Repose domain excel at seeking out the 
  abomination that is the undead, and correcting the flaw 
  that their existence has introduced into the natural order.
  repose doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  false life, sleep
  3rd
  gentle repose, hold person
  5th
  glyph of warding, speak with dead
  7th
  banishment, death ward
  9th
  raise dead, hold monster
  PoWer oF the GrAve
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you learn two 
  necromancy cantrips chosen from any class’s spell list.
  bArrinG deAth’S door
  Also starting at 1st level, creatures that you are friendly 
  to that are within 60 feet of you have advantage on death 
  saving throws.
  chAnnel divinity: SenSe UndeAd
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to sense undead creatures and seek them out unerringly 
  using your divine senses. 
  As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak 
  the mystic words, granting yourself a sense of unlife 
  nearby. For the next minute, you know the direction of 
  the nearest undead creature within 60 feet of you, but 
  not its distance from you. You can sense the presence and 
  direction of undead that are ethereal, invisible, disguised, 
  or hidden, as well as those in plain sight. The effect ends if 
  you become unconscious.
  reStore the nAtUrAl order
  Beginning at 6th level, your cleric level is treated as being 
  6 higher than it actually is for the purposes of the Destroy 
  Undead cleric feature.
  PoWerFUl SPellcAStinG
  Beginning at 8th level, when you deal damage with any 
  cleric cantrip, add your Wisdom modifier to the damage.
  SAnctity oF deAth
  Starting at 17th level, when a creature within 60 feet of 
  you dies, for 1 day the creature’s body cannot be rean-
  imated as, or transformed into, an undead creature. 
  Additionally, spells and monsters cannot create undead 
  creatures within 60 feet of you.
  traVel doMaIn
  The great civilizations of the world are scattered far and 
  wide from one another, and it is the greatest gift of the gods 
  of travel to connect those civilizations with safe journeys. 
  Gods who bestow the gifts of the Travel domain upon 
  their clergy concern themselves not just with making haste, 
  but also with finding shelter, leaving no trail, and letting 
  no obstacle stand in the way of the journey. While the 
  blessings of the Travel domain certainly allow its clerics to 
  make long, arduous journeys safer and shorter, the gods of 
  travel also help their followers move quicker in the heat of 
  combat. When a traveler is waylaid by highwaymen, the 
  clerics of the Travel domain not only protect the devout 
  traveler, but also give them the ability to flee more easily, or 
  get into a position to turn the tables on their assailants.
  traVel doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  expeditious retreat, longstrider
  3rd
  pass without trace, rope trick
  5th
  tiny hut, water walk
  7th
  dimension door, freedom of movement
  9th
  teleportation circle, tree stride
  ShiFt
  Starting when you choose this domain at 1st level, as a 
  bonus action you can move up to 10 feet. This movement 
  does not provoke opportunity attacks.
  FAr Strider
  Also starting at 1st level, you and up to 6 companions, 
  along with one mount for each companion, do not suffer 
  levels of exhaustion for traveling for more than 8 hours each 
  day. Additionally, while doing nothing but traveling, you, 
  your companions, and your mounts do not need to sleep, 
  and you can travel at a fast pace without taking a penalty to 
  passive Wisdom (Perception) checks because of that speed.
  chAnnel divinity: Provident FleetneSS
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to allow your companions to swiftly move into a place of 
  safety (or dash to the front lines of battle) before your ene-
  mies have a chance to react.
  As an action, you present your holy symbol, and invoke 
  the divine power of your god of travel to allow any crea-
  ture you choose that you can see and is within 30 feet of 
  you to use its reaction to move up to its speed, plus an 
  additional 30 feet, if it is free to do so. Additionally, this 
  movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
  
