The Gods

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DM Juan
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The Gods

Post by DM Juan » Wed Nov 03, 2021 1:06 pm

[+] NOT USED THIS GAME
[+] Kordara, Greater God - LN
God of Justice, balance and Law.
Alignment: Non-Chaotic
Requirements: Wis 15, Str 9 and Con 11
Realm Spells: Investiture, Bless Army, Defection (Wizardly), Honest Dealing, Improved Bless land, Summon Dragon Spirit
Turn Undead: Yes, Control: No

Major Spheres: All, Healing, Law, Summoning, Numbers,
Minor Spheres: Protection, Animal, Charm, Combat, Charm School (1-4)

Special Abilities:
Temples are fortified in Low and High Mountains equal to their level
Unarmed Combat Skills: The priest is a specialist in unarmed combat , as described under the monk entry. At 1st level, the character is a specialist; at 5th level, a master.
Kordara, God of Law: 1/2 Regency from Law ; Temple levels can be used to support or oppose Create/Rule/Contest Law Holding.
Followers: Priest has access to Tier 5 units, requiring a Temple 5. This also is required to allow Holy Units
Artificer of Kordara: If you take Lab building, you can use Potion slots to create a short lived Spell storing items (up to spell-level = Lab level; any caster may only use 1 such item per turn in their possession/use)
Armor Class improvement: The priest is trained in avoiding blows through timing and deception. His natural Armor Class improves by one point at every even level (AC 9 at 2nd, 8 at 4th, 7 at 6th, and so on) to a maximum of AC 2. However, this ability is useless if the priest wears any form of armor or magical devices which replace armor, like bracers of defense.

Limitations:
No Armour
No Weapons
Talisman/symbol: A dragon amulet must be held to cast spells
Behavior/taboo: If someone askes for judgement the priest has to hear hear him out and give his verdict.
Ceremony/observance: 10 minute prayer in the middle of the day.

Summon Dragon Spirit
(Conjuration/Summoning)
Duration: 1 Turn + 1 Action/level
Summon 1 Dragon (stats as ogre). Has fear effect as the banner once per combat. Cost 2GB, 5RP
[+] Gaia, Greater Goddess - NG
Patroness of Life and Creation, Knowledge and Teaching, Childbirth and Parenting, Love, Beauty and Women, Skilled Labour and Artisans, Community
Alignment: Any
Requirements: Int 15, Wis 15
NWP: General, Priest, Warrior, Wizard

Holy Symbol: An earthen woman with clothing made of leaves and flowers, her hair a waterfall cascading down her body.

Realm Spells: Investiture, Population growth (2 target Regents), Improved Bless Land, Academic Integrity (Honest Dealings), Dispel Magic, Maintain Armies
Major: All, Animal, Charm, Creation, Divination, Healing*, Necromancy, Numbers, Protection, Thought, Arcane Divination
Minor: Elemental (Water), Guardian, Plant, Arcane Alteration (1-4)

Special Abilities:
Lay on Hands
Scimitar Proficiency
May Cast "Idea" 1/week
'Life-saver' (standard priest, replaces mount for paladin)
Paladins (Paladins also have 4 level earlier casting)
Turn Undead: Yes, Control Undead: No

'Life-saver': Create a lightsaber/life-saver. Must spend one character action in meditation and discovery making your own personal weapon.
The lightsaber/life-saver radiates with ethereal energy. It ignores armor. It functions like a flame blade, doing 1d4+4 damage and an additional +2 fire damage.
For every four levels the priest has obtained the weapon is also treated as +1 and the elemental damage increases by 2. This would apply an ECL modifer as well(so at 12th level, it would be a +3 flame blade

4th level- +1 Lightsaber (+1 ECL) +1 to hit, 1d4+5 (+2 additional fire damage)
8th Level +2 Lightsaber (+2 ECL)+2 to hit 1d4+6(+4 additional fire damage)
12th Level: +3 Lightsaber(+3 ECL)+3 to hit, 1d4+7(+6 additional fire damage)

Drawbacks:
Must assist with any birth, and protect the newly born.
Necromancy school will not allow summoning, creation, or use of undead
Holy symbol must be carved from an Ash tree.
Armour Restriction: chain mail or less
Weapon Restriction: May only wield Scimitar
Magical Item Restriction: Cannot use: Rod, Staff, Wand
Must meditate for an hour each day
Difficult spell Acquisition (Priest must be at peace, with a clear mind to receive spells. Strong emotions lead to biased conclusions. Most priests begin their meditation by acknowledging all of the things that are influencing them, especially love, and then using rationalism to determine how best to serve those valid emotions to achieve optimal outcomes. Those who cannot find the balance to both feel and think do not receive their spells.)
[+] Apollyon, Intermediate God - LE

Apollyon
God of Wealth, Pacts, Contracts, and Bargains.
Patron of Merchants, Lawyers, and Summoners
Saviour of lost souls, Source of prosperity, Curator of History's Great Leaders, Architect of Pantheon, The Man at the Crossroads, Warder of the Aebrynnis. The First God.

Allies: Kordara, First Brother, Agarhoen
Support: Hircine, The Herald, Raven Queen
Neutral: Gaia, Maulok
Oppose: Ishka, Teferynn
Enemies: The Shadow, cult of Riva, Verdaloth

Requirements: Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 11
Alignment: Any
Spells Investiture, Improved Gold Rush, Population Growth, Summon Blood War Legion, Dispel Realm Magic, True Believer
Spheres Major: All, Astral, Divination, Elemental Fire, Healing, Necromantic, Numbers, Summoning, Wards
Minor: Creation, Guardian, Protection
Arcane Spheres: Conjuration/Summoning (All), Alteration (4th)
Power over Outsiders: Banish - Yes, Bind - Yes
Proficiency groups: Priest, Rogue, Wizard
RP Collection: Temple: full Guild: Half
Armour: As Priest
Weapon selection: Bludgeoning of which Heavy Mace, Heavy Flail, Whip are preferred. As well as Spear, Scythe, Ranseur, heavy flail, Scourge, Greatsword, Rapier, Dagger. Priests are familiar with the favoured weapons favoured by the Lords of the Nine. Whether they choose the wield them in tribute or Derision is entirely a personal decision.

Pact Magic: The members of Apollyon's faith study the complex and sinister techniques employed in infernal law. Along with the insidious pragmatism of infernal politics, and apply what is useful to the administration of their domain. What is not useful still educates the regent on the various avenues of corruption they must remain vigilant against. This grants additional opportunities for accumulating prestige and expanding their domain. Once they have gained enough mastery (5th level) they are able to safely wield further power. Through Pact Magic A Priest Find Familiar spell now results in the acquisition of an Imp/Quasit, who joins the domain as a limited bonus Lieutenant. The companion can act as per Monster Manual on Main adventures or as Rogue on random adventures at caster's level -2.
These familiars are sneaky and selfish: granting +3 to a regents espionage attempts, but -3 to adventure treasure rolls they are included in. They are also territorial and will not participate in adventures with other familiars (neither Main nor random). The companion does not count as a character for experience division.

Greater Summoning: Conjuration/Summoning spells have double the duration, creatures remaining for 2 encounters on main adventures (normal 1). Improved Gold Rush may be recast after 2 seasons (normal 3), and impact 4 targets (normal 2) but requires overlap of domains being targeted.
Complex Spellcasting: Discreet casting for the Priest is impossible, Verbal components include loud chanting, material components leave strong smells of burnt sulphur, and somatic components leave behind arcane circles of ash. These additional elements further cause the priest’s spells to become long-winded with additional steps; all casting times are increased by 3. A casting time of one round or longer is simply doubled. This method of Spellscasting requires the use of a specially crafted thurible, the priest's holy symbol; Made of planar sensitive materials, and empowered with weeks of careful engraving with protective glyphs.

Vengeful Summons: Any summoned or charmed creatures have a chance to remain after spells duration and become hostile to the priest. (5% per spell level, –2% per character level, minimum 1%) This affects all summoning magic, within the 100' feet of the priest, regardless of the source. Evil spirits of diabolic origins opposed to Apollyon do not always wait to be summoned inflicting 'Somnum daemonis' against the caster. To prevent a night of terror and sleep paralysis a priest must prepare their sleeping area with wards against them. Fitful rest is otherwise impossible under normal conditions preventing natural healing or refreshed spell slots.
Faustian Price: Priests and others who draw power from the faith pay a vital price. A regent is only able to sire 4 offspring (normal 5). Those that find a way to circumvent this complete death checks at 10% higher. Further, Cleric's of Apollyon are bureaucrats and scholars, their duties lacking in robust exercises. They use d6s to roll for hit points each level, as a guilder.

Legalese: The dutiful study of contracts, grants Priests the ability to read languages as a Guilder same level (20% + 5% per level), while Guilders of the faith gain the ability to read scrolls as a thief at any level.
Infernal Tongue: Adherents of Appollyns faith become fluent in a version of infernal, heavily peppered with legal references, that would be difficult for an outsider to follow along. This effectively creates a secret shared language for the clergy.

Taboo: Members of the faith shun mundane weaponry, as reliance on such only grants a false sense of security. They are required to use enchanted weapons or those crafted from special materials known to harm outsiders.
Taboo: Use of domination and other charms that eliminate a person's choice, are vulgar to adherents of Apollyon. They are required to forgo participating in plans that require the use of actions by someone incapable of a choice.
Taboo: Faithful are required to act as a Devil's Advocate when multiple people accuse a person of an act/crime without them having an advocate present. This is an obligation to offer alternative theories of the crime and to question the validity of evidence. The priest must oppose or undermine 'the mob' until these theories are eliminated as possible through logic or evidence (not opinion)

Clerks: The faith includes many trained guilders among their ranks, to handle the myriad of records and contracts that they create and review. In return, they benefit from access to the faith's knowledge and mysteries. Guilder/Priest of Apollyon becomes a multi-class option for races eligible to do so.