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  190
  chAnnel divinity: vAniShinG SteP
  Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to move so quickly that your enemies barely have time to 
  register that you are gone.
  When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you 
  can use your Channel Divinity as a reaction to teleport up 
  to 30 feet away to an unoccupied space that you can see. If 
  you teleport to a space that is within 5 feet of the creature 
  that missed you with the melee attack, as a part of your 
  reaction you can make a melee attack against that creature 
  with advantage on the attack roll.
  divine Strike
  At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon 
  strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns 
  when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can 
  cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 damage to the target. 
  The extra damage is of the same type normally dealt by 
  the weapon. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage 
  increases to 2d8.
  UntoUchAble Stride
  Starting at 17th level, you do not provoke opportunity 
  attacks by moving.
  tyranny doMaIn
  At heart, the Tyranny domain reflects the urge to impose 
  one’s will on others. Expressions of tyranny can be found 
  throughout the world, from the monarch whose word is 
  law, to the powerful crime lord who takes control of a 
  city’s underworld. Merchants who have a monopoly over 
  a crucial commodity, a benevolent dictator whose good 
  intentions mask intolerance for competing views, or even 
  the conquering general who always looks ahead to the 
  next nation to fall under her control are further repre-
  sentations and find appeal in serving gods who would 
  strengthen their authority. The gods of tyranny send 
  their clerics to support these individuals, to help them 
  expand their dominions, and silence any opposition they 
  might face. 
  tyranny doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  charm person, command
  3rd
  hold person, suggestion
  5th
  bestow curse, fear
  7th
  banishment, compulsion
  9th
  dominate person, hold monster
  bonUS ProFiciencieS
  At 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons 
  and heavy armor.
  bleSSinG oF the tyrAnt
  Starting when you choose this domain at 1st level, you 
  can use your action to touch a willing creature other than 
  yourself to give it advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) 
  checks. The blessing lasts for 1 hour or until you use this 
  feature again.
  chAnnel divinity: invoke AUthority
  Beginning at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divin-
  ity to impose your will on other creatures.
  As an action, you present your holy symbol and chan-
  nel divine authority at one creature you can see within 
  60 feet of you. Constructs are immune to this effect. The 
  target creature must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a 
  success, the creature becomes immune to this effect until 
  you finish a long rest. On a failure, the creature becomes 
  compelled until the start of your next turn. While com-
  pelled, when the creature takes its next turn, you can tell 
  it what to do on its turn, deciding how it moves and uses 
  an action. If the creature refuses, it takes psychic damage 
  equal to 1d6 + half your level.
  chAnnel divinity: FeAr the tyrAnt
  Starting at 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to fill an enemy attacking you with dread. 
  As a reaction, when a creature you can see attacks you, 
  it has disadvantage on its attack roll. If the attack misses, 
  the creature becomes frightened until the end of its next 
  turn. Creatures that cannot be frightened are immune to 
  this effect.
  divine Strike
  At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon 
  strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns 
  when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can 
  cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 damage to the target 
  of the same type normally dealt by the weapon. When you 
  reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
  UnASSAilAble AUthority
  At 17th level, you can use a bonus action to cast the com-
  mand spell. You must still expend a slot as normal.
  In addition, creatures have disadvantage on saving 
  throws against enchantment spells you cast.
  water doMaIn
  Few clerics are granted powers that encompass elements 
  that are simultaneously fundamental to the flourishing 
  of life and capable of wiping away all traces that life 
  was once there. Water takes many forms; so too do the 
  powers granted to clerics of this domain. A cleric devoted 
  to a god with dominion over water can call to hand the 
  force of a rushing river current, summon the relentless, 
  crashing power of the tides, or conjure the bitter cold of a 
  blizzard. Clerics with this domain can summon or vanish 
  into blinding mists, walk across the bottom of a lake 
  without harm, and harness the catastrophic power of a 
  flood. Many different deities grant the powers of the water 
  domain to their followers: gods of the sea, gods of the rain 
  and snow, and gods of rivers, lakes, and streams.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
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  water doMaIn spells
  cleric level
  SPellS
  1st
  create or destroy water, fog cloud
  3rd
  blur, misty step
  5th
  sleet storm, water breathing
  7th
  conjure minor elementals, control water
  9th
  conjure elemental, cone of cold
  relentleSS AS the tideS
  When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain pro-
  ficiency with heavy armor. Additionally, wearing heavy 
  armor does not affect your ability to swim or encumber 
  your movement in water.
  deStrUctive AS the Flood
  Also starting at 1st level, your damaging spells are more 
  effective. Whenever you roll damage for a cleric spell 
  of 1st level or higher, add your Wisdom modifier to the 
  damage (minimum of 1)
  chAnnel divinity: crAShinG WAveS
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity 
  to summon the power of the crashing waves to strike at 
  your enemies.
  When you hit an enemy with a melee weapon attack, 
  you can use your Channel Divinity as a bonus action 
  to cause a wave of divine power to wash out over each 
  enemy you choose that is within 10 feet of the target of 
  the attack. For each of those creatures, if the attack roll of 
  the weapon attack equals or exceeds that creature’s Armor 
  Class, that creature takes bludgeoning damage equal to 
  the weapon’s damage die + your Wisdom modifier (plus 
  any extra damage gained from the Divine Strike feature 
  once you reach 8th level).
  PlAcid AS the lAkeS
  Beginning at 6th level, when you are charmed, you can 
  use your action to end the effect that is causing you to 
  be charmed.
  divine Strike
  At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your 
  weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on 
  each of your turns when you hit a creature 
  with a weapon attack, you can cause the 
  attack to deal an extra 1d8 bludgeoning 
  damage to the target. When you reach 14th 
  level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
  UntoUchAble AS the miStS
  Starting at 17th level, you are permanently 
  under the effects of the water breathing spell, 
  and whenever you cast one of your domain 
  spells, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, 
  piercing, and slashing damage until the end 
  of your next turn.
  druIds
  An ancient order devoted to nature in all its forms, 
  druids nurture the land, protecting it from despoilers and 
  destroyers. Druids do not usually join the churches of the 
  other gods, for their temples are in the wilderness, their 
  gods found in the beasts in the fields, the trees in the 
  woods, and the stars in the sky. While some druids might 
  have affinity with the old gods, most instead see them-
  selves as servants of Eliwyn, the Tree of Life from which 
  all living things spring.
  CIrCle spells For druIds oF the tree
  The circles of druids that tend to Eliwyn, the Great Tree, 
  are shaped by the Tree of Life’s presence, their magical 
  abilities cultivated to reflect not only nature’s verdant 
  growth but also the life, hope, and purity that Eliwyn 
  represents.
  the tree oF lIFe CIrCle
  drUid level
  circle SPellS
  3rd
  aid, calm emotions
  5th
  beacon of hope, revivify
  7th
  conjure woodland beings, death ward
  9th
  dispel evil and good, hallow
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  192
  192
  hospItaler spellCastIng
  FiGhter
  level
  cAntriPS
  knoWn
  —SPell SlotS Per SPell level—
  1St
  2nd
  3rd
  4th
  3rd
  2
  2
  —
  —
  —
  4th
  2
  3
  —
  —
  —
  5th
  2
  3
  —
  —
  —
  6th
  2
  3
  —
  —
  —
  7th
  2
  4
  2
  —
  —
  8th
  2
  4
  2
  —
  —
  9th
  2
  4
  2
  —
  —
  10th
  3
  4
  3
  —
  —
  11th
  3
  4
  3
  —
  —
  12th
  3
  4
  3
  —
  —
  13th
  3
  4
  3
  2
  —
  14th
  3
  4
  3
  2
  —
  15th
  3
  4
  3
  2
  —
  16th
  3
  4
  3
  3
  —
  17th
  3
  4
  3
  3
  —
  18th
  3
  4
  3
  3
  —
  19th
  3
  4
  3
  3
  1
  20th
  3
  4
  3
  3
  1
  FIghters
  Although committed to attaining martial mastery, fighters 
  can be as devout as anyone, seeking comfort and inspira-
  tion from the gods. Some fighters honor all the gods in 
  the manner taught by the Great Church, offering prayers 
  to whichever god might intercede on their behalf or who 
  can give aid in a particular situation. Many fighters, 
  though, have strong ties to specific gods, especially those 
  who embody strength, valor, and the arts of war. Gods 
  commonly worshiped by fighters include Terak, Morwyn, 
  Mormekar, Maal, and Canelle the Red Sister. Evil fight-
  ers might pray to Canarak, Naran, or Asmodeus.
  hospItaler
  The hospitaler archetype stands at the crossroads of martial 
  mastery and devotion to one or more gods. Hospitalers 
  approach their faith much as clerics do, but draw on their 
  religious convictions to help them overcome their enemies 
  in battle. Where paladins are called to fight in the name of 
  righteousness, hospitalers use their devotion to the divine 
  to advance the cause of their patron deities in the world and 
  might serve as combat healers, chaplains, or simply devout 
  warriors who took up arms in the name of the gods. Hos-
  pitalers pray for and receive a small number of cleric spells, 
  and most focus their spell selection on healing magic. 
  SPellcAStinG
  When you reach 3rd level, the gods infuse you with divine 
  power, which augments your combat capabilities. See the 
  PH for rules of spell casting and for the cleric spell list.
  • Cantrips: Choose two cantrips to learn from the 
  cleric spell list. You learn another cleric cantrip of 
  your choice when you reach 10th level.
  • Preparing and Casting Spells: The Hospitaler spell-
  casting table shows how many spell slots you have to 
  cast your spells. When you would cast a spell of 1st 
  level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell’s 
  level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots 
  when you finish a long rest.
   You prepare the list of cleric spells available for you to 
  cast, choosing from the cleric spell list. When you do so, 
  choose a number of cleric spells equal to your Charisma 
  modifier + half your fighter level, rounded down 
  (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level 
  for which you have spell slots. You can change your list 
  of prepared spells when you finish a long rest, though 
  doing so requires you to spend at least 1 minute per spell 
  level for each spell on your list in prayer and meditation.
  • Spellcasting Ability: Wisdom is your spellcast-
  ing ability for your cleric spells, since the power 
  you draw to cast them comes from your devotion 
  and understanding of the deity you serve. You use 
  Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your Charisma 
  modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a 
  cleric spell and when making an attack roll with one.
   Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your 
  Wisdom modifier
   Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your 
  Wisdom modifier
   Spellcasting Focus: You can use a holy symbol as a 
  spellcasting focus for your cleric spells.
  devoted heAler
  At 3rd level, you learn to how to channel your faith, which 
  is represented by special dice called faith dice, into heal-
  ing. You have two faith dice, which are d6s. Whenever 
  you cast a 1st-level or higher spell that restores hit points 
  to a creature, you can expend a faith die, roll it, and add 
  the number rolled to the total number of hit points the 
  creature regains. You regain all your expended faith dice 
  when you finish a short or long rest.
  You gain another faith die at 7th level and another one 
  at 15th level.
  imProved devoted heAler
  Starting at 7th level, your faith dice turn into d8s. At 18th 
  level, they turn into d10s.
  heAlinG SUrGe
  When you reach 10th level, any time you use your Action 
  Surge, you can expend one faith die. Roll the die and each 
  creature you choose within 30 feet of you gains temporary 
  hit points equal to the number rolled. After 1 minute, any 
  remaining temporary hit points are lost.
  bUrGeoninG FAith
  Beginning at 15th level, when you roll initiative and you 
  have no faith dice remaining, you regain one faith die.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  193
  Monks
  The monasteries scattered across the face of the world 
  offer ways to attain enlightenment. What enlightenment 
  means varies from monastery to monastery. For some, it 
  could be to unite body and mind to transcend the limits of 
  the physical form and for others, it might mean to become 
  one with the universe. While the methods and motives 
  vary, almost all monasteries find their roots in the efforts 
  of Kunar, who left the Great Sphere to become one with 
  the Nameless One.
  way oF Iron
  Adherents to the Way of Iron seek tranquility in the art of 
  combat. Unlike other monastic traditions, the Way of Iron 
  focuses on the use of weapons, treating them as extensions 
  of the monk’s own body. Followers of the Way of Iron 
  are usually front-line combatants, leaving their temples 
  behind to join in the dance of battle shoulder-to-shoulder 
  with the rank and file soldiers. Grandmasters of the Way 
  of Iron wield any weapon with such grace and ease that 
  the weapons seem to have always been a part of them, the 
  way a hand or an eye would be, and their movement and 
  attacks are full of graceful arcs and twirling flourishes that 
  make battle seem to be more of a dance than a conflict. 
  Adherents to the Way of Iron train relentlessly with one 
  another, and are among the most exceptional duelists in 
  the world, having honed their skill against the best war-
  riors their temples have to offer.
  roilinG Storm oF iron
  Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you 
  gain proficiency in all weapons and armor, and if you are 
  wearing armor you can use your Unarmored Defense fea-
  ture if the AC it would provide is higher than your AC in 
  armor. Furthermore, all melee weapons that do not have 
  the heavy property are monk weapons for you.
  teSt oF Skill
  Also starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, 
  you can compel other creatures to engage you in a test 
  of martial skill. One creature that you can see that is 
  within 30 feet of you and that can hear and understand 
  you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, 
  for 1 minute the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls 
  made against creatures other than you, and must make a 
  Wisdom saving throw each time it attempts to move to 
  a space that is more than 30 feet away from you; if the 
  creature fails this saving throw, it cannot move to a space 
  more than 30 feet away from you this turn. This effect 
  ends if you attack any creature other than the affected 
  creature, if you cast a spell that targets a creature hos-
  tile to you other than the affected creature, if a creature 
  friendly to you damages the affected creature or casts a 
  harmful spell on it, or if you end your turn more than 30 
  feet away from the affected creature. 
  Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again 
  for 1 minute.
  ShiFtinG blAdeS
  At 6th level, attacks you make with monk weapons count 
  as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and 
  immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. 
  WhirlWind oF Steel
  Beginning at 11th level, when you would use a bonus 
  action to make one or more unarmed attacks (either the 
  attack granted by your Martial Arts feature, or when 
  spending a ki point to make a Flurry of Blows), you can 
  make attacks with monk weapons instead.
  PerFect Strike
  At 17th level, you learn to combine an economy of move-
  ment with perfect angles of attack, allowing you to strike 
  hard with precision. When you use the Attack action and 
  make only one attack, if the attack hits you can spend 1 ki 
  point as a bonus action to add a +25 bonus to the damage 
  of that attack, provided that you made the attack with a 
  monk weapon.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  194
  194
  paladIns
  The holiest of warriors, paladins take up arms to fight 
  injustice, tyranny, and wickedness. By swearing sacred 
  oaths to the gods they serve, paladins gain a measure 
  of divine power to aid them in their campaigns. Most 
  churches described in this book have orders made up 
  almost exclusively of paladins. The oaths these paladins 
  swear align with how the order serves its patron deity.
  oath oF the asCetIC
  The Oath of the Ascetic is a rejection of possessions and 
  material wealth, positing such things lead only to temp-
  tation and corruption of the spirit. Ascetics live simply, 
  embracing their poverty to better understand themselves 
  and their devotion to their god. As noble and virtuous 
  as other paladins, they strive to be examples to others, to 
  live unimpeachable lives and devote themselves to helping 
  others. Ascetics wear simple and unadorned armor, if they 
  bother with it. When not fighting, they don simple cloth-
  ing, looking like the commoners they fight to protect.
  tenetS oF Poverty
  The Oath of the Ascetic liberates the paladin from temp-
  tations and encourages humility and virtue. It has four 
  basic tenets:
  • Humility: Be humble in all dealings with others. All 
  are equal in the eyes of the gods.
  • Charity: Keep only what you need to survive and 
  give all excess to those in need.
  • Temperance: Your body is a temple, so treat it 
  as such. Eat and drink only what is needed to 
  sustain you.
  • Courage: Do what must be done with enthusiasm 
  and zeal, but have the wisdom to know when such 
  action would be futile.
  oAth SPellS
  You gain path spells at the paladin levels listed.
  oath oF the asCetIC spells
  PAlAdin level 
  SPellS
  3rd
  mage armor, purify food and drink
  5th
  lesser restoration, warding bond
  9th
  create food and water, mass healing word
  13th
  aura of purity, freedom of movement
  17th
  greater restoration, mass cure wounds
  chAnnel divinity
  When you swear this oath at 3rd level, you gain the fol-
  lowing two Channel Divinity options:
  • Armor of Faith: As an action, you can surround your-
  self in an invisible field of force using your Channel 
  Divinity. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma 
  modifier to your Armor Class and to all saving 
  throws (minimum +1). In addition, you gain tem-
  porary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + 
  half your paladin level (minimum of 1 temporary hit 
  point). The temporary hit points remain until lost or 
  you use this Channel Divinity option again. If you 
  fall unconscious, this effect ends.
  • Blessings of Courage: You can use your Channel 
  Divinity to bestow a blessing onto an ally. As an 
  action, one creature within 30 feet of you gains tem-
  porary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + 
  half your paladin level (minimum of 1 temporary hit 
  point). While the creature has these temporary hit 
  points, it has advantage on saving throws made to 
  resist being frightened.
  AUrA oF SAcriFice
  Starting at 7th level, your selfless nature manifests as a 
  palpable aura that protects people around you. Whenever 
  a creature within 10 feet of you takes damage, you can 
  choose to take some or all of that damage on behalf of 
  that creature. 
  At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
  temPle oF FleSh
  Beginning at 15th level, you become as a living temple. 
  You cannot be physically scarred by any means. You are 
  immune to petrification, poison, and any effect that would 
  change your form. You no longer need to eat or drink, 
  though you can do so if you wish. Finally, you appear 
  to be at the prime of your life and do not physically age, 
  though you still die when your time is up. 
  embodiment oF virtUe
  At 20th level, you achieve a state of physical perfection 
  that exemplifies the best qualities of your race. You per-
  manently gain 20 hit points and when you spend a Hit 
  Die to regain hit points, you always regain the maximum 
  number of hit points. In addition, whenever you would 
  make a saving throw using an ability other than Cha-
  risma, you can make a Charisma saving throw instead.
  oath oF battle
  While all paladins are, in one respect or another, the 
  faith militant of their respective traditions, those who 
  swear the Oath of Battle place themselves at the fore-
  front of armed conflict. Crusaders of their faith, paladins 
  that swear this Oath spend as much time studying 
  military history and strategy as they do their tenets of 
  their own religion. They are often born leaders, men and 
  women who would rise through the ranks of command 
  in a military organization even without the aid of their 
  deity. More than just good in a fight, paladins who swear 
  the Oath of Battle are invaluable on a battlefield when 
  armies clash, drawing the opposing forces to them and 
  inspiring the troops on their side to ride head-on into 
  battle and win the day.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  195
  tenetS oF bAttle
  The tenets of the Oath of Battle come from hundreds 
  of years of military tradition. Despite the differences 
  in the loyalties and composition of varying military 
  orders, there are certain rules, unspoken or otherwise, 
  that have evolved over the years into a creed that pala-
  dins who swear the Oath of Battle hold as dear as their 
  own lives.
  • Lead from the Front: Go gallantly and willingly to 
  the front lines, placing yourself in danger to stir the 
  hearts and minds of your companions. You need 
  no standard-bearer; be the standard that draws the 
  eyes of enemies and allies alike to the thickest part 
  of the battle.
  • Comrades Before Oneself: A soldier alone is merely a 
  soldier; many soldiers together are a force to be reck-
  oned with. You are nothing without your comrades 
  in arms; you must put the wellbeing and safety of 
  your battle companions before your own, and when 
  an ally falls, it is your duty to pick them up and carry 
  them to safety if need be.
  • Never Forget the Mission: Do not let anger, revenge, 
  or despair come between you and your goal. Every 
  battle is fought for a reason, and there is an objective 
  to be won that must be remembered always. In every 
  facet of life, remember your mission, and place it 
  before your own desires.
  • Defeat is Not an Option: Never surrender when the 
  fight can still be won. Never abandon your position 
  unless commanded to do so by a superior officer. 
  Never do anything to endanger the chance for your 
  force to emerge from battle victorious. Fight to the 
  last, but remember that the war is more important 
  than the battle.
  oAth SPellS
  You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
  oath oF battle spells
  PAlAdin level
  SPellS
  3rd
  healing word, shield
  5th
  flame blade, spiritual weapon
  9th
  beacon of hope, spirit guardians
  13th
  guardian of faith, stoneskin
  17th
  greater restoration, mass cure wounds
  chAnnel divinity
  When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the follow-
  ing two Channel Divinity options:
  • Sacred Armor: As an action, you can imbue heavy 
  armor that you are wearing with positive energy, 
  using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, you add 
  your Charisma modifier to your AC (with a mini-
  mum bonus of +1). If you fall unconscious or are no 
  longer wearing the armor, the effect ends.
  • Sacred Shield: As an action, you can imbue a shield 
  that you are holding with positive energy, using your 
  Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, any ranged attack 
  made against a creature that you are friendly to that 
  is within 30 feet of you targets you instead. If you 
  fall unconscious or are no longer holding the shield, 
  the effect ends.
  AUrA oF bAttle
  Beginning at 7th level, the very spirit of battle flows 
  outward from you, causing you to become a supernatural 
  locus point in combat that keeps your allies ever-wary 
  of incoming attacks. Enemies cannot gain advantage on 
  attack rolls against you and creatures within 10 feet of you 
  while you are conscious.
  At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
  bleSSed oF bAttle
  Starting at 15th level, you are always under the effects of a 
  divine favor spell.
  AvAtAr oF bAttle
  At 20th level, as an action, you can channel the spirit of 
  battle and cleave through hordes of opposing enemies 
  as a scythe clearing wheat. For 1 minute, when you hit 
  an enemy with a weapon attack, if that enemy has fewer 
  than 30 hit points, your attack automatically reduces that 
  enemy to 0 hit points. Additionally, for the duration, 
  when you take the Attack action on your turn, after you 
  have finished making your attacks you can use your bonus 
  action to make a weapon attack against an enemy you have 
  not attacked this turn.
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until 
  you finish a long rest.
  oath oF the eagle
  The paladins that swear the Oath of the Eagle see the 
  eagle as a symbol of all that should be aspired to, and 
  the Oath takes the attributes of those majestic birds and 
  transforms them into edicts to live by. These paladins 
  admire eagles not only for their beauty and splendor, but 
  also their nobility, their speed, their awareness, and their 
  skills as hunters. Most of all, paladins who swear the 
  Oath of the Eagle look up to the sky and see the eagle 
  in flight as a symbol of liberation, and seek to break the 
  chains that bind any mortal and prevent them from soar-
  ing just the same.
  tenetS oF the eAGle
  The tenets of the Oath of the Eagle transform the eagle 
  from a symbol into practical guidance on living one’s life. 
  While most who swear this Oath recognize that these 
  tenets are built heavily on symbolism and allegory, they 
  nonetheless willingly embrace the idealistic mantras.
  • Freedom Above All: None can reach the heights that 
  the eagle does when they are chained to the ground. 
  Fight slavery and imprisonment wherever you can, 
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  196
  196
  and oppose those tyrants who would restrict the 
  freedoms of their people.
  • Shine as a Symbol: You are an example to others; just 
  as you once gazed up to the skies and saw the soaring 
  eagle above you, so too will others look up to you and 
  see your deeds and triumphs. Always remember that 
  you exemplify not only the tenets of your Oath, but 
  all those of your order. Give those who look upon 
  you something to aspire to.
  • Be a Relentless Hunter: Do not flag in your pursuit 
  of your enemies. When you drive off slavers and 
  tyrants, give them no chance to escape; pursue, and 
  bring them down. The enemies of your order cannot 
  be allowed to flee from the justice of your grasp.
  • Soar to the Greatest Heights: Always strive to achieve 
  great things. Reach for the skies in all things, and 
  never be satisfied with your deeds. There is always 
  more to be done, and every triumph you complete ele-
  vates both you and the other members of your faith.
  oAth SPellS
  You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
  oath oF the eagle spells
  PAlAdin level
  SPellS
  3rd
  feather fall, jump
  5th
  gust of wind, levitate
  9th
  fly, wind wall
  13th
  dominate monster, freedom of movement
  17th
  cone of cold, wall of force
  chAnnel divinity
  When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the follow-
  ing two Channel Divinity options.
  • Sacred Hunt: As a bonus action, you can set your 
  sights upon a single enemy, using your Channel 
  Divinity to mark them as your prey. You choose one 
  enemy that you can see, and for 1 minute if you start 
  your turn and are not within 5 feet of that enemy, 
  before moving or taking any actions you can move 
  up to 30 feet toward that enemy by the safest direct 
  route without using any of your movement for the 
  turn. This effect ends if the chosen enemy drops to 0 
  hit points or becomes unconscious.
  • Sight of the Eagle: As a bonus action, you can take 
  on the eyesight of the eagle, using your Channel 
  Divinity. For 1 minute, you have advantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks related to sight, can 
  see up to ten times as far away as normal, and 
  have darkvision.
  AUrA oF SPeed
  Beginning at 7th level, you can use the Dash action as a 
  bonus action, and when any creature you are friendly to 
  starts its turn within 10 feet of you, for that turn the crea-
  ture can also use the Dash action as a bonus action.
  At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
  divine SPlendor
  Starting at 15th level, you are always under the effects of 
  the Eagle’s Splendor effect of the enhance ability spell.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  197
  Ally oF the eAGleS
  Also beginning at 15th level, if you cast the find steed 
  spell, you can choose the form of a giant eagle for the 
  steed that you summon.
  SUPerior PredAtor
  At 20th level, you can use your action to become one with 
  the divine spirit of the eagle. For 1 hour, you gain the fol-
  lowing benefits:
  • Feathered eagle wings sprout from your back and 
  grant you a flying speed of 60 feet.
  • You can see invisible creatures that are within 60 
  feet of you.
  • When you fly at least 30 feet in a straight line 
  immediately before making a melee attack, you have 
  advantage on that attack roll.
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until 
  you finish a long rest.
  oath oF MerCy
  Though armed and armored, not all paladins seek out battle 
  as the primary means of spreading their faith. For many, 
  the sword and shield are tools of last resort, and a victory on 
  the battlefield is bittersweet at best. Paladins who swear the 
  Oath of Mercy dedicate themselves to using their divine gifts 
  and physical strength to healing the wounded, tending to the 
  sick, and defending those who cannot defend themselves. In 
  many ways, these paladins follow a path much closer to the 
  clerics of many orders, yet they still retain the ability to be a 
  dangerous force in any battle. For the paladins who adhere 
  to an Oath of Mercy, their offensive weapons are to be kept 
  in reserve until there is no other option, and they use their 
  inherent charm to defang arguments before their venom can 
  spill over into physical conflict. 
  tenetS oF mercy
  The tenets of the Oath of Mercy are similar in many 
  ways to the doctrines adhered to by clerics of the Life 
  domain. Paladins who swear an Oath of Mercy dedicate 
  themselves to bringing peace and restoring the health and 
  vitality those who suffer, and the tenets of that Oath guide 
  them along a path of gentility and kindness.
  • Seek Peace: Be ever the diplomat and peacemaker. 
  When a conflict threatens to erupt in violence, be at 
  the ready to defuse it with words and overtures. It is 
  not enough to avoid conflict yourself; you must seek 
  out those who would fight and do your best to pla-
  cate them without violence.
  • Give Succor: If you are not able to prevent the out-
  break of violence, it is your sacred duty to tend to 
  those who are its victims. You have been gifted with 
  the ability to heal wounds, cure poisons, and lift 
  diseases; such a gift is wasted if it is not used. Tend 
  to the wounded, the weak, and the ill and put them 
  before yourself.
  • Protect Those Who Need It: Your strength is more 
  than just a weapon; it is a shield. Interpose your-
  self between those bent on violence and those who 
  cannot defend themselves. Put yourself in harm’s 
  way to spare another the pain that violence brings. 
  Do not be afraid to sacrifice your own wellbeing to 
  protect others.
  • Choose Violence Last: Though you should always 
  strive to leave your sword in its sheath, there might 
  come a time when words fail, and you must meet 
  violence with violence. Mercy is not pacifism, and 
  from time to time a rabid dog must be put down for 
  the safety of those around it.
  oAth SPellS
  You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
  oath oF MerCy spells
  PAlAdin level
  SPellS
  3rd
  healing word, sanctuary
  5th
  calm emotions, prayer of healing
  9th
  create food and water, mass healing word
  13th
  death ward, spell
  17th
  mass cure wounds, modify memory
  chAnnel divinity
  When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the follow-
  ing two Channel Divinity options.
  • Benevolent Sacrifice: When a creature that you can 
  see that is within 30 feet of you would take dam-
  age, you can use your reaction to quickly form a 
  bond between yourself and that creature, using your 
  Channel Divinity. The creature takes no damage, 
  and you take damage of the same amount and type 
  as the creature would have taken.
  • Warding Touch: When you use your Lay on Hands 
  feature, you can also bestow upon the one you heal a 
  blessing of true mercy, using your Channel Divinity. 
  That creature gains temporary hit points equal to 
  half of the amount of hit points you healed. These 
  temporary hit points last until the creature finishes 
  a long rest, or until you use this Channel Divinity 
  option again.
  AUrA oF mercy
  Beginning at 7th level, when another creature that is 
  within 10 feet of you regains hit points as the result of a 
  spell of 1st level or higher, that creature regains additional 
  hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
  At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
  SenSe mAlAdieS
  Starting at 15th level, you are always under the effects of a 
  detect poison and disease spell, and you do not need to con-
  centrate on it.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  198
  198
  AvAtAr oF mercy
  At 20th level, as an action, you become a vessel of pure 
  divine mercy, radiating the gentle peace of your god 
  outward from you. For 1 minute, you gain the follow-
  ing benefits:
  • Bright light shines from you in a 30-foot radius, and 
  dim light shines 30 feet beyond that.
  • All creatures within 60 feet of you have disadvantage 
  on attack rolls and advantage on saving throws.
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until 
  you finish a long rest.
  oath oF perFeCtIon
  Though many would perceive those who swear the Oath 
  of Perfection as arrogant and prideful, nothing could be 
  further from the truth. Paladins who swear this oath are 
  driven to excel, and fear no hard work to do so. The Oath of 
  Perfection urges paladins who swear it to become the best 
  swordsmen, peerless riders, paragons of virtue, and fearless 
  leaders. A paladin who swears the Oath of Perfection seeks 
  flawless beauty—beauty in the most perfect strike of a 
  sword that wastes no effort, beauty in the perfectly chosen 
  word to sway the mind of the king, beauty in taking that 
  one perfect step to avoid the charging manticore. The pala-
  dins who swear this Oath are constantly honing their skills 
  and seeking to better themselves, and their internal perfec-
  tion is often reflected by an outward flawlessness.
  tenetS oF PerFection
  Swearing an Oath of Perfection is a pledge to always 
  strive to be the very best and eradicate one’s flaws. An 
  Oath of Perfection is an oath of personal achievement and 
  refinement; while some who swear such an oath might 
  encourage others around them to similarly strive for per-
  fection, the tenets of an Oath of Perfection bind only the 
  paladin who gives it.
  • Eliminate Flaws: To reach the apex of your skill, you 
  must focus first on eliminating flaws. Keep yourself 
  free or corruption, vice, and weakness. So too should 
  you strive to eliminate those who corrupt and wound 
  the world around you; if something is willfully mak-
  ing the world worse, it is your sacred duty to stop it.
  • Perfection Comes Through Practice: There is no such 
  thing as natural perfection; you might be gifted in 
  an area, but you are not born perfect. Only through 
  hard work, continuous practice, and constant reflec-
  tion and self-evaluation can perfection be achieved.
  • Blemishes are to be Pitied, Not Scorned: Not everyone 
  can devote their lives to the pursuit of perfection 
  and mastery, and the world is full of people who are 
  flawed, physically or otherwise. They are not to be 
  scorned, shunned, judged, or rejected. Instead, it is 
  your duty to offer them comfort, succor, and aid.
  • Only the Gods can be Truly Perfect: No matter 
  how great your skill, no matter how perfect your 
  execution, no matter how beautiful your appearance, 
  you will never achieve perfection. Do not allow 
  yourself to give into the flaw of pride by believing 
  that you are perfect in any way; only the gods can be 
  truly perfect, and you are no god.
  oAth SPellS
  You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.
  oath oF perFeCtIon spells
  PAlAdin level
  SPellS
  3rd
  comprehend languages, healing word
  5th
  enhance ability, lesser restoration
  9th
  dispel magic, protection from energy
  13th
  death ward, freedom of movement
  17th
  greater restoration, mass cure wounds
  chAnnel divinity
  When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the follow-
  ing two Channel Divinity options.
  • Divine Skill: As an action, you can imbue yourself 
  with positive energy, using your Channel Divinity. 
  For 1 minute, your proficiency bonus is doubled for 
  ability checks you make that use one skill that you 
  choose at the time that you use this feature. You can-
  not choose a skill in which you already gain double 
  your proficiency bonus when used. If you fall uncon-
  scious, the effect ends.
  • Unearthly Precision: When you make an attack roll, 
  after you roll you can suffuse the attack with positive 
  energy, using your Channel Divinity. You use a 19 
  instead of the number you rolled on the die for that 
  attack roll.
  AUrA oF the UnblemiShed
  Beginning at 7th level, you and friendly creatures within 
  10 feet of you are immune to petrification and any effect 
  that would alter your physical form against your will.
  At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
  UnmArred
  Starting at 15th level, when you are at your maximum hit 
  points, you reduce all bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing 
  damage from nonmagical weapons by 10.
  APex oF PerFection
  At 20th level, as an action, you can transform into a 
  perfect specimen of your kind, shedding all flaws and 
  blemishes like a snake shedding its skin. For 1 minute, 
  you are immune to being blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, or stunned. 
  Additionally, for the duration, at the start of each of 
  your turns you regain 10 hit points, and any severed or 
  destroyed body parts reform instantaneously.
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until 
  you finish a long rest.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  199
  rangers
  As wilderness warriors, rangers roam the forests and moun-
  tains, walking the lonely roads between. Their knowledge of 
  nature magic has much in common with druid magic. Thus, 
  many rangers follow the old gods. Rangers honor the One 
  Tree or worship Urian, Rontra, and, sometimes, Shalimyr. A 
  great many rangers follow Thellyne, the Golden Sister, while 
  evil rangers might worship Canarak or Thellos.
  hunter
  Where some rangers specialize in slaying dragons or 
  giants, many rangers seek to purge the world of unliv-
  ing creatures. Those who face the undead learn to strike 
  hard to ensure a zombie’s destruction; to steel themselves 
  against the curses, diseases, rot, and necrotic energies that 
  suffuse many undead attacks; and to lash out at a ragged 
  swarm of shambling ghouls before it can get too close.
  The following options expand on those found in the PH. 
   hUnter’S Prey
  At 3rd level, you can choose the following feature as your 
  Hunter feature for that level.
  • Zombie Killer: When you damage an enemy with a 
  weapon attack, that enemy has disadvantage on the next 
  saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn.
  deFenSive tActicS
  At 7th level, you can choose the following feature as your 
  Hunter feature for that level.
  • Resist Death: You have advantage on saving throws 
  made to avoid being cursed or paralyzed and you 
  have resistance to necrotic damage.
  mUltiAttAck
  At 11th level, you can choose the following feature as your 
  Hunter feature for that level.
  • Skirmish Attack: You can use your action to choose 
  up to 3 creatures within 30 feet of you that you can 
  see and make a melee attack against each of them. 
  Each creature must be within your reach to attack it, 
  though you can use your movement before and after 
  each attack to put those creatures within your reach.
   SUPerior hUnter’S deFenSe
  At 15th level, you can choose the following feature as your 
  Hunter feature for that level.
  • Superior Resilience: When you are subjected to an 
  effect that allows you to make a Constitution sav-
  ing throw, such as a ghast’s stench or a wraith’s life 
  drain, you can use a 20 instead of the number you 
  rolled on the die for that saving throw.
  You can use this feature up to three times. You regain 
  all expended uses of this feature when you finish a short or 
  long rest.
  rogues
  Rogues might engage in all manner of skullduggery, but 
  they need the gods just as everyone else. As rogues find 
  themselves in tough spots, few rogues find it hurts their 
  situation to offer a quick prayer to whatever god might be 
  listening. Some feel drawn to unrestrained Zheenkeef, 
  while those dealing in death as assassins might follow 
  Mormekar, but it is Darmon, the patron god of rogues, 
  who draws them in the greatest numbers.
  sCout 
  You focus your training on travel and exploration. As a 
  scout, you might be a guide, a hunter, a messenger, an 
  explorer, or even a commando in service to an army, sab-
  otaging the enemy encampments while gathering crucial 
  intelligence about their numbers and movements. Being 
  successful as a scout requires speed, sharp senses, and 
  the ability to move unseen and unheard. Mastering these 
  techniques will help you stay alive as you venture ahead 
  into the most dangerous areas.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  200
  200
  bonUS ProFiciencieS
  When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain 
  proficiency with Nature and Survival. As well, your pro-
  ficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make 
  using either proficiency.
  ForWArd obServer
  Beginning at 3rd level, whenever no other creature is within 
  30 feet of you, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) 
  checks and on Dexterity checks made to roll initiative.
  Fleet-Footed
  Starting at 9th level, while you wear light or no armor, 
  your speed increases by 10 feet and neither climbing nor 
  swimming costs you extra movement. In addition, you 
  have advantage on saving throws made to avoid gaining 
  levels of exhaustion from forced march.
  PAthFinder
  Upon reaching 13th level, you become a master at over-
  land travel. For any destination you have visited at least 
  once, you always know how far it is away from you and 
  in what direction the destination lies from your current 
  position. When traveling one hour or longer to such a des-
  tination, you gain the following benefits:
  • Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
  • You cannot be lost except by magical means.
  • You are always considered alert to danger regardless 
  other activities you engage in while traveling. 
  • Finally, if you travel alone, you can move stealthily at 
  a normal pace. 
  SkirmiSher
  Beginning at 17th level, whenever you move half your 
  speed or farther before you take the Attack action, you 
  have advantage on your attack roll, and your movement 
  after the attack does not provoke opportunity attacks.
  sorCerers
  As the innate ability to command magical power can arise 
  in anyone, sorcerers come from a variety of backgrounds 
  and religious beliefs. Their religious views might evolve with 
  the understanding of their power’s source or it might rein-
  force their commitment to their patron gods or turn them 
  toward gods with magic in their portfolios, such as Tinel, 
  to gain understanding of their gifts. Some sorcerers receive 
  their magical abilities from the gods directly, in which case 
  the sorcerers might join one of the orders of their church or 
  become an agent for their church. Zheenkeef, for example, 
  touches the souls of people who interest her to awaken power 
  within them. Most touched in this way join the Joyous 
  Brotherhood, the second order of the goddess’s church. 
  dIVIne InspIratIon
  When you discovered sorcery, it was not through an 
  awakening in your blood, but rather through a blossom-
  ing in your mind. The hand of the divine reached down 
  to touch you, and in that instant the inner workings of 
  magic exploded in your mind like a thousand doors being 
  thrown open all at once. When you recovered from the 
  shock, you found that you could bend the laws of reality 
  with a few words and gestures. Faster than thought, you 
  could transform your instincts and inspirations into spells. 
  You were changed by your fleeting contact with a god, and 
  though you might not know why that deity bestowed the 
  gift of understanding upon you (or, indeed, which deity 
  did so), the result is that your mind has opened to the 
  currents of magical power that flow through the world in a 
  way that no amount of studying could ever recreate. 
  knoWledGe beStoWed
  At 1st level, you choose one divine domain from the cleric 
  class, and add the corresponding domain spells to your 
  sorcerer spell list. 
  Additionally, whenever you gain a level in this class, 
  you do not have to choose which spell you learn immedi-
  ately; instead, you can wait and choose which spell at any 
  later time, though you must be conscious at the time you 
  choose it. If you would gain another level and have not 
  chosen a spell to learn from your previous level, you must 
  choose the previous level’s spell before gaining that level.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  201
  AWAkened mind
  Starting at 1st level, you can use magical energy to reclaim 
  some of your mind’s fleeting touch with the divine; when 
  you make an Intelligence check, you can expend a spell slot 
  to gain a bonus to that roll equal to 1 + the level of the spell 
  slot you expended. You can only use this feature once per 
  Intelligence check.
  mAGicAl inSiGht
  At 6th level, the divine inspiration that first opened your 
  eyes to the currents of magic reaches its full illumination, 
  and you gain two Metamagic options of your choice.
  divine UnrAvelinG
  Starting at 14th level, the divine inspiration that sparked your 
  sorcerous magic gives insight into the weavings of arcane 
  power that create spells, allowing you to pick them apart with 
  ease. You can spend sorcery points to cast the counterspell spell; 
  you choose the level at which you cast it (minimum 3rd), and 
  the sorcery point cost of casting it is equal to that level + 2.
  mind oF A God
  Beginning at 18th level, your consciousness has awakened 
  to the point where you think and perceive on a level more 
  divine than mortal, and you are permanently under the 
  effects of a mind blank spell.
  warloCks
  Warlocks make pacts with otherworldly beings, many 
  of whom are ominous and dreadful, pledging service in 
  exchange for magical power. People with strong religious 
  convictions do not readily make such bargains, as the 
  power their patron holds over them conflicts with devo-
  tion to the gods. Warlocks who have religious inclinations 
  tend to follow gods of magic and knowledge, such as Tinel 
  or Zheenkeef, or, possibly, one the servants of these gods.
  oraCle
  The gifts bestowed upon you by your patron are those of 
  foreknowledge. The Oracle is a being of prophecy and mys-
  tery, and manifests to you in ways that leave you questioning 
  the nature of your patron. The Oracle communicates to you 
  through whispered words that only you hear, visions that 
  only you see, writings that only you can read, and hazy man-
  ifestations in the incense braziers and crystal balls that you 
  use as a medium to call upon your patron. The Oracle might 
  be a god, a fiend, or even a mortal of vast power, though you 
  would never know it; you know only the prophecies that your 
  patron bestows, and the arcane knowledge you are granted to 
  conjure such visions for yourself.
  exPAnded SPell liSt
  The Oracle lets you choose from an expanded list of spells 
  when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are 
  added to the warlock spell list for you.
  oraCle eXpanded spells
  SPell level
  SPellS
  1st
  guiding bolt, identify
  2nd
  augury, detect thoughts
  3rd
  clairvoyance, speak with dead
  4th
  arcane eye, divination
  5th
  commune, legend lore
  ForetellinG
  Starting at 1st level, you can listen to the whispered 
  words of your otherworldly patron and interpret the 
  fates that they foretell. You can spend 10 minutes 
  imparting the knowledge you gained from this foretell-
  ing to your companions. When you do so, choose up 
  to six friendly creatures (which can include yourself) 
  within 30 feet of you who can see or hear you and who 
  can understand you. Each creature gains a single fore-
  telling, which they can expend at any time for one of 
  the following benefits:
  • Gain advantage on a single attack roll, ability check, 
  or saving throw before making the roll.
  • Gain a +5 bonus to AC against a single attack before 
  the attack roll is made.
  • Gain 5 temporary hit points, which last until the 
  creature takes a long rest or uses another foretelling.
  A single creature can have no more than one foretelling 
  at a time (from you, or any other source), and if a creature 
  with a foretelling finishes a long rest, that foretelling is 
  lost. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again 
  until you finish a short or long rest.
  Foretell diSASter
  Starting at 6th level, the visions you can impart upon your 
  allies can reveal ambushes and potentially devastating 
  attacks, allowing your companions to avoid them. Any 
  creature that has a foretelling granted by you can choose 
  to expend it to gain one of the following benefits:
  • When the creature would be surprised, it is instead 
  not surprised.
  • When the creature succeeds on a saving throw to 
  take only half damage from an effect, the creature 
  instead takes no damage.
  Foretell bAttle
  Starting at 10th level, any creature that has a foretelling 
  granted by you can choose to expend it to gain advantage 
  on a roll for initiative.
  ProPhecy
  Starting at 14th level, when you grant creatures a fore-
  telling, you give them two foretellings instead of one, and 
  each creature can have up to two foretellings at a time, 
  provided they both come from you.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  202
  202
  the way oF the heIrophants
  To join the Hierophants of Tinel (see p. 84-85), you must 
  be an arcane spellcaster and a devout follower of the god. 
  Membership in the hierophants confers the following 
  benefits. Note that these benefits are maintained even 
  if the hierophant leaves or even betrays the order, since 
  they are matters of special training. Characters who learn 
  hierophant secrets and then leave the order are widely de-
  spised by followers of the Gods of the Tree, and especially 
  by loyal followers of Tinel himself.
  comPrehend mAGic
  At 7th level, you learn the secrets of magic as a divine 
  power of the universe mastered by Tinel. You become so 
  in tune with the very power of magic that you are always 
  under the effects of the detect magic and see invisibil-
  ity spells.
  mAStery oF mAGic
  You may become one of The Five when another one dies 
  or “retires” (vanishes into mystery, usually), provided you 
  are at least 12th level—though you may be required to be 
  of higher level to outshine competitors for the position. 
  The Five possess ancient tomes of wisdom written when 
  the world was young and the mortal races first learned to 
  use magic from Tinel himself. These secrets are consid-
  ered exceptionally dangerous and none but the Five may 
  study them. This feature confers the following benefits:
  You have a +10 bonus on Intelligence (arcana) checks.
  You either add counterspell and dispel magic to the list of 
  spells you know, or count as if you always have them pre-
  pared. In addition, you have advantage on ability checks 
  made because of casting either spell.
  wIZards
  The pursuit of magical knowledge might not leave much 
  time for reflecting on religion or the gods’ ultimate 
  purpose, but many wizards have ties to the gods and a 
  few even serve them directly. As with members of other 
  classes, wizards favor gods whose portfolios overlap their 
  interests. Many wizards adopt Tinel as their patron god, 
  as this power is the god of magic, knowledge, and the 
  truth. As well, Korak, the god of the forge and artisans, 
  counts many wizards among his followers, especially those 
  interested in crafting magic items. Evil wizards favor 
  Asmodeus, Thellos, or Naran.
  artIFICe
  The magic taught by the School of Artifice encompasses 
  a broad spectrum of schools of magic, but all of it is con-
  centrated on transferring that magical power into magic 
  items. Students of the School of Artifice can accurately 
  identify magic items and their properties as a matter of 
  course, and are among the most skilled magical craftsmen 
  in existence. Beyond that, the School of Artifice teaches 
  its students how to enchant magic items with a speed 
  unmatched by other wizards. Though the magic imbued in 
  such items often does not last long, they produce magical 
  devices in hours that it would take other wizards days, 
  weeks, or longer to produce. Wizards that study in the 
  School of Artifice are sometimes called artificers, and are 
  frequently hired by adventuring companies looking to 
  gain some magical support.
  ArtiFice SAvAnt
  Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, you 
  halve the amount of time it takes you to craft a magic 
  item. Additionally, you add detect magic and identify to 
  your spellbook, if they are not already there.
  ArcAne relicS
  Also at 2nd level, you gain the ability to create tempo-
  rary magic items that your companions can use, known 
  as arcane relics. These can be held in one hand, and you 
  determine the actual shape of the object, as fits the item’s 
  powers. You can spend the time during a short or long rest 
  to create a single arcane relic and explain its use to any 
  creatures that are nearby and can hear and understand you 
  during that time. When you create the relic, you choose a 
  single wizard spell of 1st level or higher from your spell-
  book that requires 1 action to cast, and use a spell slot 
  equal to that spell’s level. From that point on, the arcane 
  relic is a magic item, and any creatures to whom you 
  explained the relic’s use can, while holding the relic, use 
  an action to cast the spell you chose (following the same 
  rules as magic items that allow you to cast spells). If the 
  spell requires an attack roll or saving throw, it uses your 
  spell attack bonus or spell save DC. Once the spell has 
  been cast, the arcane relic loses all its magical power and 
  crumbles into shards and dust.
  The arcane relic’s magic persists for only a short period 
  of time, and the magical energy that you use to create 
  the relic can only maintain a single arcane relic at a time. 
  If you create another arcane relic, or if 24 hours pass and 
  the relic has not been used, it loses its magic and crum-
  bles to dust. 
  rAPid enchAntment
  Starting at 6th level, you add the magic weapon spell to 
  your spellbook, if it is not already there. When you cast 
  magic weapon, you can target up to two weapons.
  imProved ArtiFice
  Beginning at 10th level, you can create two arcane relics 
  during a short or long rest, and can maintain up to two 
  relics at a time, instead of just one.
  SUPreme ArtiFice
  Starting at 14th level, you can create three arcane relics 
  during a short or long rest, and can maintain up to three 
  relics at a time, instead of two.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  203
  Backgrounds
  eMIssary
  d8
  PerSonAlity trAit
  1
  I’m adept at picking out a person’s qualities and 
  complementing them for them. I do this to win friends and 
  make allies.
  2
  I have never met a stranger.
  3
  I pay attention to my appearance. First impressions are 
  everything.
  4
  I always take time to learn the local customs so I can make 
  people feel comfortable. 
  5
  People are puppets, dancing on my strings. I enjoy 
  manipulating others and getting them to do what I want. 
  6
  I am most comfortable among the elite. I have little love for the 
  unwashed masses.
  7
  Although I appear to maintain my composure when insulted, 
  I never forget a slight. My revenge, when I get it, will come 
  from out of nowhere.
  8
  I am effusive in my dealings with others, deferring to them in 
  everything, while subtly offering suggestions to steer them to 
  my way of thinking.
  d6
  ideAl
  1
  Nation or Organization. Everything I do, I do for my people, 
  guild, nation, or monarch. (Any)
  2
  Peace. Violence solves nothing. If there’s a peaceful solution, I 
  will find it. (Good)
  3
  Order. Civilization depends on order to survive. (Lawful)
  4
  Power. I crave power over others and do whatever I must to 
  attain it. (Evil)
  5
  Good. I strive to make the world better than how I found it. 
  (Good)
  6
  Aspiration. I hope to make a name for myself by my deeds and 
  achievements (Any)
  d6
  bond
  1
  Everything I learned about negotiation I learned from a 
  master. I hope to live up to their memory. 
  2
  The people I serve depend on me to represent their interests. I 
  take my responsibility seriously.
  3
  A past failure led to the deaths of many people. I refuse to make 
  the same mistake again. 
  4
  I will protect my interests and those of my employers with my 
  life. 
  5
  I undertake dangerous missions to gain favor from my 
  employers.
  6
  My loyalty to my employers is unimpeachable.
  d6
  FlAW
  1
  I see people as tools to be used and discarded.
  2
  I secretly despise people in power and find it hard to mask my 
  disdain.
  3
  I sometimes use my position and my employer’s name to enrich 
  myself.
  4
  I suspect my employers have sinister motives and that I must 
  represent them worries me.
  5
  I am the most important person in any room.
  6
  I see the flaws in everyone I meet.
  Backgrounds tell you something about from where char-
  acters come and the training they received. The following 
  backgrounds supplement those described in the PH and 
  tie-in to the churches presented in this book.
  eMIssary
  You fight a battle using wit and words. A skilled nego-
  tiator and shrewd diplomat, you spent much of your life 
  in the halls of power, influencing opinion and brokering 
  deals to advance your agenda and the agenda of those 
  people you represent. You might have learned the tech-
  niques as a courtier, engaging in intrigues in a lord or 
  lady’s court, or you might have been chosen by an organi-
  zation to act as their ambassador, going where you were 
  needed to gain allies and defuse tensions.
  As an emissary, you represented an individual, people, or 
  institution. Work out the details with your GM to determine 
  who you served, what kind of connections you made, and 
  whether you still have ties with your employer. If you remain 
  in service to a group, you have the power to speak on their 
  behalf, but that power could be fleeting if you botch a negoti-
  ation or cause grave offense in the people you hope to court.
  Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Persuasion
  Languages: Two of your choice
  Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a badge of office, papers 
  identifying you as an agent of an institution (such as the 
  Great Church), and a purse containing 25 gp
  FeAtUre: AcceSS
  You have free access to movers and shakers with whom your 
  patron organization has connections. You can petition for 
  and usually receive an audience from a noble, guild head, 
  or crime lord, provided they are amenable to the group you 
  represent. While you are on official business, your host will 
  usually provide you with accommodations, sustenance, and 
  entertainment, provided you remain on good terms.
  SUGGeSted chArActeriSticS
  Emissaries earn their place for their social graces and dip-
  lomatic skills. Emissaries might have been slaves, elevated 
  from the ranks of the wretched for their unique talents 
  or could be minor nobles in their own rights, working on 
  behalf of a liege. Whatever their circumstances, emissar-
  ies maintain their composure in the toughest situations, 
  seemingly always able to propose a solution that, if not 
  accepted, at least sounds reasonable.
  reborn
  You are a warrior for redemption, reborn and risen from 
  your own ashes. You strive to mend the terrible deeds you 
  committed in your previous life. After the fire of rebirth 
  swept through you, you were made into a powerful figure 
  and sent forth to undo whatever horrors you had commit-
  ted. Why the gods chose you to be reborn and yet allow 
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  204
  204
  others to burn, none can say, but you are the deepest proof 
  that redemption is possible in the eyes of the gods.
  When you emerged from the flame, your appearance 
  changed. Your hair color, eye color, the shape of your 
  nose—every aspect of your physical appearance changed 
  in the process. Perhaps your new face is even one of some-
  one you killed in your prior life.
  Many reborn are lone figures who are very personally 
  involved with a quest or task. You might be seeking to 
  destroy evil cultists, yet in your former life you might have 
  once been those same cultists’ high priest. You aid those who 
  seek to undo the evil you once wrought. Reborn are incred-
  ibly rare, and it’s profoundly unlikely that you will ever meet 
  more than one in a lifetime—if even one other than yourself.
  Skill Proficiencies: History, Religion
  Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools or musical 
  instrument
  Languages: One of your choice
  Equipment: A walking staff (quarterstaff), a list 
  containing items that you must do to right the crimes 
  of your prior life, a set of ragged traveler’s clothes, and a 
  belt pouch containing 10 gp
  FeAtUre: echoeS oF Another liFe
  As one of the reborn, you have an entire previous life’s worth 
  of memories and experiences to draw on, and sometimes you 
  come across people or places you recognize from that past 
  life. When you select this background, choose a single orga-
  nization that is relatively widespread; for example, you might 
  choose the religious orders of a faith from your past, the 
  military forces of a kingdom, an order of monks, or the cabal 
  of cultists that once served you. In your past life, you had a 
  strong relationship with that organization—whether friendly 
  or antagonistic, as you choose when you select this back-
  ground. You have a strong familiarity with the traditions, 
  practices, hierarchies, and trappings of that organization, 
  enough so that you can convincingly converse with a member 
  of that organization and pass yourself off as a member. You 
  can draw upon your knowledge of that organization at will.
  SUGGeSted chArActeriSticS
  Reborn have nearly full memories of their past lives, if some 
  knowledge has dimmed following their rebirth, and their 
  drive for penance shapes their personalities. Their actions 
  and deeds in a former life might still affect their personality 
  traits, though their ideals are now far nobler after emerging 
  from the crucible of rebirth. Their flaws might be born of 
  their guilt over past misdeeds, and they still retain strong 
  bonds to allies—and victims—from their former lives.
  VarIant herMIt: FrIar
  You felt called to join the friars, a contemplative order of 
  the Great Church. You spent your life on the road, living 
  in poverty, and dependent on the charity of others. Each 
  town you visited, you made sure to stop at the church to 
  offer prayers and receive shelter for a time before moving 
  on to spread the faith wherever you went. Your experiences 
  broadened your mind as you saw much of the world.
  reborn
  d8
  PerSonAlity trAit
  1
  I sometimes fail to stop myself from starting sentences with, 
  “Before my rebirth…”
  2
  I have great patience for those who wrong me, having seen 
  how misdeeds can return to haunt you.
  3
  I spend longer than most people contemplating my actions, 
  judging my every move fiercely.
  4
  I am the first person to forgive anyone that asks for 
  forgiveness.
  5
  My rebirth has given me a strong faith, and though I am no 
  zealot I am more devout than most.
  6
  I am solemn to the point of being dour, due to the weight of 
  guilt on my shoulders.
  7
  I relish every moment; I have been given a second chance, and 
  intend to make the most of it.
  8
  I advocate for the harshest punishments; everyone must atone 
  for their sins in some way.
  d6
  ideAl
  1
  Penitence. I have a great debt to work off, and I must spend 
  every available moment making things right where I once was 
  wrong.
  2
  Zeal. The gods have given me a second chance, and I must 
  pursue the task that was set before me to the exclusion of nearly 
  everything else.
  3
  Duty. In my past life, I preyed on the weak because there was 
  no one to defend them from me. Now I will be the defender.
  4
  Covenant. There is a bargain between myself and the gods; 
  when I have paid for my sins, my life will be my own again.
  5
  Irresistible Command. By divine edict I was reborn, and by 
  that same edict must I atone for the life I once wasted on evil.
  6
  Gratitude. Once I walked a path that would have led to my 
  own damnation; being given a second chance is a gift I must 
  not squander with inaction or evil.
  d6
  bond
  1
  There is one person that I wronged to whom I owe atonement 
  more than anyone else.
  2
  I would do anything to erase any records of my former life.
  3
  I have sworn to bring vengeance upon someone who was my 
  ally in my former life.
  4
  I will do anything that I am told to do by someone I wronged 
  in my past life.
  5
  I will always protect the temple where I was reborn.
  6
  I must seek out and destroy those who once served me before 
  my rebirth.
  d6
  FlAW
  1
  I am single-minded in my pursuit of atonement, even when it 
  means ignoring the needs of my allies.
  2
  I can never forgive myself or others for their sins. Once guilty, 
  always guilty.
  3
  I am reckless when I am working to right the wrongs of my 
  past life, and care little for keeping myself safe.
  4
  I only see the worst in other people, because I know how evil I 
  once was.
  5
  I will not suffer the wicked to live; I know what they are 
  capable of in the darkest, blackest parts of their soul.
  6
  I will never give up when I think I can mark something off my 
  list, even if I am about to collapse from wounds or exhaustion.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  205
  If you choose to join the friars, you start with a holy 
  symbol instead of the scroll case stuffed with notes. You 
  can also choose the Wanderer feature from the Outlander 
  background instead of the Discovery feature.
  VarIant soldIer: ChurChguard
  You joined the churchguard, one of the many orders of the 
  Great Church. You and your fellow members were tasked 
  with protecting one of the many churches found across 
  the world against the myriad enemies of the faith. Much 
  of your time spent in that service involved standing guard, 
  protecting the clergy, and training in the arts of battle. 
  While not especially glorious, you knew you were doing 
  the gods’ work by protecting their holy houses.
  If you choose to have joined the churchguard, you gain 
  proficiency in Perception and Religion instead of profi-
  ciency in one type of gaming set and vehicles (land). As 
  well, you have the churchguard uniform and holy symbol 
  instead of a trophy taken from a fallen enemy and the set 
  of dice or deck of cards.
  Feats, Spells & Magic Items
  Feats
  If you use feats in your game, the following options reflect 
  the benefits of serving the gods.
  mASter oF A minor domAin
  PrereqUiSite: Divine Domain class feature
  You worship a deity that has dominion over more than one 
  divine domain, and have access to spells that fall within 
  your god’s extended portfolio. Choose a Divine Domain 
  other than the one you already possess. The domain spells 
  for that domain are added to your domain spell list.
  SAil mASter
  You’re an old hand when it comes to the sailing of ships 
  and you know just what to do when danger strikes. You 
  gain the following benefits:
  • Increase your Strength or Dexterity by 1, to a 
  maximum of 20.
  • You are proficient in navigator’s tools and vehicles 
  (water) if you aren’t already. As well, you double your 
  proficiency bonus for any checks that involve these 
  proficiencies.
  • You ignore the effects of moving across difficult ter-
  rain caused by moving across the deck of a ship.
  • Swimming doesn’t halve your speed.
  triAd FeAt: the Arm
  The Arm acts for the Unity, learning to stand in the path 
  of danger, slay foes, and take blows intended for her sisters, 
  just as Canelle did on the Journey to the East. You can only 
  select this feat at the same time as other characters take the 
  feats for The Breath and The Eye, and you can never take 
  either of those feats. You and those characters form your 
  Unity. You gain the following benefits:
  • Increase your Strength or Constitution by 1, to a 
  maximum of 20.
  • You have proficiency in all saving throws in which 
  other members of your Unity have proficiency.
  • You can communicate with the members of 
  your Unity telepathically, even if you are not on 
  the same plane.
  • While you are within 60 feet of both of the other 
  members of your Unity, the other members of your 
  Unity have resistance to all damage, and when they 
  take damage, you take the same amount of damage.
  triAd FeAt: the breAth
  PrereqUiSite: The ability to cast at least one spell 
  The Breath speaks for the Unity, learning to understand 
  and influence people as a leader and lawmaker, and to 
  comprehend the world for her sisters, just as Naryne did 
  on the Journey to the East. You can only select this feat 
  at the same time as other characters take the feats for The 
  Arm and The Eye, and you can never take either of those 
  feats. You and those characters form your Unity. You gain 
  the following benefits:
  • Increase your Wisdom or Charisma by 1, to a 
  maximum of 20.
  • You can communicate with the members of 
  your Unity telepathically, even if you are not on 
  the same plane.
  • When you cast a spell with a range of touch, another 
  member of your Unity can deliver the spell as if they 
  had cast the spell. That member of the Unity must be 
  within 100 feet of you, and they must use their reaction 
  to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires 
  an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.
  • When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher on 
  another member of your Unity that targets only one 
  creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you can also 
  target the other member of your Unity, provided he 
  or she is within the range of the spell. To be eligible, 
  the spell must be incapable of targeting more than 
  one creature at the spell’s current level.
  The following feats, spells and magic items may be directly taught or crafted by a deity, brought into being by a religion, or 
  represent the effects of religious doctrine in a campaign. The descriptions of deities, religions and religious orders through-
  out this book indicate which of these abilities and items match specific gods, goddesses and religious concerns.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  206
  206
  ClerIC spells
  Cantrips (0 Level)
  Ward Against Undeath
  1st Level
  Armor of Earth
  4th Level
  Power of the Earth, Test of Souls
  5th Level
  Fair Light, Light of the Moon
  9th Level
  Anwyn’s Elysian Palace, 
   Judgment of Maal
  druId spells 
  1st Level
  Armor of Earth
  4th Level
  Power of the Earth
  5th Level
  Light of the Moon
  9th Level
  Shooting Stars
  sorCerer spells 
  Cantrips (0 Level)
  Fist of Air
  1st Level
  Armor of Earth
  4th Level
  Power of the Earth
  9th Level
  Shooting Stars
  wIZard spells 
  Cantrips (0 Level)
  Fist of Air
  9th Level
  Shooting Stars
  triAd FeAt: the eye
  The Eye observes for the Unity, learning to see details 
  others miss, to hear the sounds others ignore, and to 
  protect her family with her observations, just as Thellyne 
  did on the Journey to the East. You can only select this 
  feat at the same time as other characters take the feats for 
  The Arm and The Breath, and you can never take either 
  of those feats. You and those characters form your Unity. 
  You gain the following benefits:
  • Increase your Dexterity or Intelligence by 1, to a 
  maximum of 20.
  • You can communicate with the members of 
  your Unity telepathically, even if you are not on 
  the same plane.
  • While you are within 60 feet of both other members 
  of your Unity and none of you are Incapacitated, 
  none of you can be surprised, and you (but not other 
  members of the Unity) have advantage on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks.
  • As an action, other members of your Unity can see 
  through your eyes and hear what you hear until the 
  start of their next turn, gaining the benefits of any 
  special senses that you have. During this time, they 
  are deaf and blind with regard to their own surround-
  ings. This benefit can be used at any distance, even 
  across planes, provided you are conscious and not 
  incapacitated.
  spells
  The new spells presented here speak to the gods and their 
  place in the cosmology presented in this book.
  AnWyn’S elySiAn PAlAce 
  9th-level conjuration
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: Touch
  comPonentS: V, S, M (ash from the central hearth of a 
  site consecrated to Anwyn)
  dUrAtion: Instantaneous
  You and one creature you touch are transported to the 
  great palace of Anwyn on the plane of Elysium. The 
  palace is one of her many homes, though she is rarely 
  present there. There is, however, a 1 percent chance for 
  Anwyn to be in residence. If so, and if you are Anwynian, 
  you might be granted an audience with the god, with the 
  effects of such an audience determined by the GM. In any 
  event, five solars—Atteretix the body servant, Miallira the 
  handmaid, Rigar the door warden, Ayalla the chamber-
  lain, and Yovarra the chef—staff the place. You and your 
  companion arrive in the palace’s atrium. If your compan-
  ion is hostile, the solars immediately attack.
  You can use a bonus action to return to the spot where 
  you cast this spell at any time. Each hour you remain 
  in the palace after 24 hours, you take a permanent and 
  cumulative –1 penalty to your Constitution score. If 
  your Constitution score drops to 0, you die and your soul 
  moves to its proper destination. 
  Anyone spending 8 hours or longer in the palace enjoys 
  splendid feats and perfect restfulness, conferring the fol-
  lowing benefits:
  • A creature regains all hit points and Hit Dice. 8 hours 
  in the palace also cures the creature of all diseases, 
  removes all poisons, and lifts all curses other than 
  those bestowed by a god or a being of similar status. 
  • A dead creature is restored to life as by the true res-
  urrection spell.
  • A creature can ask the solars questions that can be 
  answered with a yes or a no as if the creature cast the 
  commune spell. A creature can ask up to twenty ques-
  tions and has no chance of receiving no answer.
  • For 24 hours after leaving the palace, a creature 
  benefits as if under the effect of the bless spell and is 
  immune to the frightened condition.
  Once you cast this spell, you cannot cast it again until 
  one year, one month, and one day pass.
  Armor oF eArth 
  1st-level abjuration
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: Self
  comPonentS: V, S, M (a bit of dirt)
  dUrAtion: 8 hours
  You rub dirt into your skin, causing it to assume the 
  appearance of earth that lasts for the duration or until 
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  207
  you don any armor or you become immersed in liquid. 
  Until the spell ends, your base AC becomes 11 + your 
  spellcasting modifier and you ignore the effects of 
  moving across difficult terrain made from earth, stone, 
  or plants.
  FAir liGht 
  5th-level evocation
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: Self
  comPonentS: S
  dUrAtion: 1 hour
  A 60-foot-radius sphere of sparkling light spreads out 
  from you. The sphere is made of bright light, and sheds 
  dim light for an additional 60 feet.
  Golden halos form around the heads of good creatures 
  illuminated by the spell, while shadowy halos form around 
  the heads of evil creatures. Furthermore, good creatures 
  illuminated by the light roll a d4 and add the resulting 
  number to the number rolled on the d20 when making 
  attack rolls or saving throws. Conversely, evil creatures 
  illuminated by the light must roll a d4 whenever they make 
  attack rolls or saving throws and subtract that number from 
  the number rolled on the d20.
  If any of this spell’s area overlaps with an area of dark-
  ness created by a spell of 5th level or lower, the spell that 
  created the darkness is dispelled.
  FiSt oF Air 
  Evocation cantrip
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: 30 feet
  comPonentS: V, S
  dUrAtion: Instantaneous
  You strike at a creature or object in range with a sudden 
  concentrated blast of air, impacting it with incredible 
  force. The target must make a Strength saving throw. On 
  a failure, the target takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage and is 
  pushed 5 feet in a direction you choose.
  This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th 
  level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).
  JUdGment oF mAAl  
  9th-level necromancy (ritual)
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: 30 feet
  comPonentS: V, S, M (black sapphire gem worth at 
  least 1,000 gp)
  dUrAtion: Permanent
  You draw forth the soul of one evil creature that has 
  been dead no longer than one hour and is within the 
  spells range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom 
  saving throw or be sent to the land of the dead to be 
  judged by Maal, and be imprisoned in that place for the 
  duration of the spell. the creature’s corpse remains, but is 
  now an empty soulless shell.
  While imprisoned, the creature to whom the soul 
  belongs cannot be restored to life by any means. Shatter-
  ing the black sapphire gem ends the spell and enables the 
  soul to escape the land of the dead.
  liGht oF the moon 
  5th-level evocation
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: Self (60-foot line)
  comPonentS: V, S, M (an opaque lens of white glass)
  dUrAtion: Concentration, up to 1 minute
  A beam of soft light flashes from your hand in a 5-foot 
  wide, 60-foot-long line. Each creature in the line must 
  make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a 
  creature gains one level of exhaustion and must then suc-
  ceed on a Wisdom saving throw or fall unconscious until 
  it takes damage or someone uses an action to shake or slap 
  the sleeping creature awake. Shapechangers make their 
  saving throws with disadvantage and if they fail, they 
  instantly revert to their original form and cannot assume a 
  different form until the spell ends. Undead and creatures 
  immune to being charmed are immune to this effect. 
  Undead creatures in the line must make a Dexterity 
  saving throw. A creature takes 4d8 radiant damage on a 
  failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  For the duration, a mote of soft light shines from your 
  hand, shedding dim light in a 30-foot radius. This light is 
  moonlight.
  PoWer oF the eArth 
  4th-level transmutation
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: Touch
  comPonentS: V, S, M (a bit of clay)
  dUrAtion: 1 hour
  You touch a willing creature in contact with an earthen or 
  stone surface. For the duration, the target gains a number 
  of benefits while it remains in contact with such a surface:
  The target cannot be moved against its will by any 
  means and has advantage on any check or saving throw 
  made to avoid being knocked prone.
  The target gains tremorsense out to a range of 60 feet. 
  See MM for details on this special sense.
  The target gains 3d6 temporary hit points. If the target 
  breaks contact with an earthen or stone surface, any 
  remaining temporary hit points disappear until the target 
  resumes contact with such a surface. 
  ShootinG StArS 
  9th-level evocation
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: 1 mile
  comPonentS: V, S
  DUrAtion: Instantaneous
  Tiny motes of cold radiance fall to the ground at eight 
  different points you can see within range. Each creature 
  directly below a falling mote must succeed on a Dexterity 
  saving throw or be struck by the mote. On a failure, you 
  decide whether the creature takes 12d6 cold damage or 
  regains 12d6 hit points. 
  Then, center a 30-foot-radius sphere on each point 
  you chose. The sphere spreads around corners. For each 
  creature in an area other than one struck by the mote, you 
  decide whether the creature takes 3d6 cold damage or 
  regains 3d6 hit points.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  208
  208
  teSt oF SoUlS 
  4th-level divination (ritual)
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: Touch
  comPonentS: V
  dUrAtion: 1 hour
  You touch a creature to test their heart. The target must 
  be willing, or the spell has no effect. When you cast the 
  spell, you and the target are transported in your minds’ 
  eyes to a testing ground, where the target undergoes a 
  series of tests of a metaphysical and metaphorical nature 
  to reveal their attitudes toward life, the gods, death, and 
  more. You observe these tests and can put the target to 
  tests of your own devising.
  The testing lasts for the duration, during which time 
  you and the target are unconscious. If either of you take 
  any damage or are slapped or shaken, the spell ends. 
  At the end of the hour, you learn all the following 
  information about the target:
  • Alignment
  • Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores
  • Religious affiliation and degree of piety
  • Race
  • Whether the target has told you any lies during the 
  preceding 24 hours and what those lies, if any, were.
  WArd AGAinSt UndeAth 
  Necromancy cantrip
  cAStinG time: 1 action
  rAnGe: Touch
  comPonentS: V, S
  dUrAtion: 10 days
  You touch a corpse, or other remains. For the duration, 
  the target can’t become undead.
  MagIC IteMs
  The following magic items have story ties to the gods of 
  the tree and supplement those found in the DMG.
  CelestIal quIll
  Wondrous item, legendary
  Made from the feather of an angel, the celestial quill shines 
  with the perfect light of Heaven, emitting bright light in a 
  30-foot radius and dim light 30 feet beyond that distance. 
  An evil creature that willingly touches a celestial quill 
  takes 10d8 radiant damage, and the limb that touched it 
  becomes permanently withered and useless, the effects of 
  which are determined by the GM. The withering can be 
  reversed by a wish spell.
  Any other creature can touch and use the quill. If used 
  as a writing implement, it cannot be used to write any 
  untruth. Furthermore, when used to create spell scrolls to 
  contain cleric or paladin spells, the quill halves the cre-
  ation cost (see DMG for details on creating magic items).
  the leaVes oF elIwyn
  Wondrous item, legendary
  Eliwyn still grows in her sacred grove. Once every cen-
  tury, she sheds her leaves. Most of them are gathered by 
  the druids tending her. Some, though, are carried away on 
  the wind and reach mortal hands beyond. These leaves are 
  imbued with life-giving and healing powers. The leaves 
  are large and oval, about twelve inches long and six inches 
  at the widest point. The tops of the leaves are deep green 
  while their undersides are bright silver. 
  A leaf has several possible uses. First, as an action, you 
  can crush the leaf, which causes it to emit a sweet odor 
  and ooze milky sap that functions as six potions of healing 
  to anyone who consumes it. Second, as an action, you 
  can apply the leaf to the body of one creature you can 
  reach, which causes the creature to be instantly cured 
  of any disease, poison, curse, madness, or any other 
  harmful ongoing effect. Finally, you can use the leaf 
  in place of the material components required by the 
  raise dead, reincarnate, resurrection, or true resurrection 
  spells. When you do so, the target suffers no ill effects 
  from coming back from the dead. Using the leaf in any of 
  these ways consumes its power.
  shIeld oF the Fathers
  Armor (shield), legendary (requires attunement)
  The shields of the fathers were made to resemble the fabled 
  artifact of the same name. They are entrusted to the most 
  powerful champions of Morwyn. Each shield has a dis-
  tinctive shining white field with a silver tear of Morywn 
  at its center. 
  While holding this shield, you have a +1 bonus to 
  AC, and are immune to the charmed and frightened 
  conditions.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  209
  the FIVe staVes
  Staff, legendary (requires attunement)
  The staves of the hierophants were forged 
  by the founders of the sacred order of 
  hierophants long ago. Every member 
  of the order had a hand in their making, 
  which is why they are so terribly powerful. 
  They all look like one another, though each 
  one bears distinct markings that pertain to 
  the sense to which it is aligned. Just as the 
  Tinelites seek to solve the mysteries of life 
  using the five senses, each of the hierophants 
  (and her staff) represents one of those 
  five senses.
  • Magic Resistance. While carrying one of 
  the staves, you have advantage on saving 
  throws against spells and resistance to 
  spell damage.
  • Spell Storage. Each of the staves can store 
  spells cast into it, holding them until the 
  attuned wielder uses them. A staff can hold 
  up to 15 levels’ worth of spells at a time.  
  Any creature can cast a spell of 1st through 
  5th level into the staff by touching it as the 
  spell is cast. The spell has no effect, other 
  than to be stored in the staff. If the staff 
  cannot hold the spell, the spell is expended 
  without effect. The level of the spell slot 
  used to cast the spell determines how much 
  space it uses. While holding the staff, you can 
  cast any spell stored in it. The spell uses the slot 
  level, spell save DC, spell attack bonus, and spell-
  casting ability of the original caster, but otherwise 
  is treated as of you cast the spell. Once cast, the 
  stored spell leaves the staff, freeing up space to store 
  another spell.
  • Spells. While holding the staff, you can cast each 
  of the following spells once per day using your spell 
  save DC and spell attack bonus: dispel magic, geas, 
  and teleport.
  In addition to the powers common to all five staves, indi-
  vidual staffs have unique properties as described below.
  StAFF oF the Scent
  You become so attuned to the scents of the world around 
  you that you can detect subtle changes in your environ-
  ment no one else would notice. While you hold the staff, 
  you are constantly under the effects of the following 
  spells: detect poison and disease, find traps, and see invisibil-
  ity. You are also aware of the location of each creature and 
  plant within 30 feet of you such that creatures within this 
  range cannot hide from you. You count as if you do not 
  need to breathe for the purpose of resisting certain attacks 
  and spells such as stinking cloud. Finally, you add stinking 
  cloud and cloudkill to the list of spells you can cast once per 
  day from the staff.
  StAFF oF SiGht
  You see with perfect clarity while you hold the staff, 
  such that you count as if you are always under the effect 
  of the true seeing spell. Additionally, you have advantage 
  on Intelligence (investigation) and Wisdom (Perception) 
  checks that involve sight, while creatures making checks 
  against your passive Perception do so with disadvan-
  tage. You cannot be blinded and you are immune to gaze 
  attacks such as the medusa’s Petrifying Gaze. Finally, you 
  add eyebite to the list of spells you can cast once per day 
  from the staff. 
  StAFF oF SoUnd
  You can hear what few others do, becoming able to make 
  out ultrahigh and ultralow frequencies. While bearing the 
  staff, you can cast clairvoyance at will, but you can only 
  choose hearing when you cast the spell this way. Further-
  more, you have advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) 
  and Wisdom (Perception) checks that involve hearing, 
  while creatures making checks against your passive Per-
  ception do so with disadvantage. You are immune to 
  thunder damage. Finally, you add sending and thunder-
  wave (as a 5th-level spell) to the list of spells you can cast 
  once per day from the staff.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  210
  210
  StAFF oF the tonGUe
  The staff enhances your palate and your skills as an orator. 
  While carrying the staff, you do not need to eat and you 
  are constantly under the effects of the tongues spell. You 
  have advantage on all Charisma checks. You are immune 
  to poison damage and you cannot be poisoned. Finally, 
  you add create food and water and heroes’ feast to the list of 
  spells you can cast once per day from the staff.
  StAFF oF the hAnd
  The staff enhances your sense of touch. While carrying 
  the staff, you are constantly under the effects of the mage 
  hand spell, and the staff doubles your proficiency bonus to 
  spell attack rolls when you would touch a target. Finally, 
  you add arcane hand to the list of spells you can cast once 
  per day from the staff.
  stole oF dIVInIty
  Wondrous item, rarity varies (requires attunement)
  The stoles of divinity are prized relics belonging to the 
  various churches dedicated to the gods of the tree and are 
  a key part of the religious vestments worn by the clergy. 
  Each is a long scarf, usually silk or linen, which is embroi-
  dered with the symbol of the church. It is worn over both 
  shoulders. They might be highly ornamented for use in a 
  church, or simpler, when designed for adventuring clerics, 
  paladins, and other holy champions. The benefits stoles 
  confer depend on the church to which they are associated.
  • Sacrifice (Shalimyr, Rare). You do not need to eat or 
  drink while wearing this stole.
  • Inspiration (Zheenkeef, Rare). You double your pro-
  ficiency bonus for ability checks made using tools in 
  which you are proficient while you wear this stole.
  • Beauty (Aymara, Very Rare). While wearing this 
  stole, you can cast the charm person spell at will.
  • Heroism (Darmon, Very Rare). You gain a +1 bonus 
  to AC and to saving throws while wearing this stole.
  • The Wrestler (Canelle, Very Rare). Your Strength 
  score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20, while you 
  wear this stole.
  • Nobility (Naryne, Very Rare). Your Charisma score 
  increases by 2, to a maximum of 20, while you 
  wear this stole.
  • The Hunter (Thellyne, Very Rare). Your Dexterity 
  score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20, while you 
  wear this stole.
  • Health (Rontra, Very Rare). Your Constitution 
  score increases by 2, to a maximum of 20, while you 
  wear this stole.
  • The Judge (Maal, Very Rare). Your Wisdom score 
  increases by 2, to a maximum of 20, while you 
  wear this stole.
  • The Sacred (Mormekar, Rare). You are immune to 
  necrotic damage while you wear this stole.
  • The Mage Guard (Tinel, Legendary). You have 
  advantage on saving throws against spells and 
  you have resistance to spell damage while you 
  wear this stole.
  • Protection (Terak, Legendary). You have resistance 
  to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while 
  you wear this stole.
  • Healing (Morywn, Rare). While wearing this stole, 
  you can cast the heal spell once per day.
  artIFaCts
  The following two artifacts have strong ties to the gods 
  of the tree.
  the ark oF MagIC
  Wondrous item, artifact
  This is the golden ark in which the archangel Uriel bore 
  magic to the mortal races. It has been lost since the time of 
  antiquity, but scholars believe it is still hidden somewhere 
  in the mortal sphere. Legend has it that in the time of 
  greatest need, when the mortal races stand on the precipice 
  of destruction, four great heroes will arise, bearing the ark.
  The ark has four handles to bear it by. In classical depic-
  tions, Uriel stands before four unnamed angels who hold 
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  211
  the ark by these handles. When these four handles are 
  held, the ark provides the bearers with the raw power of 
  magic. Each bearer must have one hand on the arc (usu-
  ally holding the arc on the shoulder) for these powers to 
  be available. This means that the bearer cannot move away 
  from the arc by more than 5 feet.
  The ark has 1,000 charges for some of the following 
  properties. It replenishes all expended charges once each 
  day at dawn.
  • Divine Aura. When borne, divine light washes out 
  from it and coalesces in a soft radiance that spreads 
  out in a 30-foot-radius sphere. Creatures bearing 
  the ark have advantage on all saving throws and 
  other creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls 
  against them. In addition, when a fiend or an undead 
  creature hits a bearer with a melee attack, the aura 
  flashes with brilliant light. The attacker must succeed 
  on a Constitution saving throw or become blinded 
  for 24 hours.
  • Spells. When carried by four creatures, they can 
  agree to use any of the following powers at the cost 
  of 50 charges each. Any one of the four can use an 
  action to cast power word kill or time stop.
  • The bearer on the front left, the handle of fire, 
  can cast any of the following spells at a cost of 
  10 charges: delayed blast fireball, meteor swarm, 
  or sunburst.
  • The bearer on the front right, the handle of water, 
  can cast any of the following spells at a cost of 10 
  charges: cloud kill, mass heal, or storm of vengeance.
  • The bearer on the back right, the handle of earth, 
  can cast any of the following spells at a cost of 10 
  charges: antimagic field, earthquake, or regenerate
  • The bearer on the back left, the handle of air, 
  can cast any of the following spells at a cost of 10 
  charges: chain lightning, control wind, or thunder-
  wave (as 9th-level spell). 
  With this ark, armies might be leveled and 
  even the greatest foes toppled. However, tin-
  kering with such powers can be dangerous to 
  both the wielder and the world. Since the ark 
  is the container that bore the raw magic to 
  the material plane, if all the charges for a 
  single day are used, magic in the mortal 
  world ceases to function until 
  the charges have 
  been restored. Further, there is a 50% chance that every-
  one touching the ark when the last of its daily power is 
  drained will be utterly destroyed. Some scholars hold 
  that, should the ark be brought forth and its bearers 
  defeated, it will mean the end of magic in the world.
  the FlaIl oF rontra
  Weapon (flail), artifact (requires attunement)
  Rontra gave this mighty weapon to her mortal worship-
  ers long ago, before the forming of the Compact. It is 
  currently lost somewhere deep in the earth, its where-
  abouts known only to the Earth Mother herself. Legend 
  tells that in time of need, when the land and its people 
  are in grave danger, Grandmother Rontra will send one 
  of her chosen mortal worshipers on a quest to prove their 
  worth. If successful, she will bestow upon them this dire 
  flail, with its haft of purest silver and solid gold chains. 
  The spiked balls are as clear as crystal, each bearing a 
  sparkling light within. Although it appears delicate, 
  the weapon is indestructible and powerful. But until 
  the hero of prophecy wields it, scholars say it appears to 
  be a common flail, as much like a farm implement as a 
  weapon of war.
  • Magic Weapon. The Flail of Rontra is a magic weapon 
  that grants a +3 bonus to attack rolls and damage 
  rolls. In addition, when you hit a fiend or undead 
  with the weapon, that creature takes an extra 3d10 
  radiant damage.
  • Rontra’s Ward. While you carry the flail, you are 
  immune to necrotic damage, you emit dim light in a 
  5-foot-radius, and any fiend or undead that hits you 
  with an attack must make a DC 15 Constitution 
  saving throw or be stunned for 1 round.
  • Spells. You can cast the following spells from the 
  weapon each once per day: earthquake, move earth, 
  stone shape, and stoneskin. The spell save DC equals 8 
  + your proficiency bonus + the highest 
  of your Intelligence, 
  Wisdom, or 
  Charisma modifiers. 
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  212
  212
  Divine Rebirth. These spirits presented here embody 
  the personality of a type of beast, but they are far more 
  than the beasts they represent. Religious scholars believe 
  they are the souls of mortals who felt so tied to animals 
  that they asked to be reborn in animal form. Upon their 
  death in that form, they become spirits with the person-
  alities and intelligence of mortals (or even better, divine 
  spirits) and the form of animals. Some of these divine 
  creatures attain almost godlike status. One might consider 
  that the greatest among these spirits would be worshiped 
  as a god by the common animals of its ilk, were they to 
  understand such things.
  hanuManIs
  As mischievous as their monkey forms might lead one 
  to believe, these spirits are clever, often quite funny, and 
  closely tied with the chaotic gods, particularly Darmon. 
  They are expert martial combatants, often relying on 
  their staves to perform miraculous feats of melee. They 
  cannot tolerate bullies of any sort, but they are most 
  particularly the celestial foes of the rakshasas. 
  Whenever one of the hanumanis can help a 
  mortal against a rakshasa, it will seize the 
  opportunity.
  Hanumanis enjoy confounding their 
  foes with their magic. When fighting 
  rakshashas or other lawful evil 
  opponents, hanumanis drop 
  the playful act and use their 
  enchanted quarterstaffs 
  with deadly precision. 
  hanuManIs
  Medium celestial, chaotic good
  Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 44 (8d8 + 8)
  Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
   
  Str 
  dex 
  con 
  int 
  WiS 
  chA
   11 (+0) 
  20 (+5) 
  12 (+1) 
  15 (+2) 
  12 (+1) 
  13 (+1)
  Saving Throws Dex +8, Wis +4
  Skills Acrobatics +8, Perception +4
  Damage Resistances radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing 
  from nonmagical weapons
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
  Languages all
  Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
  Celestial Weapon. The hanumanis’s weapon attacks are magical. The 
  hanumanis treats all weapons as if they had the finesse property. 
  When a hanumanis hits with any weapon, the weapon deals an extra 
  2d8 radiant damage (included in the attack). 
  Innate Spellcasting. The hanumanis’s spellcasting ability is 
  Intelligence (spell save DC 13). The hanumanis can innately cast the 
  following spells, requiring only verbal components.
  3/day: hideous laughter
  1/day: dimension door, invisibility
  aCtIons
  Multiattack. The hanumanis makes two staff attacks.
  Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target(s).  
  Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2d8) radiant damage.
  Change Shape. The hanumanis magically polymorphs into 
  a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating equal to or 
  less than its own, or back into its true form. It reverts to its 
  true form if it dies. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying is 
  absorbed or borne by the new form (the hanumanis’s choice) In 
  a new form, the hanumanis retains its game statistics and ability 
  to speak, but its AC, movement modes, Strength, Dexterity, and 
  special senses are replaced by those of the new form, and it gains any 
  statistics and capabilities (except class features, legendary actions, and 
  lair actions) that the new form has but that it lacks.
  reaCtIons
  Spring Away. The hanumanis makes an attack with its staff and 
  moves up to half its speed when a creature it can see misses it. 
  New Creatures
  A selection of divine servants can be found below and they 
  represent just some of the beings one might encounter in 
  dealing with the gods of the tree.
  anIMal spIrIts
  In the mortal world, animal spirits are plentiful, but the 
  greatest animal spirits serve the gods directly, with two spir-
  its particularly close to the gods.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  213
  Agents of Chaos. In her desire to see the world change 
  and be interesting, Zheenkeef often allows her handmaids 
  to wander the world. Since they do very little of actual 
  practical consequence (they certainly don’t go conquering 
  nations), it rarely ends up violating the Compact. Instead, 
  they topple existing orders then rebuild them, send people 
  on quests that might have interesting repercussions, 
  and generally promote chaos. Adventurers encounter-
  ing a handmaid might find themselves needing to prove 
  they are entertaining and interesting, or suffer unhappy 
  consequences.
  When powerful clerics of Zheenkeef call for aid 
  from their goddess, it often comes in the form of these 
  bizarre heralds.
  Chaotic Foe. A handmaid of Zheenkeef is utterly unpre-
  dictable in combat. One round she might dominate the 
  toughest-looking fighter and make him cry like a baby, 
  and the next she might try to convince a wizard’s famil-
  iar to seek the joys of freedom. The only thing certain is 
  that she’ll never take the same action in two consecutive 
  rounds. That is far too boring for her chaotic mind. 
  pooka
  Medium celestial, chaotic good
  Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 27 (6d8)
  Speed 30 ft.
   
  Str 
  dex 
  con 
  int 
  WiS 
  chA
   8 (–1) 
  22 (+6) 
  10 (+0) 
  13 (+1) 
  16 (+3) 
  14 (+2)
  Saving Throws Dex +9
  Skills Acrobatics, +9, Medicine +6, Stealth +9
  Damage Resistances cold, fire, and radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, 
  and slashing from nonmagical weapons
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
  Languages all
  Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
  Innate Spellcasting. The pooka’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom 
  (spell save DC 14). The pooka can innately cast the following spells, 
  requiring only verbal components.
  At-will: detect evil and good
  3/day: cure wounds (as 4th level), detect thoughts, invisibility, lesser 
  restoration
  1/day: dimension door, remove curse
  aCtIons
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 
  (1d4 + 6) piercing damage.
  reaCtIons
  Bestow Luck. The pooka grants advantage to one attack roll, ability 
  check, or saving throw made by a creature within 60 feet of it. The 
  pooka must be able to see the creature.
  pooka
  A pooka is best understood as a rabbit spirit, but the 
  truth is, pookas can be from any of the gentle woodland 
  spirits. They are immensely charitable creatures, and the 
  suffering of man or beast fills them with sorrow. Closely 
  tied to Rontra, these gentle creatures are happy to come 
  to the mortal sphere, usually invisibly, to aid the most 
  unfortunate beings of the Material Plane. They usually 
  travel alone, though in the outer planes they can be found 
  in large groups, particularly in Elysium, where they like to 
  observe the mortal world.
  Pookas are peaceful creatures by nature and do not usu-
  ally fight. When involved in a combat, they lurk invisibly, 
  providing aid to those in need.
  handMaId oF 
  ZheenkeeF
  The handmaids of Zheenkeef do not make sense to a sane 
  mind. Once mortal servants of the mother of madness, 
  they are now so a part of her strange view of the universe 
  that they are constantly shifting and changing, spouting 
  nonsense one moment and profound wisdom the next.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  214
  214
  Touch of Chaos. Handmaids eschew weapons. Instead, 
  they harm their foes with the dreaded touch of chaos, an 
  infusion of magical power capable of twisting and melting 
  flesh, steel, and bone. 
  IX
  Ix shares his master Darmon’s love of a good joke. The 
  joyful silver fox of Heaven often journeys to the Material 
  Plane to play a good prank, or simply to observe a new 
  work of comedy. As comfortable in the guise of one of 
  the five mortal races as in his true form, Ix will often 
  aid adventurers and heroes through subtle means. He is 
  renowned in legend for his love of riddles and games, and 
  he will rely on these methods happily.
  Divine Trickster. When summoned by a gate or sim-
  ilar magic, Ix usually responds if the caster is a valued 
  servant of Darmon. When he does, he stays back and use 
  his magical and stealth abilities. He rarely confronts a 
  foe directly; he is, after all, a fox. Ix never sticks around 
  for a straight-up fight. If cornered, he curses his foes 
  to make them even more susceptible to his ruses and 
  tricks, or simply teleports away and comes back to haunt 
  them later. 
  handMaId oF ZheenkeeF
  Medium aberration, chaotic neutral
  Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 105 (14d8 + 42)
  Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
   
  Str 
  dex 
  con 
  int 
  WiS 
  chA
   16 (+3) 
  20 (+5) 
  17 (+3) 
  11 (+0) 
  24 (+7) 
  22 (+6)
  Skills Deception +10, Perception +11
  Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, and poison; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 21
  Languages all
  Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
  Innate Spellcasting. The handmaid’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom 
  (spell save DC 19). The handmaid can innately cast the following 
  spells, requiring only verbal components.
  3/day: confusion, dimension door, dominate person, greater invisibility, 
  hideous laughter, polymorph
  1/day: dominate monster, mislead, plane shift, teleport
  Magic Resistance. The handmaid has advantage on saving throws 
  against spells and other magical effects.
  aCtIons
  Touch of Chaos. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 55 (1d100) damage. Roll a d12 to determine the damage 
  type: 1, acid; 2, bludgeoning; 3, cold; 4, fire; 5, force; 6, lightning; 
  7, necrotic; 8, piercing; 9, poison; 10, radiant; 11, slashing; 12, 
  thunder. Creatures with the incorporeal movement trait are immune 
  to this attack.
  IX
  Medium celestial, chaotic good
  Armor Class 21 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 120 (16d8 + 48)
  Speed 40 ft.
   
  Str 
  dex 
  con 
  int 
  WiS 
  chA
   13 (+1) 
  24 (+7) 
  17 (+3) 
  25 (+7) 
  16 (+3) 
  22 (+6)
  Saving Throws Dex +11, Int +11
  Skills Acrobatics +11, Perception +7, Stealth +11
  Damage Resistances radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing 
  from nonmagical weapons
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 17
  Languages all
  Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
  Fortune’s Blessings. Ix is blessed with good luck and has advantage 
  on all saving throws. As well, all creatures have disadvantage on 
  attack rolls against him.
  Innate Spellcasting. Ix’s spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save 
  DC 19). Ix can innately cast the following spells, requiring only 
  verbal components.
  3/day: dimension door and greater invisibility 
  1/day: plane shift and power word stun
  Magic Resistance. Ix has advantage on saving throws against spells 
  and other magical effects.
  Spellcasting. Ix is a 16th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is 
  Intelligence (spell save DC 19, +11 to hit with spell attacks). He has 
  the following wizard spells prepared.
  Cantrips (at-will): dancing lights, friends, mage hand, minor illusion, 
  prestidigitation, shocking grasp
  1st-level (4 slots): charm person, color spray, silent image
  2nd-level (3 slots): blur, hold person, mirror image
  3rd-level (3 slots): fear, hypnotic pattern
  4th-level (3 slots): confusion, phantasmal killer
  5th-level (2 slots): dominate person
  6th-level (1 slot): programmed illusion
  7th-level (1 slot): mirage arcana
  8th-level (1 slot): antipathy/sympathy
  aCtIons
  Multiattack. Ix makes two claw attacks and one bite attack.
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 
  9 (1d4 + 7) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than a 
  construct or undead, it must succeed on a DC 19 Intelligence saving 
  throw or become cursed for 24 hours. While cursed, the target 
  makes Intelligence attack rolls, checks, and saving throws with 
  disadvantage for 24 hours. If the target is already cursed this way, it 
  takes an extra 2d6 psychic damage.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 
  (1d4 + 7) piercing damage.
  Change Shape. Ix magically polymorphs into a humanoid that has 
  a challenge rating equal to or less than his own, or back into his 
  true form. He reverts to his true form if he dies. Any equipment 
  he is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form 
  (Ix’s choice). In a new form, Ix retains his game statistics and ability 
  to speak, but his AC, movement modes, Strength, Dexterity, and 
  special senses are replaced by those of the new form, and he gains any 
  statistics and capabilities (except class features, legendary actions, and 
  lair actions) that the new form has but that he lacks.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  215
  laMMasu
  The noble beasts of legend, the lammasus are regarded 
  as protectors of all good beings, champions of the virtu-
  ous, and defenders of the holy places. Utterly sworn to 
  oppose evil, the lammasus concern themselves mostly 
  with thwarting the efforts of evil in all its forms. For this 
  reason, they readily offer aid and comfort to adventurers 
  who share their purpose, mostly offering counsel, but, 
  against significant threats, accompanying the would-be 
  heroes on their quest to defeat their sworn foes.
  Lammasus are rare in the material plane, favoring tem-
  ples and shrines standing in the ruins of fallen nations, 
  where they spend centuries guarding these holy places and 
  welcoming pilgrims seeking wisdom or to offer prayers 
  to the gods of heaven. Most lammasus live in the upper 
  planes, where they serve the gods of law and good directly.
  Scions of Metteron. Metteron, chief of Terak’s servants, 
  sired the lammasus and dispatches them to carry messages 
  and aid to his most loyal and devout servants. Lammasus 
  are unswervingly loyal to their maker and take great pride 
  in their role as divine messengers.
  Metteron
  Metteron is the lord of all animals in Heaven, the greatest of 
  their number, and father to some of the world’s most noble 
  beasts. He is the sire of the griffins and the lammasus. 
  laMMasu
  Large monstrosity, lawful good
  Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 102 (12d10 + 36)
  Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
   
  Str 
  Dex 
  Con 
  Int 
  Wis 
  Cha
   23 (+6) 
  10 (+0) 
  17 (+3) 
  16 (+3) 
  17 (+3) 
  14 (+2)
  Saving Throws Dex +3, Wis +6, Cha +5
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
  Languages Common, Celestial, Draconic
  Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
  Innate Spellcasting. A lammasu’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom 
  (spell save DC 14). A lammasu can innately cast the following spells, 
  requiring only verbal components.
  3/day: greater invisibility 
  1/day: dimension door
  Pounce. If the lammasu moves at least 20 feet straight toward a 
  creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn that 
  target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be 
  knocked prone. If the target is prone, the lammasu can make one 
  bite attack against it as a bonus action.
  aCtIons
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 12 
  (1d12 + 6) piercing damage.
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 
  (1d6 + 6) piercing damage.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  216
  216
  Legends often have this great golden lion as the butt 
  of the joke. Like his master, Terak, Metteron is prone to 
  bellowing and bravado. But also like his master, he is an 
  implacable foe to evil. Kindly, kingly, gentle to his friends, 
  wise to his children, Metteron is truly an awesome sight 
  for any mortal to behold. He can change his size at will; 
  in Heaven he is as large as a mighty hill. On the Material 
  Plane, he can appear to be a normal-sized lion.
  Metteron will often heed requests for aid from power-
  ful clergy of Terak using a gate or similar magic, and he 
  has descended to the world on more than one occasion to 
  turn the tide of a battle when summoned. He is a gracious 
  champion for goodness at such times.
  phoenIX
  A phoenix is the world’s most beautiful bird. Some believe 
  it’s somehow related to the roc, but most believe phoenixes 
  were born from the fire of rebirth when the gods Terak, 
  Tinel, and Zheenkeef were burnt on a pyre of the remains 
  of Eliwyn, the tree of life. Legend says that five phoenixes 
  burst up from those flames, and the birds have changed 
  little in the years since. 
  Fiery Rebirth. As most know, when a phoenix dies, it is 
  consumed by the fire of rebirth. Supposedly, if one gazes into 
  the flames as it burns, one will see the faces of the gods—one 
  of the many reasons people seek these rare birds out. Within 
  a day of consuming itself, the phoenix is reborn. Scholars 
  debate whether this reborn phoenix is really the same one, 
  but one thing is certain: Those who attack a phoenix unpro-
  voked will find themselves haunted by its many reborn forms 
  for the rest of their lives. Fiercely territorial, the phoenix does 
  not look kindly on those who invade its home, and will cer-
  tainly fight to keep outsiders at bay. This is particularly true 
  when a phoenix has laid an egg.
  Precious Eggs. A phoenix’s eggs appear to be made of 
  red gold and are among the most precious substances in 
  the world; a phoenix egg can fetch 80,000 gp or more 
  on the open market, as it is believed consuming one will 
  result in immortality. Unfortunately for egg hunters, 
  phoenixes typically mate once a century.
  raguel
  arChangel oF dIVIne retrIbutIon
  When Iblis, chief among the archangels, fell, it was 
  Raguel, his friend and the Vengeance of the Heavens, that 
  broke him. When blasphemous cults arise, seeking the 
  destruction of the gods or the order of the world, Raguel 
  descends upon them. His visage is both terrible and beau-
  tiful—he has the fairness of the angels, and is among the 
  mightiest of the seraphs. But he also has the fearful might 
  of the gods at his back. With his flaming sword, he is a 
  worthy adversary to even the mightiest evil.
  Calling Raguel. It is quite rare for an archangel to be 
  sent to aid the mortal servants of the gods, but any high-
  level cleric in truly desperate need of incredibly powerful 
  Metteron
  Huge celestial, lawful good
  Armor Class 21 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 312 (25d12 + 150)
  Speed 50 ft., fly 150 ft.
   
  Str 
  Dex 
  Con 
  Int 
  Wis 
  Cha
   28 (+9) 
  10 (+0) 
  22 (+6) 
  17 (+3) 
  20 (+5) 
  18 (+4)
  Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +12
  Skills Insight +12, Perception +12
  Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, radiant; bludgeoning, 
  piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
  Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified
  Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 22
  Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.
  Challenge 23 (50,000 XP)
  Divine Awareness. Metteron knows if he hears a lie.
  Divine Claws and Teeth. Metteron’s weapon attacks are magical. 
  When Metteron hits with his claws or teeth, the weapon deals an 
  extra 8d8 radiant damage.
  Innate Spellcasting. Metteron’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom 
  (spell save DC 20). Metteron can innately cast the following spells, 
  requiring only verbal components.
  At will: detect evil and good
  3/day: plane shift 
  Magic Resistance. Metteron has advantage on saving throws against 
  spells and other magical effects.
  Pounce. If Metteron moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature 
  and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn that target must 
  succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If 
  the target is prone, Metteron can make one bite attack against it as a 
  bonus action.
  Spellcasting. Metteron is a 20th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting 
  ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 20, +12 to hit with spell attacks). 
  He has the following cleric spells prepared.
  Cantrips (at-will): guidance, light, resistance, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
  1st-level (4 slots): bless, healing word, sanctuary, shield of faith
  2nd-level (3 slots): aid, enhance ability, prayer of healing
  3rd-level (3 slots): beacon of hope, dispel magic, magic circle
  4th-level (3 slots): banishment, death ward, freedom of movement
  5th-level (3 slots): commune, dispel evil and good, mass cure wounds
  6th-level (2 slots): blade barrier, heal, heroes’ feast
  7th-level (2 slots): conjure celestial, divine word, fire storm
  8th-level (1 slot): antimagic field, holy aura
  9th-level (1 slot): gate
  aCtIons
  Multiattack. Metteron makes two claw attacks
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 22 
  (3d8 + 9) piercing damage plus 36 (8d8) radiant damage.
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 
  20 (2d10 + 9) slashing damage plus 36 (8d8) radiant damage.
  Roar of Courage (recharge 6). Metteron roars. Each creature 
  Metteron chooses within a 150-foot radius becomes immune to the 
  frightened condition and makes attack rolls with advantage. The 
  effect lasts for 10 minutes.
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  217
  phoenIX
  Gargantuan monstrosity, neutral good
  Armor Class 19 (natural)
  Hit Points 370 (20d20 + 160)
  Speed 60 ft., fly 200 ft.
   
  Str 
  dex 
  con 
  int 
  WiS 
  chA
   27 (+8) 
  13 (+1) 
  26 (+8) 
  18 (+4) 
  20 (+5) 
  22 (+6)
  Skills Perception +11
  Damage Resistances radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing 
  from nonmagical weapons
  Damage Immunities fire, poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 21
  Languages all
  Challenge 18 (20,000 XP)
  Death Throes. When the phoenix dies, it explodes in a blinding 
  flash of light, flames, and smoke. Each creature within 30 feet of it 
  must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 70 (20d6) fire 
  damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. 
  The explosion ignites flammable objects in the area that aren’t being 
  worn or carried. In addition, smoke and swirling embers fill the 
  area of the explosion for 1 minute and cause the area to be heavily 
  obscured. Any creature that ends its turn in the area or that enters it 
  must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 
  (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much 
  damage on a successful one. 
  Holy Senses. The phoenix is always under 
  the effects of the detect evil and good and 
  detect magic spells.
  Innate Spellcasting. The phoenix’s 
  spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell 
  save DC 20). The phoenix can innately 
  cast the following spells, requiring only 
  verbal components.
  3/day: color spray, dispel magic, wall of fire
  1/day: fire storm, incendiary cloud, 
  plane shift
  Magic Resistance. The phoenix has 
  advantage on saving throws against spells and 
  other magical effects.
  aCtIons
  Multiattack. The phoenix makes two attacks: one with 
  its beak and one with its talons.
  Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) piercing damage.
  Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target.  
  Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage, and the target is grappled 
  (escape DC 22). Until the grapple ends, the target 
  is restrained, and the phoenix can’t use its talons on 
  another target.
  Phoenix Blessing (4/day). The phoenix touches another 
  creature, which regains 38 (6d10 + 5) hit points. In addition, 
  the phoenix removes any curse or disease affecting 
  the target and removes the blinded, deafened, 
  frightened, or poisoned conditions from it.
  legendary aCtIons
  The phoenix can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options 
  below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and 
  only at the end of another creature’s turn. The phoenix regains spent 
  legendary actions at the start of its turn.
  Shriek. Each creature within 30 feet of the phoenix must get a 
  success on a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or drop whatever it is 
  holding and become frightened for 1 minute. While frightened by 
  this effect, a creature must take the Dash action and move away 
  from the phoenix by the safest available route on each of its turns, 
  unless there is nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in 
  a location where it doesn’t have line of sight to the phoenix, the 
  creature can make a Wisdom saving throw and the effect ends for 
  the creature. Once a creature saves against this effect, it becomes 
  immune to the phoenix’s shriek for 24 hours.
  Phoenix Dance (Costs 2 Actions). The phoenix performs a complex 
  dance and at the end of this time can choose up to two creatures 
  it can see within 60 feet of it and divides the following effects 
  between the targets. 
  Dispel. The target is affected as if by the dispel magic spell cast as a 
  6th-level spell.
  Exile. The target must make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw. A 
  celestial, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead that fails the save instantly 
  returns to its home plane if it is not there already—fey go to the 
  Feywild and undead go to the Shadowfell. A creature of any other 
  type ceases to exist until the end of the 
  phoenix’s next turn. When this effect 
  ends, the creature returns to the last space 
  it occupied or an open space nearest to it.
  Blinding Flare (Costs 3 Actions). The 
  phoenix targets one creature within 30 
  feet of it. If the target can see it, the 
  target must get a success on a DC 
  22 Constitution saving throw or 
  become blinded for 1 minute. 
  
  Chapter X: new rules 
  218
  218
  aid (and opposing a profoundly evil foe) might receive 
  such aid from the Vengeance of Heaven himself.
  Vow of Silence. According to legend, Raguel does not 
  speak, and has not since his friend Iblis spoke the words 
  that led to his fall. There are few mortals who know 
  whether this is true.
  raguel
  Huge celestial, alignment
  Armor Class 23 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 957 (66d12 + 528)
  Speed 50 ft., fly 150 ft.
   
  Str 
  dex 
  con 
  int 
  WiS 
  chA
   28 (+9) 
  18 (+4) 
  26 (+8) 
  20 (+5) 
  30 (+10) 
  30 (+10)
  Saving Throws Int +13, Wis +18, Cha +18
  Skills Acrobatics +12, Athletics +17, Perception +18
  Damage Resistances radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing 
  from nonmagical weapons
  Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
  Senses truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 28
  Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.
  Challenge 27 (105,000 XP)
  Angelic Weapons. Raguel’s weapon attacks are magical. When 
  he hits with any weapon, the weapon deals an extra 6d12 radiant 
  damage (included in the attack).
  Divine Awareness. Raguel knows if he hears a lie.
  Innate Spellcasting. Raguel’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell 
  save DC 26). Raguel can innately cast the following spells, requiring 
  only verbal components.
  At will: detect evil and good, invisibility (self only)
  3/day: blade barrier, dispel evil and good, earthquake, fire storm, 
  resurrection
  1/day: commune, control weather, power word blind, power word 
  kill, power word stun
  Magic Resistance. Raguel has advantage on saving throws against 
  spells and other magical effects.
  aCtIons
  Multiattack. Raguel makes two greatsword attacks.
  Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 30 (6d6 + 9) slashing damage plus 39 (6d12) radiant damage.
  Slaying Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, range 120/600 
  ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 39 (6d12) 
  radiant damage. If the target is a creature that has 120 hit points or 
  fewer, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or die.
  Healing Touch (4/day). Raguel touches another creature. The target 
  magically regains 49 (8d10 + 5) hit points and is freed from any 
  curse, disease, poison, blindness, or deafness.
  legendary aCtIons
  Raguel can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options 
  below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time 
  and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Raguel regains 
  spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
  Teleport. Raguel magically teleports, along with any equipment 
  he wears or carries, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space 
  he can see.
  Searing Burst (Costs 2 Actions). Raguel emits magical, divine 
  energy. Each creature of his choice in a 10-foot radius must 
  make a DC 26 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) 
  fire damage plus 22 (4d10) radiant damage on a failed 
  save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  Blinding Gaze (Costs 3 Actions). Raguel targets one 
  creature he can see within 30 feet of him. If the target can see 
  him, the target must succeed on a DC 26 Constitution saving 
  throw or be blinded until magic such as the lesser restoration spell 
  removes the blindness.
  Thunder of Heaven (Costs 3 Actions; Recharge 6). Raguel 
  unleashes the thunder of Heaven at a point he can see within any 
  distance. A cacophonous roar fills a 50-foot-radius sphere that 
  spreads around corners. Each creature in the area must make 
  a DC 26 Constitution saving throw, taking 90 (20d8) thunder 
  damage and becoming stunned for 1d4 rounds and deafened for 
  1d6 minutes on a failed save, or just take half this damage on a 
  successful one.
  