Guilders of Apollyon
Requirements: Int 9, Wis 9
Prime Req: Int
Alignment: Any, (Lawful Preferred)
Proficiencies: Priest, Rogue, Wizard
Power over Outsiders: As priest 2 levels lower
Powers:
RP Collection: Guild: full Law: Half
Pact Magic:
Legalese: Scroll use as Thief at any level. Chance of Success
Infernal Tongue:

Restrictions:
Faustian Price
Taboos
[+] Verdaloth - TN
Names: Verdaloth, The Timeless
Patron of Elves/Fae/Goblins, Nature, Weather, Time
Alignment: Must be Neutral Alignment (No Good or Evil)
Requirements: Wis 15, Dex 11, Con 9
Realm Spells:
- Investiture
- Bless Land
- Verdaloth's Mighty Forest
- Dispel Realm Magic
- Verdaloth Wrath(From Architects Wrath)
- Population Growth
- Blight

Major Spheres: Elemental(all), Weather, Time, Plant, Animal, Necromancy
Minor Spheres: All, Healing, Protection, Creation, Sun, Divination

Power over Undead: Yes

Powers:
- Extended spell duration: Weather Sphere : The duration of any non-instantaneous spell cast by the priest is increased by one time unit per two levels. The unit of time varies, depending on how the spell’s duration is normally measured; rounds for rounds, turns for turns, and so on.
- Pass Without Trace: At 3rd level, the priest gains the ability to pass without trace, as per the spell, at his normal movement rate.
- Armor Class Improvement - The priest is trained in avoiding blows through timing and deception. His natural Armor Class improves by one point at every even level (AC 9 at 2nd, 8 at 4th, 7 at 6th, and so on) to a maximum of AC 2. However, this ability is useless if the priest wears any form of armor or magical devices which replace armor, like bracers of defense.
- Armor Restriction - Priests of Verdaloth cannot wear armor
- Lay on Hands - The priest has the power to lay on hands once per day, curing up to 2 points of damage per experience level. This is identical to the paladin character class ability.
-Shapechange at 7th Level

Special - Goblin Immortality
Step 1: Goblin Priests (and if taken, second class like Paladin or Ranger) age as per Half-Goblin chart
Step 2: Blooded Goblins of the Faith, age per Half-Goblin; Priests(+) age like Humans
Step 3: Goblins of the Faith age as per Half-Goblins; Blooded Goblins of the Faith as per Humans; Priests(+) age like Half-Elves
Step 4: All Goblins age as per Half-Goblins; etc... Priests(+) age as if Half-elves with longlife minor
Step 5: All Goblins age as per Humans; Blooded and Goblins of Faith as per Half-Elves; Priests(+) = Half-elves with Longlife major
Step 6: All Goblins age as per Half-Elves; Priests(+) as if Half-Elves with Longlife great
[+] Prince Hircine, Greater God - CE
Lord of the Hunt, the God of Strength, the Master of Beasts, the Last God
Requirements: Str 13, Con 13, Wis 9
Realm Spells: Investiture, Bless Land, Hircine's Courage, Bless Army, Holy War, Protection from Realm Magic, Bless Holding

Major Spheres - Animal, Chaos, Combat*, Guardian, Protection, War, Wards, Alteration
Minor Spheres - All, Divination, Healing

Special Abilities:
Strength - can have % strength (eg 18/XX), count as warrior for "Strength" Spell
Hitpoints (d8 -> d10)
Warrior Ability (CON above 16 bonus)
All Hunt NWP are class NWP; +1 EPL on Hunt Adventures per 4 levels (rounded up)
All Land-War NWP are class NWP; +1 EPL on War Adventures per 4 levels (rounded up)
Ranger/Cleric Weapon Specialization & Mastery
Priests of Hircine can use any weapon.
Combat bonus: The priest’s THAC0 advances at the warrior rate of 1 per level instead of the normal priest rate of 2 per 3 levels. The effects of this ability become more pronounced at higher levels.
Rangers: Rangers of Hircine are required to be of any Chaotic alignment (CG, CN, CE)
Followers (Holy Units, Tier 5 Units)
Fast Casting: Rangers start spell casting 4 levels earlier. Note that Rangers may only cast spells from your faith's Major Spheres.
Hircine's Form: Beginning at 4th level, you may change into one totem were-mammal, once per day. It lasts your level in hours. You must pick the mammal form when you reach 4th level, and cannot change it after. You gain a bite attack that deals d8+strength, and 2 claw attacks that deal d6+strength each. Your natural attacks count as being +1 magical weapons, and in Hircine's Form you ignore all non-magical damage, though you take double damage from silver weapons. This ability is also available, and required, for Rangers of the faith.

Drawbacks
Ceremony/observance: Sacrifice of the Hunt, must personally kill a living being every day, and offer it to Hircine as blessings for the Day's Hunt
Awkward casting method: Priests of Hircine must sacrifice blood when casting a spell, whether their own, or that of an animal. It is impossible to hide or miss the fact. Cutting their own arm is an acceptable method.
Hazardous spells : Channeling the power of a deity can be dangerous, and a priest with this limitation can sustain harmful side-effects from casting spells. The caster takes 1HP damage each time they cast a spell. This damage cannot be avoided. If the blood-sacrifice was their own, they take 2 damage each time they cast a spell.
Taboo/Behaviour: Priests of Hircine cannot refuse personal combat.
Talisman/symbol: Priests of Hircine cannot cast spells, unless holding a weapon in their hand.
Moon Form: During a Full Moon, you must use Hircine's Form, and cannot change back to your humanoid form.

Alignment Restriction - Chaotic Only
[+] Maulok, Intermediate God - CN
Alignment: Any non-Lawful
CN God/Goddess
Patron of thieves, tricksters, jesters, liars
God of Mirth, Irreverence, Subversion, Madness

Requirements: Dex 13, Int 9, Wis 11


Spheres:
Major- Chaos, Charm, Necromantic, Numbers, Travelers, Shadow School, Guardian
Minor- All, Divination, Healing, Time

Abilities-
Thief Abilities: Progress as a half-level (rounded up) thief, as well as have backstab, and Rogue NWP are class NWP.
Improved Evasion - if a Priest or Thief of Maulok makes a saving throw against a spell that allows dexterity to modify the success chance, they take no damage instead of half. Even on a failed save, they still only take half damage.
Improved Backstab - The multiplier on damage increases at 2x the normal rate for both Priests and Thieves of Maulok (1-2, x2; 3-4, x3; 5-6, x4; 7-8, x5; 9-10, x6... etc)
Weapons: Can use any weapon
Secondary Class: Thieves gain all the abilities (and restrictions) of Priests of Maulok
Hidden Temples: All temples are created, and remain hidden unless used for contest actions. Can be re-hidden as a free-action 1 full domain turn after contest actions, at normal DC for same.

Restrictions-
Armor - Leathers or less, only
Ceremony/observance - Must steal something, in order to memorize new spells
Madness of the Mad God - roll on insanity chart for effects at each new spell level (Status is gained the more insane you become and the craziest priests become saints)
Talisman/symbol - Spells focused through holy symbol made from your first theft as a cleric. Status is gained from the value of your Holy Symbol.
[+] The Herald, Intermediate God - CG
Requirements: Dex 11, Wis 9, Cha 13
Turn Undead: Yes
Alignment: 1 Step from Chaotic Good (NG, CG, CN)

Major Spheres: All, Charm, Combat, Divination, Guardian, Healing, Thought, Travelers,
Minor Spheres: War, Creation, Protection
Realm Spell: Investiture, Improved Bless Land, Bless Army, Heraldic Courage, Maintain Armies

Special Abilities:
Bards Specialization: Bards gain Priestly Bonuses
Followers: Priests and Bards of The Herald can muster Holy Tier 5 Units. They require a Temple or Guild 5. Holy Units cast the Battle Spell Cure Unit in Round 2 of any combat
Fast Casting: Bards start casting at level 1 (and advance an extra step on the spell progression chart at level 4, 8, and 12)
Inspiring Ally: Bards and Priests of the Herald are superior at inspiring their allies. As long as they are performing (singing, instrument, chanting, prose, etc), all allies gain +1 to hit, damage, saving throws, and morale checks per 4 levels of the Bard or Priest of the Herald. Priests and Bards of the Herald grant +1 EPL in War Adventures per 4 levels, as a result.
Casting Time Reduction: The casting time of Priest and Bard spells is reduced by 2, to a minimum of 1.
Secret Language: Priests and Bards of the Herald have a secret language, that allows them to covertly share information without anyone being the wiser.
Communication: Priests and Bards of the faith gain 1 language per level, can be chosen among any language that is a native tongue of at least 1 province in the region.
Find the Truth: 1/day, Detect Lie Spell-like Ability, with -2 to save
Multicultural: Priests and Bards of the Herald automatically gain the Multicultural NWP, and it can reduce the penalty to 0.

Restrictions:
Armour: Chainmail or less
Difficult Spell Acquisition: Learn spells as per Wizard (using WIS where INT is called)
Ceremony/Observance/Code-Behaviour: If a Priest or Bard of the Herald is asked to convey a message, they cannot refuse. They must always bear witness if asked, and must record or share any story that is of particular note or value. Any espionage undertaken for knowledge/information, must be shared (can be anonymous) in the news.
[+] Ishka, Intermediate Goddess - NE
Goddess of Power, Victory, and Serpents
Patron Goddess of the Bloodspear Clan
Neutral Evil

Priests:
Requirements: Str 11, Wis 11, Cha 11
Alignment: Any Evil
Weapons: As Priest
Armor: As Priest
Proficiencies: General and Priest
Favored Sphere: Combat
Major Spheres: All, Animal, Combat, Healing, War, Law, Necromantic
Minor Spheres: Protection, Guardian
Realm Spells: Bless Land, Bless Army, Investiture, Vengeance of Ishka (Mighty Forest), Conversion, Excommunicate
Magical Items: No Restrictions
Power over Undead: Turn: No, Command: Yes

Special Abilities:
Ishka grants weapon specialization to her Paladins and Priests, Paladins gain all abilities of the Priesthood
Ishka's priests and Paladins have their own secretive language (it is said to be derived from draconic).
Ishka grants the ability to Detect Undead to her Priests and Paladins
Ishka grants the ability to Pass without Trace to her Priests and Paladins
Ishka grants the ability to Purify/Putrefy Food and Water to her Priests and Paladins
Ishka grants her Paladins early casting (2 levels earlier)
Ishka grants her Priests and Paladins quicker spell casting (2 faster, min 1)

Restrictions:
Ishka's Clerics and Paladins must perform a ritual at Dusk involving Incense and Blood, creating a symbol of a serpent in a triangle, which takes at least an hour.
[+] Teferynn, Intermediate God - LG
Teferynn the Weaver, Guardian of the Inner Planes
Portfolio: Magic, Meibhaigl, Elemental Forces, Memory, Destiny, Dreams, Cooperation, Mercy, the Timeline

Requirements: By School
Prime Req: Wisdom
Alignment: Any
Weapons: By school
Armor: None
Proficiencies: By School
Major Spheres: By School
Minor Spheres: By School
Realm Spells: Investiture, Bless Land, Ward Realm, Dispel Realm Magic, Architect's Wrath, School Spells x2
Magical Items: As Priest
Power over Undead: Turn: No; Command: No

Powers and Restrictions:
Bound to Meibheigl: Priests of Teferynn are bound to the meibheigl of the land instead of the prayers of the people. They cast divine spells based on source level rather than temple level, with the effective temple level of a province equaling the level of their source minus the level of temples dedicated to other gods. Priests of Teferynn may forge and use ley lines, and may sense meibhaigl control in a province as a mage.
The Stone Circle: All Teferynn domains are required to take monolith as a domain building. Monoliths provide a 10% bonus to the Shrine and Temple score they contribute towards a faith's tier (rounded down) per building level in addition to the regular effects.
Magical Knowledge: Priests of Teferynn may identify magic items, store spells, and construct temporary magic items as per the artificer wizard kit.
The Gift of Magic: Any worshipper with the bloodline of a previous god of magic (Vorynn, the Architect, etc...) can become a mage, or dual-class as a mage, even if their race or bloodline does not normally allow them to do so. Races with a natural magical resistance (ex. dwarves, halflings) who become mages lose that resistance.
Schools of Magic: Every priest of Teferynn must affiliate with one of the four schools of the faith. The schools are:

School of Air
Requirements: Wis 13, Int 15
Proficiencies: General, Priest
Major Spheres: All, Air, Divination, Fire, Guardian, Healing, Law, Protection, Sun, Time, Thought, Travelers, Wards
Minor Spheres: Astral, Earth, Necromancy, Numbers, Water, Weather
Arcane Traditions (casts at 1/2 priest level, separate list): Abjuration, Enchantment/Charm, Chronomancy (lvl 1-2 only)
School Realm Spell: Hand of Peace, Conversion
Weapon Proficiencies: Staff, Dagger, Net, Lasso, Club
School Vows: "I will never take a life" and "I will maintain the Sacred Timeline"
Magical Focus: Memento from someone dear and loved
School Abilities:
  • Divine Champions: Chronomancers must affiliate with the Air school
  • Banish the Variant: Priests of the air school are able to banish individuals who do not belong in the sacred timeline, or who have committed temporal crimes. By touching a target with their temporal rod (requiring a successful attack roll against an unwilling target), they can force the target to save vs. spells. If the target fails their save, they vanish in a flash of light. Once it has been used to banish a target, the temporal rod takes one week to recharge.
  • Expert Healer: Priests of the air school have a reputation of being among the finest healers in the land. This is likely because their healing magics are more potent than the magics of other faiths, healing an additional +1 hp per spell level.
  • Tongues of the Air Lord: Priests of the air school learn the Auran language at level 1. Every level afterwards, they may learn one language of someone they have met that they do not yet speak. If an air priest encounters someone who speaks a language they do not know and they have available priestly language slots, they learn the language in a matter of an hour simply by listening to it being spoken. This language acquisition only works with spoken languages; they cannot acquire languages from reading texts of unknown languages. They also cannot prevent themselves from learning the language, other than to remove themselves from the presence of the language before the knowledge is acquired.
School of Fire
Requirements: Wis 13, Int 13, Con 9
Proficiencies: General, Priest, Warrior
Major Spheres: All, Divination, Earth, Fire, Guardian, Healing, Protection, Summoning, Sun, Travelers, Wards, Weather
Minor Spheres: Air, Astral, Necromancy, Numbers, Time, Thought, Water
Arcane Traditions (casts at 1/2 priest level, separate list): Invocation/Evocation, Conjuration/Summoning, Abjuration
School Realm Spell: Mighty Mountain, Bless Army
Weapon Proficiencies: Staff, Dagger
School Vow: "I will never steal and deride those who do."
Magical Focus:A volcanic stone or glass pendant forged following the school's sacred tradition
School Abilities:
  • Martial Artist: Fire school priests may specialize in unarmed combat styles
  • Combat Healer: Priests of the fire school are able to lay hands as per the paladin ability
  • Volcanic Fury: Fire priests may call upon their elemental ties, erupting with the destructive energy of their animating force. Priests of the fire school may cast burning hands 1/week without material, verbal, or somatic components.
  • Tongues of the Fire Lord: Priests of the fire school learn the Ignan language at level 1. Every level afterwards, they may learn the language of any giant or reptilian race.
School of Water
Requirements: Wis 13, Int 13, Cha 9
Proficiencies: General, Mage, Priest, Rogue, Warrior
Major Spheres: All, Air, Divination, Guardian, Healing, Protection, Sun, Travelers, Wards, Water
Minor Spheres: Astral, Earth, Fire, Necromancy, Numbers, Time, Thought, Weather
Arcane Traditions (casts at 1/2 priest level, separate list): Divination, Necromancy
School Realm Spell: Nesirie's Blessing, Population Growth
Weapon Proficiencies: Staff, Dagger, Mace, Hammer, Flail
School Vow: "I will never tell a lie."
Magical Focus: A finely-crafted sextant, compass, or other navigational device inscribed with the sacred symbols
School Abilities:
  • Akilli's Language: Every Water priest can speak the secret bird language, a valuable secret language that allows people to communicate at distance.
  • Shape changing: Beginning at level 7, Water school priests can change into a mammal, reptile, or bird three times per day—each form may be used once. Each transformation heals 10%–60% of any damage the character has sustained.
  • The Eyes of Eternity: Water priests are closer to the truth of things than most others. Once per week, they can channel the truth through them and see things as they really are, as per the True Seeing spell.
  • Tongues of the Water Lord: Priests of the water school learn the Aquan language at level 1. Every level afterwards, they may learn any ancient language no longer in common use by a known people.
School of Earth
Requirements: Wis 15, Int 13
Proficiencies: General, Priest
Major Spheres: All, Astral, Charm, Divination, Earth, Guardian, Healing, Necromancy, Protection, Sun, Travelers, Wards, Water
Minor Spheres: Air, Fire, Numbers, Time, Thought, Weather
Arcane Traditions (casts at 1/2 priest level, separate list): Alteration/Transmutation, Illusion, Divination* (level 1-2 spells only)
School Realm Spell: Spirit Realm Portal, Earthquake
Weapon Proficiencies: Staff, Dagger, Short Sword, Sling, Dart
School Vow: "I will not commit myself to any other binding contract, promise, or vow."
Magical Focus: A silver owl-shaped-pendant crafted using the school's exacting method
School Abilities:
  • Grounded: Earth school priests have resistance to fire or electrical damage
  • Magical excellence: Earth school priests reduce casting time of the priest’s spells by 1, to a minimum of 1.
  • Creeping Shadow: the priests of Earth school are uniquely connected to and grounded in the connection between the physical and the spiritual, as the guardians of the gateways between Here and There. Just as earth priests can convince the spirit world , a shadowed reflection of the material world, to work with the people of the world, Earth priests can convince their own shadows to harmoniously work with them. Once per week, they can extend their shadows at a rate of 15 yards/round, and are capable of seeing, hearing, and speaking through their shadows. The shadow moves as a normal shadow, along floors and walls, and is 90% undetectable in areas where there is at least some shade. The shadow cannot interact with anything, though magic spells, items, weapons, and attacks are capable of hitting the shadow - it has the same Armor Class as the caster, and any damage it takes subtracts from the caster's hit points.
  • Tongues of the Earth Lord: Priests of the earth school learn the Terran language at level 1. Every level afterwards, they may learn the language of xxx
--
[+] Brotherhood of the Red Hand, Lesser God - LN
Portfolio: Assassins, Contracts & Death

Allies: Kordara, Apollyon
Enemies: The Herald, Maulok

Alignment: LN, LE, TN
Requirements: Dex 11, Int 11, Wis 9

Major Spheres: Necromancy, Charm, Divination, Law
Minor Spheres: All, Guardian, Sun
Secondary Class: Thieves (Assassins)

Special Abilities:
Weapons: As per thieves (including garrote, blow-dart)

Spell-like Ability: Invisibility 1/day
Spell-like Ability: Knock 1/day
Priests of the Red Hand have the abilities of the Thief - Assassin Kit (including half-progression thief skills, handling poison, etc)

Poisons: Priests of the Red Hand who decide to have a Lab, can create Poisons in place of potions. They can create various types, based on the level of the Lab.
Lab 1: Type A, B, G, H, K, L
Lab 2: Type C, M, I
Lab 3: Type D, P
Lab 4: Type J, O
Lab 5: Type E, F, N

Restrictions:
Armour: Chainmail or less
Sacred Contract: No member of the Brotherhood may ever break a contract once accepted
Necromancy and Sun Sphere give access only to the inverse spells (Slay Living, not Raise Dead; Destruction, not Resurrection; Darkness, not Light - etc)

Assassins (Thieves Kit) of the Red Hand:
Requirements: LN, LE, TN
Access to Invisibility and Knock, 1/day
Have normal thief skills per level, rather than at half-rate.
Restriction: No member of the Brotherhood may ever break a contract once accepted
[+] The Raven Queen, Lesser Goddess - TN
Queen of the Lost Souls, Mistress of Fate, Goddess of the Afterlife
Portfolio: Birth, Death, Fate, Life Cycle, Spirit Lands
Requirements: Wis 13, Int 13

Alignment: Any

Major Spheres: Necromantic*, Astral, Shadow School, Abjuration School, Travelers
Minor Spheres: All, Animal, Charm, Creation, Divination, Healing, Plant, Time

Realm Spells: Investiture, Bless Land, Pierce the Veil, Dispel Realm Magic, Shadow Block, Undead Legion
Armor: As Priest
Weapons: As Priest
Magical Items: As Priest
Proficiencies: General, Priest, Rogue
Can Command Undead if evil, or Turn if good.
Power over Undead: Turn: Yes if good; Command: Yes if evil
Powers and Restrictions:
1.- A Priest should have his or her mask of crow placed to invoke prayers. The Priest cannot refuse to make a burial, be by his/her own faith or of the deceased person.
1.- Resistance to Necromantic Magic (School and Sphere): 5% resistance per Priest level

Pierce the Veil
Sphere: Astral
Regency: 2RP/province
Gold: 1GB/province
Required Holding: Temple 2
Duration: 1 Turn, +1 Action/3 Levels
Pierce the Veil allows all creatures to walk into/out of the Spirit/Shadowlands in a specified province. The spell does not affect movement within the Shadow World. A Priest can affect one province per three experience levels. They must have a Temple 2 in all provinces impacted. All undead in the area must make a Saving Throw or be destroyed, their souls leaving through the Dead's Gate.
Knowledge of former incarnations, and their Gods.
Religion - NWP, or Ancient History - NWP, or Blood History that traces that far back : You likely have fairly good information of the last cycle (Rhyel, Architect, etc). You have passing familiarity with prior incarnation Gods (Azrai, Haelyn, etc). You have vanishingly little knowledge of the Anduiras, Basaia Gods - beyond some people have their bloodline. You will have some knowledge of the Great Conflict of the Gods in that incarnation, but probably not text-book knowledge.
No Religion or Ancient History? You know there are bloodlines of random ancient God-like things. Your basic comprehension of what they ever represented is virtually non-existent. Racial knowledge that eg Rhyel somehow created Goblins, yes as a Sidhe or Goblin, you have a knowledge of that. But not the particulars. Humans would think that's just a creation myth at this point.
[+] Moradin (Greater God)
Moradin is the legendary creator of dwarves and the chief deity of a mysterious pantheon of dwarven gods. The dwarves don't speak of their beliefs to non-dwarves and hold their religious observances only in the sanctuary of their hidden fortress cities. In fact, the name of Moradin is known outside dwarven halls only because the dwarves call on him for aid in their battle-cries.