  219
  T
  his appendix is a history of the gods, called a treatIse on the dIvIne, written “in character” by a 
  famous sage. If you are planning to play a religious scholar, or if you are a GM wanting to introduce plenty of 
  religious detail into your campaign, this section will be very useful. However, if you lack the time to get through it, 
  everything else in this book should make sense without it if you read Chapter I. 
  In general, we recommend that this text be considered long-accepted truth in the game world – meaning that this book was 
  written, in the game world, hundreds of years or more before the events of your campaign. The text is written as though many 
  of its details are revelations, which, if the text is quite old, they would have been for your characters’ forefathers.
  It is possible to make this a brand-new text. For instance, if you want to hit your players with a slew of revelations 
  about the gods they hold dear (“No, your god didn’t create the world. He grew on a tree.”) that’s another potentially 
  exciting way to use the text. It would add a tone of apocalypse, as all the world’s religions’ assumptions about their gods 
  are turned upside-down. It also allows for some fun reversals of expectation. Perhaps the churches of the war god and 
  magic god have been embroiled in a centuries-long conflict over which of them created the world, only to discover that 
  neither of them did. 
  The third possibility, and the most campaign-affecting, is to treat the mythology as though it is thousands of years old, 
  lost in the mists of time. The churches have developed new and interesting assumptions about their gods, but the charac-
  ters, on their quests, uncover snippets of this ancient text that radically alter the nature of faith in their world. This puts 
  your characters in the middle of an enormously complex religious and political imbroglio—or it just provides clues to 
  ancient monsters, ruins and relics tied to these forgotten myths.
  A Treatise on the Divine
  by the great sage Matalou
  IntroduCtIon
  Speak in my voice, you gods, you Lords of Heaven, for it 
  is your tale I tell! Let my tongue grow dry and my eyes 
  shrivel in my head if I lie!
  Some men journey to the ends of the world in the name 
  of Honor. Some stand alone, against a marauding army 
  with nothing but a sword and a prayer in the name of 
  King and Country. All I have done, and all I will ever do, 
  is in the name of Truth. 
  Know this, my reader: What you read is true.
  Though debate still rages among scholars regarding the 
  true history of the gods, I can assure you that this history, 
  and all the dark truths it reveals, is correct. I have walked 
  into the jaws of danger time and again to discover the 
  knowledge you now hold. This is my life’s work, and what 
  you read is the most accurate history of the gods that man 
  will ever know.
  chAPter i
  FIrst epoCh
  I have assembled this history of the beginning of the 
  world, the First Epoch, from several old and forgotten 
  texts. It will amuse you to know that the most valuable 
  of these texts was bought from a junk merchant in the 
  wretched town of Freeport for two silver. That tome was 
  written in an ink I had never seen before, and have not 
  seen since. Perhaps it’s the blood of a long-extinct beast. 
  The book was easily over two thousand years old, pre-
  served by some ancient magic. 
  PArt i
  the begInnIng
  After absorbing that book, after reading it over and 
  over, I came to realize that it is for good reason that he 
  beginnings of our world have been forgotten. Most of us 
  believe that the principal gods as we know them, having 
  always been, created our world. This is a comforting belief, 
  for within it is the assumption we were not put here by 
  random chance. The Great Sage Mordekai insists that we 
  were put here as part of an elaborate game between the 
  gods. The priests of Tinel believe that all of life is a test, 
  an exam of sorts, for the time when we might rejoin the 
  gods in the Heavens. There are countless explanations 
  for our existence, but all of them share one thing: the 
  assumption that along with our world, we were created for 
  a reason. The truth is, I fear, far darker.
  You see, there was a time when silence and darkness 
  reigned. I do not mean silence as in the stillness of the 
  forest when no bird chirps and no wind blows. I mean an 
  absence of sound only possible in a universe yet to discover 
  the very idea of sound. So too was it with the darkness: a 
  void so complete as to deny the very existence of light. The 
  nothingness was absolute. In a sense, it was perfect order 
  and peace. The emptiness was constant, without begin-
  ning or end.
  And yet, the void did not last. In the darkness, some-
  thing began to change. The tome I found in Freeport 
  referred to this change as “Shachté,” which means, “The 
  moment before the dice decide which face to show.” I 
  think we can best understand it as pure change and vio-
  lence, invading that vast sea of silence and peace. 
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  220
  220
  Though Shachté had no face or name, it changed the 
  void. Silence and peace were now interrupted with trem-
  ors of searing light and shrieking noises. The tremors 
  grew more frenzied, the peace and the violence tearing 
  at one another, changing one another. Light and shadow 
  were thus coupled, and sound and silence were joined as 
  opposites, for until this struggle none of these forces had 
  existed to be opposed. All the positive and negative ener-
  gies of the universe were made in that eternal moment, 
  and in their creation, they were so infected with one 
  another that rarely might one find a pure light without 
  darkness, or a pure sound without silence.
  The war of creation continued, creating a maelstrom 
  that flashed across the void, lasting for a million years, 
  or for just the winking of an eye, for time had no mean-
  ing then. And then, all at once, from the intersection of 
  silence and sound, a Word was formed; and in the heart of 
  the storm, there coalesced an Image. In that moment, the 
  Nameless One (so He must be called of necessity) created 
  Himself by uttering the Word: His name. 
  You may doubt this to be true, dear reader. Please believe 
  me when I say that I wish it were not so. I wish the universe 
  came from the careful plans of our loving gods as we have 
  always believed. But I have known since my youth that 
  this is not true; our world was created in less than perfect 
  circumstances. As an apprentice to the Great Sage Artonik 
  Sellowyl I came across this passage in my research:
  “Nothing is sacred
  For something is from nothing made
  And when the end of something comes
  Only nothing will remain”
  Innocuous as it may seem, it was in a tome about the 
  beginning of things. Reading this passage was the first 
  time, I encountered the notion of nothingness. No gods, no 
  life, no existence. Even then, I knew there had to be more 
  to the beginning of time than we have always believed. 
  Perhaps the significance of the Nameless One’s creation 
  and this poem escape you. Let me explain. When the 
  Nameless One created Himself in that moment of Image 
  and Word, time began. Everything we know and hold 
  dear began. But the roots of creation are in Shachté. The 
  universe was created not from the perfect stillness of logic 
  and peace, but from its clash with chaos and violence. The 
  Nameless One, the creator of all, was a being born not just 
  of perfection, but also of pure change and randomness. 
  Therefore, so are we. We are not here by the plan of the 
  gods; everything we know is an accident of creation, and 
  all of it will someday come to an end. When the end of 
  something comes, only nothing will remain.
  PArt ii
  ponderIng
  The book I purchased in Freeport told me nothing of what 
  happened for much of the rest of the first epoch. It took 
  many years of following rumors of rumors and clues to 
  learn more. I had heard for years of a barbaric people from 
  the frozen lands, who denied the power of our Lords of 
  other belIeFs  
  about the begInnIng
  The Great Sage Matalou’s discovery that the universe 
  was created in a moment of chaos is not, in fact, the most 
  frightening claim ever made by a scholar. In his wide-
  ly-distributed tome Gods or Monsters: an Investigation into 
  the Nature of Divinity, the Great Sage Curfas asserts that 
  the gods not only didn’t create the universe, they came to 
  our world from another place to prey on the weak-willed, 
  and convince the foolish to offer them worship.
   
  Curfas goes on to assert that the universe was created 
  by the mortal races, who were once powerful sorcerers. 
  It is his assertion that the individual is all-powerful, but 
  must throw off petty beliefs and take whatever they want. 
  While the Great Sage Curfas’ work is usually dismissed 
  as the ravings of a madman, mere piffle compared to the 
  well- researched findings of Matalou, there are some who 
  find it very alluring indeed.
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  221
  Heaven and worshiped only one god. It took me years of 
  looking for mentions of the Nameless One before I real-
  ized that their “one god” and the Nameless One are the 
  same. I still laugh that it took me so long.
  After learning from a fur trader who often journeyed in 
  the frozen wastes that these barbarians call their god “He 
  Who Will Not Be Named” or other such permutations of 
  “Nameless One,” I immediately journeyed to the wastes.
  My travails there will be the subject of a different book, 
  I am sure, but for now know that the truth was not easy to 
  discover. After several brushes with death, I managed to 
  befriend the Vola, or wise man, of one of the great tribes. 
  Ulfhedin, as he was called, was an exacting taskmaster, 
  and in return for the knowledge I sought I cleaned his 
  house, chopped his firewood, cooked his dinner, and 
  performed many other household chores. It was worth 
  every moment. By night, Ulfhedin and I would sit out on 
  the tundra by a fire, and he would tell me the stories of 
  the Nameless One that he had learned from his master, 
  and his master had learned from his master’s master, as 
  far back as the beginning of memory. From Ulfhedin I 
  learned the truth of the creation of our world, the birth of 
  the gods we worship, and the terrible secret of Kador, the 
  evil lord of fire, exiled by the gods.
  “Before Wolf had his howl and Snow had her cold.” that 
  is how Ulfhedin began every night’s lesson. That is how I 
  will begin this one. Before Wolf had his howl and Snow had 
  her cold, the Nameless One created Himself. Surrounded by 
  the void, in which He was the only interruption, He grew 
  restless. He spent eons pondering His existence. How had 
  He created Himself? How had He spoken His name before 
  He was born? These riddles gave Him food for thought but 
  eventually, He grew weary of pondering.
  He decided that He needed something to occupy His 
  time, so He began to create. At first, He made a tre-
  mendous palace in the void. Crafted of light and sound, 
  the palace filled the void with a great glow and swelling 
  music. In this palace, the Nameless One made himself 
  a throne; He crafted this lofty seat from the void itself. 
  There, in the center of the palace of sound and light, sat 
  the Nameless One on His throne of silence and dark. He 
  reflected on His work for eons more.
  He decided that it was not enough to create with light 
  and sound, or even darkness and silence. To truly explore 
  His power, He must create something entirely new. He 
  began to work without rest in the small, hidden rooms of 
  His palace. He strove to create, to imagine forces beyond 
  His comprehension. He created tools of light and sound 
  to forge new existences out of darkness, to smelt light and 
  silence. His labors were fruitless.
  As He journeyed back to His throne, He was struck 
  with inspiration. He had created Himself by speaking His 
  name. He understood in that moment that to create, He 
  need only form sound to speak words: names.
  With that, He spoke four great words of power. The 
  speaking of those words alone took days, if days were 
  measurable. After the speaking, four new forces lay before 
  Him: Fire, the power of life, or rather raw power itself; 
  Earth, the power of solidity, in attitude and function; Air, 
  the power of movement, in thought and form; and Water, 
  the power of change, within and without. With these four 
  tools, the Nameless One knew that He could create any-
  thing He imagined. He left the palace, went out into the 
  void, and looked about Him.
  The emptiness was still all-encompassing, but He began 
  to see an image of what would be. He saw a world covered 
  with life, a crystal sphere contained in a greater sphere 
  that was held up by four pillars of power. He would watch 
  this world, and see it grow and change. And He knew this 
  image was truth.
  chAPter ii
  the seCond epoCh
  The Second Epoch, we have always been told, was the time 
  that the gods created the world and mortals. It is true that 
  our world was created and populated in the Second Epoch, 
  but the circumstances of creation, as I have learned, were 
  far different from what we have always believed. It was 
  in the Second Epoch that the Nameless One created our 
  world, and from our world the gods were born.
  PArt i
  CreatIon
  Vola Ulfhedin told me that after seeing the Image of what 
  would be, the Nameless One summoned to Him the fire 
  He had created. Uncontrolled, flame swelled in the void, 
  but He contained it and shaped it into a pillar. He did the 
  same with earth, air, and water, and soon the four great 
  pillars were arrayed before Him. Then, using the strength 
  of the four pillars, He crafted a sphere. This Great Sphere 
  is what we call our universe, our existence, and is sup-
  ported by the four pillars. In it can be found our world, 
  Heaven, Hell, the land of the dead, and everything else 
  we know to exist. Whether the Nameless One has created 
  other Great Spheres, other universes, we will never know.
  Entering the sphere, He saw that it was empty, and 
  needed a world. First, He gathered up all that was con-
  tained in the sphere and forced it to the center. Once 
  everything was there, He formed around the center places 
  of His creation a perfect crystalline sphere made from 
  the positive and negative energies of creation. Inside the 
  crystal, He cried a litany of new words. With the words 
  for Fire and Air, He created the suns, moons, stars, winds, 
  and vapors by giving them names. These He bound to 
  the crystal sphere. He surveyed what He had done, and 
  determined that it was in here, in the crystal sphere where 
  He had placed the sky, He would do His work. He strode 
  to the center of His creation, where there was nothing but 
  the air and the ether and the shadow, and there He used 
  the words of Fire and Earth to name the mountains, hills, 
  valleys, plains, and cliffs, dismissing ether and shadow to 
  the corners of His making. Now the sphere had a place 
  for the life He had seen, but life would not come with-
  out water. So, with fire and water He gave names to the 
  oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and streams. He had before 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  222
  222
  Him now a home for life. Indeed, it is this center sphere of 
  crystal that our world lies.
  In our world, He built for Himself three fortresses. 
  From air, He built a castle in the sky; shaping earth, He 
  constructed a palace at the peak of the highest moun-
  tain; and with water, He crafted a keep at the bottom of 
  the deepest ocean. For an eon, He wandered His world, 
  until He became restless. Though the valleys, the moons, 
  the rivers and all His creations spoke to Him, they only 
  answered when spoken to, and did not have life as He 
  hoped. He decided to create once more.
  Rather than create a place or a thing, He created some-
  thing new. Giving it arms, legs, body, heart, and mind, 
  He called it Kador. To Kador He gave three gifts. First, 
  He gave Kador life, so that Kador could move about like 
  the Nameless One Himself. Second, He gave Kador will, 
  so that Kador could do as he chose. Third, He gave Kador 
  fire, the essence of life and vitality. From these three gifts, 
  the Nameless One crafted for Kador a soul, and so it is 
  today that only those with the three gifts have souls. 
  Of course, I was as shocked as you to learn all this. Vola 
  Ulfhedin swore it was so. Kador, the god at the center of 
  the war of the gods, the only god ever to be cast out from 
  the Celestial Host, was firstborn of the gods. 
  Ill-fated Kador wandered the world with the Name-
  less One, who was pleased. Kador acted as he wished, 
  and even surprised the Nameless One with his choices. 
  And yet, the Nameless One suffered from restlessness 
  once more. He enjoyed what the gift of will had done for 
  Kador, and so decided to impart it to all His creations. He 
  spoke to the mountains and the valleys, the suns and the 
  seas. He gave them will and whispered to each a secret 
  that set it apart. When He was satisfied that His creations 
  would live as they chose, He proclaimed three prophecies.
  First, He spoke to Kador alone. All of His creations lis-
  tened, though, and overheard: “To you, Kador, first-of-will, 
  I have given Fire. Others like you will be born in this world, 
  and to them you will give this gift.”
  Noticing that others of His creations had listened, He 
  whispered His second prophecy to Kador. None know 
  what He said, but they noted it took many years in the 
  telling. Vola Ulfhedin believes He told Kador all that had 
  passed before, and all that would come to pass, but there is 
  no knowing. Volas have debated the nature of the second 
  prophecy for as long as those priests have existed.
  The third prophecy was spoken aloud to all the world. 
  The Nameless One said, “When I spoke My name, I created 
  Myself. When I spoke your names, I created you. When My name 
  is spoken again, time will stop, and all names will be undone.” 
  There can be little doubt from this prophecy why the Volas 
  call the Nameless One “He Who Will Not Be Named.” 
  Should He be named, the world will end. Before I learned 
  this, I’d foolishly believed His name was merely unknown. 
  After speaking the third prophecy, the Nameless One 
  left the Great Sphere, and has never spoken again. Vola 
  Ulfhedin believes He still sits in his palace of light and 
  sound, upon his throne of silence and darkness, and 
  watches His creation. I believe the Nameless One has 
  gone on to create countless other spheres, and no longer 
  remembers which was the first, or no longer cares.
  PArt ii
  bIrth
  Vola Ulfhedin’s knowledge became sketchy after the 
  Nameless One’s departing. He spoke of the gods we know 
  and called them children. He said that as we are to them, 
  so are they to the Nameless One. 
  He had given me much of the knowledge I needed for 
  this treatise, but it was not enough. I asked how the gods 
  were born. Ulfhedin told me to look no further than my 
  own birth. The Volas of the Nameless One had always 
  denied the worship of our gods, he said, because the gods 
  were our siblings, not our parents. He knew no more than 
  that, but that was enough. I knew exactly what it meant. 
  From his words, simple as they were, I had learned the 
  history of the gods’ birth. I needed only evidence.
  The journey south from the frozen waste was, of course, 
  arduous. I was driven, though, by the thirst for knowl-
  edge. For me, knowledge is sustenance. When a man 
  dying of thirst in the desert happens upon a caravan of 
  strangely dressed people, he asks them for water, but I 
  would ask them about the function of their clothing, the 
  stories of their people, and the constellations they use to 
  guide themselves through the wastes. It is my nature.
  Rather than return home, I set out for an ancient 
  what’s In a soul?
  A being must possess life, free will, and the inner fire of 
  power to truly possess a soul. The order established by the 
  Nameless One imposes these three requirements. There are 
  many things in the world that have only life, but not the 
  other components. Many “lesser” races, including animals 
  and certain wicked creatures of the land, have life and free 
  will, but not spiritual fire. Very few beings have all three. 
  These include the gods, dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, 
  and humans, and most beings directly descended from 
  them. Living things (and certain magical entities) have 
  “spirits” that are not souls—or to be more precise, while all 
  souls are spirits, the reverse is not true. Similarly, all beings 
  with the inner fire have corruption and rage within them. 
  These can exist without spiritual flame, but in such cases, 
  must be imposed from without, and in any case, can be per-
  manently removed, which the fire’s taint is constant.
   
  It is believed that the inner fire, entrusted to Kador to 
  be passed on to other races, is necessary to separate the 
  spirit from the body, so that it can be counted as a soul. 
  Without it, when living being dies, its spirit dies with it. 
  Kindled by the flame of power, the spirit can transcend 
  the flesh and go beyond the body upon its death. Yet 
  without free will, a spirit’s deeds would not be recorded 
  in the black and white ledgers, and it could not be judged, 
  and would simply be dispersed into the world. Therefore, 
  the inner fire cannot make a spirit into a soul without free 
  will—and if would not exist in the first place without life 
  to generate it.
  
  223
  foundation of Grandmother Rontra, the Earth. The 
  Temple of Rebirth, as it has been known for a thousand 
  years, is a storehouse of artifacts. It is the location of one 
  of the oldest libraries I know and more importantly, one 
  containing a book I now desired very much to read. I 
  believed this book might support my burgeoning theory.
  Of course, you are wondering what my theory was. 
  If the gods were not our “parents” as we have always 
  believed, but our siblings, they too must have been born of 
  Eliwyn, the Tree of Life. It seemed inconceivable. There 
  had been five fruits, from which sprang the five mortal 
  races. I knew that. Everyone knows that. What I found at 
  the Temple of Rebirth proved that to be mostly true, but 
  there was so much more we had not realized.
  Buried in the library, I found what I was looking for. 
  I had heard of a preposterous text shelved therein, that 
  espoused heretical beliefs. A crumbling tome called A 
  Treatise on the Divine, by an anonymous author, the book 
  was known for its theory that the gods were born from 
  Eliwyn. As tribute to the long-dead anonym, I have used 
  that title for my own work.
  The Treatise is written in a dead language. Because it 
  was considered heretical, only choice passages had ever 
  been translated. My efforts to translate were hindered 
  because the author, bless his soul, had different names for 
  all the gods, and knew nothing of the Nameless One. It 
  was difficult to tell where the Treatise ceased to be fanci-
  ful imagination and started to be useful history. I did the 
  best I could and assembled, from the Treatise and other 
  sources in the library, this complete history of our gods.
  The story of the birth of the gods begins simply enough. 
  Having overheard the Nameless One’s first prophecy, all 
  the world knew that others like Kador would be born. Each 
  part, in its vanity, wished to be solely responsible for that 
  birth. The mountains tried to create life, and made only 
  rocks. The rivers tried, and made only ponds. The stars 
  tried, and made only comets. Alone, none of them could 
  create, though they strove for eons.
  Kador watched their efforts from his seat in the 
  Nameless One’s castle in the sky. At last, he too grew 
  restless. He traveled down to the land, and spoke to the 
  mountains, hills, valleys, plains, and cliffs. He used a 
  conspiratorial tone, telling them that the skies and the 
  waters were close to creating life. He whispered that they 
  must unite or lose in the struggle. At first, they resisted. “I 
  will create life myself,” cried the valleys, and all the others 
  echoed their cries. Kador insisted, though, that life would 
  never be born of any one of them alone. He said that only 
  the united lands could defeat the upstart skies and waters. 
  And so, the parts of the land became one, and was called 
  Rontra, the Earth, mother of gems and living plants both. 
  Seeing the land united and alive, the skies became jeal-
  ous. The suns, moons, stars, winds, and air became one, 
  and was called Urian, the Sky, whose lights spin and array 
  themselves in prophecy, to the rhythm of time, and whose 
  winds are the breath of all beasts and birds.
  Thus, seeing the land and sky become gods, the 
  oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and streams united and 
  became Shalimyr, the Water, who all life drinks from for 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  224
  224
  sustenance, and who is the source of all living blood.
  Kador smiled. Surely, he was as responsible for the birth 
  of these new lives as the Nameless One had been. He 
  gave each of them his Fire, saying, “I grant you this gift, my 
  children.”
  Rontra put the flame in her soils, making them fertile. 
  Shalimyr used the flame to rise and create nourishing rain, 
  and crawl across the world as rivers. Urian united the cold, 
  small spinning suns in flame, and created the One Sun, 
  giver of day and warmth. Kador was pleased.
  It is here that the Treatise speaks of the birth of the 
  Tree of Life. On the shore where Shalimyr and Rontra 
  met, Shalimyr impregnated Rontra with his waves. From 
  Shalimyr’s seed planted deep in Rontra’s womb grew a tree 
  they called Eliwyn. With Rontra’s fertile soil, Shalimyr’s 
  nourishing rains, and Urian’s warming sun, Eliwyn grew.
  Urian took the responsibility of tending Eliwyn. As the 
  tree grew, Urian noticed it bore five fruits. Seeing this, 
  Kador came down from his castle. He proclaimed that the 
  largest fruit on the tree belonged to him, and he meant 
  to take it.
  It is here that we begin to see Kador’s evil. Of course, I 
  have discovered the reason for his madness, but never why 
  he was obsessed with the fifth fruit. In all my research, I 
  can find no explanation, though I have searched for years. 
  It is here that I must apologize to you, dear reader, for 
  here my history is incomplete.
   Kador told Urian, Rontra, and Shalimyr that he would 
  pluck the fruit and tend to it himself, but they would not 
  allow it. As he moved to take it, Urian blew him back 
  with fierce winds. Shalimyr lashed at him with a great 
  storm. Rontra opened a fissure a hundred leagues deep 
  beneath his feet. 
  Defeated, Kador shook his head in disgust, and turned 
  to leave. But before he did he spoke these words, writ 
  quite clearly in the old Treatise on the Divine.
  “Each of these fruits bears a new life. As I am the child of the 
  Nameless One, so are you my children, and the children within 
  the fruits are my progeny also. As your sire, I demand my right: 
  the largest of these fruits. You oppose me in defiance of my 
  right, so I lay a curse upon the fruit. Rather than bear a strong 
  child, powerful like its siblings, this fruit will bear a thousand 
  young in my image and, as you rebel against me, so shall they 
  rebel against you. I lay this curse, and upon the Flame that is 
  mine, you know it is so.” With that, he returned to his castle 
  in the sky.
  After he left, four of the fruits ripened. They contained 
  children who began to speak amongst themselves and to 
  their parents through the fruits’ skins. The fifth fruit, the 
  fruit cursed by Kador, remained silent. However, it began 
  to bulge, growing much larger than the others.
  As the four children grew, they would ask their parents 
  whether it was time to come out. Always, Rontra would 
  tell them they were not yet ripe. Urian would rock them 
  at night with a low wind, and Shalimyr would sing them 
  to sleep with the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. 
  They gave the children names as they grew. One child, 
  who would kick at the skin of his fruit with such force 
  that all Eliwyn would shake, they called Terak. The child 
  who always asked questions about the world outside of his 
  fruit, they called Tinel. One of the children sang along 
  with Shalimyr every night, and danced within her fruit; 
  her they called Zheenkeef. And the quiet one who only 
  commented on the beauty of her fruit, or the loveliness 
  of Shalimyr’s song, they called Morwyn. The fifth fruit 
  they did not name, for it looked ready to burst, and sound 
  never issued from it.
  Soon, the children were nearly fully grown. As Shalimyr 
  sang them to sleep, Terak’s kicking became more violent, 
  Tinel’s questions more insistent, and Zheenkeef’s singing 
  and dancing more wild. As she danced and Terak kicked, 
  Eliwyn began to shake, until Shalimyr stopped singing and 
  Urian told them to be calm. But it was too late. Zheenkeef’s 
  dancing did not stop, and Terak and Tinel’s fruits fell from 
  the tree early, with Zheenkeef’s soon to follow. Tinel and 
  Terak hit the ground and so were born at the same moment. 
  Only Morwyn remained on the tree until her fruit was fully 
  ripe, and then she fell, coming out of her fruit last. The fifth 
  fruit remained, over-ripe.
  Kador saw all of this and was pleased. He came down to 
  the tree from his castle for a third time and spoke to the 
  four young ones.
  “Do not listen to him,” Rontra warned, but Terak and 
  Tinel ignored her. They demanded to know who he was 
  and what he wanted.
  “You four shall be lords of this world, but you will need fire. 
  I give it as a gift. Allow me to give it to the eldest first, and the 
  youngest last.”
  “I am the eldest,” Terak and Tinel said in unison.
  “You cannot both be the eldest,” Kador said. And with that 
  seed planted, he gave fire to each of the four, starting with 
  Tinel, and moved to depart. However, before he did so, he 
  plucked the fifth fruit from the tree. As soon as he did, it 
  burst open. Springing forth from the fruit came a thousand 
  burning children, and they began to run all over Kador’s 
  hand and arm. Terrified, Kador flailed about, hurling 
  the children all over the earth. Against his will, though, 
  these creatures took the Gift of Fire from Kador as they 
  crawled over his arm, and thus won souls. According to the 
  suns and Moons?
  The Great Sage Matalou says that in ancient eons, Urian 
  was made of many suns and moons, each possessed of a 
  chill light. In this legend, he unites the suns, but not the 
  moons. Yet one myth about Urian implies the existence 
  of a single moon. We know that many folks like to have 
  several moons in their fantasy worlds, so we haven’t men-
  tioned how Urian made the Moon, or the many moons of 
  your campaign. Just interpret the earlier myth so that it 
  refers to the primary moon on your world.
  Urian made one or more moons in your setting just as 
  he made the One Sun: by binding lesser bodies with the 
  Fire of Kador. Yet after he had made the One Sun, Urian 
  had little fire, and could not make his second creation as 
  warm and bright. Thus we have cold nights, lit by a moon 
  (or moons) dimmer than the One Sun.
  
  225
  Treatise, these children were the div, which means “bright 
  ones.” As I discovered in later research, the div are known 
  today mostly by many names: genie, jann, djinn, efreet and 
  more. But when they were first born, they divided into 
  other tribes. The greatest were the powerful but rare Marid, 
  the less powerful but plentiful Shaitan, and the silent Shee. 
  Instead of one god, they were born of Kador’s curse, as a 
  multitude in his image.
  One part of the tale confuses me. Why was Kador 
  terrified? The div had been cursed by his own lips and 
  were like him. He was Lord of Fire, and yet frightened 
  of a thousand fiery children? It is this mystery that I will 
  research for my next work, though my heart tells me that 
  his demand for the fifth fruit and his fear of its contents 
  must come from the same source.
  All the gods were astounded, as Kador fled the div, 
  and retired to his castle. He scattered the div to the four 
  corners of the world, where they began to grow and pro-
  create. The Marid built huge cities and great palaces by 
  the coasts, for they loved the water. The Shaitan wandered 
  the deserts and the mountains. The Shee hid themselves 
  in Rontra’s caves and deep in the waters of Shalimyr’s 
  rivers and lakes. In fact, I will speak of the Shee very little 
  from here, for they kept themselves secret, and were not 
  involved in most of the events of the Third Epoch. But 
  the Marid and Shaitan grew great and plentiful across the 
  earth. The Treatise has this to say: “The bright ones were 
  the first race of the world, but the gift of the world was 
  not enough to satisfy their pride.” 
  chAPter iii
  the thIrd epoCh
  Of course, some of the Third Epoch is well known. We all 
  know of the first war of the gods. For much of the knowl-
  edge in this chapter, I must credit The Great Sage Laico’s 
  famous work, the Folio Divinicus. What young student 
  hasn’t been forced to memorize that dusty tome forward 
  to back and recite its contents?
  PArt i
  the lesser war 
  So, to those of you who’ve read the work, I apologize that 
  parts of the following will be familiar. However, much 
  of the Third Epoch is different from what we have long 
  believed. For instance, none of the children of the gods 
  were yet born during this epoch. The legend of Korak 
  coming to his father Terak’s aid against Tinel, a much 
  repeated and beloved tale, is entirely impossible. Korak 
  was not yet born. Also, the war did not begin over an 
  argument pertaining to the div, as stated in the Folio. You 
  may still be wondering why I spoke of the universe’s dark 
  beginnings earlier, of Shachté. It was during the Third 
  Epoch that Shachté’s effects were made clear, causing the 
  lesser war of the gods.
  While the gods grew in the fruit they were perfect 
  beings, possessed of divine intellect and pure motivations. 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  226
  226
  But Shachté took its toll. It is here, dear reader, that I 
  must tell you history’s darkest secret. The world was born 
  of madness and destruction. The invasion of Shachté – the 
  light breaking the dark, the sound shattering the silence, 
  was not creation, but destruction, or both: a paradox only 
  the Nameless One might resolve. Nevertheless, before His 
  birth, the universe was perfect. His birth killed that per-
  fection. And what does this mean, you ask?
  All things that are born are doomed to die. All existence 
  will rot and decay. There can be no pure life or pure creation. 
  It is all corrupted with Shachté. And what is most corrupted 
  with that force? The Nameless One! The creator of all the 
  things we know! The universe was born in madness, and 
  to madness, sickness, and death it will always revert. The 
  only thing that can be pure in our universe is Shachté itself, 
  because creation and life cannot alter primal corruption.
  So these pure gods, beings of sweet life and precious 
  reason, were corrupted by Shachté while they grew on the 
  tree, which was itself corrupted while growing from Rontra’s 
  womb, for the living Earth was corrupted from the time of 
  her own creation as the multitude of lands and stones. When 
  the gods came forth from their fruits, and the div came forth 
  from theirs, they were already tainted with it.
  When Kador, who was the most corrupted by Shachté 
  (for he was the first created, and therefore first stricken), 
  came to the gods and asked them who was firstborn, and 
  would lead, it sparked the flame of madness within them 
  all. Terak and Tinel looked at each other, both knowing 
  they could not allow the other to think he was older. Each 
  devised a plan to destroy the other. Zheenkeef knew that 
  if both died, she would be eldest, and so planned to help 
  them destroy each other. And Morwyn, gentle Morwyn, 
  did not know what to do.
  To defeat his brother, Terak, the strongest among them, 
  pulled iron from Rontra’s womb and with strength and fire 
  forged his weapon: an axe. To best Terak, Tinel, the most 
  knowledgeable among them, melded his knowledge with 
  fire to make his weapon: magic. Zheenkeef, who embraced 
  Shachté and was the maddest among them, blended chaos 
  the death oF the  
  great sage Matalou
  While it is true that the teachings of the Great Sage Ma-
  talou would go on to alter the perceptions of the faithful 
  everywhere, his insistence on continually reminding his 
  readers that the gods are all a bit tainted with madness 
  did not sit well with his contemporaries. Even today, it is 
  a point best not to belabor.
  Soon after the publication of Matalou’s Treatise on 
  the Divine, he was burned at the stake by a coalition 
  of priests. They were threatened by his work but, even 
  more importantly to them, found it vile heresy. Mata-
  lou’s tongue was cut out and his eyes were plucked from 
  his head before he was burned, and these organs are 
  preserved today as relics of the church of Tinel, which 
  reveres Matalou for his courage in telling the Truth.
  and fire for Inspiration, to help her destroy both brothers. 
  Morwyn saw what her siblings did and declared that the 
  fire would destroy them all, so she did nothing. 
  With weapons in hand, Tinel and Terak resumed the 
  debate as to who was the eldest. Urian tried to intercede, 
  but they would not listen. Rontra demanded they cease 
  their argument, but they ignored her. Shalimyr made no 
  effort to stop them, for violence and roiling temper is the 
  way of flowing water.
  Soon, Tinel and Terak came to blows. Each demanded 
  the other take back the claim he was older. They ran 
  through the rivers, over the hills, and upon the winds, 
  Terak swinging his axe, and Tinel hurling his magic. For 
  years, they battled, scarring the world with their powers, 
  while Morwyn begged them to stop, yet Zheenkeef ran 
  between them, inspiring each with a newer and better 
  way to destroy the other. Mountains were leveled by the 
  forces of Terak’s blows. Seas were dried by the strength 
  of Tinel’s magic. The Nameless One’s mountain palace 
  was leveled by their battle. Before they fought, the world 
  had been one land, surrounded one Ocean. Now the land 
  itself was torn asunder by their struggle. Islands rose in 
  the water; rivers disappeared. The one land was split into 
  the many continents that cover the world today, and the 
  ancient Ocean became many oceans and seas.
  During their struggle, the gods found tribes of the 
  Marid and Shaitan all over the world. The div tribes were 
  at war over who among them would rule everything. 
  The gods saw them as useful tools, and dragged some 
  into their struggle. To a few of the Marid and Shaitan 
  tribes the gods gave great power, making them personal 
  armies. Tinel gave his div the gift of magic. With their 
  powers, they raged across the world, crying out Tinel’s 
  name. Terak made his div allies mighty beyond reckoning, 
  capable of incredible physical feats. They descended upon 
  the other div, slaying in droves, calling out Terak’s name. 
  Zheenkeef taught a few div the tricks of natural philoso-
  phy, and the secrets of making machines, and they built 
  engines destruction and leveled cities in the name of their 
  god. And Morwyn, gentle Morwyn, taught some div the 
  ways of peace and reason. These few built great nations of 
  loyal and happy followers, but when they would not fight 
  in the war, the other div destroyed their nations.
  The war swelled across the newly sundered world. 
  Rontra could not act, so pained was she by being ripped 
  apart. So too were Urian and Shalimyr effected by the 
  tumult. Their children were destroyed, and they could 
  do little but watch. The div pursued the war amongst 
  themselves, while Terak and Tinel continued their cata-
  clysmic battle.
  At last, when it seemed they had fought to a standstill, 
  Zheenkeef realized how best to kill her brothers. She told 
  each to use Eliwyn, the tree, as a shield. Each took up a 
  position behind it, Terak hurling his axe, Tinel lofting his 
  magic. The blows shattered Eliwyn, leaving nothing but 
  a blackened stump. Her great, heavy branches landed on 
  the brother-gods, killing them, both. Splinters of the tree 
  flew across the world and where they landed, trees, plants, 
  mosses, grasses, and flowers sprouted up.
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  227
  PArt ii
  death and rebIrth
  Morwyn looked at the corpses of her dead brothers in 
  horror. Zheenkeef giggled with glee. Urian, Rontra, and 
  Shalimyr wept at the folly they had failed to prevent. 
  In his castle in the air, Kador, who had remained silent 
  during the war, smiled. The div ceased fighting; they had 
  their fill of killing. Those div who had been gifted by 
  the gods came now to the foot of Eliwyn, mourning the 
  destruction of war and pleading for forgiveness. From the 
  remaining stump of Eliwyn, a new being arose. Swathed 
  in black, he spoke to the bodies of Tinel and Terak.
  “I am Mormekar. In killing one another, you created me. 
  You are my fathers and my brothers both; I have come to 
  claim you.”
  Mormekar is a god like no other. When the div killed 
  each other, he came into being in some way that I do not 
  understand. He was there beside each div who died, invis-
  ible, capable only of ending their time on Earth. But with 
  the death of two gods and the Tree of Life itself, Morme-
  kar was given the power of a god, for Death must match 
  the stature of the dying. And verily, he is Death, Shachté’s 
  ultimate consequence, made of the void beyond, which 
  would regain peace in the absence of existence.
  Morwyn pleaded with Mormekar not to take Tinel 
  and Terak, for there were no lives beyond life then, and to 
  die was to be dispersed into the world like floating ashes, 
  or cast beyond the Great Sphere, into the abiding void 
  from where Death was born. Yes, the gods were dead, 
  and Mormekar’s power was to be an agent of the scatter-
  ing, that void. Yet he knew that Fire could give them life 
  again, for their souls could bind to it like the One Sun, 
  and shine once more. But the gods’ flame was insufficient, 
  and Mormekar, being of the void, had none of his own. 
  And though the other gods possessed the inner fire, none 
  could remove it from where it was bound within them, for 
  they did not master it. Therefore, Urian, Rontra, Morme-
  kar, and Morwyn cried up in chorus to Kador, demanding 
  he give the Gift of Fire to Mormekar. 
  I assume, dear reader, that you have never read or seen 
  The Cycle of the Tree, those marvelous plays written by the 
  Bard Alzhere. This is no shameful thing, as the Cycle has 
  not been performed for three thousand years. While the 
  Folio Divinicus explains how Terak and Tinel are reborn, 
  the Cycle dramatizes it, and includes many details left 
  out of the Folio. For instance, in the Folio, Kador refuses 
  to give flame to the gods to bring back Tinel and Terak. 
  The Great Sage Laico declared that Kador was evil, and 
  pleased to see other gods perish, but the Cycle shows 
  Kador’s true reasons. Quoth the second play:
  KADOR: When I claimed the fruits as mine, did you 
  not resist? When I asked for my due, did you not rebuke 
  me? Ungrateful children will receive all the gratitude and 
  favor they have given. Nothing will I give, and nothing 
  will I do to aid any of you.
  RONTRA: Traitorous Kador, you are charged to give 
  flame to those who would come. Fulfill your duty.
  KADOR: I am the keeper of the flame, Rontra the 
  Earth, not you. I will decide its use, not you. What would 
  you be, were it not for Kador? I am Kador the creator, 
  Kador the father. I have wandered this world for an 
  eternity, and if I had not seen fit to teach the earth to be 
  Rontra, the skies to be Urian, the waters to be Shalimyr, 
  you would not be. And yet, you seek to demand of me.
  URIAN: Do you so easily shirk the Great Father’s edict?
  KADOR: He Who is Not and Will Not Be Named is 
  gone. He has given me this world, and I have given you 
  everything you have. Do not anger me, winds, or I will 
  still you.
  SHALIMYR: As surely as the river meets the ocean you 
  will fall, Kador.
  KADOR: If I am to fall, so shall you all. Fire cannot be 
  bested, not by wind, nor rain, nor earth. Heed my words: 
  If I see fit to take, you will give. If I see fit to give, you 
  will take. That is all you need know.
  Kador had become convinced that he was responsible 
  for the birth of the gods and the div, and so refused to give 
  them fire. To his increasingly corrupted way of thinking, 
  his “children” had betrayed him.
  With Kador’s refusal to give flame to Mormekar, there 
  was nothing to do but inter the bodies in Rontra’s womb. 
  But Morwyn could not bear to let her brothers die. 
  She gave to Mormekar her own flame, which she had 
  never used. Building a pyre from the stump of Eliwyn, 
  Mormekar blended death and fire and made the Flame 
  of Rebirth.
  Terak and Tinel were consumed by the flames, which 
  reached as high as the Moon. Zheenkeef danced around 
  the fire, laughing and singing, whirling and giggling. The 
  chaos of the flames was so beautiful to her that she hurled 
  herself upon the pyre and danced until she too was con-
  sumed, so tainted by Shachté had she become.
  Soon, there was nothing left of the three young gods 
  or the tree but ash. Morwyn looked at the ash and asked, 
  “When will they be reborn, Mormekar?”
  “I do not know,” he replied, smearing a streak of the ash 
  across his brow, “but my duty is done.”
  Saddened by the loss of her siblings, Morwyn fell to her 
  knees before the remains of the pyre and wept. Three of 
  the Mystery oF Morwyn
  Alone among all beings in the universe, Morwyn has 
  no inner flame, yet possesses a soul. This mystery is at 
  the center of the Morwynite faith, which sees it as the 
  purgation of all malice and rage through self-sacrifice. 
  That Morwyn managed to do what no other being could 
  is what makes her divine; contemplation of this, the ulti-
  mate act of charity, fills the lives of many of her chosen. 
  If one emulates Morwyn’s gentle ways and becomes truly 
  divine, they believe, one need not possess the Fire which 
  gives the soul power and rage.
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  228
  228
  her tears hit the ashes and Eliwyn sprouted forth from the 
  ground, reborn. The tree bore five fruits once more, and at 
  its base lay three crying babes: the gods of the pyre, reborn.
  PArt iii
  Corpus InFernus and the 3 laws
  The war between the young gods was over, with only 
  Morwyn left alive. With Mormekar, Death, at her side, 
  she took up her three reborn siblings and descended to 
  the Nameless One’s castle in the ocean. There they raised 
  them, while Urian, Rontra, and Shalimyr once more nur-
  tured Eliwyn. While the three children grew, Morwyn 
  and Mormekar wed and begat a child named Maal, called 
  Firstborn, for he was the first god born of a womb. Mean-
  while, Mormekar used the Flame of Rebirth to give new 
  life to the souls of all the div who had died in the war of 
  the gods. There was not yet any method to judge them, so 
  they were all reborn.
  While the child-gods grew, Morwyn wished to know 
  what caused her siblings to fight their vicious war. She 
  traversed the div nations, which grew once more across 
  the sundered remains of the land. They squabbled for ter-
  ritory. Even div who had not fought for the gods waged 
  wars with one another, seemingly consumed by an instinct 
  for violence.
  Morwyn called those div who had been given powers 
  by the gods. With the aid of Mormekar, Rontra, Urian, 
  and Shalimyr, she raised these div beyond mortality and 
  taught them secret songs known only to the gods, and 
  even the ancient names of the gods, uttered only between 
  themselves. The ascended div were thus made the Celes-
  tial Host, angels and choirs of hallowed beings, servants 
  of the gods. Chief among them were the seven Archangels 
  and their master, the Archangel Iblis. Morwyn set him 
  to the task of dividing the Celestial Host into three great 
  choirs. He did so, and there in the watery palace they sang 
  the songs of the first days.
  With the host in place, Morwyn called upon the clever-
  est of the celestials, who had once been div given power by 
  Zheenkeef, to help her discover the cause of the madness 
  that led to war and death.
  By the time Terak, Tinel, and Zheenkeef were at last 
  fully grown, Morwyn had discovered the source of the 
  madness that had eaten at them. She had discovered 
  Shachté’s taint, and given it the name Corpus Infernus. On 
  the eve of her discovery she summoned Mormekar, Maal, 
  Tinel, Zheenkeef, and Terak to the foot of Eliwyn. There 
  she spoke to all the gods, including Urian, Shalimyr, and 
  Rontra. This, the second play of the Cycle says:
  MORWYN: I am now both the eldest sister and the 
  mother of this family, and you will attend me. Your war 
  has torn our mother, the earth, asunder. Your war has 
  dried our father, the seas. Your war has caused our once 
  gentle nurse, the air, to be filled with raging winds and 
  storms. But you cannot be blamed. I call a meeting of the 
  gods to set down laws.
  TINEL: Of course I am not to be blamed, sister-mother. 
  It was Terak that began the affair. And so, I gladly lend my 
  hand to your laws, which I am sure will end in Terak’s exile.
  TERAK: I’ll squeeze your head like a pimple!
  TINEL: You see? My brother is too violent for his own 
  good. Cast him from the Great Sphere, and watch as he 
  floats away, away, into the vast emptiness.
  TERAK: I’ll make you eat your spleen!
  MORWYN: Enough! We have been corrupted. None of 
  you are to blame for your actions. You have lost the under-
  standing that we live to create, not destroy.
  ZHEENKEEF : Yet I live to destroy.
  MORWYN: You do not, sister.
  ZHEENKEEF: I know. I was being scary.
  MORWYN: Will you please listen to me? There is a 
  black wickedness that suffuses everything. I call it the 
  Corpus Infernus. It is responsible for your madness.
  SHALIMYR: Your siblings are not mad, Morwyn, 
  only playful.
  MORWYN: Nay, they are mad. They should not kill 
  each other. I will prove what I say. I have clothed the 
  Body of Evil in chains, and cast it forth. Behold!
  A Phantasm appears: an iron gate.
  At the point in the play, the troupe’s illusionist creates 
  an image of Hell, where Morwyn intended to imprison 
  the Corpus Infernus.
  Morwyn showed her siblings, her son, and her parents 
  how to cast the Corpus Infernus out of themselves. Then 
  they cast it out of Eliwyn and her fruits, the Celestial 
  Host, and the div roaming the world. Once exiled, it 
  transformed into hundreds of horrible, deformed beasts. 
  The gods named these creatures “demons,” and the stron-
  gest of them, which are likened to the shadows and exact 
  are we eVIl?
  At the time Morwyn and the gods cast Shachté into Hell, 
  the five mortal races (save for the div ancestors of the elves) 
  still grew inside the fruits of the tree, but Shachté was cast 
  out of them as it was expunged from Eliwyn. It is believed 
  by most scholars that this separation of Shachté from the 
  world prevented existence from succumbing to the call of 
  chaos. However, the world, including our forefathers and 
  foremothers, was already affected by Shachté’s taint and 
  thus, was not wholly pure and good.
   
  Because of this history, it is generally believed that 
  any one of us might give in to the seed of darkness that 
  has been a part of us since the beginning of time. It is for 
  this reason parents kill their children, brothers and sisters 
  kill each other, wars are fought over gold, and many other 
  terrible deeds are done. However, just as it is possible to 
  succumb to darkness, it is also possible to resist it, which is 
  why there are so many great and decent people in history. 
   
  Without Shachté, perhaps we would never have known 
  evil, but either way, we are not doomed to wickedness.
  
  229
  opposites of creation and all that is good, were called the 
  qlippoth. There were some qlippoth that were made up of 
  the darkness taken from within the gods themselves, and 
  some of these beings exist today as the demon princes. To 
  keep the world safe from their evil, the gods sealed these 
  creatures in Hell, or so they thought.
  This done, the gods’ corruption ceased to grow. Zheen-
  keef became no madder. Her rebirth had cured her of the 
  impulses that caused her to burn herself to death in the 
  age before, but left unchecked she might have renewed 
  her madness. Maal had hardly been affected at all by 
  Shachté by the time Morwyn discovered its undoing, and 
  remained sure-hearted as ever.
  With Corpus Infernus imprisoned, Morwyn decreed 
  three laws. She and her son, Maal, had spent the years of 
  his youth discussing these laws; now, in the hour of his 
  adulthood and the banishment of the degrading force into 
  Hell, the time was ripe to bring the laws to bear. First, she 
  decreed that the gods would never openly war amongst 
  themselves. That is to say, the gods would never physically 
  fight one another again. Tinel and Terak immediately 
  began to plot how to use the div to best one another.
  Second, Morwyn declared that the gods would use 
  their power and strength to guide the div and the other 
  beings now growing in Eliwyn’s fruits. The div would 
  be given dominion over the Earth, and guidance from 
  the gods. To this, Zheenkeef objected. “Why should we 
  concern ourselves with these least and most boring of things?” 
  she asked. Morwyn explained that the div and the others 
  were their weaker kin, also born of the tree. It was their 
  duty to protect their kin.
  Third, Morwyn proclaimed that no one god would ever 
  have absolute sway over all. As the eldest, it would fall on 
  Morwyn to make many basic decisions for the gods, and 
  to lead in times of strife. But all living gods would need to 
  congregate at the foot of Eliwyn and agree, to create any new 
  law that would fundamentally alter the order of the gods.
  The gods now had a structured order. However, all was 
  not yet resolved. Confident that among themselves there 
  would never again be such carnage, Morwyn knew that 
  there was still a greater threat. Kador, utterly consumed by 
  Corpus Infernus, still sat in the palace of the sky. Though 
  he was quiet now, he would surely rise.
  PArt iv
  the Fall oF kador,  
  the great war oF the gods
  Of course, dear reader, we have all read the epic poems, 
  heard the songs, and watched the plays about Kador’s fall. 
  And, as you have no doubt realized, these are entirely 
  inaccurate. They show all the gods, including gods not 
  yet born during this part of the Third Epoch, working 
  together to best Kador with the aid of mortal races who 
  had not yet awakened.
  My research has shown me that the gods did indeed 
  work together, but the war was far more involved than 
  previously believed. Instrumental to the struggle was the 
  Celestial Host. While the gods had empowered div in 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  230
  230
  their war, so Kador had empowered his own minions. 
  For years, he had hoarded his power and made plans with 
  those he had transformed with his cunning and might. 
  His disciples were as follows: 
  • Lilith, the Mother of Beasts. Beautiful and cun-
  ning, from her womb sprang the countless wicked 
  things that made up Kador’s army. 
  • Baal, the Destroyer. Kador’s strongest servant, he 
  was a crazed hunter and great warrior.
  • Dispater, the Learned. The craftiest of Kador’s ser-
  vants, Dispater studied the ways of great magic and 
  was so powerful as to make even today’s mightiest 
  archmages look like fools.
  • Mammon, the Greedy. Kador gave Mammon the 
  gift of hunger unslakeable. Mammon would never 
  retreat from battle with the gods, for he desired to 
  consume all the world. 
  hell and the abyss
  According to the mythology, Hell was once ruled by the 
  demons, which are made from the pure powers of chaos 
  and evil that the gods cast out of themselves, and the 
  world. Devils are the brood of Kador, and the corrupted 
  div who followed him against the gods. Because they were 
  trained and created by Kador to follow his laws and serve 
  his tyrannical aims, they are creatures of pure law and evil.
   
  When Kador and his followers were cast into Hell, 
  they found but few demons residing there. In their 
  constant wars, metamorphoses and acts of evil creation, 
  the demons had quickly outgrown Hell’s structured nine 
  layers, which had been designed by the ordered mind of 
  Morwyn as their prison. Led by their powerful forebears, 
  the qlippoth, the demons constructed great and terrible 
  machines and burrowed out of Hell. They tore at the fab-
  ric of their prison, building great hives and mounds from 
  their offal and other excretions as they went. They built 
  layer upon layer through the astral emptiness until, at last, 
  they came to the edge of the Great Sphere, constructed by 
  the Nameless One. 
   
  As war raged in the Material Plane between Kador 
  and the gods, the demons worked their way through 
  the very stuff of the sphere and out into the emptiness 
  beyond. For this reason, the Abyss the demons have built 
  for themselves is truly infinite. However, they still had a 
  use for Hell, as a prison for unworthy, weak demons. Thus, 
  when Kador and his devils were cast into Hell, they easily 
  overcame the long-defeated demons trapped there. 
   
  Old hives, ruined war machines and infernal bridges 
  provided connections between Hell and the Abyss, and 
  once the devils took command of Hell, they activated and 
  explored them—and began their war with the demons, 
  who also claimed possession of these places, and of Hell 
  itself. The war continues still, but the ultimate reasons are 
  obscure. Scholars suspect that even the Great Sphere isn’t 
  big enough for two forces so profoundly evil, so the war 
  between them is simply a natural inevitability.
  • Leviathan, the Endless. Kador had always hated 
  Shalimyr more than any other god, so he made one 
  of his servants into an endlessly expansive monster of 
  the seas, in hopes that Leviathan might drink up the 
  lord of the waters.
  • Mephistopheles, the Mighty. Chief among Kador’s 
  disciples was his student Mephistopheles. As the 
  Nameless One had created Kador, so Kador sought to 
  make a child of great power in his own image. Rather 
  than making one of the div more powerful, Kador 
  built Mephistopheles from his own essence, making an 
  almost godlike being, wise in the ways of magic, strong 
  in the ways of war, and every bit as evil as his father.
  And so Kador sat with his six lackeys and the army of 
  Lilith’s brood in the palace of air, waiting for the other 
  gods to come for him.
  After Morwyn explained the threat still posed by Kador, 
  other gods planned to rise from their ocean keep and assault 
  his walls. When their plotting was done, they struck. Zheen-
  keef let loose her ingenious engines of war, which hurled 
  Tinel’s magic over the walls. Terak struck at the gates with 
  his great axe. Urian aided by pitching the castle to and fro in 
  his skies. At last Kador came to the top of his walls.
  “You dare defy me?” he cried. “I am your creator!” And 
  with that, the war truly began. The Celestial Host 
  attacked the walls and was met by the spawn of Lilith’s 
  womb. These giants, trolls, goblins, and other evil races 
  are today mere shadows of their might in the time of leg-
  ends, for then they had the fire of power that their father, 
  Kador, had given them. 
  The gods had believed Kador to be alone, and so were 
  not prepared for this great onslaught. As the fighting 
  raged, Kador and his six disciples began to hurl down fire 
  and other assaults on the world. The gods, unprepared for 
  this, fled from the fire to their ocean keep. But Rontra—
  who could not flee, for she is the earth itself—was 
  scorched from top to toe by the vicious flames. Her forests 
  were kindled, her mountains melted. Shalimyr’s great 
  lakes were swallowed up by Leviathan in moments, so 
  he could not put out the flames. Urian, expending all his 
  might, kept Eliwyn safe from the attacks. And, though 
  the other gods were safe from the flame, only those div 
  who found shelter with the mysterious Shee tribes were 
  protected. The rest of the div were caught in the fire. Most 
  were consumed, but some few were not destroyed by the 
  conflagration. They were, after all, born in Kador’s image 
  as he had prophesied, and their blood ran with fire like 
  his. While they could not survive within the fire hurled 
  down from the Heavens in any form they had known, 
  the flames transformed them into great beasts of fire and 
  energy. According to the original Treatise on the Divine, it 
  is from this apocalypse, from these tortured div, that the 
  forefathers of the dragons were born. 
  In the ocean keep, the gods and their hosts (which 
  had retreated from Lilith’s brood) regrouped. Zheenkeef 
  began to bemoan their fate. “Their might is unstoppable,” 
  she said. “They’ll hunt and kill us all. We’re doomed! Doomed 
  to die like buzzing insects swatted by giant hands!” Morwyn 
  
  231
  calmed her and the rest of the gods. Her quiet reasoning 
  led them to a new plan. When the fires above had finally 
  burned out, they sprang into action.
  This time, all the gods assaulted the sky palace. Maal 
  crafted for himself a sword made from metals he took 
  from the ocean palace, which had been made by the 
  Nameless One. He called this sword Justice, and to 
  this day it is his symbol. He and his father, Mormekar, 
  assaulted the Kador’s fortress from the rear. From one 
  side came Terak and his host, led by Iblis, wielding weap-
  ons of iron with which they tore at the walls. From the 
  other flank came Tinel and his host, bringing torrents 
  of magic down from the sky, shattering the battlements. 
  And from the front came the barrage of Zheenkeef’s 
  machines, built by her Celestial Host, tearing the gates of 
  the palace asunder. All the while, Urian showered the sky 
  palace with lightning and Rontra assaulted it with stones. 
  Shalimyr forced himself into Leviathan’s belly, to burst it 
  from within. Together, the gods broke the palace of the 
  air. Morwyn strode through the sundered gates, and there 
  found Kador and his followers smoking pipes and playing 
  at dice. The army of Lilith’s brood was nowhere to be 
  seen, for while the gods had plotted their second assault, 
  the brood had descended to the land to find treasures in 
  the dark places and caves of the earth. Thus, Morwyn 
  came upon Kador and his disciples alone.
  “A delightful show you have put on, child,” said Kador with 
  a wide, black-hearted smile.
  “Kador, we cast you out. You are broken,” Morwyn 
  declared, and from behind her came the other gods, and 
  the assembled Celestial Host, all standing to back her.
  “Of course I am, girl. But I will not be broken alone.” With 
  that, Kador and his lackeys rose and began to call down 
  flame to split the world and crack the crystal sphere of exis-
  tence itself. “If you will not give me my due, we will all die!”
  As planned, the gods opened the portal to Hell. They 
  and the host hurled their combined might at Kador. His 
  arms and legs were broken with a sickening snap, hanging 
  limp and useless at impossible angles. As this happened, 
  the flame he had been entrusted with by the Nameless 
  One was stripped from him and all his followers. The gods 
  placed the fire of power into Eliwyn and the five fruits she 
  bore. The creatures growing inside thus became complete 
  beings with life, free will, and the fire of power. Lilith’s 
  brood, which had been given fire by their father, had it 
  stripped from them, which is why even today the evil races 
  of the earth lack souls. 
  With the fire torn from them, Kador and his six cronies 
  were hurled back through the portal and banished to Hell. 
  The power of the gods’ banishing of Kador was so great that 
  most of Lilith’s brood was plucked from the deep places of 
  the earth and hurled down with him. It is said by those who 
  study such things that, once there, Kador was imprisoned 
  for eons in a lake of ice at the bottom of Hell. Morwyn had 
  hoped that he would be kept in check there by the demons 
  she and the gods had cast out from themselves. Little did she 
  know that by the time Kador was imprisoned in Hell, the 
  demons had already left, using their strength to tear open the 
  Abyss in which they now reside. 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  232
  232
  The gods rebuilt the castle in the air, proclaiming it and 
  the ocean keep their realms. The land would belong to the 
  children in the fruits Eliwyn now bore. And to teach the 
  newborn children of the fruit all they needed to know about 
  the world, the gods gave the surviving div the power and 
  freedom to rule over the world as first among the races.
  PArt v
  the propheCy FulFIlled
  With Kador banished, and peace prevailing, the gods 
  took up their crowns as rulers of the sphere. Tinel and 
  Zheenkeef begot twins, Darmon and Aymara. Darmon 
  was a cunning child who loved nothing more than to 
  hear his mother laugh, and learned every trick the other 
  gods would teach him. Aymara was the most beautiful 
  of the gods, inspiring those around her to feel deep and 
  abiding love. Morwyn took Terak as her second husband, 
  sharing time between him and Mormekar. By Terak she 
  bore twins, Korak and Anwyn. Korak was a happy child, 
  strong and quick to laugh and play, but not very bright. 
  Anwyn also had a pleasant demeanor, but she seemed 
  to want to be taken seriously even in her youth, perhaps 
  because she was the youngest of them all.
  As the gods and their children watched from their 
  castle, the fruits ripened, but not fast enough for Zheen-
  keef. Years went by as the fruit grew heavier, and all the 
  while the div built their kingdoms and grew in power and 
  knowledge. Though most had been wiped out in the war 
  against Kador, after thousands of years they had rebuilt 
  their strength and numbers.
  It came to pass, only a short time before the fruits 
  of Eliwyn finally opened, that the div fulfilled Kador’s 
  prophecy that they would rebel against the gods. For gen-
  erations, the Marid and Shaitan had been united under 
  a single Marid caliph, Gian ben Gian. Gian ben Gian’s 
  court dripped with opulence, and his people were beloved 
  by Tinel, for they had learned every trick of magic put 
  before them.
  One day, Gian ben Gian called together his counselors 
  and the other great div leaders and asked them this: “Why 
  do we continue to obey these gods in their palaces of air and 
  water? They have had two wars, and each time we have nearly 
  been destroyed. I say we take their palaces with all our might, 
  and retrieve our birthright! We should be gods, not them! We 
  were born of fire, not them!” So, the div made plans for a 
  great war against the gods.
  Darmon observed all of this. Master of craft and guile, 
  Darmon had spent a year and a day disguised as a servant 
  to Gian ben Gian so that he might better understand the 
  div. He immediately fled to the palace of the gods and told 
  them what he had observed.
  Gian ben Gian’s reach far exceeded his grasp. His people 
  were not half as mighty as he believed, and the gods were 
  more powerful than he had ever dreamed. Rather than 
  descending upon him themselves, the gods sent their host, 
  led once more by the mighty Iblis, to undo Gian ben Gian’s 
  plans. The div were wholly unprepared, and were utterly 
  defeated when Iblis personally slew Gian ben Gian. 
  Having come to understand the complete ramifications 
  of Kador’s prophecy, the gods knew they could not allow 
  the div to remain in the sphere, especially since the young 
  races would soon be born, and would likely be attacked 
  and destroyed if the div were permitted to roam free. So, 
  the gods banished the Marid to the pillar of water, and the 
  Shaitan to the pillar of fire, where they remain today. But 
  the Shee had done nothing but remain in their fastnesses 
  under the earth, in the forests and deep in the sea. They had 
  never participated in a war, and remained wholly peaceful. 
  But the gods, fearing that Kador’s curse would one day lead 
  the Shee against them too, called forth these secret people.
  It was the gods’ decree that the Shee must decide 
  whether to be stripped of the fire that coursed through 
  their veins, and therefore their immortality, or to abandon 
  the free will that was their birthright, and be bound to 
  the earth. Most of the Shee decided to be rid of the fire 
  in their blood. These were set about the foot of Eliwyn 
  and made to sleep until the fruits still on the bough came 
  to ripen. They would awaken as the first elves. Those who 
  chose to be stripped of their free will returned to their 
  homes in the secret places of the earth, where they remain 
  today as the many water sprites and fairies of the wood, 
  still bright ones but forever bound to the earth and unable 
  to choose their lot in life. 
  PArt vi
  the ChIldren oF the earth
  A short time after the div were banished from the sphere, 
  Zheenkeef was no longer able to wait for the fruit of 
  Eliwyn to ripen. One day, while most of the other gods 
  were deep in conversation and debate, Zheenkeef went 
  down to the grove of the tree.
  “What do you want, Zheenkeef?” Urian asked suspiciously.
  “I want them to come out.”
  “Must you always be so impatient?” Rontra asked her.
  Zheenkeef laughed and danced around the tree in 
  response. Soon Urian and Rontra were dizzy from watch-
  ing her. Seeing this, Zheenkeef ran up to the great roots 
  of Eliwyn. Shalimyr lifted a wave to stop her, but then 
  lowered it again. Zheenkeef had always been Shalimyr’s 
  favorite among the gods. Her mad ways reminded him of 
  his own whirlpools and sea-storms and, indeed, he har-
  bored for his granddaughter a secret love.
  Once she knew she could play with the tree undisturbed, 
  Zheenkeef began to ponder what to do first. It was then 
  that she noticed the sleeping Shee all about the roots, and 
  these she scooped up into her hands. “This should wake 
  them,” she said, and hurled them across the world into the 
  great woods that had grown since the war with Kador. 
  However, she did not rid herself of all of them, for some of 
  the Shee were awoken by being lifted and, terrified, began 
  to bite the hand that had lifted them.
  Zheenkeef hopped up and down in pain and shook her 
  hands wildly. The Shee she still held flew all over, some into 
  the seas and others into the ground.
  Of course, the Shee were no longer the Shee, for they 
  had had their fiery blood taken from them and had been 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  233
  why we know thIs Is true
  Long after the Great Sage Matalou’s martyrdom, the 
  most powerful Armarius of Tinel’s Scriptoriums at the 
  time, Madrigan Yewstaff, was inspired to investigate the 
  veracity of Matalou’s claims. While the Great Sage’s trea-
  tise had been called heresy and blasphemy by most, it had 
  nonetheless caused secret doubts to spread throughout 
  the religious world. 
   Matalou’s passages about the div led Yewstaff to 
  discover that the tome’s claims were true. Expending 
  a great deal of his church’s wealth and his own power, 
  Yewstaff performed one of the greatest rituals the church 
  of Tinel has ever known. He summoned to their great 
  cathedral the spirit of Gian ben Gian, the only div he 
  knew by name. He bound the spirit so that it would speak 
  only truth, and answer thirty questions. And then, with 
  a council of his wisest inceptors, Yewstaff made the spirit 
  tell him the true history of the gods.
   The div lived in a time when the gods routinely walked 
  the earth. As the caliph of his people, Gian ben Gian had 
  supped with many of the gods himself, and learned at 
  their feet all the creation stories they would tell him. And 
  while the caliph’s spirit wanted nothing more than to lie 
  to Yewstaff and mislead the usurper races that had taken 
  over a world that rightly belonged to the div, Yewstaff ’s 
  ritual was too powerful, and the Marid could tell nothing 
  but the truth.
   After Yewstaff had finished asking his thirty ques-
  tions, he made a proclamation to the leaders of the 
  faith throughout the world. The Treatise on the Divine 
  was true, every word of it. He declared the Great Sage 
  Matalou a martyr of the faith, and ordered that the record 
  of Gian ben Gian’s thirty answers be writ into only one 
  tome and locked in the most secure hold of the Scrip-
  torium, called the Cathedral of Truth. Often when one 
  of the major religions chooses a new leader, she makes a 
  pilgrimage there and reads the sacred tome. 
  It is said that Gian ben Gian revealed many hidden 
  truths in his questioning – truths that most are not pre-
  pared to hear. But since the leaders of the assembled faiths 
  came to read the text, few serious scholars have questioned 
  the veracity of the Great Sage Matalou’s claims.
  transformed into a mortal race. Those who landed in the 
  woods are to this day known as the elders of the earth and 
  are the longest lived of the races—for they are now called 
  the elves. Those who flew into the seas are the magical sea-
  elves that sailors speak of in legend and song. And I believe 
  that those who flew into the earth became the wicked drow, 
  angered by their cruel awakening and forever embittered, 
  though this is not the story the dark elves tell. 
  After ridding the tree of the elves, Zheenkeef thought 
  to throw the fruits of the tree as far as she had thrown the 
  sleeping firstborn. 
  The first fruit she plucked became covered in her 
  blood, for the Shee who had bitten her hand had drawn 
  blood. Zheenkeef hurled this fruit all the way to the 
  mountains that marked the edge of the earth. By pure 
  happenstance, those mountains were the playground of 
  stolid, pleasant-tempered Korak. On this day, Korak 
  was playing his favorite game of lifting mountains and 
  seeing what was under them, when the first-plucked 
  fruit came flying with terrible swiftness from across the 
  world. Before the son of Morwyn and Terak had time to 
  react, the fruit covered in Zheenkeef’s blood hit him in 
  the head, splitting open his skull and mingling his aunt’s 
  blood with his own. 
  From this fruit sprang the dwarves, strong and dour, 
  and they made a home in the head of the wounded and 
  unconscious god. Later, Korak awoke with a splitting 
  headache and the genius of Zheenkeef’s blood. The sim-
  pleton son of the First Mother taught the dwarves the 
  secrets of mining, smithing and many other tricks. To 
  this day, the dwarves hold Korak dearest among the gods 
  for his aid.
  But long before Korak awakened, Zheenkeef plucked 
  a second fruit. Noticing this fruit was also covered in her 
  blood, the goddess healed her wounds, and licked her blood 
  off the fruit. Then she lobbed it to the hills. From it sprang 
  the gnomes, touched by the blood, hot breath, and warm 
  tongue of Zheenkeef and, therefore, suffused with her 
  inspirational madness.
  The third fruit Zheenkeef kicked, because she grew tired 
  of throwing. It landed in the cliffs, but bounced to the 
  plains. This fruit bore the halflings, meant to be proud, tall 
  and willowy race. However, the bounce had squashed them 
  down to less than half their size, and made them round and 
  perhaps, humbler than they might have been.
  From the skins of the three fruits sprang the animals and 
  beasts of the world. Kin of the mortal races and the gods, 
  they had life and free will from their mother, Eliwyn, but 
  they never received the fire of power, which passed through 
  the skins and into the mortal races. Thus the animals of the 
  world have spirits, but not souls.
  The fourth fruit Zheenkeef decided not to throw at all. 
  In fact, all the hurling and kicking of fruits had given her 
  quite an appetite, so she gobbled it up. The fruit gave her a 
  terrible stomach ache, however, and she began howling in 
  pain. The other gods heard and came to see what was the 
  matter. When Morwyn and the others arrived, they found 
  Zheenkeef leaning against the tree, clutching her belly and 
  groaning. 
  “I shouldn’t have eaten that,” she muttered. Morwyn 
  rushed to her side and forced her to vomit the fruit back 
  up. Sadly, the race that had been inside was now in pieces, 
  and the gods could not determine what they were sup-
  posed to be. It was Tinel who came up with a plan for 
  dealing with the disaster his wife had wrought. Each 
  of the gods would take some part of the fruit and try to 
  reconstruct it. When they were done, they would all meet 
  back under the tree and put the fruit back together from 
  the pieces.
  As the gods departed, Zheenkeef noticed that there was 
  one fruit left. Anticipating that she might win this little 
  game the gods were playing by peeking at the contents of the 
  last fruit, she grabbed for it. Rontra noticed this, however, 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  234
  234
  the burIal oF bodIes
  Because the fire of rebirth, given to Mormekar by Morwyn, 
  was necessary for the rebirth of the gods, many cultures as-
  sume that the dead must be cremated. And yet others believe 
  that the fire of rebirth is held by Mormekar and Mormekar 
  only—if you burn a body, he cannot wash the corpse in 
  the fire of rebirth, and your loved one will never be reborn. 
  This is a religious debate with a long and toothsome history. 
  The position of a character’s culture on burial and burning 
  is entirely up to the GM, keeping in mind that a history of 
  burning bodies makes physical undead far rarer. 
  and cried out. “No, Zheenkeef,” she pleaded, “I entreat you. This 
  fruit must be left upon the tree. It must be allowed to ripen.” 
  Surprisingly, Zheenkeef obeyed and danced off, clapping 
  her hands and turning cartwheels. No one knows what is in 
  this fifth fruit, for it has never ripened. There are those who 
  believe that when it ripens, it will herald the fifth epoch, 
  the time of great change and endings. I, dear reader, am 
  sorry to say that I simply do not know.
  PArt vii
  the FIFth raCe and  
  the three sIsters
  And so, the family of the gods each took a part of the fourth 
  fruit and reconstructed it in an image that he or she thought 
  fitting. Terak pieced together a tall race of strong people, 
  whose men had great beards and icy eyes. Morwyn molded a 
  beautiful dark-skinned people in her own image, with green 
  eyes and a peaceful wisdom. So it was with each of the Lords 
  of Heaven (except Korak, who still slept, unnoticed by the 
  other gods, at the edge of the world). When the gods reas-
  sembled at the foot of Eliwyn, they realized that they had all 
  rebuilt the fruit differently, but all from the same seeds and 
  pulp. This was one people with many faces, able to change at 
  the command of the gods, or against challenges of the world. 
  These were the humans. And while the gods made humans 
  the most varied and adaptable of the races, Zheenkeef had 
  digested a part of their essence, which is why humans are so 
  short-lived, and lack the gifts possessed by other races. Fur-
  thermore, because the gods spread them all over the world, 
  humans have always been, and continue to be, the most plen-
  tiful of the races.
  And so, with the races of the tree born at last, a time of 
  peace prevailed. The children of the gods grew to maturity, 
  and so did the races of the tree. They built temples to the 
  gods, giving them a variety of names. Each race acknowl-
  edged their existence.
  Among the young gods born of the womb, Maal First-
  born was the oldest, with a keen mind, a sense of fairness, 
  and his sword, Justice. It was decided by all the gods that 
  he would be the judge of these new races. He would have a 
  kingdom in the center of the earth beneath Eliwyn’s roots, 
  where souls would go if their bodies were properly buried 
  or cremated. He would judge them to decide whether they 
  would be reincarnated in a new form, or enter his halls to 
  be punished or rewarded.
  In building his kingdom, Maal sought the help of his 
  half-brother, Korak, who had grown nearly as strong as 
  his father, and practical like his mother. Since the accident 
  in his youth, Korak had proven to be a clever artisan. He 
  crafted four great halls for the heroes who would remain 
  in Maal’s realm as reward, and many terrible pits and 
  tortures for those who would be punished. When he was 
  done, Korak began to wander the world with his cousin, 
  Darmon, and there taught the mortal races many skills 
  and crafts, particularly those of the forge. Maal also asked 
  his half-sister, Anwyn, to bless his hearth and home, for 
  Anwyn had become quite skillful in the ways of comfort 
  and contentedness. She had changed the gods’ castle in 
  the sky from an enormous, cold place of majesty to a warm 
  and happy home.
  For the children of Tinel and Zheenkeef, matters were 
  different. They were both dreamers like their parents, and 
  not so concerned with practical matters. Darmon, their 
  son, often wandered among the races of the tree, teaching 
  them games and gambling. He also taught them the ways 
  of commerce and trade, and at night, thievery and spying. 
  Of Aymara, it is said there exists no being of greater 
  beauty. Best loved by the gods, Aymara spent her time 
  sculpting and painting, playing music and singing. Con-
  sumed with a passion for beauty, she often traveled with 
  her brother, observing the mortals and their arts. It is said 
  that if her heart knows hate, it is only for Kador, who so 
  ruthlessly manipulated her father into killing and death.
  It went very well for gods and mortals for quite some 
  time. Mortals grew prosperous and spread across the world 
  into great cities and nations. Shalimyr allowed them to 
  build ships that would sail on his back, and they began to 
  trade among themselves, forming great alliances. At the 
  same time, the offspring of Lilith came out of their hidden 
  places, and the forefathers of the dragons began to rise 
  from their slumbers. It was the age of heroes, of the great-
  est adventures and tales, all of which are recounted in epic 
  poems and songs that you have no doubt read or heard. The 
  various heroic epics from the earliest days of the mortal 
  races took place during this period in Third Epoch, not in 
  the Fourth, as is generally assumed.
  During this time of great heroism, this golden age of 
  the gods, Maal decided to hunt for a wife. He gathered his 
  cousin Darmon and his half-brother Korak, and the three 
  of them, remembered to this day as the Three Companions, 
  went on a great journey across the sphere, seeking a suitable 
  wife for the judge of the dead.
  One day the three gods heard the most beautiful singing 
  they could imagine. Unlike the perfect voice of Aymara, 
  this sound was three magnificent voices singing in har-
  mony. Rushing toward the sound, the three gods came 
  upon a mountain pool where bathed three maidens, each 
  more perfect in form and beauty than the last. The three 
  gods were smitten at once.
  As you no doubt know already, these three maidens 
  were the Three Sisters. No one knows from whence they 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  235
  came, but they were as different in temperament as they 
  were beautiful. The tallest of them, Naryne, was noble in 
  bearing, with a piercing gaze. Wisdom sat on her brow, and 
  to hear her voice was to obey her command. The strongest 
  of them, Canelle, was swift as the wind. She could best 
  any man at wrestling, and was a champion at every sport. 
  The slightest of them had branches and leaves in her hair. 
  Thellyne preferred the company of the beasts and the birds 
  to that of anyone other than her sisters.
  When Maal, Darmon and Korak approached the Three 
  Sisters to profess their undying love, the sisters’ reactions 
  were mixed. Thellyne ran from Korak, Canelle challenged 
  Darmon to a fight (which she won), and Naryne was smit-
  ten, falling in love with Maal.
  While Maal and Naryne were soon married, the tales 
  of Korak and Darmon wooing the other two sisters pro-
  vide some of the most entertaining tales of the faith. The 
  Three Sisters were brought back to the water palace, where 
  Morwyn and the others welcomed them into the family of 
  the gods. To this day, however, no scholar or theologian 
  has suggested a plausible theory as to where the Three Sis-
  ters came from.
  chAPter iv: 
  the Fourth  
  and FIFth epoChs
  At last, my dear reader, we traverse well-known ground. 
  My history of the Fourth Epoch is almost precisely the 
  same as the history we have believed in for a thousand 
  years. We all know of the Compact, and the last great 
  conflict of the gods. Please forgive me as I repeat the 
  material, but I must present it for a complete history.
  PArt i
  the Fourth age and  
  the woe oF Carason
  The end of the Third Epoch was a golden time of peace and 
  heroism. But peace could not last, for Morwyn’s laws could 
  not foresee the new conflicts among the gods. Those gods 
  who were more chaotic in spirit wanted the mortals to fight, 
  have adventures, and be free to wreak havoc or do great 
  deeds as their spirits dictated. For in doing these things, they 
  paid homage to these gods, making them more powerful. 
  Those gods who preferred an ordered world wanted mortals 
  to be peaceful, build nations ruled by law, and create societies 
  to last through the centuries. And so, both groups of gods 
  traveled among mortals to manipulate and command them. 
  Many of the gods began to sire children with mortals, so 
  their progeny could act as their earthly agents.
  On top of these difficulties, Terak and Tinel, the patri-
  archs of the two great households of the gods, continued to 
  pursue their ancient grudge, manipulating of the races of 
  the tree to fight on their behalf.
  These machinations nearly destroyed the order of 
  the gods. As Tinel and Terak had feuded for ages, so 
  Morwyn and Zheenkeef had come to struggle. But the 
  two sisters never fought in person. Instead, Morwyn’s 
  followers built great nations, and cast the worshippers of 
  Zheenkeef out. Nations obeisant to Zheenkeef raided the 
  homelands of Morwyn’s followers. These struggles took 
  place across the world, except in a select few nations, 
  where all the gods were worshipped equally.
  In one such nation’s capital, the city of Carason, two of 
  Morwyn’s priestesses were loved by the people. The sisters 
  Menara and Tora were known to walk among the impov-
  erished and the infirm, offering succor. The nine apostles of 
  Zheenkeef grew jealous of the love Carason’s people bore 
  for Morwyn’s priestesses. They devised a plan, independent 
  of Zheenkeef, to ruin the sisters. It is important to note that 
  the evil that followed was the work of mortal hearts and 
  human design, for there has never been any indication that 
  Zheenkeef commanded this disgrace.
  Tricking Menara and Tora into leaving Carason, two of 
  Zheenkeef’s apostles disguised themselves as the sisters. 
  They then invited the elders and dignitaries of Carason to 
  the healing halls of Morwyn for a great feast. When the 
  feast was complete, the Zhenkefan apostles revealed that 
  they dined on the sisters’ husbands and children. “So great is 
  our love for you and this city, that we served you our own flesh 
  and blood, that you might prosper and know our love,” the dis-
  guised apostles told them.
  The elders of the city were so outraged that they burned 
  the healing hall of Morwyn to the ground, pulled out 
  the foundation, stone by stone, and salted the earth upon 
  which it had been built. They even destroyed other shrines 
  to Morwyn, and smashed her likenesses. The apostles of 
  Zheenkeef who had masqueraded as Menara and Tora 
  fled, returned to their true identities, and upon their 
  return, urged on the destruction.
  When the real sisters returned to the city, they were 
  almost killed on sight. They were arrested, and discov-
  ered what had befallen their families and their temple. 
  Menara died of sorrow on the spot. Tora broke her 
  bonds in rage, and plucked out her own eyes to spare 
  them from profanity. Despite her pain, she did not die. 
  Morwyn sent an angel to Tora, which transported her 
  bodily into Heaven.
  Morwyn was moved to a rage unlike any  had ever wit-
  nessed. Upon the nine apostles of Zheenkeef she called 
  down the most horrid of curses, that they should wander 
  the earth forever, eternally hungry and festering with pain-
  ful disease. Should anyone feed them, the apostles would 
  erupt with sores and their skin would break open with terri-
  ble wounds. Should anyone try to heal their wounds or cure 
  their diseases, the apostles’ eyes would erupt in flame and 
  from their mouths would burst clouds of blood and stinging 
  black nettles. The apostles of Zheenkeef wander the world 
  still, terrified of any who are good of heart, and might offer 
  them the succor that Menara and Tora once offered the 
  poor of Carason.
  Morwyn’s wrath extended also to the elders of Car-
  ason, and to the city itself, for they should have known 
  this trick for what it was. How could they imagine the 
  gentle servants of Morwyn capable of such an atrocity? 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  236
  236
  As she prepared to destroy the city for its sins, its leaders 
  pleaded with her in tearful prayer to spare the innocent 
  of Carason and punish only them, for it was the elders 
  who ordered these crimes against Morwyn’s temples and 
  shrines. To prove their faith in the matter, they burnt 
  down the temple of Zheenkeef as they had the temple 
  of Morwyn. It too they razed stone by stone, salting 
  the earth beneath its foundation. And when they were 
  done, Morwyn forgave Carason its crimes against her, 
  and punished the elders of the city only by turning them 
  into dogs, for dogs are forever loyal, and do not question 
  their masters.
  For her part, Zheenkeef was prepared to let the curse 
  laid upon her apostles go without remark. They had com-
  mitted grave atrocities, after all. But when Morwyn all 
  but forgave the elders, who destroyed her temple and ate 
  the flesh of her priestesses’ children, it was more hypocrisy 
  than Zheenkeef was prepared to stomach. 
  One night, when the gods were feasting, Korak was not 
  among them. Zheenkeef said aloud, “I suppose you’ve fed me 
  your son Korak as revenge for Carason, sister?”
   This erupted into a terrible row, luring almost every 
  god into supporting one side or the other, more to renew 
  old grudges than out of the logic of it. Terak and Tinel 
  exchanged dark words, threatening violence, as each 
  supported his own wife, but also wished to settle other 
  arguments. Only Aymara and Mormekar remained neu-
  tral during this struggle, and when they saw Terak and 
  Tinel preparing to duel, they stepped in their midst.
  “What madness possesses you? Father! Uncle! Stand back!” 
  Aymara said.
  “Will you defy Morwyn’s laws?” Mormekar demanded, 
  staring with his unblinking black eyes. “Did she not revive 
  you from death? Did she not lead you against Kador? Will you 
  sunder what even Kador could not: the order of the gods?” 
  Tinel and Terak relented, but the conflict between the 
  gods of law and chaos could not be so easily calmed. The 
  gods decided they needed to allow the mortals to choose 
  their own paths. After all, mortals had free will, and should 
  be allowed to use it. The gods agreed to meet in fifty years 
  at the foot of Eliwyn, each with their own proposal to 
  resolve the conflict, and free mortals to do as they desired.
  PArt ii
  the Fourth age: the CoMpaCt
  When the time came for the assembly of the gods, each 
  had prepared a treaty to solve the dispute in a manner sat-
  isfactory to his or her goals. Zheenkeef suggested turning 
  all mortals into furniture, automata and mechanisms for 
  the gods’ convenience. “If we treat them as mere servants, 
  why bother with will? Let an elf be my footstool,” she said. 
  The gods knew she said it to inflame their arguments, 
  so they might choose the opposite and abandon mortals 
  completely—such chaos would serve Zheenkeef, who 
  cared little for worship. And indeed, Rontra suggested as 
  much: that the gods should do nothing but watch mor-
  tals, and would no longer provide the slightest whisper 
  or blessing.
  Debate lasted for years, for no god would compromise. 
  Meanwhile, mortal kingdoms grew, collapsed, and were 
  replaced by greater kingdoms, often led by progeny of the 
  gods. These kingdoms warred among themselves but the 
  gods didn’t notice. No humans were judged, for Maal did 
  not attend to his duties; but his father, Mormekar, con-
  tinued to reap their souls and give them new life, so they 
  were reborn as infants. The mortals were abandoned by 
  the gods, left to their own devices. They built great cities 
  and leveled them. They were neither punished for mis-
  deeds, nor rewarded for goodness.
  Eventually, the gods saw the strife-torn product of their 
  neglect, and realized they needed to choose their course. 
  They agreed upon an arcane document, called the Com-
  pact, which would allow the gods pursue their goals, but 
  give mortals freedom to walk their own paths.
  The Compact set gods apart from mortals. The gods 
  crafted their own plane, outside of the mortal sphere: a 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  237
  the CoMpaCt
  If the gods still walked the world, warring among themselves and crushing mortals who annoyed them, it would be a very scary 
  time to be alive. Thankfully, the Compact prevents this. This is agreement between the gods that keeps the world from exploding 
  into religious warfare. While religious scholars assume the gods have written it down, no mortal has ever seen the text—they know 
  the basics from inference. Here are the fundamentals:
  great mountain, with seven great cities as the mountain 
  ascended. This was Heaven, and at its pinnacle was placed 
  the home of the gods. In that city, the gods built a great 
  palace from which to watch the Material Plane. Maal’s 
  underground kingdom was moved to its own plane as 
  well, and the gods made a long dark river that flowed from 
  the mortal sphere into the land of the dead.
  By the terms of the Compact, the gods would no longer 
  directly manipulate mortals, but would accept the power 
  of their worship, or from actions aligned with the gods’ 
  morals and divine domains. They would only speak to 
  mortals who sought them out, and only give power in 
  return for worship. 
  But this was not the most dramatic change. To the 
  dismay of the other gods, Tinel logically demonstrated 
  that any system in which the gods spoke to mortals, 
  rewarding good deeds and punishing evil, denied them 
  free will. For if mortals truly knew the gods watched 
  them, and that anyone who their will would be pun-
  ished, it made the choice of wickedness so foolish as to be 
  absurd. It became a simple decision to avoid pain: the sort 
  of reflex any animal would possess. Unless wickedness 
  also had its rewards, free will would not prosper. Thus, the 
  gods decided they would allow Hell’s creatures to tempt 
  mortals. The gods opened a portal to Hell, and demanded 
  that its demon princes come forth and be appraised of 
  what would be permitted. 
  It is here, dear reader, that we come to the shocking 
  discovery I have made about this epoch. In the Treatise 
  I have used as the basis of my own, there is an exacting 
  description of this moment. As I said earlier, Kador’s fall 
  is not all that we have been led to believe. For when they 
  demanded that the leaders of the demons come to them, 
  only Kador that came to the portal. 
  He demanded they call him Asmodeus, Lord of Hell. 
  There were no longer any demons in Hell, for that he and 
  his disciples had banished them. In Hell, Kador took a new 
  name and appearance. He took the mantle of rule for himself 
  and his divils, a word the Treatise uses that has obviously 
  become “devils” in our tongue. Thus, when the churches say 
  Kador suffers in Hell, they tell a half-truth, for while he may 
  be tormented, he dwells there as overlord, not prisoner.
  The gods withdrew at once from the portal. Having 
  learned that Kador ruled Hell, they were prepared to 
  abandon the Compact, but Darmon convinced them to 
  continue as planned. Having traveled widely among the 
  •  The gods can’t go down to the world and influence major 
  events as themselves. Taking over kingdoms, fighting wars 
  themselves, and wiping out enemies on the Material Plane 
  are all prohibited.
  •  The gods may go to the Material Plane in their earthly 
  forms, simple avatars that look like people, and they may 
  set into motion cryptic events. They may offer advice, give 
  small gifts, and give aid to their favored that will not have 
  world-altering effects (it is acceptable to save the life of 
  your favorite cleric).
  •  If some majority of the gods agree (it is unknown whether 
  this requires all the gods to agree, some overwhelming 
  number, or a simple majority), they may directly influence 
  people and events, overriding the first rule. 
  •  The primary way the gods influence the world is through 
  their agents. All godly agents receive similar boons from 
  their gods—so Morwyn’s servants’ divine spells are just as 
  good as Zheenkeef’s—and through these agents the gods’ 
  wills are enacted. The agents receive their spells through 
  the celestial servants of the gods.
  •  Celestials may descend and aid mortals in times of need. 
  When angels and other members of the Celestial Host 
  must spend time on the Material Plane, they occupy the 
  palace of air, which is invisible to mortals.
  •  Mortals may live how they please, though should any 
  mortal dare threaten a god’s person, the recipient is 
  allowed to take whatever vengeance they like. If mortals 
  threaten all the gods, the gods may respond with a coor-
  dinated plan, which they can act upon directly or through 
  Raguel, the archangel of divine retribution.
  •  All the deeds of mortals, good or evil, are recorded by the 
  guardian angels of Elysium and the daemons of Gehenna.
  •  When mortals die, they are judged by Maal. Those who are 
  good (or not terribly bad) stay in Maal’s kingdom awaiting 
  rebirth as another member of the five mortal races. Those 
  who are very good reside forever in Maal’s kingdom, in one 
  of the four great halls. The particularly favored ascend to 
  the mountain of Heaven, to serve the god they revered in 
  life (or all the gods, in the case of paladins and clerics of 
  the Great Church). Those who performed especially evil 
  deeds are cast down to Hell, Gehenna, or the Abyss for the 
  pleasure of the devils, daemons, and demons there.
  •  Devils, daemons, and demons are permitted to tempt mortals.
  •  Each Lord of Heaven is individually strengthened by the 
  deeds of mortals done in their service and all prayers spo-
  ken in their respective names. All the gods are strength-
  ened by acts of good. Therefore, it is to the advantage of 
  the gods to promote goodness, but it is even more to their 
  advantage to promote their own faith
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  238
  238
  mortals, he had come to understand a fundamental princi-
  ple of the wicked heart. “If we give something to the demons 
  and something to the devils, they each shall want what the 
  other has!” he told his family.
  “Nonsense!” his father called it, but it was easy enough 
  for clever Darmon to demonstrate.
  “Father, when Kador offered fire to the eldest, you suddenly 
  wanted to be the eldest, didn’t you? You wanted it because your 
  brother did, but until you knew he desired it, until Kador 
  mentioned it, you did not care whether you were the eldest or 
  not,” Darmon said. “So shall we trick Kador and the demons, 
  as Kador once tricked you.” 
  To Kador, who was now Asmodeus, they offered the 
  right to tempt mortals and to win their souls, should they 
  walk the evil path. But the gods made the same offer to 
  the demon princes, and let it be known that Hell and the 
  Abyss would both enjoy the right to capture wicked souls. 
  Thus the enmity between demons and devils, already 
  powerful, was redoubled, and extended to their influence 
  in the world, for each would prevent the other from claim-
  ing souls. Asmodeus recognized Darmon’s plan, for even 
  a god cannot trick one whose wicked mind was made by 
  the Nameless One. However, Asmodeus understood that 
  the only way back to power was to accept the offer. Souls 
  turned to evil denied Heaven power, and might be used to 
  fuel his conquest of the universe.
  Therefore, demons and devils are permitted two modes 
  of influence. First, they may engage in the Lesser Temp-
  tation, offering whispers and petty favors to lead mortals 
  away from fair dealing, love and virtue. Second, they may 
  provide true magical power and other great gifts, in the 
  Greater Temptation. While Maal may judge any who fall 
  to the Lesser Temptation with occasional mercy, sending 
  them to rebirth or some period as a joyless shade in his 
  realm, those who do not repent of the Lesser Temptation 
  or who give themselves to the Greater, are cast to Hell or 
  the Abyss. Indeed, Maal’s halls or torment are closed, for 
  demons and devils now perform such tasks.
  Maal did not close the pits of punishment with a light 
  heart, for he saw that this new order had a great flaw. “We 
  give Hell and the Abyss much power,” he warned his family, 
  “and make it difficult for me to judge the acts of mortals. For 
  indeed, they will be tempted to darkness, and they may do evil, 
  but who shall record all their deeds? Before now, I have asked 
  mortals to tell me of their lives, and I have known their words 
  to be true, but now the truth may be obscured by the power of 
  great evil. It is to Hell’s advantage to make lies on the lips of 
  the damned, for they will thus win souls, and with the souls, 
  power. All deeds must be recorded. This I see.”
  The gods agreed, and sought out those demons and 
  devils who has fought on the bridges and in the hulk-
  ing ruins between Hell and The Abyss for so long that 
  they were an order of beings unto themselves, with dark 
  nations who no longer swore allegiance to either side, and 
  were thus punished by both as traitors. The gods offered 
  to strengthen their citadels and give them an alliance 
  with Heaven, if these creatures would watch the souls 
  of mortals, and record evil deed on black ledgers. The 
  rebel nations agreed, and became the daemons, and their 
  homes were bound to a new plane, Gehenna. Thus, every 
  person has at least one daemon watching her as she goes 
  through life. It knows her darkest fantasies and most pri-
  vate thoughts. The daemon is the whisper we hear to do 
  ill, made possible by the gods. These wicked spirits record 
  all sins, so Maal might receive a true reckoning when we 
  stand before him.
  But the gods are merciful, this we know, for they did 
  not rest with the making of Gehenna. They also formed 
  a sphere outside of Heaven, filling it with a plane of light 
  and joy that they called Elysium. And there they placed a 
  new order of the Celestial Host, the guardian angels, and 
  these beings were charged with watching us for moments of 
  virtue, and encouraging us to act on our better instincts. As 
  daemons write in black ledgers of our sins, guardian angels 
  write of our good deeds, in white ledgers. So it is that each 
  of us is watched not only by the whispering daemons of 
  gehenna and elysIuM
  While the gods have an arrangement with the powers of 
  Hell and the Abyss through the Compact, the lords of 
  Heaven know that those powers would be just as happy to 
  destroy the Heavens as to cooperate with them. Gehenna, 
  however, is a place of strange and dangerous alliances. 
  The war of Hell and the Abyss rages across it, and the 
  daemons that call the place home fight in the war, but 
  also serve a greater purpose in the Compact. They watch 
  all mortals and tempt them to small sins – not the sort of 
  sins of titanic evil that become legendary, like wiping out 
  nations or defiling temples. Daemons are the small voices 
  that tell a person to ignore a hungry man begging for 
  alms, or the tiny lust that wells up in a good man’s heart 
  for his brother’s wife. 
   