Monster Mythology Excerpt

The dwarven pantheon is always headed by Moradin, Soul Forger, who hammered out the bodies of the Dwarf-Fathers from iron and mithral hewn from the very core of the world. Moradin used his huge magical hammer to beat the bodies into shape, and as he breathed on his creations to cool them, the souls of the first dwarves were born into the world. In many versions of this myth, the Dwarf-Fathers have to fight their way up from the world's core to the mountains above, overcoming many dangers on the way. These dangers are usually great monsters and physical hazards, which the dwarves overcome by strength, combat and physical skill, rather than wit or trickery. These early myths are fully consistent with the way in which dwarven theology stresses the pragmatic and practical. Even the holy symbols used by the priesthoods are often those of tools and crafted weapons and other items. Dwarves have absolutely no place for the arcane or mystical in their myths, legends, and beliefs.
Moradin is the god who has taught the dwarven race the skills of smithing and metalworking. These are the basic skills the dwarven race uses for exploiting the riches of their homes in the mountains, and for crafting the items which allow them further exploration. Both tool making and weapon crafting were taught to the Dwarf-Fathers by Moradin, who watches over these activities still (and many dwarves invoke his name when a crucial stage in their craft-work-tempering metal, for example-is about to occur).
The dwarven pantheon is notably male, and for all that scholars might claim and equality of females in dwarven societies, the one goddess of importance is one of home, and wife to Moradin (some local pantheons have a goddess of healing also). They are very practical deities, concerned with the earth, metals and minerals, warfare (given the dwarves' constant strife with subterranean goblinoids and other races), craftsmanship, earthquakes and volcanoes, fire, physical strength, and protection of the dead and reverence of ancestors. There are few cases of dwarven deities governing the sea, plant life and agriculture, atmospheric phenomena (rain, clouds, stars, etc.), woodlands and forests, animals, comedy and pleasure, or arcane and mystical knowledge (Dugmaren Brightmantle is unique on this score).
An oddity of the dwarven deities is that most can if they wish have their avatars appear as of huge stature; up to 20 feet tall in some cases. This has sometimes been ascribed to their having a severe inferiority complex about their height. This seems extremely unlikely, and rather it may reflect an exaggerated sense of self-importance (and also, more fairly, as an inspiration for dwarves on some occasions-for example, when Clangeddin the War God appears as an avatar on a field of battle!). However, equally obviously there are occasions on which it would be unwise of a deity to manifest itself as a 20-foot tall avatar (for example, if it needed to appear in a long series of underground passageways with an average ceiling height of six feet). So, dual statistics are given for most avatars for SZ-the exaggerated version and that used when the deity wishes its avatar to appear as a normal dwarf (as it were). The physical statistics of the avatar do not change for the different heights and the avatar can change the size of its equipment, weapons, and the like between forms in a single round (the time it requires to change size). The pantheon described here is extensive, but the degenerate deities of the duergar and derro, Laduguer and Diirinka, are detailed amongst the Gods of the Underdark.
Priests: All priests of dwarven deities are expected to maintain vigilance towards orogs and this usually means fighting them. All dwarven priests are expected to place a primary value on the notion of community among the dwarven race.



Moradin is the Creator God of the dwarven race. A god of formidable strength, his weapon and tools, all of which he crafts himself, are unusable by any mortal beings, and even by most other deities (Clangeddin, the war god, is an exception). Moradin is a god of stone and rock, fire and metal; a stern and uncompromising defender of the dwarven people he created and of the principles of law and good.
Moradin is held in many dwarven creation myths to have been incarnated from rock, stone, and metal, with his soul eternally present in the form of fire. That same fire fueled the forge in which Moradin created the dwarves, and in some myths Moradin breathes fire over the first dwarves to bring them to life. For this reason, forges always burn in Moradin's temples. Should the fire ever be extinguished, and the priests will go to almost any lengths to prevent this happening, the temple must be abandoned, torn down stone by stone, and entirely rebuilt and re-consecrated, usually on a new site.
Moradin is a supremely physical deity. He is strength and force of will embodied, and his weapons, armor and tools are almost extensions of his own incarnate being. Moradin moves through solid rock at will, and in the Seven Heavens Moradin lives within a vast mountain whose secrets no other deity knows (save perhaps for Dumathoin, who senses a few glimpses of them). Dwarves speak in hushed tones of the stonework and craftsmanship within Moradin's home, which far surpasses anything they could ever hope to make. But doing their very best is a basic form of homage to their creator, and such work is never to be rushed.
Moradin rules the other dwarven deities sternly. It is he who banished the derro, the deurgar, and their cowardly gods (as other dwarves see them), smiting them with his hammer and driving them squealing from his own home while his avatars drove the errant races from the lands of the dwarves. Moradin is a harsh, but fair, judge, and he judges dwarves on their achievements. It matters little to Moradin that a dwarf has a good heart, although this is necessary for him to accept one of his people; it is the quality of a dwarf's endeavors which draw the god's approval. Dwarves have many versions of the "pretty is as pretty does" proverb.
Role-playing Notes: Moradin does not often send an avatar to the Prime Material, since dwarves must work for their own place in the world and their own salvation. Only if oppressed by a numerically overpowering enemy will dwarves receive such aid, but prior to battles Moradin may well give such blessings as strength spells to favored warriors. Omens from Moradin are often warnings, frequently conveyed as the sudden breakage of an item in its crafting (often a weapon).

Statistics: AL lg; WAL lg (non-evil dwarves); AoC creation, smithing, craftsmanship, war; SY hammer and anvil.

Moradin's Avatar (Fighter 20, Priest 12)
Moradin's avatar appears as a stern-faced male dwarf with powerful musculature, especially in the upper body, and with flowing black hair and beard. He always wears field plate and carries a large shield and a warhammer. He uses priest spells from any sphere.

Str 22 Dex 16 Con 21
Int 19 Wis 18 Cha 20
MV 12 SZ M (5')/H (20') MR 70%
AC -6 HD 20 HP 160
#AT 2 THAC0 4 Dmg 3d6 +5 (hammer) +10

Special Att/Def: The avatar cannot be harmed by any forged metal weapons, and is immune to petrification and paralyzation attacks. If the avatar departs by plane shifting, and has been forced to leave combat, a 20' radius area about the point where he was standing is engulfed in an instantaneous vortex of swirling, battering rock and stone (4d10 damage, no save). The avatar can cast stoneskin at will, imprisonment 3/day by touch, and also banish 3/day. He carries a warhammer +5, wears a field plate +5 and a shield +2.

Duties of the Priesthood
Priests of Moradin are charged with the advancement of the dwarven race in all areas of life, the founding of new kingdoms and clan lands, and a wide range of formal ceremonies (marriages, consecrations of forges, temples and other buildings, crowning of monarchs, etc.) and the education of the young, especially in the teaching of history. They maintain genealogies and historical archives, cooperating with Berronar's priest. Adventuring is encouraged in the priesthood, but only adventuring which directly serves the interests of the dwarven race.
Priests of Moradin may only use weapons which they have taken a part in smithing and crafting. Even "mundane" weapons so constructed count as +1 weapons for the purposes of determining which creatures may be affected by them (but no hit or damage bonuses apply).
Requirements: AB Str 13; AL lg; WP any, but see above (warhammer 1st); AR any metal armor; SP all, combat, creation, divination*, elemental (earth, fire), guardian, healing, law, necromantic, protection, war, wards; PW 1) +2 Cha to other dwarves; 5) +2 to hit with warhammer; 9) prayer, magic resistance of enemies does not negate effect, 1d3 hp of damage cured for all dwarves within radius of effect at the end of spell duration; TU turn; LL 14; HD d8; Shamans yes.
Shamans: AB Str 10; AL lg, ln, ng; LL 6; HD d6; warhammer 1st weapon proficiency, must wear metal armor.

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DM Juan
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Re: The Gods

Post by DM Juan » Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:27 pm

[+] Avani (Greater Goddess)
Goddess of the Sun, Lady of Reason

Anuire: Avanalae
Brechtur: Lana
Rjurik: Vani
AL: Lawful neutral
WAL: Any
AoC: Sun, reason, magic
Sy: Setting sun

Avani is the wife of Erik, the matron of the Basarji, and the successor of the old goddess Basaia. At Deismaar, her new-found powers helped to put the forces of evil to flight. Avani is now the sun goddess and lady of reason and logic, the counterpart to the mysterious moon god Ruornil.
The Khinasi believe that the sun is Avani's golden palace, and that each day her home circles the world. Her avatar is rarely seen; she takes the form of a bright beam of sunlight. Avani can appear as a 20 HD fire elemental with the spell ability of a 20th-level wizard; any who look directly at her must save vs. spell or be permanently blinded.

Avani's Priesthood
Avani's temple is predominant in Khinasi and very important in Anuire. Her priests are sages, scholars, and teachers; a temple of Avani resembles a university or library.
Requirments: AB Wis 9, Int 12; AL any non-chaotic; WP standard plus dagger, spear, or bow; AR any, no shield; Major SP All, Divination, Elemental (Fire), Healing, Protection, Sun, Thought (ToM); Minor SP Charm, Creation, Numbers (ToM); PW 1) +2 to saves vs. illusion spells; 5) flame arrow 1/day; 9) sunray 1/day; TU standard.
Paladins: Avani's paladins are free-roving champions who seek out those who misuse the power of magic. They have magic resistance of 10% +3% per level versus evil magic. They gain spells two levels early, beginning at 7th level rather than 9th.

From The Book of Priestcraft

Avani
Goddess of the Sun, Lady of Reason
Greater Goddess of Mechanus, LN

Portfolio: Sun, reason, magic
Aliases: Avanalae (Anuire), Lana (Brechtür), Vani (Rjurik)
Domain Name: The Gleaming Spire/Mechanus
Superior: None
Allies: Nesirie, Laerme
Foes: Kriesha, Belinik, Eloéle
Symbol: Golden setting sun
Wor. Align: Any

Avani is the principal goddess of the Khinasi pantheon. In addition to her role as the patron of reason and magic, she is the Lightbringer and Lifebringer to the Khinasi people. Her home is the sun; from there she shines forth her divine radiance, chasing away shadow and that which skulks in darkness. She brings alive the world each day.
Avani can be a harsh and relentless goddess, as unforgiving as the sun that beats down on the Khinasi lands, or she can be warm and nurturing, enfolding her people in the glow of her divine radiance. A former priestess of Basaïa at the battle of Deismaar, she inherited Basaïa's portfolio and responsibilities when that goddess was destroyed.

Avani's Avatar

The Khinasi believe the Avani appears to them every day with the rising of the sun. She is a great and beneficent goddess, and so gives this blessing to all the world. As a result, for part of each day, she disappears from the lands of the Khinasi so that she may bring her gift to the rest of the world.
The ignorant among the Khinasi know that Avani will return in the morning to chase away the shadows that lie upon them. The educated realize that she comes back each morning because she set the world spinning, so that her divine radiance could shine upon all the world. Her regular visits also protect her believers from incursions of the Shadow, for she denies the Shadow a place to build on Aebrynis. Instead, the darkness must hide in the dank places below the surface of the world.
Avani has also appeared to her followers as a beautiful, dark-skinned, mature woman whose gaze can calm her people and terrify her enemies. Although few can claim to have received a visit from their goddess in this form, she has appeared to her worshipers regardless of their station in life, from humble farmers to dread kings. Few claim to know why she appears to any individual; some are given quests, others inspiration; some are visited with her blessing, others with her wrath.
The Lady of Reason's worshippers believe that she has also appeared in other forms. Warriors devoted to her have claimed that she has flown over their lines before a battle as a white eagle. Scholars believe to have been visited in the form of epiphanies; the inspiration or revelation she has granted has given insight to resolve difficult problems. It is even whispered among Khinasi courts that the royal mage of Ariya, Rahíl the Falcon (MKh; W7; Ma, minor, 19; LG), has been blessed no fewer than four times with such visits. His enemies suggest that such benedictions are the only way he ever figures anything out; others are in awe of his importance in the eyes of his goddess. He neither confirms nor denies these rumors, for he remains a private man.
Avani has also been known to come to the aid of farmers, shepherds, and travelers. One tale relates that she led a lost shepherd and his flock to shelter from a violent storm by appearing to them as a white ram, leading them to a deep cleft in the side of a hill. Inside the crevice were food and water for both man and beast, and a fire that never extinguished until the sun rose the next morning.

The Church

Clergy: Priests, paladins
Clergy Align: LG, NG, LN, N, LE, NE; paladins, LG, LN, LE only

The church of Avani has its strongest hold among the domains of the Khinasi. The people of this culture see Avani as the supreme ruler of their pantheon; many Khinasi have little tolerance for the teachings of others.
Avani expects her priests and paladins to represent themselves as if they were representing her. They must strive to be firm but fair in their dispensation of justice, must aid the poor and defend those unable to protect themselves, and must be merciful to enemies whom she would deem deserving.
Dogma: To the common people of Khinasi, Avani's doctrine is simple. She is the Lightbringer, the Giver of Life. She is the sun, and she shines her divine radiance upon the world every day, protecting all people from the encroachments of Shadow and darkness. Her light brings food to the tables of her people, for crops need both rain and sun to prosper. Her warmth enfolds her people; she chases away storms that destroy well-being. She touches her followers with her blessing every day, for each ray of the sun carries her divine benediction. Many less-educated Khinasi believe that they must be wary among pale-skinned people, for they live without Avani's favor and cannot be trusted. Even among the wealthy and learned, this belief holds some sway.
Despite the reverence with which the Khinasi people hold Avani, opinions vary significantly as to what she represents. This comes in part as a result of the natural inclination among the educated to apply their reason to discovering Avani's true message. Many are the great works of groups like the Discourse (see "Affiliated Groups"), but the inevitable result of these studies is a fragmentation of the church into regional holdings that some times fight each other as much as they do their traditional enemies. Many believe that Avani is wroth with her people as a result, and they point to the Tarvan Waste as a place where her displeasure has taken form, for the Waste is harsh, devoid of the bounty of other lands.
One of the oldest temples of Avani in Khinasi lands is the Great Temple of Avani in Mairada and Suiriene. Here, some of the earliest Basarji made landfall in their sojourn from Djapar, some years before the epic battle at Mount Deismaar. They brought with them their belief in their goddess, Basaïa. At the Battle of Deismaar, Basaïa and her followers stood with the other gods and peoples to battle Azrai and his dark host. Like the other gods who opposed Azrai, Basaïa was destroyed. Her divine essence passed to her high priestess, the wise and beautiful Avani. To venerate both the Basarji's roots on the continent and the ascension of their priestess to godhood, the survivors built the first temple to Avani on the island of Suiriene.
Although the Great Temple is no longer the preeminent temple to Avani in Cerilia, its status as the oldest lends it a certain weight in theological discussions among the Khinasi. Suiriene is now a state inhabited by a mixture of Khinasi and Anuirean people, and has been influenced by the culture and religion brought by the Anuireans when they ruled Khinasi lands centuries ago. The temple of Avani is accorded respect by nearly all people of the domain, however, and doctrinal differences between religions are virtually non-existent on the island.
The principal belief of the adherents of the Great Temple is the Avani is the direct descendant of Basaïa, and that she has inherited all the power and responsibilities of that goddess. To worshipers of Avani, this distinction is crucial. Other temples argue that Avani received her divine essence not just from Basaïa, but from all of the gods assembled at Deismaar; as such, she is a new goddess. Thus her doctrine must be discovered anew, despite her mortal history as Basaïa's high priestess.
Priest of the Great Temple teach that the arrival in Cerilia of the Basarji pre-dated that of the peoples of Anduria who fled the terror of the dark god Azrai. The gods of the Basarji were similar to those of the Andurian peoples, and their fear of the power of Azrai propelled them into the conflict facing the Andurians. When Basaïa was destroyed, she passed her essence to Avani. Avani is, therefore, the direct descendant of Basaïa, and her message differs little from that of the ancient Basarji goddess.
The Great Temple is frequently plagued by heretics claiming that Avani's mission of following the same doctrine as Basaïa means that the new goddess is no more than a faint echo of her past. This is blasphemy to the adherents of the Great Temple. They believe instead that the divinity of Avani was a gift granted her by the ancient goddess Basaïa, and that with that gift came the responsibilities that Basaïa shouldered (namely, the guidance and protection of the Basarji people). As such, followers believe that Avani is truly the new goddess of the Khinasi; those in Djapar who deny Avani's divinity deny that their goddess of old gave of herself in order to protect the people who relied on her wisdom and strength.
Critics of the Great Temple of Avani argue that its priests live in the past and cannot lead the modern Khinasi people. Further, such critics believe that Avani should be worshiped only by the Khinasi. Chief among these opponents of the Great Temple is the Zikalan Temple of Avani. Exalted High Priestess Shandare (FKh; Pr9, Avani; Ba, major, 39; LN) believes Khinasi to be the only civilized culture in Cerilia. Her sect sees the Vos and Rjurik as mere barbarians, the Brechts concerned only with money, and the Anuireans past their socio-economic prime. Only the Khinasi, Shandare believes, look beyond the day-to-day in order to concern themselves with art, literature, religion, philosophy, and other fields of learning. The mark of a great culture, she claims, lies in what it can discover of and leave for its world. Raiding for women and cattle, grubbing for coins, or fighting incessantly for petty land holdings are beneath the enlightened.
Shandare's critics suggest that she does not see Khinasi peasants and merchants "grubbing for coins," and point out that she herself "fights incessantly" to extend her influence over other lands. Her perceptions (or lack thereof) color her religious attitudes. While not precisely racist in her views, Shandare believes that the suggestion that Avani shares her divine grace with those not prepared to receive it is contemptible. The life and Protection of Avanalae in the Anuirean domain of Elinie is a rebel church, according to the Zikalan Temple. Avani would not grace such barbarians with her sublime word.
Another important temple devoted to Avani is the Ariyan Temple. A much more tolerant and progressive church than the temple in Zikala, it is fortunately the church most foreign people recognize when they think of the worship of Avani. This is true in part because of the relative economic importance and stability of the domain of Ariya. The Life and Protection of Avanalae is a splinter church of the Ariyan Temple, and despite their distance from one another, the former follows the theological lead of its parent church.
The Ariyan Temple takes a much more beneficent approach in its interpretation of Avani's word. Its members believe that Avani is an inherently benevolent goddess. Her word is one of peace and prosperity; to achieve both is to achieve a rich, rewarding life. The Temple realizes that such states are ephemeral; ironically, peace and prosperity often can be achieved only through violence and strife.
The Fiery Dawn of Avani is slightly more militant in its beliefs. It argues a doctrine similar to that of the Ariyan Temple, but sees the goals as less attainable. As long as others yearn to take away that which a person has achieved, they aver, an individual can never fully attain peace or prosperity, for he must always guard against the depredations of others. The Fiery Dawn teaches that enemies must be defeated before a person can enjoy the opportunity to achieve a sense of tranquility.
The Wachen an Sonnlacht in Rheulgard is thought to be an ideological descendant of the Fiery Dawn. Another temple that seems to profess a more fatalistic doctrine is the Medecian Way in the Lamia's domain.
Those devoted to Avani rely on her to light their way. They believe that Avani will guide them along their individual paths. The Raging Heart of Avani takes the view that their goddess placed people upon the world to test them. Only those whose spirits are forged by the experience of grappling with the challenges of the world, they believe, can attain the enlightenment she desires her people to reach. Such awareness can be achieved only through action, not reflection. Surviving and even thriving in the Tarvan Waste, for example, is itself a challenge that allows Avani's followers to prepare themselves for an afterlife of service to their goddess.
Day-to-Day Activities: The priests and paladins of Avani, like those of other faiths, are important elements of the communities in which they live. Many of them, especially lesser members of the clergy, are involved in the daily activities of their neighborhoods. They work for both the temporal and the spiritual well-being of their people. Clergy members fulfill a variety of functions: They serve with military forces, defending against enemies; they work as judges, arbitrators, and negotiators to resolve disputes peacefully; they labor alongside people in the fields and beseech of their goddess her assistance in bringing prosperity; and they heal the sick, care for the dead, and bring children into the world. Despite the relatively mundane work in which all clergy members engage, the temples of Avani also require that their priests and paladins devote some time each day to reflection, discussion, or study. The world is a mystery, they admit, but an engaging one. A person will likely never know the answers to all the world's riddles; that is for the gods. But to study, to seek the truth, and to learn and teach are goals worthy of every person, no matter what his station. Avani relies upon her church to pursue such goals.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The most important ceremony of each day is the one that greets Avani on her return to light the world. Priests of Avani conduct ceremonies that begin just before dawn each day and end shortly after the sun has risen. The morning worship signals the start of the day for most of Avani's faithful. The priests also hold a prayer service at the end of each day, at sunset; at this service, they offer to Avani their hopes that she has found her people worthy that day and that she will return again to light their world the next morning.
In Khinasi lands, the anniversary of Avani's ascension to godhood is celebrated with reverence by nearly all people, even those whose patron deity is a different god. Nearly all Khinasi see Avani as their patroness and guardian, and themselves as her children. Although the anniversary of her ascension is also the date on which the battle of Deismaar was fought over fifteen hundred years ago, the celebrations only briefly commemorate the events of the battle. To the Khinasi, the holiday is observed to venerate their patroness, not remember what was essentially a foreign war.
Many Khinasi also celebrate the birth of el-Arrasi, for legend states that he was blessed of Avani. He was born on the 32nd day of Eleomin (Roelir on the Anuirean calendar) in the year 1249 MA (734 HC). It is said that el-Arrasi was stillborn, but that the unknown midwife who attended his birth blew upon his brow and his chest, and when he started to cry, those in attendance fell to their knees in amazement at the miracle they had just witnessed. When they recovered their senses-and manners-and sought out the woman who had saved the child, she was gone. Most believe that this mysterious woman was Avani herself come from her palace in the sun to bring to the Khinasi people their deliverer.
Major Centers of Worship: The Great Temple of Avani in Masetiele in the domain of Suiriene is possibly the oldest temple of Avani in existence. Although it has lost much of its former influence and glory, it remains an important center for worship and study of the word of the goddess.
The High Hierophant of the Life and Protection of Avanalae makes her home in the city of Ruorvan in the Anuirean domain of Coeranys. Despite its frontier location, the temple in Ruorvan remains the most important establishment of the Anuirean church of Avani. Most doctrinal disputes within that church are decided there, rather than in the more resplendent temple in the City of Anuire. Ruorvan's temple maintains contact with its cousins in Ariya through a small fleet of merchant vessels.
Perhaps the most splendid temple dedicated to Avani is the Sunrise Temple in Zikala. The sea of Exalted High Priestess Shandare's power, she pours money into its beautification; she wants the Sunrise Temple to become the center of a much greater temple holding, one in which she guides the worship of the faithful.
Directly opposed to the expansion of Shandare's temple and its doctrine is the Central Temple of Ariya. This temple, perhaps more than any other, represents the worship of Avani to much of the rest of the world. Its priest work actively to promote their interpretations of the grace of their goddess to as many others as possible.
Affiliated Orders: Like most churches, Avani's temples have several orders affiliated with them. Many of these are warrior societies devoted to defending the principal faith of the Khinasi. The Swords of Avani, the army of the Prince of Ariya, is one such society. The princes of that state have long been devoted servants of their goddess; many have been priests or paladins. The Swords of Avani have recognized and served the princes as both temporal and spiritual rulers, and have been successful in defending Ariya for over five centuries against a host of dangerous enemies. One of those enemies, the Zikalan Temple of Avani, has created its own army of devoted warriors. The Legion of the Blessed Warriors of the Sun serves as the Zikalan Temple' s warrior arm. As aggressive and devoted to their interpretations of their goddess as is the temple hierarchy itself, the Legion is a dangerous weapon in Shandare's arsenal, and will likely figure prominently in her expansion plans.
Not all the organizations affiliated with the church of Avani are militant in nature. One of the most famous of these is the Discourse. The Discourse is a society of sages, scholars, wizards, priests, and other learned folk dedicated to the study of the world around them. Its members come from all walks of life; it is, in fact, an element of their charter that no one should be turned away, based upon economic status, from participating in their studies and discussions. It is certainly true that most of the members are well-off economically, but numerous exceptions have existed through the ages. One of the Discourse's more distinguished members, in fact, was a prisoner. He was sentenced to hard labor for stealing a horse, but his defense was so brilliant (if futile) that one of the Discourse's scholars saw to it that his sentence was commuted.
Members of the Discourse learn anything they can of the world: history, economics, politics, theology, philosophy, art…whatever they take interest in. Sciences figure less prominently in their studies than do humanities, but there is little they will ignore in their search for understanding. Much of their education comes from individual study followed by discussions become rather esoteric, and members make no effort to "talk down" their ideas, a tendency that has angered more than one less-educated nobleman in the past.
It is considered a great honor in Khinasi lands to be invited to participate in a discussion of the Discourse, and an even greater one to be invited to become a member. At times, such honors have elevated members of the lower classes to some measure of respect among the Khinasi intelligentsia. Such persons generally need not concern themselves with earning a living any more, for the Discourse is well funded by donations from numerous sources. Such funds ensure that scholars, regardless of their original economic status, are able to devote themselves to their studies and queries.
The Discourse is strongest in such states as Ariya, Suiriene, and Mesire. Many scholars in these states receive liberal contributions to their studies from the nobility, wealthy merchants, and the church of Avani. The Discourse is also strongly supported in Zikala, but other Khinasi states often suspect a political motive in the discoveries and discussions of the Zikalan members of the Discourse. Such views are unfair to the findings and theories of the Zikalans, for the Discourse has existed there far longer than has Shandare and her expansionistic ideology.
Priestly Vestments: The traditional garb of Avani's priesthood is a simple white robe trimmed in gold with a gold turban. These have become more elaborate as time has passed, and now vary from temple to temple, but the general style remains relatively unchanged.
Priests rarely bear ceremonial weapons. The exception is in prayer ceremonies beseeching their goddess's favor in an upcoming battle. Paladins and warriors sworn to defend the faith often bear such weapons in Avani's rituals, for these are symbols of their goddess's eternal vigilance against the forces of darkness.
Adventuring Garb: Priests of Avani are freer in their choice of adventuring and war gear. They may wear any sort of armor, buy may not bear a shield. They tend not to wear any of the plate armors (this is generally true among the Khinasi), preferring a lighter armor such as improved mail. Anuirean worshippers of Avanalae are the exception to this and sometimes wear plate armors.
The weapon choices available to the clergy of Avani are the same regardless of the cultural heritage of the clergyman. They may use any blunt weapon, dagger, spear, or bow. Priests and paladins of Avani are proud of their belief in their goddess, and tend to wear her symbol openly, either on a surcoat, as an emblem on a necklace, or emblazoned onto their armor.