  The daemons record a mortal’s sins in a great black 
  ledger that’s preserved until the sinner’s death, and sent 
  up the dark river to Maal’s Kingdom him to consult, 
  when the mortal must be judged. But just as a person is 
  watched and tempted by the daemons, she is also watched 
  and guided toward goodness by the guardian angels of 
  Elysium. Again, their influence does not lead to the great 
  heroism of legend. They are little voices that move us to 
  charity when it is inconvenient, and the small sighs in our 
  heart that lead us to forgive those who harm us.
   
  If you were to look at a mortal in the Material Plane 
  with the eyes of a god, you would see a person in the 
  middle of a pillar of light. As the pillar extends upwards, 
  to Elysium, it becomes a white light; once it reaches 
  that land of beauty, the pillar becomes a reflection of the 
  mortal formed from pure light – it is this reflection the 
  guardian angels watch and speak to. As the pillar extends 
  downward, to Gehenna, it becomes pure darkness; once 
  it reaches that scarred and putrid plane, it becomes a 
  dark reflection of the mortal that the daemons watch and 
  whisper to. The pillar works much like the silver cord that 
  connects a person’s astral form to his body, but it is invis-
  ible to all but the mightiest magic and cannot be severed, 
  except by the will of a god. 
  
  appendIX I: a treatIse on the dIVIne
  239
  Gehenna, but also by the singing angels of Elysium. And 
  when we die, Maal receives the ledgers of white and black 
  and knows the truth of our lives, so he may judge without 
  fear of deception.
  PArt iii
  the Fourth age: the Fall oF IblIs
  While the Compact was wise, and has prevailed to this 
  day, it did not sit well with all of Heaven. Some of the 
  Celestial Host was placed in the Nameless One’s palace of 
  the air, which once served as Kador’s fortress. From there, 
  they would serve the mortal races and act as a conduit 
  for their prayers to pass from the mortal sphere onto the 
  choirs of Heaven and, in some cases, directly to the gods 
  themselves. Chosen members of the faithful would be 
  granted powers by the gods, and would receive the ability 
  to call up miracles sent to them by the Celestial Host. 
  Other angels were sent to Elysium, to watch the mortal 
  races for eternity and record their deeds. 
  When the gods told the three choruses of the celestials 
  of this new order of things, most happily went about their 
  duties, but a large group became greatly disgruntled. Led 
  by the first among the archangels, Iblis, these celestials 
  wondered how the gods expected them to go from being 
  soldiers at their side, their instruments of wrath against 
  the rebellious div, their army against Kador, to errand 
  runners and messengers for the lesser races. Iblis cried out, 
  “I was first born, made of fire, and ye want me to bow before 
  these, who are made of dust?” 
  The gods, who had always loved Iblis well, sought to 
  reason with him. This was the highest calling, for all of 
  creation had been about this moment, when the free will 
  of mortals would allow greatness to unfold. But Iblis 
  would have none of it, nor would a legion of celestials at 
  his back, many of whom had just returned from making 
  war on the demons of the Abyss. None were willing 
  to bow to the mortals, or join an order of things that 
  included Hell, and the Abyss. They demanded the gods 
  give them homes in newly-made Heaven, to spend their 
  days singing. “This Compact is folly,” said one of this rebel-
  lious host, who would later be known as Belial. “It makes 
  us stand shoulder to shoulder with evil, in the service of gnats, 
  these mortals you would have us serve.” Iblis agreed, and said 
  as much to the gods he had served.
  This was more than the Lords of Heaven could bear. 
  “You have overstepped, Iblis, and you and all your rebels will 
  be undone!” Maal called down, and he and the treeborn 
  gods prepared to smite every celestial in Iblis’ host. But 
  Naryne stayed their hands. “If you strike them down your-
  selves, you allow others in the host to sit by idly and watch, 
  without ever choosing for themselves how they would stand if 
  asked. We can allow no such doubts among the host, for any 
  who have learned to doubt us, or feel they are our equals, will 
  surely rise against us someday.”
  And so, based on Naryne’s wise counsel, the loyal 
  members of the Celestial Host were set against the rebels, 
  and fought a great war in Heaven. When all was done, 
  Iblis and his compatriots were defeated and cast down 
  into Hell, where it was hoped they might be punished by 
  Asmodeus and his devils.
  With the Compact in place and the rebellion quashed, 
  the gods forever left the mortal sphere. And though they 
  still return on occasion as their earthly avatars, and still 
  influence mortal events through their agents on the earth, 
  such as the priests and holy orders of their churches, they 
  do not directly intervene. They leave mortals to make their 
  own choices, to be tempted by devils, demons, and dae-
  mons, or swayed by their agents, and watched carefully by 
  the Celestial Host and the guardian angels. 
  This is how we now know the world. Morwyn, Terak, 
  Tinel, Zheenkeef, and Mormekar; their children Korak, 
  Anwyn, Darmon, and Aymara; and one of the three sis-
  ters, Canelle, all sit on their thrones, only stepping into 
  the mortal sphere during dire times. While they watch 
  the mortal races, Mormekar claims them when their time 
  has come. He sends them to Maal’s kingdom to be judged. 
  Maal issues sentences, but his wife Naryne rules the under-
  world itself. And within the mortal sphere are the earth, 
  the skies, and the waters, Rontra, Urian, and Shalimyr, who 
  watch over the gods and advise them like dutiful parents, 
  while shy Thellyne hides herself in the woods, watching 
  over Eliwyn. Occasionally Korak, who has never given up 
  his unrequited love, visits her. Each god has his place, each 
  goddess hers. This is how it has always been in our time 
  and, gods preserve us, this is how it shall always be.
  PArt iv:
  the FIFth epoCh: undoIng
  Of course, dear reader, no history would be complete 
  without speculation upon the future. For hundreds of 
  years now we have heard talk of a coming Fifth Epoch. 
  Some say it will be a time of great change, when mortals 
  ascend outside the Material Plane, to explore and dis-
  cover other spheres created by the Nameless One. Others 
  say that in the Fifth Epoch, the Nameless One will be 
  named, and all that is our world will be undone.
  I cannot tell you what will happen in the future. I am 
  a sage, not a soothsayer. And yet, I believe that the Fifth 
  Epoch may well be coming and that it will be time of 
  great change. I believe the fifth fruit left on Eliwyn will 
  at last ripen, and perhaps Asmodeus will escape his bonds 
  in Hell. It will be, I think, the third great apocalypse of 
  mankind, but we will survive. We will always survive.
  chAPter vi:
  epIlogue
  I hope that you have enjoyed this simple history. It is the 
  fruit of my life’s research. I imagine some of the revelations 
  I have provided may well be shocking, and many who read 
  this will doubt its accuracy. Rest assured, dear reader, every 
  word is truth. It is my life’s pursuit; it is who I am. Without 
  truth, a sage is little more than a talkative old man.
  