Priests

Requirements: Wis 9, Int 12
Prime Req: Wisdom
Weapons: Standard plus dagger, spear, or bow
Armor: Any, no shield
Major Spheres: All, Divination, Elemental (Fire), Healing, Protection, Sun, Thought
Minor Spheres: Charm, Creation, Numbers (ToM)
Magical Items: As priest
Power Over Turn: Standard
Undead: Command: No
Powers: 1) +2 to saves vs. illusion spells
5) flame arrow once per day
9) sunray once per day

Paladins

Requirements: Str 12, Con 9, Wis 13, Cha 17
Prime Req: Strenght, Charisma
Alignment: Lawful good
Weapons: Any
Armor: Any
Spell Spheres: Divination, Elemental (Fire), Healing, Protection
Magical Items: As paladin
Power Over: Turn: Standard
Undead: Command: No
Powers: As paladin, but receives spellcasting power at 7th level rather that 9th. In addition, paladins of Avani receive magic resistance of 10% + 3% per level vs. evil magic.

Proficiencies

Priests and paladins of Avani gain religion (Avani) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency at first level. Other proficiencies for members of specific churches follow.

Zikalan Temple of Avani
Required Proficiency: Oratory (see the Complete Paladin's Handbook)
Bo nus Proficiency: Law (at 7th level)

Ariyan Temple of Avani, Life and Protection of Avanalae
Required Proficiency: Etiquette
Bonus Proficiency: Any one academic proficiency of the player's choice (at 6th level)

Great Temple of Avani
Required Proficiency: Heraldry
Bonus Proficiency: Ancient history-the Basarji people (at 6th level)

Fiery Dawn of Avani, Wachen an Sonnlacht
Required Proficiencies: Riding (horses); in addition, three of the first five weapon proficiencies must be devoted to dagger, spear, and bow
Bonus Proficiency: Endurance (at 3rd level)

Medecian Way of Avani
Required Proficiency: Disguise
Bonus Proficiency: Astrology (at 7th level)
[+] Cuiraecen (Lesser God)
Stormlord, God of Battle, Haelyn's Champion

Khinasi: Khirdai
Rjurik: Kirken
Brechtur: Kirche
AL: Chaotic good
WAL: Any nonlawful
AoC: Battle, storms
Sy: Sword and lightning

Cuiracean (koo-RAY-eh-ken) is the good of storms and conflict, but he is perceived as a force for change and good rather than destruction. He is the son of Haelyn and the sea-goddess Nesirie, and was not present at Deismaar. Cuiraecen is the patron of young and reckless warriors everywhere who plunge boldly into battle in search of personal glory and honor.
As Haelyn's champion and herald, Cuiraecen goes wherever his father sends him. He appears as a huge, powerfully muscled man with noble features, gleaming silver chain mail +5, a shield +3, and a great crested helm. His avatar is the equivalent of a storm giant who attacks twice per round with a spear +4 that can cast a 12d8 lightning bolt at will.

Cuiraecen's Priesthood
Cuiraecen's temple is important in Anuire, but is relatively small elsewhere. The faith is popular among soldiers, and powerful orders of militant knights templar can command hundreds of elite fighting men.
Requirements: AB Wis 9, Str 12; AL any nonlawful; WP any; AR any; Major SP All, Combat, Elemental (Air or Water), Guardian, War (ToM), Weather; Minor SP Chaos (ToM), Healing, Protection; PW 1) THAC0 and # of attacks equal to warrior of equal level; 7) lightning and cold resistance equal to ring of fire resistance effects; TU nil.
Paladins: Cuiraecen's paladins are chaotic good. They may specialize in a weapon following the rules for fighters. They cannot turn undead or cast priest spells.