  240
  240
  100 Crowns: The gift of Naryne to the 
  first nobles of the five mortal races when 
  she sanctified their bloodlines and named 
  them rightful kings and queens. They are 
  all thought to be lost.
  1,001 Handmaids: See the Handmaids 
  of Zheenkeef.
  Aerix: Greatest of the mortal children of 
  Terak, Aerix is the hero of many tales of 
  adventure. He is also the central figure of 
  a parable in which, craving a challenge, 
  he asks his father to send against him a 
  foe he could not best. The tale ends in 
  tragedy. He now stands at his father’s side 
  in Heaven. 
  Air Pillar: A place of pure air and cloud; 
  many clever creatures live here and seek 
  to travel to the Prime Material Plane to 
  learn and investigate. This is now the 
  home of the good-hearted div, usually 
  called djinni, who were liberated from the 
  fire pillar by Darmon. 
  Alimus: Originally named Ali Mustafis 
  bin Omar, Alimus was one of the two 
  greatest athletes ever born of the div. 
  He and his rival, Farouk al Ban, were 
  promised places in the heavens by Urian. 
  Alimus drags the sun across the heavens 
  with a golden cord every day, though he 
  is sometimes drawn into conflict with his 
  old rival, who drags the moon, and there 
  is an eclipse as they wrestle. 
  Alonzo d’Eriq: The founder of the sac-
  risties of Mormekar, d’Eriq was a justice 
  of Maal visited by Mormekar. He was 
  instructed to begin administering the 
  Rite and to protect the dead from the 
  deprivations of necromancy. 
  Anarchic Magic: The Maalite term for 
  magic that destroys a soul or denies it its 
  right to be judged before Maal.
  Anvil: See the Five Apprentices. 
  Anwyn: Goddess of the hearth, the 
  home, and contentedness, Anwyn is the 
  youngest of the gods. She is noted for 
  her quiet smile and gentle ways, like her 
  mother, but also for her deep desire to 
  preserve and protect the sanctity of the 
  home, like her father. Anwyn is lawful 
  good and desires a world where simple 
  folk may live in peace. Her mother is 
  Morwyn, her father is Terak and her twin 
  brother is Korak.
  Aragos: A mortal king who outlawed joy 
  to save his people from sorrow. While 
  the gods tried to change his mind to 
  please Aymara, they all failed. Finally, 
  Aymara turned him away from his decree 
  by winning his heart with song. She 
  married him and they had seven children 
  together, now called the Seven.
  Aragoth: See the Seven.
  Arathelle: Aymara’s animal companion, 
  Arathelle is a silver pegasus and most 
  lovely of all the beasts of Heaven. She is 
  considered endlessly wise as well.
  Arcane Magic: Originally called 
  “arkane,” this is the power of magic 
  overseen by Tinel that was stripped from 
  the world by him long ago and returned 
  in the ark of magic. It is literally magic 
  from the ark. 
  Ark of Magic: The vessel in which Uriel 
  returned magic to the mortal races after 
  Tinel severed them from it for the crimes 
  of the Fourteen Wizards.
  Askew: The morningstar of Zheenkeef is 
  spiked with a thousand spears of fire. Its 
  touch is said to drive the searing fires of 
  madness deep into the minds of her foes.
  Asmodeus: See Kador.
  Astral Plane: When the Nameless One 
  first created the Great Sphere, it was 
  filled with shadow and ether. He pushed 
  the shadow and ether into the center of 
  the Great Sphere, forming from it what 
  would become the Prime Material Plane. 
  The rest of the Great Sphere was filled 
  with the energy that was most like Him: 
  stillness thrumming with the power of 
  possibility. This energy has no substance, 
  but forms the great expanse that is 
  found between the spheres of existence 
  contained within the Great Sphere. If a 
  person leaves such a sphere, she will find 
  herself in the vast emptiness of the Astral 
  Plane, which has traces of light and 
  sound and little else.
  Aymara: The fairest of all the gods, 
  Aymara is the goddess of love, music, 
  and art. She is chaotic good, seeking a 
  world filled with beauty and love. She 
  cannot bear any measure that represses 
  the natural affinity of the mortal races to 
  love one another and celebrate life with 
  art. For this reason, among others, she 
  hates Kador more vehemently than any of 
  the other gods and seeks his destruction, 
  as he has always sown dissent and hatred 
  and created ugliness. Aymara has been 
  in love with many mortals, and long ago 
  had seven children with a mortal king; 
  they serve her to this day (see the Seven). 
  Aymara’s mother is Zheenkeef and her 
  father is Tinel.
  Baal: One of the most powerful warriors 
  among the div, Baal became one of the 
  servants of Kador and was the fiercest 
  warrior of all. He is now a lawful evil 
  lord of Hell.
  Barawyn: See the Seven. 
  Barik-tharn: Known as “the Miner,” 
  Barik-tharn is the guardian of the trea-
  sures of Rontra’s womb – silver, gold, 
  gems, etc. He is also the force that warns 
  miners when they delve too deep. 
  Beatitudes: The prayers all Shalimyn 
  must say thrice daily. 
  Belial: A member of the rebellious host 
  of Heaven who, standing with Iblis, 
  rejected the command of the gods to 
  serve the five mortal races. Belial served 
  as an instigator of the rebellion and is 
  now a lord of Hell, having surpassed Iblis 
  in power and status.
  Bellows: See the Five Apprentices. 
  Black Ledger: The book in which all a 
  person’s misdeeds are recorded by the 
  daemons of Gehenna that observe him. 
  The black ledger is sent to Maal’s king-
  dom along the Dark River when he dies, 
  H
  ere you will find a genealogy of the gods and races, as well as a glossary of names and terms. For 
  easy reference, the glossary explains nearly all the names from throughout the book and defines several of the 
  thornier pieces of terminology.
  Glossary
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  241
  its contents read aloud at his judgment. 
  The black ledger is sometimes called 
  the Book of the Wicked or the Book of 
  the Damned.
  Black Scribe: Chief of the celestial order 
  of the Scriveners, mute scribes who serve 
  Tinel by recording history. Of all the 
  Scriveners, only the Black Scribe speaks, 
  and he conveys news to Tinel and orders 
  to the Scriveners. He is called the Black 
  Scribe for his rich robes of sable and 
  ermine trimmed in silver, a symbol of 
  his office. 
  Camael: Attendant to the thrones of 
  the gods, Camael the archangel is the 
  minister of Heaven and stands behind 
  the Lords of Good. It is Camael who 
  oversees all the workings of the gods’ 
  court and arranges audiences with some 
  of them. As a servant and the humblest 
  of celestials, Camael is the seventh and 
  last of the archangels; yet, she alone is 
  in the constant presence of the glory of 
  the gods and is therefore accounted by 
  some as first.
  Canarak: The god of bloodlust, wrath, 
  and carnage, Canarak is the most feral of 
  the gods. One of the Three Brothers, he 
  has red hair and teeth that are sharp like 
  fangs. He has an insatiable hunger for 
  violence, and often influences his mortal 
  worshipers to commit unspeakable atroc-
  ities. He secretly plots to take control of 
  the pillar of water.
  Canelle: The goddess of sport and 
  victory, Canelle has fiery red hair and 
  an equally fiery temperament. She is 
  arguably the strongest of the gods in any 
  game or test of skill. She is chaotic good, 
  seeking a world where each person can 
  find and achieve their personal best. Her 
  sisters are Naryne and Thellyne. Darmon 
  has loved her for over an age, but that love 
  is unreciprocated. 
  Castle in the Air: Built by the Nameless 
  One, the castle in the air is one of three 
  ancient strongholds of the Creator. It 
  was the fastness of Kador for most of the 
  second and third epochs and then became 
  the home of the gods after Kador’s defeat. 
  It is now the residence of those celestials 
  who remain in the Prime Material Plane 
  acting as intercessors for the faithful and 
  providing them with their divine powers.
  Cataloguers, The: These celestial ser-
  vants of Tinel tend to his library, which 
  contains every work written by mortal 
  hands and all the records of the Scriv-
  eners. Their chief is called the Grey 
  Librarian.
  Genealogy of the Gods and Races
  caNelle
  ThellyNe
  The Nameless ONe
  rONTra
  shalimyr
  uriaN
  eliwyN
  TiNel
  ZheeNKeef
  TeraK
  mOrwyN
  aNwyN
  maal
  NaryNe
  mOrmeKar
  the three sIsters
  the eleMental gods
  the wICked oFFsprIng
  the treeborn gods
  the gods born oF woMb
  aymara
  darmON
  KOraK
  div
  KadOr
  mephisTOpheles
  mammON
  Baal
  dispaTer
  leviaThaN
  liliTh
  haGs
  (Medusa, Night Hags)
  evil BeasTs 
  (Chimera,  
  Manticore, etc.)
  she-devils
  (Succubi, etc.)
  GiaNTs
  (inc. Ogres)
  GOBliNOids
  (inc. Orcs, Kobolds)
  KadOr
  liliTh
  eliwyN
  GNOmes
  halfliNGs
  humaNs
  The fruiT
  dwarves
  div
  celesTials
  draGONs
  fey
  devils
  elves
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  242
  242
  Cathedral of Truth: The home of the 
  tome that contains Gian ben Gian’s 
  answers to Madrigan Yewstaff’s 30 ques-
  tions. This tome proves the Great Sage 
  Matalou was not a heretic, but apparently 
  contains other disturbing revelations. It 
  has never been copied and is only read by 
  major religious leaders of the many faiths 
  of the gods of the tree. 
  Celedynne: See the Seven. 
  Celestial Palace: The name for the palace 
  of the gods. In the third epoch and the 
  beginning of the fourth, this was found 
  in the castle in the air constructed by the 
  Nameless One. It is now at the summit of 
  the mountain of Heaven. 
  Celestials: During the Lesser War of 
  the Gods, Terak, Tinel, Zheenkeef, and 
  Morwyn all gave great powers to their 
  favored among the div to help them in 
  the struggle. After the war, Morwyn took 
  these div, far too powerful to coexist with 
  their “unelevated” brethren, and made 
  them into something more powerful 
  and holy – the first celestials. They were 
  formed into three choirs and taught the 
  old songs that the world learned when the 
  Nameless One first named all places and 
  things. At the head of the celestials are 
  the seven archangels.
  Central Sphere, The: The central sphere, 
  often called simply “the sphere,” is where 
  the mortal races live – and so much more. 
  Found at the center of the Great Sphere 
  of existence, the central sphere contains 
  the Prime Material Plane, the planes of 
  positive and negative energy, the shadow 
  plane and the ethereal plane. In the ear-
  liest days it stood alone in the universe, 
  surrounded only by the astral emptiness 
  of the Great Sphere. Over the eons, 
  though, the gods have created many other 
  spheres around it, particularly Heaven, 
  Hell and the Land of the Dead.
  Ceruill: A bard whose marriage to the 
  princess, Ophiel, enraged a prince named 
  Faristel. Faristel murdered Ceruill on 
  his wedding bed, setting off a chain of 
  revenge killings that resulted eventually 
  in the deaths of 50,000 people or more. 
  This sorry tale led to Maal’s first great 
  law, a proscription on revenge.
  Chorus of the Birds, The: An aviary 
  of pearl and silver in Heaven contains 
  these ten thousand song birds who sing 
  together in perfect harmony. They some-
  times visit mortal singers to inspire them.
  Compact, The: The great understanding 
  of the gods that they will not directly 
  control the mortal races as this denies 
  them their free will. Through the Com-
  pact, great matters are to be decided by 
  mortals. The gods may influence these 
  mortals to do their bidding through 
  their agents (clerics and holy warriors, 
  generally), just as Hell and the Abyss 
  may tempt mortals toward evil. A god 
  may only directly decide major events on 
  the Prime Material if all the other gods 
  agree to allow it.
  Corason: The site of a terrible conflict 
  between the followers of Morwyn and 
  Zheenkeef that resulted in the death 
  of the clerics of both churches and 
  the destruction of the temples to both 
  goddesses. This tragedy resulted in the 
  Compact, as the gods came to see that 
  the conflicts they were inspiring in their 
  people could only lead to disaster.
  Cornucopia, The: A gift from Anwyn to 
  her followers that is forever overflowing 
  with the most delicious feasts. 
  Corpus Infernus: Pure chaos and evil, 
  Corpus Infernus infected all the world, 
  including the creator god, the tree of 
  life, the gods of the tree and earth and 
  Kador First-Born. Corpus Infernus is 
  why there is evil in the world. When cast 
  out of the world into Hell, it formed the 
  demons. Corpus Infernus is sometimes 
  called “Shachté,” which is more accu-
  rately a term for pure chaos alone.
  Dariun: See the Seven. 
  Dark Pact, The: This refers to the 
  secret alliance between Asmodeus and 
  the Three Brothers and their plan for 
  world conquest.
  Dark River: With the Compact, it 
  became necessary for souls to travel 
  from plane to plane, sometimes without 
  guidance. So the gods created the Dark 
  River, which flows through all of the 
  planes of the sphere – and is even said to 
  have a source in the Material Plane. It is 
  called the Dark River because it seems 
  murky to most who ever travel it. How-
  ever, as it approaches Elysium and the 
  mountain of Heaven it becomes a bright 
  river of light.
  Darmon: The god of travelers, trick-
  sters, rogues, joy, and laughter, Darmon 
  is called the Champion of the Gods, 
  because he once used his wits to best 
  all the other gods. He is the messenger 
  of the heavens and it was he, in his 
  many travels with Korak, who taught 
  the mortal races many of their most 
  useful skills. Darmon is chaotic good 
  and believes that the gods and mortals 
  should strive toward happiness and 
  playfulness. His joy and laughter are as 
  irrepressible as his fascination with, and 
  love for, the mortal races. He is one of 
  the Three Companions. On their great 
  journey he fell in love with Canelle, 
  who does not return his affections. His 
  mother is Zheenkeef, his father is Tinel 
  and his twin sister is Aymara. 
  Daemons: Created by the gods from the 
  renegades of Hell and the Abyss, the 
  daemons are charged with overseeing 
  Gehenna – the buffer zone between Hell 
  and the Abyss – and monitoring every 
  mortal on earth. They do so by watching 
  the dark reflection every mortal casts into 
  Gehenna through the dark pillar. The 
  daemons tempt people with petty vil-
  lainies, whispering into the ears of their 
  shadow forms. When people commit evil, 
  the daemons record their misdeeds in the 
  black ledgers. 
  Dark Pillar: Every person is surrounded 
  by a pillar of light (usually seen only by 
  the gods and their servants). As that 
  pillar extends downward, it becomes pure 
  darkness. It is through this dark pillar 
  that each person casts a dark reflection of 
  himself in Gehenna that is observed by 
  the daemons there and through which the 
  mortal is tempted by Gehenna’s denizens. 
  Demons: Born from the Corpus Infer-
  nus cast out of the gods and the tree of 
  life, the demons were first imprisoned 
  in Hell by Morwyn. The greatest of 
  them were a race called the qlippoth, 
  but the qlippoth created other races of 
  demonic power, which overthrew them. 
  Not content to remain in the ordered 
  prison of Hell, the demons burrowed 
  out and across the Great Sphere, even-
  tually forming a hole in the Great 
  Sphere itself and building themselves 
  the infinite Abyss that spirals out into 
  nothingness.
  Devils: In the Greater War of the Gods, 
  Kador made soldiers for himself in his 
  struggle against the other gods. These 
  soldiers were div given formidable powers 
  by their lord. These elevated div are the 
  forefathers of the race now called devils, 
  a word that comes from Kador’s name for 
  them: divils.
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  243
  Dispater: The cleverest of Kador’s ser-
  vants, Dispater was given great magical 
  powers by his master. He is now one of 
  the lawful evil lords of Hell.
  Div: The first race of people born from 
  Eliwyn, the div (meaning “bright ones”) 
  did not age and had blood made of fire. 
  They had three tribes: the Marid, the 
  Shaitan, and the Shee. The div learned 
  much from the gods during their wars, 
  and many amassed incredible powers 
  for good and ill. Eventually, the div rose 
  against the gods and were nearly all cast 
  out, save for the Shee, who became the 
  elves and the fey.
  Divine Magic: Powers provided from the 
  gods to mortals through the conduit of 
  the celestial host. An entire order of the 
  Celestial Host provides these powers to 
  clerics, holy warriors and others. As part of 
  the Compact, all divine powers are equal, 
  which is why a senior cleric of a less pow-
  erful god is just as powerful as an equally 
  senior cleric of a more powerful god – to 
  do otherwise would provide a tacit induce-
  ment to worship the more powerful gods. 
  Dragons: During the Greater War of the 
  Gods, in the first failed onslaught against 
  Kador, the earth was bathed in fire. The 
  gods escaped destruction, but countless 
  div were killed. The fire transformed 
  some into beings of pure flame and 
  energy, the forefathers of the dragons.
  Durgas: A human warlord who is the 
  center of a Rontran parable instructing 
  mortals to respect life and the earth.
  Dwarves: Born of the first fruit plucked 
  by Zheenkeef from Eliwyn reborn, the 
  dwarves first awakened near Korak, who 
  had been knocked unconscious by their 
  fruit. Their first homes were in his head, 
  and when he awoke he taught them all 
  he knew of the smithy and other works 
  of the hand. For this reason, Korak has 
  always been dear to them. They are one 
  of the five mortal races and Maal judges 
  their souls upon their death.
  Earth Pillar: A pillar filled with nothing 
  but rock and dirt and the pure energy of 
  the earth. The creatures that reside in the 
  plane of earth rarely come to the Prime 
  Material Plane, as they lack curiosity.
  Eliwyn: The Tree of Life that sprouted 
  from Rontra where she and Shalimyr 
  met. Eliwyn bore five fruits, from which 
  came the gods of the tree and the div. She 
  was destroyed in Terak and Tinel’s war 
  and, when reborn, had five more fruits, 
  from which came four of the five mortal 
  races. She is now the neutral icon of the 
  druids, but provides no powers.
  Elves: The forefathers of the elves were 
  members of the third tribe of the div, the 
  Shee, who chose to give up their immor-
  tality and become one of the new races 
  of the earth. Zheenkeef awakened them 
  by playing with their sleeping forms. She 
  hurled the elves across the world, but 
  some of them bit her hand, causing her to 
  hurl them into the sea and the earth. They 
  are one of the five mortal races and Maal 
  judges their souls upon their death.
  Elysium: With the Compact, a system 
  was necessary to observe the good and 
  bad deeds of all mortals. The gods cre-
  ated Elysium, where a “light shadow” 
  of every living mortal walks about, cast 
  by the pillars of light that shoot upward 
  from all mortal souls. The light shadows 
  are constantly observed by the guardian 
  angels of Elysium (usually devas), who 
  record their good deeds, great and small, 
  in enormous ledgers that are delivered to 
  Maal’s kingdom when each person dies. 
  The guardian angels also whisper to the 
  mortals, guiding them toward decency 
  and charity.
  End Times, The: The term used by many 
  to discuss the “inevitable” apocalypse. 
  Many believe that someday the Nameless 
  One’s name will be spoken and the uni-
  verse will come to an end or that the fifth 
  fruit will ripen and the world will enter 
  another period of war, as Asmodeus is 
  freed of his bonds. Whatever the reason 
  for their arrival, the End Times are not 
  likely to be a cheery time.
  Erikul: The central figure of a Shalimyn 
  parable, Erikul was a pirate king who 
  believed he was lord of the seas. Shalimyr 
  drowned him for his hubris. 
  Erylwyn: See the Seven. 
  Ethereal Plane: Within the central 
  sphere, the Nameless One gathered the 
  energies that filled the Great Sphere 
  when he first created it. Those energies, 
  ether and shadow, were perfect but had 
  no substance. Combining their strength 
  and his own great words of power, 
  the Nameless One created the Mate-
  rial Plane. But the ethereal plane still 
  co-exists in the central sphere with the 
  Material and the shadow, as it did in the 
  first days. It is visible only using magic.
  Evil Beasts: Gorgons, chimaeras, hydras, 
  manticores and the other evil beasts of 
  the world are said to have sprung from 
  Lilith’s womb. In the time of the Greater 
  War of the Gods, they were the most 
  dangerous part of Kador’s army; today 
  these beasts are less than half the size of 
  their ancestors.
  Eyes, The: Often called the Eyes of 
  Tinel, these servants of Tinel are made 
  up primarily of rooks and other animals. 
  The Eyes go from the Material Plane to 
  Heaven and back, reporting on all of the 
  events of the sphere. They report their 
  findings to the Scriveners, who take their 
  notes to be catalogued by Cataloguers. 
  The chief of the Eyes is called the White 
  Whisperer. 
  Faristel: A jealous prince who murdered 
  his rival for the princess Ophiel. This 
  murder spawned a series of revenge kill-
  ings that ended in the deaths of more 
  than 50,000 souls. Because of this trag-
  edy, Maal gave the mortal races their first 
  great law—the proscription on revenge. 
  Faro: Originally named Farouk al Ban, 
  Faro was one of the two greatest athletes 
  ever produced by the race of the div. He 
  and his rival, Ali Mustafis bin Omar 
  (now called Alimus), were promised 
  places in the heavens by Urian. Faro 
  drags the moon across the heavens with 
  a mithril cord every night, though he 
  sometimes rushes ahead and appears in 
  the sky before Alimus has left. Occasion-
  ally, the two wrestle once more and there 
  is an eclipse. 
  Fionali: See the Seven. 
  Fey: The forefathers of the fey were mem-
  bers of the third tribe of the div, the Shee, 
  who refused to give up their immortality 
  and their powers and chose instead to 
  be bound to the earth—to lose their free 
  will. To this day, the fey are more pow-
  erful than the mortal races, but they do 
  not participate in earthly matters; they 
  are forever tied to their homes and their 
  functions.
  Fifth Fruit, The: The Tree of Life, 
  Eliwyn, has borne five fruits in both of 
  her incarnations, and in both cases the 
  fifth fruit has been the source of mystery. 
  The first time, Kador tried to steal the 
  fifth fruit and, when he could not have it, 
  cursed the god within so that it became 
  a race of fiery beings, the div. When 
  Eliwyn was reborn, the fifth fruit never 
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  244
  244
  ripened and was not plucked early by 
  Zheenkeef, so it hangs there still. What is 
  inside, no one knows. There has arisen a 
  strange cult that worships this mysterious 
  fruit to the exclusion of the other gods 
  called “The Cult of the Fifth Fruit.”
  Fire: See the Five Apprentices.
  Fire Pillar: Most of the div were exiled 
  to the fire pillar, the plane of fire, which 
  is a dangerous place of nothing but flames 
  raging for eternity. Travelers beware.
  First Epoch: The beginning of history, 
  when the Nameless One created Himself 
  and discovered the words for the four 
  elements. 
  First Hall, The: See the Four Halls.
  Five Apprentices, The: Korak’s servants 
  are apprenticed to him for 100 years 
  and then are named journeymen of the 
  heavens. The apprentices are among the 
  greatest mortal craftsmen, receiving 
  the honored position after death. Their 
  names while they serve are: Bellows, Fire, 
  Hammer, Anvil, and Tongs.
  Five Fruits: Eliwyn has borne five fruits 
  twice. In her first incarnation, these fruits 
  contained the gods Morwyn, Terak, 
  Tinel and Zheenkeef and the fiery race 
  of the div. After she was destroyed by 
  Terak and Tinel, she was reborn with five 
  fruits, four of which contained humans, 
  gnomes, halflings and dwarves, the fifth 
  of which is called the “Fifth Fruit” and 
  has never ripened. 
  Five Symbols of Faith: The Teraketh 
  believe all those devoted to the god of 
  valor must wear five symbols, always: 
  a holy symbol, a vambrace on the right 
  forearm (or a wristband), unshorn hair, a 
  weapon, and the forelock from their hair 
  when they were children. 
  Four Daughters of Shalimyr: Named 
  Ocean, River, Lake, and Stream, these 
  beautiful daughters of the sea help their 
  father to oversee his enormous realm—
  the waters of the world. 
  Four Pillars, The: The elemental planes 
  exist outside the Great Sphere, and even 
  the gods who hold sway over the elements 
  in the Prime Material do not control 
  these pillars. They are the purest forms 
  of the energy they represent: Earth, Air, 
  Fire and Water.
  Fourteen Wizards, The: A council of 
  wizards that sought to map Heaven and 
  capture a god for their experiments. Their 
  folly led Tinel to strip the world of magic 
  for a time and to put up locks barring 
  mortal travelers from Heaven unless they 
  are brought there by a divine power.
  Four Halls, The: Where those who led 
  exemplary lives reside in eternal bliss. The 
  first hall contains those who are wise and 
  good of heart and its warden is Issama. 
  The Second hall is where those who have 
  committed great acts of valor and loyalty 
  reside; its warden is Fratricide. In the 
  third hall abide those who have experi-
  enced such horrible pain in life that they 
  need never return to the mortal sphere, 
  and its warden is Remorse. The fourth 
  hall is home to those who have brought 
  great beauty into the world and its warden 
  is Maal’s Voice. 
  Four Winds, The: Called Rigyl (North), 
  Ragyl (East), Wyndyl (South), and 
  Wandyl (West), the four winds were 
  divided between violent and passive. The 
  North and East wished to destroy every-
  thing while the South and West fought 
  against them to protect everything. Urian 
  had to pluck them from himself to save 
  the mortal races from their struggles. He 
  now has all four chained in his four halls, 
  releasing them when the world needs 
  wind. This is considered the central sac-
  rifice of Urian, who loves freedom above 
  all else, yet imprisoned part of himself for 
  the good of the mortal races.
  Fourth Epoch: The current epoch; the 
  age of mortals. During this epoch, the 
  gods formed the Compact, empowering 
  mortals to determine their own fates 
  based on the temptations of evil and the 
  guidance of good. 
  Fourth Hall, The: See the Four Halls.
  Fratricide: More an office than a person, 
  Fratricide is a loyal servant of Maal who 
  serves in this capacity for 100 years and a 
  day. Maal sends forth Fratricide to punish 
  those who kill someone of their own 
  blood (a mother, father, sibling or child). 
  Fratricide rides upon a flaming, blood-red 
  steed and is, for the term of office, the 
  Warden of the Second Hall.
  Gehenna: Created by the gods on top 
  of a battleground of demons and devils, 
  Gehenna is the place of observation, 
  where petty crimes are solicited and 
  recorded by the daemons in their black 
  ledgers. They can see these mortals 
  through the reflection cast by their dark 
  pillars. This is where neutral evil souls go 
  when they have been condemned to pun-
  ishment by Maal.
  Geromul: See the Seven.
  Gian ben Gian: The most powerful 
  Marid leader of the div, Gian ben Gian 
  declared that the div were more numer-
  ous and stronger than the gods. He led 
  them in a war against Heaven, which was 
  put down by the celestial host. Gian ben 
  Gian was killed by Iblis in a duel.
  Giants: The evil races of giants, like 
  ogres and trolls and fire giants, are said 
  to have been born of the unholy union of 
  Kador and Lilith. Those members of the 
  races that live today are a pale shadow of 
  those that fought in the Greater War of 
  the Gods against the celestial host.
  Glin: One of two gnomes, the wife of the 
  pair, credited with the discovery of wine, 
  which was a gift to the couple for their 
  hospitality to Zheenkeef. 
  Glor: One of two gnomes, the husband 
  of the pair, credited with the discovery of 
  wine, which was a gift to the couple for 
  their hospitality to Zheenkeef.
  Gnomes: The race from the second fruit 
  of Eliwyn reborn, the gnomes were 
  touched by the blood, tongue, and breath 
  of Zheenkeef and therefore share in her 
  inspiration. Their fruit was hurled to the 
  hills, and this is where they made their 
  first home. They are one of the five mortal 
  races and Maal judges their souls upon 
  their death.
  Goblinoids: The goblinoid races, like 
  orcs and goblins, are said to come from 
  the union of Lilith and Kador long ago. 
  They bear little resemblance to the ter-
  rifying creatures that Lilith mothered, 
  having degraded over the years.
  Golden Sight, The: A mystical belief of 
  the Darmonite clergy holds that should 
  one piece together all the aphorisms ever 
  spoken by Darmon to mortal ears, it 
  would contain the secrets of the universe 
  and one would be immediately granted 
  the Golden Sight. The Golden Sight 
  would allow one to see the universe with 
  absolute clarity.
  Greater Temptation: When a mortal has 
  given himself over to the temptations of 
  evil outsiders, it is possible for him to suc-
  cumb to the Greater Temptation. This is 
  the assignation of one’s immortal soul to 
  the evil outside forces. Usually a contract, 
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  245
  it is through the Greater Temptation that 
  a mortal agrees to become a mortal agent 
  of one of the evil outside planes (usually 
  Hell or the Abyss). After agreeing, the 
  mortal’s soul is completely owned by the 
  evil power and will certainly be sent to its 
  plane at death. 
  Greater War of the Gods: When Kador 
  refused to give Mormekar the fire that 
  was Mormekar’s right, it became clear to 
  the gods that Kador had become evil and 
  was a threat to the earth. They attacked 
  Kador in two great onslaughts, the first 
  failing utterly and the second resulting 
  in Kador’s downfall. The war pitted the 
  gods and their elevated div (the celes-
  tials), against Kador and his elevated div 
  (the devils). 
  Great Hearth: The center of the main 
  Anwynite faith. This is where the 
  Supreme Manciple sits and where the 
  magnificent round feasting table and the 
  cornucopia may be found. 
  Great Sphere, The: The Nameless One 
  first formed the four pillars, and then 
  He placed this sphere on top of them. 
  When He created the Great Sphere, it 
  was filled with emptiness in the form of 
  ether and shadow. He pushed the ether 
  and shadow into the center when He cre-
  ated the Prime Material, filling the rest 
  of the sphere with image and sound or, as 
  most know it, the Astral Plane. Outside 
  the Great Sphere is the infinite void. 
  When one says “the sphere,” it is usually a 
  reference to the center sphere, the Mate-
  rial Plane. Few but scholars refer to the 
  Great Sphere.
  Great Wrong, The: The Asmodean name 
  for the toppling of Kador by the gods 
  of the tree. It is also called the “Wicked 
  Injustice.” 
  Grey Librarian, The: So called for her 
  robes of grey wolf fur trimmed in gold, 
  this celestial servant of Tinel is the 
  head of the Cataloguers. She is the only 
  member of that heavenly order to speak 
  to Tinel. She runs his library and makes 
  sure he has whatever materials he needs 
  in his eternal research. 
  Grifynne: The first eagle, and servant to 
  Urian, Grifynne is golden and glorious 
  with a wingspan as long as a mighty 
  river and a cry that shakes the heavens. 
  She is the mother of the griffins and the 
  lamassus, which were fathered on her by 
  Metteron, Terak’s golden lion. 
  Guardian Angels: A special order of 
  angels created as part of the Compact, 
  the guardian angels reside in Elysium and 
  observe the deeds of all mortals through 
  their bright reflections cast by the pillars 
  of light. They speak in whispers to all 
  they observe, guiding them toward good-
  ness and recording all their kind deeds in 
  the white ledgers. 
  Guide, The: An ancient woman with a 
  lantern, this servant of Morwyn eases 
  men and women into the wisdom of old 
  age. The Guide lessens the trauma of 
  becoming old and comes, sometimes, 
  to those who are about to die of age and 
  tells them that they are in their final 
  moments; this is how many manage to 
  make amends for old hurts with their 
  final breaths. Like other servants of 
  Morwyn, she usually comes invisibly to 
  those she aids.
  Gwainlath: Often called the Shepherd-
  ess, Gwainlath is a servant of Rontra’s 
  who provides aid in dark times. When 
  the land is being desecrated or otherwise 
  misused, the Shepherdess makes subtle 
  appeals to those responsible to change 
  their ways. She is called the Shepherd-
  ess because she is the figure credited in 
  most legends for subtly herding those 
  in danger out of trouble (e.g. folk who 
  suddenly find shelter in a cave they never 
  noticed before).
  Gwedryl: Thellyne’s bow made of yew. 
  Its name signifies “True Seeker.” It was 
  with Gwedryl that Thellyne slew the 
  Three Druids. 
  Hags: Some of the daughters of Lilith 
  and Kador, the hags—medusas, night 
  hags, sea hags—were beloved of their 
  mother and, it is said, still have contacts 
  with her and their sisters, the she-dev-
  ils, in Hell. The Hags have today only 
  the barest scrap of the power their 
  foremothers had in the Greater War 
  of the Gods.
  Halflings: The race from the third fruit 
  of Eliwyn reborn, the halflings were 
  supposed to be tallest of the races, wil-
  low-wand thin. However, Zheenkeef 
  kicked their fruit across the world and 
  it bounced from the cliffs to the plains, 
  squashing them to half their original 
  size. They are one of the five mortal 
  races, and Maal judges their souls upon 
  their death.
  Hammer: See the Five Apprentices.
  Handmaids of Zheenkeef: These are 
  Zheenkeef’s favored mortal servants who 
  come to reside at her side on their death. 
  They are constantly shifting and chang-
  ing, and are sometimes even sent to the 
  Prime Material to stir things up. 
  Heaven: In the fourth epoch, the gods 
  set themselves apart from the world, 
  building for themselves a magnificent 
  home outside the Prime Material Plane. 
  Heaven is a great mountain with seven 
  shining cities on its slope as you ascend. 
  An archangel (in general, a huge solar) 
  watches over each of those cities. The 
  spire of the mountain is where the city 
  of the gods is found, and though it is at 
  the top of the mountain, it is said to be 
  infinite. At the center of this seventh 
  city is the celestial palace, where nearly 
  all the gods sit on their thrones to debate 
  and watch mortals.
  Hefasten: The founder of the Great 
  Church, Hefasten was an exiled scholar 
  of Morwyn who was selected by the gods 
  to settle an argument about a statue. The 
  statue, which looks to whoever beholds 
  it as though it is carved in his own like-
  ness, now stands in the Great Cathedral 
  that is home to the Great Church. He 
  was the first Supreme Patriarch of the 
  Great Church.
  Heka: One of a pair of hyenas that 
  accompany Zheenkeef. The two are part 
  of the menagerie Zheenkeef keeps of all 
  the creatures of the earth. 
  Hell: The nine circles of Hell were 
  built as a prison for the creatures called 
  demons. It is now ruled over by Asmo-
  deus, once the god of fire and now the 
  king of deception and lord of Hell. 
  This is where lawful evil souls go when 
  they have been condemned to punish-
  ment by Maal.
  Humans: The race from the fourth 
  fruit of Eliwyn reborn, no one knows 
  what humans were supposed to be like, 
  because Zheenkeef ate the fruit that 
  contained them. All the gods had to put 
  the humans back together, and each god 
  made them in an image pleasing to him 
  or her, which is why humans are more 
  varied in appearance than any other race. 
  Zheenkeef digested some of the race’s 
  essence, however, so humans are the 
  shortest-lived of the five races. They are 
  one of the five mortal races and Maal 
  judges their souls upon their death.
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  246
  246
  Iblis: Once the greatest of all the arch-
  angels, Iblis led the celestial host in 
  war against Kador and against the div. 
  But when he and the other angels were 
  made servants to the five mortal races, he 
  believed it was a terrible mistake – partic-
  ularly the inclusion of the evil powers in 
  the compact. His uprising was put down, 
  and he is now one of the many lawful evil 
  powers of Hell.
  Issama: As a mortal, Issama dared 
  to question the decree of Maal. Maal 
  deemed her question wise and made her 
  his counselor upon her death. She stands 
  to the left of Maal’s throne and advises 
  him on matters as varied as elven cus-
  toms, legal loopholes, and contemporary 
  marriage practices. She is the Warden of 
  the First Hall.
  Ix: The silver fox companion of Darmon, 
  Ix is a joyful and mischievous creature. 
  He is known to come to the aid of Dar-
  mon’s followers. In legends, he is either 
  seen accompanying his master on a splen-
  did adventure or tricking the blustering 
  lion of Heaven, Metteron, into some 
  highly compromising position. 
  Jibraiil: The herald of the gods, Jibraiil 
  the archangel marches at the front of 
  the Heavenly host. It is said that to hear 
  her unmuted voice is to hear a music so 
  perfect that the mortal heart will break 
  with joy. She is second among the seven 
  archangels.
  Journey to the East: When the Three 
  Sisters escaped their brothers, they 
  embarked upon an epic journey across the 
  world. The ended their famed Journey to 
  the East, after 3,333 adventures, at a per-
  fect pool on the eastern edge of the world. 
  It was in this pool where the Three Com-
  panions discovered them singing.
  Justice: Forged from the strange metals 
  with which the Nameless One built his 
  Keep in the Sea, Justice is the blade of 
  Maal, wielded in the Great War of the 
  Gods. To this day, Maal uses it when he 
  sits in judgment of a mortal soul, raising 
  it aloft for the worthy and pointing it 
  downward for the damned. 
  Kador: The first creature created by 
  the Nameless One, Kador was given 
  dominion over fire and trusted to give 
  it to all those that came after him. He 
  was corrupted, however, and became 
  convinced that he was the rightful king 
  of the universe. Kador ended up in a war 
  with the gods, resulting in his imprison-
  ment in Hell. He is lawful evil and now 
  goes by the name Asmodeus, the “god” of 
  fire, power, lies, and vengeance. He has 
  a secret alliance with the Three Brothers; 
  as his part of the bargain, he plots to take 
  control of the pillar of fire.
  Keep in the Sea: Built by the Name-
  less One, this underwater keep was the 
  redoubt of the good gods during the 
  third epoch when they made war against 
  Kador. No one is certain what it now con-
  tains, though many believe that Shalimyr 
  has made it a part of his home that is 
  drawn by his twelve giant whales. It is 
  sometimes called the Underwater Palace.
  King’s Crucible, The: This is the tool 
  sometimes used by Korak to reforge 
  the souls of those who are perennially 
  wicked, but not so wicked as to warrant 
  eternal damnation. It is believed that 
  those so reforged become the noblest 
  of mortals.
  Korak: The god of the forge and physical 
  labor, patron of the dwarves, Korak is one 
  of the favorite gods of the mortal races. In 
  his many travels with Darmon he taught 
  the mortal races many of the practical 
  skills, like smithing, that they use to this 
  day. Korak is neutral good and believes 
  that all people must work, by whatever 
  method is available to them, to improve 
  their world. Korak is one of the Three 
  Companions; he is in love with Thellyne, 
  but that love is unreciprocated. His 
  mother is Morwyn, his father is Terak 
  and his twin sister is Anwyn.
  Kunar, Limmik: The first monk to 
  achieve oneness with the universe and 
  leave the Great Sphere (or so most 
  assume). Many monks walk in Master 
  Kunar’s footsteps, seeking to emulate 
  his success. 
  Land of the Dead, The: Originally found 
  at the center of the earth in the Prime 
  Material Plane, the Land of the Dead 
  was set apart into its own sphere when 
  the gods formed their Compact. This is 
  where Maal rules with his wife Naryne, 
  judging all souls based on the white and 
  black ledgers kept by the guardian angels 
  and the daemons. See the entries on 
  Souls and the Four Halls for the potential 
  fates of the judged.
  Laughter’s Sting: A short sword crafted 
  by the titans with the help of Korak to 
  win a bet with Darmon. Because he lost 
  the bet, Darmon had to serve for a time 
  as the king of the titans’ throne. 
  Lesser Temptation: The tempting by 
  any evil outsider to convince a mortal 
  to do evil. The Lesser Temptation is 
  the primary role of the evil outsiders 
  (particularly demons and devils) within 
  the Compact. It can lead to the Greater 
  Temptation. 
  Lesser War of the Gods: The struggle 
  between Terak and Tinel to determine 
  which brother was eldest is called the 
  Lesser War. At the beginning of the 
  war, Zheenkeef determined that if she 
  could get each brother to kill the other, 
  she would become the eldest, and in the 
  end, she accomplished just that. The two 
  gods murdered one another and Zheen-
  keef hurled herself on their funeral pyre, 
  ending the whole sad affair. The three 
  gods were reborn through the interven-
  tion of Morwyn and Mormekar.
  Leviathan: Once one of the water-lov-
  ing Marid, Leviathan was stretched 
  and altered by Kador into a massive sea 
  serpent large enough to swallow the 
  oceans. He is now one of the lawful evil 
  lords of Hell.
  Light Pillar: Every person is surrounded 
  by a pillar of light (usually seen only by 
  the gods and their servants). As that 
  pillar extends upward, it becomes pure 
  light. It is through this bright pillar 
  that each person casts a reflection of 
  himself in Elysium that is observed by 
  the guardian angels there and through 
  which the mortal is guided toward acts of 
  conscience and faith by the whispers of 
  the angels. 
  Lilith: Often called “mother of beasts,” 
  Lilith was once a powerful queen of the 
  div who was corrupted and transformed 
  by Kador. With Kador she gave birth to 
  many of the evil races of the world. She is 
  now one of the lawful evil lords of Hell.
  Lonely Runner, The: Likely the great-
  est mortal athlete ever born, the lonely 
  runner was the only competitor ever able 
  to match pace with Canelle. He is the 
  center of an important parable of the 
  Canellan faith. His form is now seen as a 
  constellation in the night sky.
  Maal: The god of justice, judgment, and 
  the dead, Maal is often called “firstborn,” 
  as he was the first god to be born of 
  the womb. Maal is lawful neutral and 
  believes the world would be perfect if 
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  247
  only it were structured around the perfect 
  set of laws. He judges the souls of the 
  dead to determine their fate, making him 
  one of the most powerful gods. Maal is 
  one of the Three Companions. On their 
  great journey he found his wife, Naryne. 
  His mother is Morwyn and his father 
  is Mormekar.
  Maal’s Kingdom: See The Land 
  of the Dead.
  Maal’s Voice: Herald of the Court of 
  Maal, his true name is long forgotten. 
  When Maal sits upon the Throne of 
  Judgment, any word he utters is lasting 
  law or judgment, so for lesser matters 
  of the court, Maal’s Voice speaks for 
  his master. He is Warden of the Fourth 
  Hall. Spells, such as commune, that allow 
  one to speak with Maal, are answered by 
  Maal’s Voice.
  Madrigan Yewstaff: A powerful incep-
  tor of Tinel who put the Great Sage 
  Matalou’s claims to the test. Yewstaff 
  summoned Gian ben Gian and ques-
  tioned his spirit about the contents of 
  Matalou’s treatise. The results proved 
  Matalou was not a heretic and were 
  committed in a single tome. Those thirty 
  answers are found locked away at the 
  Tinelite Cathedral of Truth where only 
  major religious leaders may read them.
  Mammon: Power-hungry to the extreme, 
  Mammon was a div lord given great 
  abilities by Kador, all of which he used in 
  his efforts to accumulate more power and 
  to destroy. Mammon is now one of the 
  lawful evil lords of Hell.
  Marid: Known for their love of the sea, 
  the Marid were the strongest of the three 
  tribes of the div. Some had hearts of pure 
  good, and these became servants of the 
  gods, but others knew little but pride and 
  arrogance. It was a Marid chieftain, Gian 
  ben Gian, who led his brethren in their 
  disastrous uprising against Heaven. 
  Matalou, The Great Sage: The author 
  of A Treatise on the Divine, Matalou was 
  the preeminent religious scholar of his 
  day. Unfortunately for him, like many 
  preeminent scholars he was ahead of his 
  time and was killed for heresy. He is now 
  a saint of the scriptoriums of Tinel. 
  Material Plane, The: The Material Plane 
  is contained within the Central Sphere. 
  Everything a normal mortal can see and 
  touch is a part of the Material Plane – the 
  sun, moon, stars, land and water. With 
  powerful magic, a person can see the 
  ethereal and shadow planes that coexist 
  within the sphere with the Material 
  Plane, and with even greater magic a 
  person may travel outside of the sphere 
  and to other planes. 
  Menara: One of two beloved sisters and 
  priestesses of Morwyn. She and her sister 
  Tora were victims of a vile trick at the 
  hands of the Zhenkefan apostles in their 
  home city of Corason. The ensuing trag-
  edy resulted in their Menara’s death (and 
  the death of her whole family) and the 
  formation of the Compact of the gods.
  Mephistopheles: A being created by 
  Kador in his own image. Mephistopheles 
  is quite powerful and every bit as wicked 
  as his creator. He is now one of the lawful 
  evil lords of Hell.
  Mercy: Beloved servant of Morwyn, it 
  is Mercy that lifts hate from hearts and 
  leads them to spare their hated enemies. 
  Mercy is a beautiful maiden with flaxen 
  hair in a white gown, like that of her mis-
  tress. Many who are affected by Mercy 
  change at their very core, for to experi-
  ence her touch is to feel as though a holy 
  hand has reached straight into your heart. 
  Merfolk: Once a nation of seafaring 
  humans, the merfolk’s island nation was 
  sunk by a nation of sorcerers with whom 
  they’d made war. Shalimyr saved them 
  from death by transforming them into 
  people will gills, able to survive in the sea.
  Metteron: The golden lion of Heaven, 
  Metteron is the king of the beasts of 
  Heaven and earth and the greatest animal 
  in the universe. He is servant and com-
  panion to Terak and lies at the foot of his 
  throne. He can be as high as a mountain 
  or as small as an earthly lion. He is bold, 
  quick-tempered and limitlessly valorous 
  like his lord. With Grifynne, he is the 
  father of the griffins and the lamassus. 
  Midwife, The: Called upon by women in 
  the midst of difficult labors, this servant 
  of Morwyn clarifies matters. Should the 
  Midwife come invisibly to the bedside 
  of a woman in a difficult labor, she may 
  speed the delivery and save the woman’s 
  life. If this is not possible, she may at least 
  take away the woman’s suffering and let 
  her die in peace. Most women call out to 
  the Midwife and Morwyn during child-
  birth. The Midwife is said to be a heavy 
  woman with broad hips and breasts heavy 
  with milk. When some infant dies in the 
  first weeks of its life, it is often said that 
  she “nurses with the Midwife now.”
  Mika’il: Chief among the Archangels, 
  Mika’il protects the downtrodden and is 
  the champion of those in need. He was 
  once a great div king who was elevated 
  to great power by Morwyn and raised 
  to be chief of the Archangels after the 
  fall of Iblis.
  Miner, The: See Barik-tharn. 
  Mirien: An elven princess, reputedly 
  descended of Aymara, who was both wise 
  and fair, said to be the most beautiful 
  mortal ever born. When she and her 
  parents began to accept suitors for her 
  hand, it was the occasion for a great con-
  test in Heaven, with each god selecting 
  a champion. Her selection of Darmon’s 
  ward, Rinalde Wolfcall, as her husband 
  rendered Darmon the Champion of 
  the Gods. 
  Mitallis: An ungrateful manciple of 
  Anwyn who refused to change his greedy 
  ways and brought others in with him 
  in his rebellion. This had disastrous 
  consequences. 
  Mormekar: The god of death and rebirth, 
  Mormekar is an outsider, even among 
  the gods. He is neutral and sees himself 
  as a creature of duty, fulfilling a cosmic 
  function – some even question whether 
  he has free will. Mormekar is married to 
  Morwyn and is the father of Maal.
  Morwyn: The goddess of healing, mercy, 
  wisdom and motherhood, Morwyn is the 
  eldest of the gods born of the tree. She is 
  their “queen” in that she leads them, but 
  by her own law may not command them. 
  Morwyn is lawful good and believes the 
  universe is on a constant progression 
  toward perfection. It will grow better if 
  all people find charity and love in their 
  hearts. Morwyn is married to Mormekar 
  and Terak; with Mormekar she has a 
  son, Maal, and with Terak she has twins, 
  Korak and Anwyn.
  Nameless One: The creator of the 
  universe. The Nameless One created 
  Himself by speaking His own name. If 
  His name is ever spoken again, the uni-
  verse will cease to exist. He has left the 
  Great Sphere and has not been heard of 
  in two ages.
  Naran: The god of tyranny and pride, 
  Naran thinks himself the prince of the 
  universe, second only to Asmodeus. 
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  248
  248
  Someday, he will topple the king and 
  rule the universe with his brothers at his 
  side. One of the Three Brothers, he is 
  the most visible, acting as open patron to 
  slavers and tyrants the world over. Like 
  Naryne, he has black hair and dark eyes. 
  He secretly plots to take control of the 
  pillar of earth.
  Naryne: The goddess of nobility, primar-
  ily kings and queens, Naryne is the queen 
  of the dead. One of the Three Sisters, 
  Naryne is often called the Dark Sister 
  for her black hair and dark eyes. She is 
  lawful neutral and believes there would 
  be a perfect world were all the mortal 
  races to properly obey and follow rightly 
  appointed nobility. Her husband is Maal 
  and her sisters are Canelle and Thellyne.
  Nayariel: The most skilled hunter who 
  ever lived, Nayariel was an elf accursed so 
  that she would transform into the shape 
  of animals against her will. She usually 
  became a beautiful White Hart, and all 
  the world’s greatest hunters eventually 
  came after the Hart for her magnificent 
  horns. Thellyne sent them a dream not to 
  kill her, but some disobeyed and Nayariel 
  was killed. Thellyne transformed these 
  miscreants into the first werewolves. 
  Nayariel is now Thellyne’s hunting 
  companion. 
  Ophiel: A fair princess whose love for her 
  base-born court bard, Ceruill, inspired 
  one of her suitors, the prince Faristel, to 
  the bard’s murder. This murder spawned 
  a series of revenge killings that ended in 
  the deaths of more than 50,000 souls. 
  Because of this tragedy, Maal gave the 
  mortal races their first great law – the 
  proscription on revenge. 
  Ouroboros: See The Serpent.
  Palace in the Mountains: Built by the 
  Nameless One, this great earthly palace 
  was atop the highest mountain spire in 
  the world. It was destroyed in the Lesser 
  War of the Gods, and its ruins have never 
  been found. The world was changed 
  during that war, and the remains of this 
  palace may indeed be underwater now or 
  below the earth, for the mountain upon 
  which it was built was likely lowered in 
  the struggle.
  Planes of Positive and Negative Energy, 
  The: When the Nameless One created 
  the Prime Material Plane, He formed 
  a perfect central sphere to contain what 
  is mortal existence. Within that crystal 
  were the two forces from which all of 
  creation came to be: positive and negative 
  energy. Called light and dark, sound 
  and silence, life and death, all creation 
  requires a balance of these two forces. 
  So the central sphere is made of these 
  two forces, and where they meet within 
  the crystal there are huge and dangerous 
  maelstroms. Few ever go within the crys-
  tal to one of these planes, but those that 
  do find them terribly dangerous. 
  Poin, Ionus: Founder of the Cult of 
  Everlasting Night, Poin believed he was 
  visited by Urian and commanded to 
  destroy the sun and moon. Since that 
  time, members of the cult he founded, 
  mostly harmless lunatics, have sought 
  some method to obliterate the sun 
  and the moon.
  Rafaiil: The guide of the lost, Rafaiil 
  the archangel is the giver of charity from 
  the gods. It is said that if the gods send 
  a mortal aid, it is Rafaiil who delivers it. 
  Rafaiil is charged with overseeing Ely-
  sium. He is third among the archangels.
  Ragyl: The East wind, Ragyl is hateful 
  and wishes to destroy everything he 
  touches. Ragyl is now chained in the 
  easternmost hall of Urian. See the Four 
  Winds for more. 
  Raguel: The vengeance of Heaven, 
  Raguel the archangel is charged by the 
  gods to smite down those who have 
  grown too high and think themselves 
  equal to the gods, as well as infernal 
  powers when they trespass on the Prime 
  Material Plane for reasons other than 
  the Compact. He is sixth among the 
  archangels. 
  Remorse: Called the “Weeper for the 
  Wronged,” no one knows how Remorse 
  came into Maal’s service. When some-
  one comes before Maal who has been 
  grievously wronged, Remorse petitions 
  the King of Souls to right the wrong and 
  give the wounded party succor. She is the 
  Warden of the Third Hall.
  Retribution: The pure ethic of legal 
  justice that appeals to a higher authority 
  and removes passion from punishment. 
  Retribution holds that a person who com-
  mits a crime owes a debt not just to his 
  victims but to the higher authority as well 
  (the gods, the nation, the village, etc.). 
  That debt must be repaid and must be 
  extracted by an impartial authority. For 
  instance, a man kills a woman’s husband. 
  That woman must not seek to kill the 
  man herself, but instead appeals to a 
  higher authority for retribution. In this 
  case, the higher authority is the church of 
  Maal. The Maalites hunt down the man, 
  try him impartially, and extract from him 
  the retributive price for murder (which in 
  many societies is his life; this will vary by 
  campaign setting). Maal stands for retri-
  bution and against revenge.
  Revenge: Often defined as “repaying evil 
  with evil,” revenge is a mortal ethic of 
  justice stating that if someone commits 
  a wrong against you (or your family) it 
  is your right to commit a wrong back 
  against him as bad or worse. Revenge is 
  particularly characterized by its inclusion 
  of those who have nothing to do with the 
  original crime. For instance, a man kills 
  a boy’s father and that boy goes on to kill 
  the man’s daughter. The daughter had 
  nothing to do with the crime but is drawn 
  in by blood-for-blood vengeance. The 
  Maalite faith is opposed to revenge (as 
  is Maal himself), believing that a person 
  must never seek to mete out justice for 
  a crime committed against him; crimes 
  must be punished with retribution from 
  an impartial authority to keep a truly just 
  society, and avoid escalating acts of evil.
  Rigyl: The North wind, Rigyl is hate-
  ful and wishes to destroy everything he 
  touches. Rigyl is now chained in the 
  northernmost hall of Urian. See the Four 
  Winds for more.
  Rinalde Wolfcall: A wily farmer who 
  was selected by Darmon to be his ward 
  in a contest among the gods over who 
  would win the hand of Mirien, the fairest 
  mortal ever born. Through his cleverness 
  and genuine love for the princess, Rinalde 
  won her hand and made Darmon the 
  Champion of the Gods in the process.
  Rite, The: The central function of the 
  sacristies of Mormekar is the adminis-
  tration of the rite to the dead. It informs 
  the dead that they have passed and pre-
  pares them for their journey to the Land 
  of the Dead.
  Rontra: Goddess of the earth, Rontra is 
  the second eldest of the gods created by 
  the Nameless One; only Kador is older. 
  Rontra is the embodiment of all the lands 
  of the material plane. She is lawful good 
  and kindly, considered the grandmother 
  of creation. She is the mother of Eliwyn, 
  the Tree of Life.
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  249
  Sacred Laws, The: In the Third Epoch, 
  Maal gave the mortal races a series of 
  perfect laws through which mortal soci-
  ety could live in harmony. However, the 
  laws were lost because the mortal races 
  did not follow them. Most say there were 
  12 laws. Only the first survives: Maal’s 
  proscription on revenge.
  Saint Anne: The founder of the modern 
  order of paladins, Anne saw herself 
  flanked by hundreds of doughty war-
  riors in the sculpture found at the Great 
  Cathedral of the Great Church. 
  Saint Astafis: A Mormekim saint, 
  Brother Astafis died wiping out a cadre 
  of vampires. His name is invoked by 
  Mormekim faced with vampiric foes.
  Saint Isyl: A Shalimyn saint who saw 
  that all sailors around the world must 
  be faithful to Shalimyr or the Wave will 
  destroy them all. He founded the order of 
  the sail masters.
  Saint Marlessa: Reputedly the founder 
  of the first Rontran foundation, St. Mar-
  lessa is the ear of Rontra, walking at the 
  Grandmother’s side and listening to the 
  pleas of her worshipers. She only brings 
  the most pressing to the goddess herself. 
  She is invoked as “Saint Marlessa, sister 
  of the people” by common folk and is 
  often named in private prayer by Rontra’s 
  followers.
  Saint Mathilde: Griffin Saint Mathilde 
  was the last of the Urianath order of 
  Griffins. Her order was destroyed by a 
  demonic cult planning on bringing one of 
  the most powerful demon princes to the 
  earth. St. Mathilde survived, however, 
  and sacrificed herself to close the gate to 
  the Abyss. 
  Saraqael: The magistrate of Heaven, 
  Saraqael the archangel oversees the laws 
  of Heaven and sees to it that all celestials 
  perform their duties under the Compact. 
  She is fifth among the archangels.
  Scriveners, The: An order of servants to 
  Tinel in Heaven, these mute and hooded 
  celestials take note of every event in the 
  mortal world and Heaven, making the 
  supreme record of history. Their chief is 
  called the Black Scribe. 
  Seacrest: The falchion of Shalimyr was 
  forged by Korak out of the reflection of 
  a metal sword caught in water. In return 
  for this fine gift, Shalimyr agreed not to 
  destroy the dwarves for their arrogance 
  – for dwarves do not praise the water and 
  believe they might build structures safe 
  from it beneath the earth. 
  Second Epoch: The time of creation, 
  when the Nameless One created the Four 
  Pillars, the Great Sphere, the Prime 
  Material Plane and Kador. In this time 
  the Nameless One spoke the Three 
  Prophecies and left the sphere. Kador 
  convinced the earth, the waters, and the 
  skies to unite into three gods, Rontra, 
  Shalimyr, and Urian, and these three 
  gods gave rise to Eliwyn, the tree of life. 
  From the tree were born the four chief 
  gods, Morwyn, Terak, Tinel and Zheen-
  keef, and also the race of the div. With 
  their birth, the epoch ended.
  Second Hall, The: See the Four Halls.
  Serpent, The: A peripheral character in 
  many myths, some believe that the sur-
  face of the world is actually the serpent 
  biting its own tail (he is sometimes called 
  Ouroboros). They believe that the serpent 
  is the chief of Rontra’s servants and that 
  all strength and power, particularly the 
  power of fertility, is given to mortals 
  through the serpent, which contains in 
  it the power of life and death. The more 
  common belief is that Master Korak, 
  who ripped off its legs to woo Thellyne, 
  created the serpent. These legends hold 
  that it came to Rontra in terrible pain and 
  she took to her bosom. The serpent now 
  visits those in mortal agony and eases 
  their pain.
  Seven, The: The children of Aymara 
  by Aragos, the seven are charged with 
  inspiring and watching over musicians. 
  Each one of the seven corresponds to one 
  kind of instrument and one of the notes 
  on the scale. Their names are Aragoth, 
  Barawyn, Celedynne, Dariun, Erylwyn, 
  Fionali, and Geromul. The instruments 
  they correspond to (in order of name) are: 
  reeds, drums, horns, flutes and whistles, 
  cymbals and gongs, plucked and struck 
  strings, and bowed strings.
  Shachté: An ancient word for the 
  moment before the dice decide which face 
  to show, Shachté is best understood as 
  pure change or chaos. It is often under-
  stood to be evil and is generally used 
  interchangeably as a term with Corpus 
  Infernus. 
  Shadow Plane, The: Within the central 
  sphere, the Nameless One gathered the 
  energies that filled the Great Sphere 
  when He first created it. Those energies, 
  ether and shadow, were perfect but had 
  no substance. Combining their power 
  and His own great words of power, the 
  Nameless One created the Prime Mate-
  rial Plane. But shadows are still seen all 
  around, co-existing within the central 
  sphere with the ethereal and the Prime. 
  The plane of pure shadow, though, is vis-
  ible only with great magic. Some call this 
  plane the Shadowfell.
  Shaitan: The most numerous tribe of 
  the div, the Shaitan occupied most of 
  the world before the uprising of the div 
  against the gods. It was also from the 
  Shaitan that Kador found his most faith-
  ful servants, for they had the greatest 
  affinity with fire of the three tribes of 
  div. Most Shaitan are now either devils 
  or efreets. 
  Shalimyr: The god of the waters, 
  Shalimyr is wild. He is the personifi-
  cation of all the waters of the material 
  plane. With Rontra, he created Eliwyn. 
  Shalimyr is engaged in a long-lasting 
  affair with Zheenkeef that is secret only 
  to Tinel, who refuses to see it. Shalimyr 
  is chaotic neutral and hates arrogance and 
  pride over all else.
  Shawaliasha: The queen of the sea-elves 
  who tricked the pirate king, Erikul, into 
  proclaiming himself lord of the seas and 
  arousing Shalimyr’s wrath.
  She-Devils: The many she-devils of Hell 
  are said to be born of the union of Kador 
  and Lilith. Most now reside in their 
  mother’s circle of Hell at her side. At the 
  time of the Greater War of the Gods, the 
  she-devils were Lilith’s personal retinue; 
  they are not as faded in might as the other 
  creatures born of Kador and their mother.
  Shee: The members of the third tribe of 
  the div, the Shee were always quiet and 
  frightened. They stayed hidden away from 
  all struggles, exploring nature and its 
  wonders. When the Marid and Shaitan 
  revolted against the gods, the Shee did 
  not participate. But the gods fear they 
  might also rebel and so the Shee were 
  given a choice: become mortal or lose 
  their free will. Those who chose mortality 
  became the elves, while those who chose 
  to lose their free will became the fey.
  Shepherdess, The: See Gwainlath. 
  Sorrow’s Song: The name of Aymara’s 
  rapier, which sings with the mournful 
  music of war. Legends tell that it was 
  