From The Book of Priestcraft

Cuiraécen
Stormlord, God of Battle, Haelyn's Champion
Lesser Power of Ysgard, CG

Portfolio: Storms and conflict
Aliases: Khirdai (Khinasi), Kirken (Rjurik), Kirche (Brechtür)
Domain Name: Cuiraécen's Feasthall/Ysgard
Superior: Haelyn
Allies: Haelyn, Nesirie; Eloéle or Laerme
Foes: Belinik, Kriesha; Eloéle or Laerme
Symbol: Lightning bolt crossed by a sword
Wor. Align: Any non-lawful

Cuiraécen is the son of Haelyn and Nesirie. He is Haelyn's chosen champion and herald. Warriors preparing for battle may ask of Haelyn that they conduct themselves with honor, but it is Cuiraécen's name they most often invoke for victory. The god of battle is the patron of young warriors, for he is the representation of reckless courage and victory through strength. He is also the Stormlord, often heralding his appearance with storm clouds, lightning, and thunder.
Cuiraécen was born in the third century after Deismaar, and by the beginning of the fourth century, he had inspired orders of knighthood within the church of Haelyn. The first church of Cuiraécen was created in the sixth century in the hills overlooking the Spiderfell, in the province of Rhumannen in the Barony of Ghieste (presently western Ghoere).
Apocrypha suggest that Cuiraécen is romantically linked to the passionate and beautiful Laerme, goddess of art, love, and beauty. Other stories hint that he is caught in a triangle between Laerme and Eloéle. These spurious sagas are most likely the product of overly active imaginations; they are commonly repeated by storytellers, however.

Cuiraécen's Avatar

Cuiraécen often appears as a mighty warrior clad in gleaming chain mail wearing a helm crested with a white horsetail; the mail never loses its gleam, nor does the horsetail crest ever show the blood or grime of battle. He has an every-youthful face, one on which the lines of fear are unknown. The Stormlord occasionally rides a horse, a magnificent chestnut charger, but he usually prefers to walk into battle, his purposeful stride striking fear into the hearts of his enemies. Cuiraécen has the fighting skill of a 20th-level fighter and can cast spells as a 14th-level priest. He is also said to appear as a storm giant carrying a huge spear+4 that can cast a 12d8 lightning bolt at will.
The Stormlord's worshipers claim that he is present in every storm over a battlefield. Legends claim that the arrival of a messenger accompanied by rolling thunder is a sign that the messenger is favored by Cuiraécen.

The Church

The Clergy: Priests, paladins
Clergy Align: NG, N, NE, CG, CN, CE; paladins, CG only

Worshipers of Cuiraécen can be found across the breadth of Cerilia. Temples held by followers of the Stormlord can be found in every region save the Rjurik highlands. The traditional Rjurik have resisted the influence of the southern gods; long have they followed the druidic tradition of Erik and his predecessor, Reynir.
Even in lands that were conquered by the Anuireans and held as part of their great empire, the worship of Cuiraécen has taken root and grown. Warriors in the aggressive Khinasi land of Aftane venerate Khirdai as their chief patron; in the former Anuirean imperial states of Merasaf, Min Dhousai, and Suiriene, the worship of noble Khirdai is part of a pantheon that combines the traditional worship of Avani with the religions brought by the Anuireans.
In Brechtür, the memories of imperial domination make the worship of Haelyn somewhat unpopular, but not that of his son. Temples to Kirche have sprung up in some of the more militant realms, such as the northern provinces of Rohrmarch and the Zweilunds, as well as in the realms threatened by the Gorgon, namely Wierech and Dauren. Rumors even exist of a small holding of Cuiraécen among the tribes of Vosgaard. Because to Vos are not known to have a name in their language for Cuiraécen, the nature of his worship in Vos lands, and the strength of any temple holding there, is unknown.
The worship of Cuiraécen is a warrior's faith. It appeals to soldiers, knights, guardsmen, militant priests, and others of such professions. Farmers might invoke the name of Cuiraécen only to beg to be spared the ravages of a brewing storm, but it is Haelyn who provides them with spiritual guidance in their daily lives. Townsmen call out the name of Haelyn's champion when an advancing foreign army or band of raiders appears on the horizon, but bargains and agreements are sealed with the blessing of Haelyn. Nobles may pay Cuiraécen homage when preparing for war with a neighbor, but they call upon Haelyn to aid them in managing their domains.
The church of Cuiraécen is more loosely organized than that of his father. No primary center of worship has been dedicated to the Stormlord, so no overall church hierarchy exists. Each individual temple is arranged differently. Some of these styles of organization stem from national differences, some from differences in the function and goals of each temple.
Despite the lack of overall hierarchy, the church of Cuiraécen can be divided along two main purposes and a third, less common one. War for war's sake and the defense of those whom no one else can or wil protect are the two principal roles of the church of Cuiraécen. Some followers choose to worship Cuiraécen in his role as Haelyn's herald and champion, but this is more a personal belief than an organizing principle of his churches.
Dogma: The doctrines of Cuiraécen's' churches have certain similarities despite the lack of an over arching hierarchy. Followers of Cuiraécen are prohibited from showing fear before an enemy and are forbidden to refuse a just battle. Furthermore, they must seek out those who oppress the weak and defenseless and offer them battle. Followers of the Stormlord traditionally were expected to act as heralds of the church of Haelyn, but this particular requirement has fallen into disuse since the disintegration of the Anuirean Empire. Certainly, followers disagree on whet exactly constitutes a "just battle" or how oppression is defined, but each individual strives to obey his god's dictates.
The churches that follow the "war for war's sake" philosophy tend to be more neutral in their moral outlook than those who see their role as protectors of the weak. The church of the Stormlord Seerbrand in Rohrmarch is a prime example of such a philosophy. The priest Kurt Warkinde (MBr; F3/Pr7, Kirche; Br, great, 32; CN) of the northern provinces of Rohrmarch works to convince his liege, Prince Oden, to attack Kiergard after the pair defeats the forces of King Alaric in the south of Rohrmarch. Warkinde teaches his followers that the armies of the Gorgon are no match for the might of an army blessed by Kirche.
The aggressive Red Kings of Aftane in Khinasi derive much support from the Chosen of Khirdai; its Hierarch, a man named Taril Herad (MKh; Pr3, Khirdai; Ba, minor, 18; NE), is one of the King's number. The Chosen were original a defensive order, but Herad purged the "weak-willed" among the Chosen and elevated to positions of power those whose aggressive tendencies matched his own.
The principal example of a temple devoted to the defense of realms threatened by aggressive enemies is the White Sword of Khirdai. This temple supports the regents of Min Dhousai and Merasaf in the defense of their lands against their enemies. Min Dhousai faces the power of both the Iron Hand Tribes and the Magian, so the king incorporates the aid of the High Bladelord into his defenses. The White Sword is also welcome in Merasaf, for its followers are loyal combatants in the defense of the realm.
In the Chimaeron, The Fortress is a complex dedicated to Cuiraécen's glory. It holds the passes that run through the Iron Peaks, guarding eastern Anuire from the belligerence of the Chimaera and from an encircling attach through Kiergard by the Gorgon.
In Anuire, the churches of Cuiraécen seem divided along political lines more than philosophical ones. The Militant Order of Cuiraécen in the heartlands of Anuire is, on the surface, an aggressive organization of soldiers, knights, and militant priests. Ghoere's ruthless Iron Guards give strong support to the Order, yet so do the famous Guardians of Mhoried (Ghoere's bitterest enemy), who consider themselves the rock upon which the armies of the Gorgon must break.
The Church of Storm's Height in Osoerde is another temple that seems to follow a militant philosophy, but as many members serve the rightful ruler of the domain, the rebel William Moergen (MA; F5; An, major, 35; CG), as serve the throne's usurper, Jaison Raenech (MA; F7; Br, major, 36; LE).
In Boeruine, the principal opponent of the Northern Imperial Temple of Haelyn, the Hidden Temple of Cuiraécen, could be considered simply and extension of the combative nature of the archduke Aeric Boeruine. The Hidden Temple, however, has established small defensive refuges in the Five Peaks and Thurazor, realms in which no temple to any other human deity exists. Critics of these temples suggest that they seek only to sow the seeds of conflict to keep their own purses lined. While there may be some truth to this, such a view overlooks the contributions these churches have made to the defense of Anuirean domains.
Day-to-Day Activities: The priests and followers of Cuiraécen spend much of their time engages in martial pursuits. They perfect their own combat and tactical abilities and teach others such skills. Many priests and paladins learn carpentry, stonemasonry, or engineering, which they use to construct defenses, either expanding their own fortifications or contracting their services out to local nobles. This is often an important source of income for the temples. Other master blacksmithing, armoring, or weaponsmithing. The church of Cuiraécen is not known for the quality of the weapons it creates; members seem to be more interested in the uses of a weapon than in its manufacture. They excel, however, in maintaining and repairing those weapons and suits of armor.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The clergy of Cuiraécen celebrate two of the same major holidays as do the priests of Haelyn: Haelyn's Festival and Godsday (the 22nd of Deismir). In addition, followers celebrate the first day of spring (the Day of Rebirth) as the beginning of the storm season. They conduct a minor celebration six weeks later, on the 16th of Talienir, which they observe as the beginning of the campaign season.
The principal ceremony of each day comes in the early afternoon. As spring and summer storms often begin in the afternoon, followers give praise to their god immediately before such storms typically begin. Adherents also conduct a service before any battle. Such a ceremony occurs regardless of whether a priest is present, for most followers are nothing if not passionate about their god. They particularly enjoy conducting these ceremonies on the battlefield as the full force of a storm crashes around them, for they believe that their enemies are unnerved to see a bunch of metal-clad crazies raising their weapons to the heavens on top of the highest elevation they can find during a lightning storm.
Major Centers of Worship: Although the spiritual center of the Militant Order of Cuiraécen is located in Tuornen, where Fhylie the Sword (F1/2E; Pr6, Cuiraécen; An, minor, 18; CG), the Order's volatile leader, makers her home, the largest holding in Anuire is in Bhalaene province in Ghoere. The high priest, Stiele Ghieste (MA; Pr9, Cuiraécen; An, major, 27; CN), is an aggressive supporter of the war aims of the Baron of Ghoere. He has built a fortified temple complex (castle rating of 5) to Cuiraécen outside the city of Bhalaene, which houses a company each of elite infantry and cavalry. He follows the directives of Fhylie the Sword only when it suits him. Some observers suggest that he will make a bid for supremacy in the Order Failing this, he may break the Ghoeran church off from the rest of the Order.
In the capital province of Aftane in Khinasi lies another of the great temples of Cuiraécen. The principal temple of the Chosen of Khirdai, the thick-walled, squat fortress is home to two companies of swift cavalry. The Hierarch desires to expand his temple holdings throughout Aftane and neighboring realms, controlling the religious attitudes of the local populations by sword and fir if necessary. He spends his treasury outfitting his troops for war and improving the defenses of his holdings. As a result, the beautiful basilica that graces the temple property of Khirdai in Aftane has begun to fall into disrepair.
Affiliated Orders: Several orders of knighthood allied with the church of Cuiraécen are scattered across the continent. These range from the Brotherhood of the Spur in Ghoere to the Dance of Swords in Min Dhousai. The Brotherhood of the Spur, called Redspurs by their detractors for their habit of riding their mounts to death, is a violent society of warriors who affiliate themselves with the Ghoeran Militant Order of Cuiraécen. They are the sword in the baron Gavin Tael's hands. Their principal opponents include the Lances of Dawn, an Elinien order affiliated with the Life and Protection of Avanalae, who defend western Elinie from Ghoere's attacks.
The Dance of Swords is a small group of guardsmen in Tuore el-Fasil, in the capital city of Min Dhousai. They are devoted to the study of the sword; their senior members are reputed to be master swordsmen. The Dance of Swords is affiliated with the White Sword of Khirdai, and it comprises the elite guards of the king.
Priestly Vestments: Cuiraécen's clergy wear garb similar to that of the church of Haelyn. Their red robes, however are trimmed in silver, and they bear the symbol of Cuiraécen: a lightning bolt crossed by a sword. Weapons are a part of nearly every ceremony; the clergy carry swords or spears during rituals.
Adventuring Garb: Followers of Cuiraécen are not limited in what they may wear or carry when at war or adventuring. Generally, they wear whatever armor they prefer and carry their favored weapons and whatever gear they need for the mission. Some members of the church bear a shield with Cuiraécen's symbol emblazoned on it for all to see. Other wear the symbol of their god on a pendant around their neck, either under their armor or outside it.