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  250
  250
  forged for her during the wars with 
  Kador – but as the Great Sage Matalou’s 
  Treatise proves, she was not yet born 
  during those wars, nor was Korak who 
  forged it. It was likely forged for her 
  by Korak for her continuing struggle 
  against Kador’s servants on earth (which 
  were particularly fierce in her youth 
  before the Compact). It is rumored that 
  there are those who can hear its music 
  and dance to it in battle. 
  Soul: A being has a soul if it meets three 
  criteria: It is alive, has free will, and 
  has received the fire of power. Religious 
  scholars believe it is the fire that kindles 
  the soul; without it, the spirit is attached 
  to the body and dies when the body dies. 
  There are many races that meet two of 
  these criteria, but only the five mortal 
  races meet all three. When a soul is sep-
  arated from its body, it goes before Maal: 
  There it may be rewarded in the Land 
  of the Dead, sent to Heaven to serve the 
  god it served in life, sent to one of the 
  evil realms for eternal punishment, or, as 
  happens most often, be reborn.
  Tekit: One of a pair of hyenas that 
  accompany Zheenkeef. The two are part 
  of the menagerie Zheenkeef keeps of all 
  the creatures of the earth. 
  Terak: The god of war and the body, 
  Terak has always opposed his brother, 
  Tinel. Terak believes the greatest force 
  in the world is the unification of people 
  into nations and armies; if the many 
  band together against those who would 
  harm them, much good is possible. He 
  is married to Morwyn and is the father 
  of Korak and Anwyn. Terak’s heart is 
  divided – he is both lawful good, in that 
  he desires to see the strong protect the 
  weak, and he is lawful neutral, in that 
  he desires to see mortals unite their 
  strength first and foremost.
  Thellos: God of gluttony and greed, 
  Thellos has sandy hair and a piggish 
  nose. The most hidden of the Three 
  Brothers, he pulls strings from the 
  background. He prefers to collect wealth 
  and indulge himself than to come into 
  conflict. The goblins revere him as their 
  god; he appears to them as a fat goblin 
  god who will lead them into a land of 
  milk and honey. He secretly plots to take 
  control of the pillar of air.
  Thellyne: The goddess of the woods 
  and the hunt, Thellyne is the shyest of 
  all the gods. One of the Three Sisters, 
  she is rarely seen even by her siblings. 
  Thellyne has golden hair and is a master 
  of all woodcraft. She is neutral good 
  and seeks to protect and promote the 
  natural beauty of the world. She is also 
  the guardian of Eliwyn, the Tree of Life. 
  Korak is in love with her, but the feel-
  ings are unreciprocated. Her sisters are 
  Naryne and Canelle.
  Third Epoch: The time of the gods. In 
  this epoch, Terak and Tinel slew each 
  other in the Lesser War of the Gods; 
  Zheenkeef killed herself on their funeral 
  pyre. These tragedies gave birth to 
  Death, who is called Mormekar. The 
  three gods were reborn by Morwyn’s 
  grace and raised by her. During this 
  epoch, Morwyn discovered Corpus 
  Infernus and cast it out of the gods. She 
  declared the Three Laws of the gods, 
  gave birth to the first god born of the 
  womb, Maal. The gods battled Kador, 
  and in the Greater War of the Gods 
  eventually cast him into Hell. During 
  the peace that prevailed after Kador’s 
  fall, the twins were born (Korak and 
  Anwyn to Terak and Morwyn, Aymara 
  and Darmon to Zheenkeef and Tinel) 
  and the div rose against the gods in 
  rebellion and were cast out into the 
  pillar of fire for their rebellion. At the 
  end of the epoch, the five mortal races 
  (humans, gnomes, halflings, elves and 
  dwarves) were born. 
  Third Hall, The: See the Four Halls.
  Three Blessings: The central beliefs of 
  the Shalimyn are these three blessings: 
  Humility, Sacrifice and Gratitude.
  Three Brothers: Born by a river beside 
  the Three Sisters, these three gods are 
  one of the secret forces of evil in the 
  world, unbound by the Compact. They 
  are: Naran, Canarak, and Thellos.
  Three Companions: This is a reference 
  to Darmon, Korak, and Maal, who once 
  traveled across the mortal world looking 
  for a wife for Maal. On their journey, 
  they had many great adventures often 
  told of in myth and song, culminating in 
  the discovery of the Three Sisters. 
  The Druids: When the druids first 
  came upon the sacred grove of Eliwyn, 
  Thellyne mistook them for invaders. In 
  three quick breaths, she released three 
  shafts from her bow and slew the three 
  mightiest druids. From their blood arose 
  red poppies, red roses, and red lotus 
  blossoms with white hearts. Also from 
  this accident came the treants, the naga 
  and the unicorns, all of which still pro-
  tect the sacred grove. 
  Three Laws: Declared by Morwyn in 
  the third epoch, the first laws of the 
  gods predated the Compact and were: 
  first, that the gods would never make 
  war against one another; second, that 
  the gods would use their strength to 
  guide the div and the new races ripening 
  in Eliwyn’s fruit (that would turn out to 
  be the five mortal races); and third, that 
  no one god would rule the others. 
  Three Prophecies: The last words of 
  the Nameless One before He departed 
  the sphere, the three prophecies told 
  to Kador were: first, that much life 
  would come to the world and that it was 
  Kador’s duty to give the gift of fire to 
  all those born of the world; second, a 
  long and secret decree whispered into 
  Kador’s ear (to this day, only Kador 
  knows its contents); third, that as all of 
  creation was born with the uttering of 
  the Nameless One’s name, so too would 
  all creation cease when His name was 
  spoken again.
  Three Sisters: Born by a river long ago 
  beside the Three Brothers, these three 
  goddesses were found by the Three 
  Companions in their search for a wife 
  for Maal. They are Naryne, Canelle, 
  and Thellyne.
  Three Stones, The: Korak left the 
  dwarves these three stones of enormous 
  power after teaching them the arts of 
  smithy and masonry. The fate of these 
  stones is unknown. 
  Three Utterances, The: Spoken by 
  Mormekar to Alonzo d’Eriq, these 
  utterances are the pillars of the sacristies 
  of Mormekar. Each begins with the 
  words, “Death is sacred.”
  Thunder: The sound heard in the 
  heavens when all the gods argue to the 
  exclusion of all else and cause Urian to 
  tremble with the force of their voices. 
  Tinel: The god of magic and knowl-
  edge, Tinel has long struggled with his 
  brother, Terak. Tinel believes that the 
  individual is the supreme force and that 
  nothing is greater than a single person’s 
  quest for knowledge. He is married to 
  Zheenkeef and is the father of Darmon 
  and Aymara. Tinel’s heart is divided 
  
  appendIX II: gods and raCes
  251
  – he is chaotic good, in that he is most 
  interested in the good an individual can 
  do when she seeks knowledge, and he 
  is neutral, in that he sometimes cares 
  nothing for the mortal world and wants 
  only to collect knowledge.
  Titans: Made by Zheenkeef from the 
  clay of a sacred pool and her own excre-
  ment, these powerful creatures exist to 
  amuse their creator with their adventures 
  and struggles. While they revere Zheen-
  keef as their creator, they are fonder of 
  Darmon, her son, who has accompanied 
  many of them on adventures. 
  Tongs: See the Five Apprentices.
  Tora: One of two beloved sisters and 
  priestesses of Morwyn. She and her 
  sister Menara were victims of a vile trick 
  at the hands of the Zhenkefan apostles 
  in their home city of Corason. The ensu-
  ing tragedy resulted in Menara’s death 
  (and the death of her whole family) and 
  the formation of the Compact of the 
  gods. Tora did not die, but was so filled 
  with sorrow that she plucked out her 
  own eyes. Morwyn ended up ascending 
  her bodily into Heaven while she still 
  lived, to ease her terrible suffering.
  Tower of the White Hands: The head-
  quarters of the order of the white hands 
  of Morwyn, found near the White Hall 
  of Morwyn’s Hand. 
  Twelve Swans, The: Naryne rides a 
  chariot drawn by these magnificent 
  birds. Once every 100 years, they come 
  to the Prime Material Plane and assume 
  the form of mortal women, often fall-
  ing in love and having children before 
  they must return to their duties. Their 
  names are: Inixos, Yaili, Marit, Oona, 
  Pilai, Weili, Uxos, Darila, Marila, Tani, 
  Sa’ool, and Jeini.
  Twelve Whales: It is said that Shalimyr 
  lives in a mighty palace made of pearl 
  and alabaster that is drawn through the 
  waters by 12 colossal whales, each large 
  enough to swallow a small fleet of ships. 
  These 12 whales are named after the 
  sounds that waves make when they hit 
  the various types of land.
  Tyngelle: The first Supreme Matriarch 
  of the Morwynite faith, Tyngelle was a 
  priestess wandering the desert and saw 
  a vision of Morwyn touching a rock and 
  a fountain of light springing forth from 
  it. She then went on a pilgrimage and 
  found the rock she saw in her vision. On 
  that rock, she founded the White Hall 
  of Morwyn’s Hand.
  Underwater Palace: See Keep 
  in the Sea.
  Urian: God of the air, Urian is the 
  heavens and the winds. He is kindly and 
  gentle, but also gives in to the stormy 
  side of his nature from time to time. 
  Urian is neutral good and loves all life.
  Uriel: The protector of Heaven, Uriel the 
  archangel is only seen by mortals should 
  they seek entrance through the locked 
  gates of Heaven. Uriel also watches over 
  the celestial host; it is he who casts down 
  the fallen. Uriel returned magic to the 
  mortal races when they lost it long ago. 
  He is fourth among the archangels.
  Vintner’s Creed, The: Often called 
  simply “The Creed,” this six saying 
  maxim is the core liturgy of the Zhenke-
  fan faith. The sayings are: “The fruit of 
  the vine is sweet. Drink deep!”; “There is 
  no joy without suffering.”; “All that there 
  is will be undone.”; “Only that which you 
  have not done is worthy.”; “Inspiration’s 
  voice is felt, not heard.”; and “Those who 
  crave control are slaves.”
  Vision of the Opening Eye: A sacra-
  ment of the Tinelite faith, all Tinelites 
  seek to receive this vision in which they 
  are presented with the key to the central 
  mystery of their lives in the form of a 
  hazy dream. Much of their lives are 
  spent interpreting the vision. Once they 
  do so, they seek to use what they have 
  learned to solve the problem of their life. 
  Vola Ulfhedin: A barbarian of the frozen 
  north who told the Great Sage Matalou 
  stories of the creation of the world that 
  helped him in the writing of the Treatise. 
  Vola is a title of respect, like “wise man.”
  Wahilla: Counselor to Naryne, Wahilla 
  and Naryne met during the goddess’ 
  Journey to the East. When Naryne 
  returned to the world after marrying 
  Maal, she intended to make Wahilla 
  queen of the world, for the halfling lady 
  was the wisest mortal ever born. But 
  Wahilla was ancient and on deaths door, 
  so instead Naryne took her to Heaven 
  with her, where Morwyn healed the 
  halfling of her age. Wahilla, therefore, 
  never died and serves the queen of the 
  dead purely from choice and love. 
  Wandyl: The West wind, Wandyl is 
  gentle in nature but fought with Ragyl, 
  the East wind, to protect the mortal 
  races from his rage. Wandyl is now 
  chained in the westernmost hall of 
  Urian. See the Four Winds for more. 
  Water Pillar: This pillar is a plane of 
  pure water. Many creatures have come 
  to live in this plane, and even visit the 
  Prime Material Plane from time to time.
  White Hall of Morwyn’s Hand, The: 
  The central cathedral of the Morwyn-
  ite faith. 
  White Ledger: The book in which all a 
  person’s good deeds are recorded by the 
  guardian angels of Elysium that observe 
  him. The white ledger is sent to Maal’s 
  kingdom along the river of light when 
  he dies, its contents read aloud at his 
  judgment. The white ledger is sometimes 
  called the Book of the Righteous.
  White Whisperer, The: Head of Tinel’s 
  celestial order of secret gatherers, 
  the Eyes, the White Whisperer is an 
  enigma. Hooded in robes of snow fox fur 
  trimmed in ebon, the White Whisperer 
  is of mysterious form and background 
  and speaks to no one but Tinel himself.
  Wicked Injustice: See the Great Wrong.
  Wisdom: Maal’s owl companion, Wis-
  dom’s origins are mysterious. Maal 
  sometimes uses Wisdom to send mes-
  sages to the mortal sphere. The owl is 
  often depicted on Maal’s left shoulder 
  or perched on the razor’s edge of Justice, 
  Maal’s blade.
  Works of the Hand: The most common 
  phrase among the Koraketh to describe 
  what they revere – those things actually 
  made by the hands of mortals: buildings, 
  tools, weapons, etc.
  Wyndyl: The South wind, Wyndyl is 
  gentle in nature but fought with Rigyl, 
  the North wind, to protect the mortal 
  races from her rage. Wyndyl is now 
  chained in the southernmost hall of 
  Urian. See the Four Winds for more.
  Zheenkeef: The goddess of inspiration, 
  wine, and madness, Zheenkeef is the 
  wildest of the gods. She is chaotic neu-
  tral and believes the world is suffused 
  with unavoidable tragedy and stasis. The 
  only proper response, as she sees it, is to 
  embrace newness, invention, madness, 
  drunkenness, and change. Zheenkeef is 
  married to Tinel but cuckolds him with 
  Shalimyr. She is the mother of Darmon 
  and Aymara.
  
  IndeX
  252
  252
  IndeX
  SymbolS
  1,001 Handmaids ................... 70
  A
  Abyss, the................................ 12
  Aesthetes of Aymara ..............114
  Air Domain .................. 183–184
  Animal Spirits .............. 212–213
  Anwyn ..........................124–132
  Doctrine ..............................126
  Holy Days ...........................127
  Holy Orders ................. 127–128
  Lost Orders ..........................132
  Myths ..........................124–125
  Prayers ........................126–127
  Saints ..................................127
  Secret Church ......................129
  Anwyn’s Elysian Palace 
  (spells) ..............................206
  Apostles of Zheenkeef ...... 72–73
  Arathelle ............................... 110
  Arcstones of Korak ...............123
  Ark of Magic................. 210–211
  Armor of Earth (spells) ........206
  Artifacts ........................ 210–211
  Artifice ..................................202
  Artificers of Korak ................123
  Ascetics of Shalimyr .........45–46
  Asmodeus .......................151–153
  Doctrine ...................... 152–153
  Astral Plane ............................ 10
  Aymara .......................... 108–115
  Celestial Servants ........ 110–111
  Doctrine ...................... 111–112
  Holy Days ...........................112
  Holy Orders ................. 112–114
  Myths .......................... 108–110
  Prayers ................................112
  Saints ..................................112
  b
  Backgrounds .................203–205
  Balance Domain ................... 184
  Barbarians ............................. 182
  Bards ............................. 182–183
  Beauty Domain ..................... 185
  Bloody Murder...................... 182
  Bolstering Words .................. 183
  c
  Camael .................................... 15
  Canarak ......................... 153–155
  Canelle ...........................141–145
  Celestial Servants ................143
  Doctrine ......................143–144
  Holy Orders .................144–145
  Myths ...........................141–142
  Prayers ................................144
  Saints ..................................144
  Cataloguers, the ...................... 78
  Celestial Quill ......................208
  Choirs of Heaven .................... 14
  Chorus of the Birds .............. 110
  Churchguard ........................... 22
  Churchguard (background) ..205
  Classes ........................... 182–202
  Clerics ........................... 183–191
  Clerics of Korak ....................122
  Clerics of the Great 
  Church ......................... 19–20
  Archbishops ............................20
  Bishops ..................................20
  Deans ....................................20
  Supreme Patriarch/Matriarch 20
  College of Virtue .................. 183
  Corruption Domain...... 186–187
  Cosmology ........................ 10–12
  Craft Orders ................. 121–122
  Grand Masters ....................121
  Journeymen .........................121
  Masters ...............................121
  Supreme Masters .................121
  Creation Domain .......... 185–186
  Cult of the Bloody Blade ...... 159
  Cult of the Bloody Libation . 160
  Cult of the Bound Rod . 159–160
  Cult of the Icy Breath ........... 161
  d
  Dark River, the ....................... 10
  Darmon ........................... 99–107
  Celestial Servants ................102
  Doctrine ..............................103
  Holy Days ...........................104
  Holy Orders .................104–106
  Myths ..........................100–101
  Prayers ........................103–104
  Saints ..................................104
  Deaconry of the Great 
  Church ......................... 21–22
  Deadly Focus ........................ 182
  Doctrine ........ 134–135, 154–155
  Druids ................................... 191
  Druids of Eliwyn .................... 48
  e
  Eagles of Urian .................28–29
  Earth Domain ...................... 187
  Eliwyn ............................... 47–48
  Doctrine ................................47
  Myths ....................................47
  Elysium ................................... 10
  Emissary (background).........203
  Ethereal Plane ........................ 12
  Evil Gods ...................... 150–158
  Myths ..........................150–151
  Eyes, the .................................. 78
  F
  Fair Fellowship of 
  Aymara .....................113–114
  Fair Light (spells) ..................207
  Faithful Sons ..................... 56–57
  Brother ..................................57
  Father ...................................57
  Master ..................................57
  Feats ..............................205–206
  Ferocious Action ................... 182
  Fertility Festival ...................... 34
  Festival of Magic .................... 81
  Festival of the Word ............... 81
  Feywild ................................... 12
  Fighters ................................. 192
  Fire Domain ..................187–188
  Fist of Air (spells) .................207
  Five Blessings.......................... 18
  Five Staves ............................209
  Flail of Rontra ...................... 211
  Four Pillars ............................. 10
  Fratricide, Retribution 
  of Blood ............................. 93
  Friar (background) ........204–205
  Friars ....................................... 22
  G
  Gates ....................................... 10
  Gehenna .................................. 12
  Gleaners of Rontra............ 37–38
  Goodwives ............................ 132
  Great Church, the.............13–22
  Holy Days ............................. 18
  Holy Orders ........................... 19
  Myths .............................. 13–14
  Prayers .................................. 17
  Saints .................................... 19
  Great Sphere, the .................... 10
  Griffins .................................... 29
  Guide, the ............................... 52
  Gwedryl ................................ 148
  h
  Halfling Church ................... 131
  Hallowed Hunters of 
  Thellyne ........................... 149
  Handmaid of Zheenkeef 213–214
  Hanumanis ........................... 212
  Harvest Festival ...................... 35
  Hawks of Urian ....................... 29
  Hearthkeepers ...................... 132
  Heaven .................................... 10
  Hell ......................................... 12
  Heroes of Darmon ................ 106
  Hierophants of Tinel 84–85, 202
  Five. the ................................85
  Holy and Revered Order of 
  Builders............................120
  Holy and Revered Order of 
  Makers .............................120
  Holy and Revered  
  Order of Masons ............. 121
  Hospitaler ............................. 192
  Hunter ................................... 199
  i
  Inceptors of Tinel ............. 81–83
  Armarius ...............................83
  Neophyte ...............................82
  Teacher ..................................82
  Inflict Horrible Wound ........ 182
  Issama, Counselor to the King 93
  Ix......... .................................. 214
  J
  Jibraiil ...................................... 14
  Joyous Brotherhood of 
  Zheenkeef .................... 73–74
  Drunken Brother/Sister ......... 74
  Laughing Brother/Sister ........ 74
  Judgment of Maal (spells) .....207
  Justiciars of Maal ..............96–97
  Four Justices ..........................97
  High Justiciar ........................97
  Justiciar .................................97
  Prolocutor ..............................97
  k
  Korak............................. 116–123
  Doctrine .............................. 119
  Holy Days ...................119–120
  Holy Orders .................120–123
  Myths .......................... 116–118
  Prayers ................................ 119
  Saints ..................................120
  l
  Lammasu .............................. 215
  Land of the Dead .................... 12
  Laughter’s Sting .................... 104
  Leaves of Eliwyn ..................208
  Librarians ................................ 84
  Light of the Moon (spells) ....207
  m
  Maal .................................. 91–99
  Celestial Servants ............93–94
  Doctrine ..........................94–95
  Holy Days .............................95
  Holy Orders .....................96–99
  Myths .............................. 91–93
  Prayers ..................................95
  Saints ....................................95
  Maal’s Voice, Herald of 
  the Court ........................... 94
  Madness Domain ................. 188
  Mage Guard of Tinel ........83–84
  Defenders of the Word ............84
  Keeper of Secrets ....................84
  Magic Items .................. 208–210
  Manciples of Anwyn .... 127–128
  Elder Manciple ...................128
  High Manciple ....................128
  Manciple .............................128
  Supreme Manciple ...............128
  Mariners of Shalimyr .......43–45
  Shipwrights ...........................44
  Shorehands ............................44
  Master of a Minor Domain 
  (feat) .................................205
  Masters of the Way ................. 67
  Grandmaster ......................... 67
  
  IndeX
  253
  Senior Master ........................ 67
  Weapons Expert ....................67
  Weapons Master .................... 67
  Material Plane ........................ 12
  Matriarchs of Morwyn ..... 55–56
  High Matriarch .....................56
  Holy Mother ..........................56
  Sister of Beneficence ...............56
  Supreme Matriarch ...............56
  Menagerie, the ........................ 70
  Mercy ...................................... 52
  Metteron ....................... 215–216
  Midwife, the ........................... 52
  Mika’il .................................... 14
  Miner, the ............................... 32
  Monks ................................... 193
  Mormekar .........................86–90
  Doctrine ................................88
  Holy Orders .....................89–90
  Myths ....................................86
  Prayers ............................88–89
  Saints ....................................89
  Morwyn ............................ 50–59
  Celestial Servants ..................52
  Doctrine ..........................53–54
  Holy Days .............................54
  Holy Orders .....................55–59
  Myths ..............................50–51
  Prayers ..................................54
  Saints ....................................54
  Music of the Spheres ............ 183
  Myths ............................ 136–137
  n
  Nameless One ...................48–49
  Doctrine ................................49
  Myths ..............................48–49
  Naran .............................157–158
  Naryne .......................... 136–141
  Celestial Servants ........ 137–138
  Doctrine ..............................138
  Holy Orders ................. 139–141
  Prayers ................................139
  Saints ..................................139
  Nayariel ................................. 147
  Negative Plane ........................ 12
  o
  Oath of Battle ............... 194–195
  Oath of Mercy ...............197–198
  Oath of Perfection ................ 198
  Oath of the Ascetic ............... 194
  Oath of the Eagle ..........195–197
  Officers of Maal ................ 97–99
  Four Justices ..........................98
  Hand of Maal .......................98
  Shield ....................................98
  Sword ....................................97
  Oracle .................................... 201
  Oracles of Zheenkeef ........ 74–75
  Far-Seeing Master ................ 75
  Prophet ................................. 75
  Order of Guildmasters..........122
  Master Wright .....................122
  Wright .................................122
  Overseers of Naran ............... 158
  P
  Paladins ......................... 194–198
  Paladins of the Great 
  Church .........................20–21
  Captains ...............................21
  Lord Protector .......................21
  Path of the Harrier ............... 182
  Phoenix ..........................216–217
  Pooka .................................... 213
  Positive Plane .......................... 12
  Power of the Earth (spells) ...207
  Purified of Canelle ................ 145
  Pyromancers ......................... 153
  r
  Rafaiil ..................................... 14
  Raguel ..................... 15, 216–218
  Rangers ................................. 199
  Reavers .................................. 155
  Reborn (background)....203–204
  Red Masters of Canelle 144–145
  Remorse, Weeper for the 
  Wronged ............................ 93
  Repose Domain .................... 189
  Rogues ..........................199–200
  Rontra ...............................30–38
  Celestial Servitors ...........32–33
  Doctrine ..........................33–34
  Holy Days .......................34–35
  Holy Orders .....................35–38
  Myths ..............................30–32
  Prayers ..................................34
  Saints ....................................35
  Runners of Darmon .............. 107
  S
  Sail Master (feat) ..................205
  Sail Masters ............................46
  Saint Marlessa......................... 33
  Saraqael ................................... 15
  Scout .............................199–200
  Scribes ..................................... 84
  Scriveners, the ......................... 78
  Seacrest ................................... 42
  Secret Church ....................... 129
  Doctrine ..............................130
  Hierarchy ....................130–132
  History ................................129
  Seneschals of Naryne .... 139–140
  Serpent, the ............................. 33
  Seven, the .............................. 111
  Shadowfell .............................. 12
  Shadow Plane.......................... 12
  Shalimyr ............................38–46
  Doctrine ..........................41–42
  Holy Days .............................42
  Holy Orders .................... 43–46
  Myths ..............................38–39
  Prayers ..................................42
  Saints ....................................43
  Shepherdess, the ..................... 32
  Shield of the Fathers .............208
  Shooting Stars (spells) ..........207
  Skylarks of Urian .............. 27–28
  Soldiers of Terak ...............64–66
  Banner ..................................65
  Commander ..........................65
  Helm .....................................65
  Lady/Lord Commander ........66
  Lieutenant ............................65
  Sorcerers ........................200–201
  Sorrow’s Song ....................... 112
  Sowers of Rontra .................... 35
  Elders of the Faith .................36
  Grand Prelates ......................36
  Prelates .................................36
  Sowing of Seeds ...................... 35
  Spells .............................206–208
  Staff of Sight .........................209
  Staff of Sound .......................209
  Staff of the Hand .................. 210
  Staff of the Scent...................209
  Staff of the Tongue ............... 210
  Stole of Divinity ................... 210
  Swan Knights of Naryne 140–141
  t
  Talesmen ................................. 99
  Terak ................................. 59–67
  Doctrine ..........................62–63
  Holy Days .............................64
  Holy Orders .....................64–67
  Myths ..............................59–61
  Prayers ..................................64
  Saints ....................................64
  Test of Souls (spells) .............208
  The Arm (feat) ......................205
  The Breath (feat) ...................205
  The Eye (feat) ........................206
  Thellos ........................... 155–157
  Doctrine ..............................156
  Thellyne ..........................145–149
  Celestial Servants ................ 147
  Doctrine ..............................148
  Holy Orders ................. 148–149
  Myths .......................... 145–146
  Prayers ................................148
  Saints ..................................148
  Three Sisters .................. 133–136
  Holy Days ........................... 135
  Holy Orders ................. 135–136
  Myths ..........................133–134
  Three Sorrows ......................... 18
  Tinel ..................................75–85
  Celestial Servants ..................78
  Doctrine ..........................79–80
  Holy Days .......................80–81
  Holy Orders .....................81–85
  Myths ..............................76–77
  Saints ....................................81
  Titans, the ............................... 70
  Travel Domain .............. 189–190
  Tyranny Domain................... 190
  U
  Uncharitable Brothers........... 157
  Unity, the ...................... 135–136
  Urian .................................23–29
  Doctrine ................................26
  Holy Days .............................27
  Holy Orders .....................27–29
  Myths ..............................23–24
  Prayers ..................................26
  Saints ....................................27
  Uriel ........................................ 15
  v
  Variegate Priests of the Triad 135
  W
  Ward Against Undeath 
  (spells) ..............................208
  Wardens of Rontra.................. 37
  Warlocks ............................... 201
  Watchful Eyes....................... 115
  Blade ................................... 115
  Song Unsung ....................... 115
  Tireless Sentry ..................... 115
  Unblinking Eye ................... 115
  Water Domain .............. 190–191
  Wayfarers of Darmon ... 105–106
  Way of Iron ........................... 193
  Way of the Heirophants .......202
  White Hand of Morwyn .. 58–59
  Wizards .................................202
  Woodwardens of Thellyne .... 149
  Works of the Hand ...............120
  Z
  Zheenkeef ..........................67–75
  Celestial Servants ............69–70
  Doctrine ..........................70–71
  Holy Days ............................. 71
  Holy Orders ..................... 72–75
  Myths ..............................68–69
  Prayers .................................. 71
  Saints .............................. 71–72
  
  254
  254
  254
  254
  lICense
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, LLC. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
  1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative 
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  distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such 
  content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open 
  Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright 
  law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks includ-
  ing trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, Language, artwork, symbols, 
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. 
  System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, LLC.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney 
  Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. 
  Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  The Book of the Righteous, Copyright 2002, 2017, Aaron Loeb
  
  tal’dorei!
  C
  ritical Role has taken the roleplaying world 
  by storm and now you can join the adventure! 
  Until now, the wondrous and dangerous lands 
  of Tal’Dorei have been the sole province of 
  the show’s adventuring company, Vox 
  Machina. But now, you can explore 
  these realms in a tome from the pen 
  of Game Master Matthew Mercer 
  himself! This beautifully illustrated setting book 
  takes an in-depth look at the stomping grounds of 
  Grog, Vex’ahlia, Keyleth, Percival, Scanlan, Pike, 
  and  Vax’ildan, and includes everything you need for 
  5th Edition campaigning in Tal’Dorei. Within these 
  pages you’ll find:
  • 
  An overview of the history, peoples, religions, and 
  influential organizations of the lands of Tal’dorei!
  • 
  A comprehensive gazetteer of Tal’Dorei’s regions 
  and settlements, complete with major characters 
  and factions, and a wealth of adventure hooks!
  • 
  New hero archetypes, feats, wondrous items, 
  and rules for use with 5th Edition, including the 
  Vestiges of Divergence!
  • 
  New monsters and adversaries to test the mettle of 
  your players, like the cinderslag elementals, cyclops 
  stormcallers, and the fearsome ravagers! 
  • 
  A huge 17” x 22” poster map of Tal’Dorei by 
  cartographer extraordinaire Andy Law. 
  Will you find one of the revered Vestiges of Divergence 
  or perhaps discover part of the Chroma Conclave’s 
  legacy? Can you help the Ashari in their sacred charge 
  to prevent the elemental vortices from overwhelming 
  the world, or will you find yourself embroiled in the 
  machinations of the Clasp? All this and more awaits you 
  within the Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting! 
  $34.95  •  GRR3602 
  ISBN: 978-1-934547-84-7
  Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting is ©2017 Green Ronin Publishing, 
  LLC. All rights reserved. Reference to other copyrighted material in no way 
  constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material. Green 
  Ronin and its associated logo are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.
  Critical Role, Geek & Sundry, and their associated logos are trademarks of 
  Legendary Geek & Sundry and used under license.
  available
  now!
  
  W
  elcome to Dragon Age, a pen & paper roleplaying game of dark fantasy adventure. In Dragon Age you and your friends take 
  on the personas of warriors, mages, and rogues in the world of Thedas and try to make your names by overcoming sinister 
  foes and deadly challenges. Based on the hit video game franchise, the Dragon Age RPG brings the excitement of BioWare’s 
  rich fantasy world to the tabletop. This is classic roleplaying, where the story is yours to create and the action takes place in your 
  imagination. 
  This comprehensive Core Rulebook includes the full rules for the Dragon Age RPG under one cover for the first time. The game 
  features:
  • 
  The Adventure Game Engine, a rules system that is easy to learn and fun to play. 
  • 
  An innovative stunt system that keeps the action cinematic and exciting.
  • 
  Complete level 1-20 advancement rules for mages, rogues, and warriors, plus specializations for each class such as the arcane warrior, 
  assassin, berserker, force mage, marksman, and spirit warrior. 
  • 
  Advice for both players and Game Masters, plus rules options for creating organizations, narrative mass combat, and rune magic. 
  • 
  Adversaries for your heroes, from the lowly genlock to the mighty Archdemon!
  • 
  Extensive background information on the nations, peoples, and organizations of the world of Thedas.
  • 
  Three complete adventures, including a brand new introductory adventure. 
  • 
  A variety of campaign frameworks for GMs to choose from. You can run a campaign during such events as the Fifth Blight, the 
  Mage-Templar War, or the rise of the Inquisition. 
  The Dragon Age RPG was featured on Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop show and it is a perfect portal to pen & paper roleplaying. So gather your 
  friends, grab some dice, and get ready to enter a world of heroes 
  and villains, of Grey Wardens and darkspawn, of gods and 
  demons…the world of... 
  Roll Initiative!
  Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook is © 2015 Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.  
  All rights reserved. Reference to other copyrighted material in no way constitutes a  
  challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material.
  © 2015 Electronic Arts Inc. EA and EA logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. BioWare,  
  BioWare logo, and Dragon Age are trademarks of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd.  
  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
  Green Ronin, Adventure Game Engine, and their associated logos are  
  trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing. 
  Dragon Age RPG Core Rulebook
  440 pages, full color, hardback
  MSRP: $59.95
  Product Code: GRR2808
  ISBN-13: 978-1-934547-62-5
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Green Ronin/Green Ronin - The Book of the Righteous.pdf