Priests

Requirements: Wis 9, Str 12
Prime Req: Wisdom
Alignment: NG, N, NE, CG, CN, CE
Weapons: Any
Armor: Any
Major Spheres: All, Combat, Elemental (Air or Water), Guardian, War (ToM), Weather
Minor Spheres: Chaos (ToM), Healing, Protection
Magical Items: Any allowed to priests or warriors
Power Over Turn: No
Undead: Command: No
Powers: 1) THAC0 and # attacks equal to a warrior of equal level
7) lightning and cold resistance equal in effect to a ring of fire resistance

Paladins

Requirements: Str 12, Con 9, Wis 13, Cha 17
Prime Req: Strength, Charisma
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Weapons: Any
Armor: Any
Spell Spheres: None
Magical Items: As paladin
Power Over Turn: No
Undead: Command: No
Powers: As paladin, except may not cast spells or turn undead. May specialize in a weapon following the rules for fighters.

Proficiencies

Priests and paladins of Cuiraécen gain religion (Cuiraécen) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency at first level. Other proficiencies for members of the church follow.

Stormlord Seerbrand, Red Sword Striking, Chosen of Khirdai
Required Proficiency: Strategy
Bonus Proficiency: One extra weapon proficiency (at 6th level)

Church of the Storm's Height, The Fortress, Hidden Temple of Cuiraécen, Militant Order of Cuiraécen, Kirche's Tundarr, Unbrausen Temple of Kirche, White Sword of Khirdai
Required Proficiency: Stonemasonry, carpentry, or engineering (choose one)
Bonus Proficiency: Siegecraft (at 7th level)

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DM Juan
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Re: The Gods

Post by DM Juan » Wed Jun 01, 2022 9:08 am

[+] Eloele (Lesser Goddess)
Goddess of Night, Sister of Thieves

Brechtur: Ela
Vosgaard: Elyal
AL: Chaotic neutral (evil)
WAL: Any nonlawful
AoC: Night, darkness, thieves
Sy: Black dagger

Eloele (eh-LOW-eh-lay) is the daughter of Sera and Ruornil. She was born in the early centuries following Deismaar and became the lady of thieves, deceit, and stealth. She is generally not malicious power, but she is capricious and selfish; she loves to embrarrass or trick her enemies, sometimes with lethal results.
Eloele is said to live in every shadow and to hear all words whispered in secret. She roams the world in darkness, always staying an hour ahead of the dawn, to aid rogues and thieves engaged in under-handed doings. Her avatar is equal to a 16th-level thief and can command any darkness- or shadow-based magic. Her black dagger is a +3 weapon that never misses in a backstab and drains 1d4 levels from any creature is wounds.

Eloele's Priesthood
Few honest folk worship Eloele, but every rogue knows of the Sister of Thieves and seeks her blessing before setting to work. Only a few small shrines are scattered through the larger cities of Anuire and Brechtur, but a society of female warriors among the Vos reveres her as their secret leader.
Requirments: AB Wis 9, Dex 12; AL any chaotic; WP dagger, dart, crossbow, sling, short sword; AR leather, no shield; Major SP Animal, Chaos (ToM), Charm, Divination, Sun; Minor SP All, Healing, Necromantic; PW gains thief abilities of a thief of half priest's level, rounded up (1st-level thief abilities for 1st-level priests) 4) infravision to 30 feet; 7) darkness 15' radius 1/day; TU command.

From The Book of Priestcraft

Eloéle
Goddess of Night, Sister of Thieves
Lesser Goddess of Pandemonium, CN (E)

Portfolio: Night, darkness, thieves
Aliases: Éla (Brechtür), Elyal (Vosgaard)
Domain Name: Endless Maze/1st Layer/Pandemonium
Superior: None acknowledged
Allies: Cuiraécen, Sera
Foes: Laerme, Haelyn, Avani
Symbol: Black dagger
Wor. Align: Any non-lawful

Eloéle is the lady of night and mistress of thieves, spies, and others who hide their activities from view. She deceives as naturally as others breathe; those who lie by design or habit also take her as their patron. People who make their livelihoods during the day know little of her; at night, they whisper her name in supplication of her protection as they make their way to hearth and home, nervously looking over their shoulders. Rogues and others who hide their activities under cover of darkness look to her as their own, however.
The Sister of Thieves is the daughter of Sera and Ruornil. She was born in the early centuries after the destruction at Mount Deismaar, and her following has grown only slowly since then.
Eloéle is a subtle goddess. Although she does not avoid violence, she prefers to avoid it except as a last resort. She is more likely to reward an imaginative con artist than a greedy merchant who sends thugs and killers to destroy utterly his enemies. Both may worship her, but only the first will earn her favor. She is also fickle, however, and she has rewarded assassins as well as burglars.
Some popular legends link Eloéle romantically to Cuiraécen, although the relationship, if real, is rocky at best. The stories also suggest that she competes with Laerme for his affections. This competition may explain the sour relationship between the two goddesses, although this rivalry does not seem to have spread to their devout. Eloéle's disciples believe that she simply enjoys the challenge of manipulating him, although some of the more romantically inclined believe that some felling exists between Eloéle and Cuiraécen.
The goddess of night is also the rebel of the gods. She ignores the unspoken rule among the gods that they not involve themselves in the affairs of the world. She maintains a sense of sport about it, however. While she will not use her divine power to manipulate directly political or economic events to her own ends or those of her followers, she enjoys appearing in her avatar form and "playing the game." Rogues from across Cerilia report having been in her presence; not all have benefit from her involvement in their lives, for she punishes those who displease her as much as she rewards those she favors. She particularly enjoys "stealing the un-steal-able"-relieving those who protect their wealth with the best in mundane and magical security of both their valuables and their pride.

Eloéle's Avatar

Eloéle's avatar rarely appears the same way twice, for she can alter her appearance at will, although her avatar from is nearly always female. Even true seeing will not reveal her identity to any but other diving powers. Her face is said to reflect the features of every human nationality on the continent of Cerilia. She seems to favor clothing that allows her freedom of motion, preferring loose trousers and chemise to more feminine garb. She always wears a dark cloak spun from the stuff of shadow, which completely conceals her when it is closed about her.
Eloéle has shown her favor to worshipers who have pleased her by blackening a dagger, knife, or other item of equipment. These items then possess a temporary enchantment, which aids the follower in whatever task he is attempting. Although the magic is short-lived, the mark of her favor is permanent, and the object remains blackened. Those adherents so blessed with her favor, if they are aware of it, often carry these items with them as luck charms, refusing to use other weapons or objects (even enchanted ones).
In addition to her abilities as a 16th-level master thief, Eloéle's avatar can cast spells as a 12th-level magician.

The Church

The Clergy: Priests
Clergy Align: CG, CN, CE

As a religious organization, Eloéle's church is nearly nonexistent. Very few holdings can be found anywhere in Cerilia. Her strongest presence is in Brechtür; her priests have significant control of the temples and guilds of both Müden and Grabentod. Her church also has strong influence in the smugglers' haven of Mieres, across the Straits of Aerele from the Anuirean mainland. In other areas of Brechtür and Anuire, the church has little more than small shrines hidden from all but a few knowledgeable followers. These followers exercise virtually no control over the religious attitudes of the local population.
In Vosgaard, Eloéle gives her support to small secret societies of female warriors, although to what end, no one knows. She is virtually unknown in Rjurik or Khinasi lands.
Dogma: The church of Eloéle is relatively young, and it has not yet developed any extensive set of rules for its priest. Furthermore, Eloéle is not the sort of power who sets a great number of hard and fast rules. Nevertheless, devout adherents follow certain basic guidelines that have arisen over the centuries; most of these derive from an imitation of Eloéle's own style and preferences.
Priests and other adherents of the Sister of Thieves must always strive to choose the subtle solution to a dilemma. Even when bringing down a hated enemy or visiting vengeance on a wrong-doer, she expects followers to choose an approach that will ruin an opponent rather than destroy him. Neither vengeance nor victory have any meaning, it is believed, if the enemy does not suffer.
Violence is considered only one of many tools to be used to achieve a particular end. Eloéle's practitioners must use violence intelligently and selectively; those who use only violent means are weak-minded and stupid. Innuendo, blackmail, misinformation, betrayal, and even burglary require imagination and intelligence to effect; these are the weapons her disciples must use if they desire her aegis.
Popular sayings hold that if a follower of Eloéle tells a truth, he will be stricken dumb. Although the story is apocryphal, it illustrates her adherents' reputation for lying. This reputation is not wholly undeserved. Priests of Eloéle are so immersed in their deceptions and intrigues that they become almost second nature. A follower will rarely reveal the truth of what he knows. Conversations with worshipers of the Lady of Deceit are filled with half-truths, innuendo, and outright lies; if an when these fail, the speakers resort to silence.
Day-to-Day Activities: The priests and worshipers of Eloéle are a worldly lot. Their principal interests are more financial that spiritual. Many of their intrigues and plots revolve around controlling and manipulating local economic and political power. Priests of Eloéle spend much of their time managing their businesses and guilds, investigating the activities of rival operations, and keeping abreast of local and international political and economic affairs.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Priests hold simple ceremonies an hour after dusk each night for followers who wish to request of their goddess her assistance in the night to come. Temples and shrines also celebrate the evening of the 11th of Sehnir as the anniversary of Eloéle's birth.
Major Centers of Worship: The largest temple complex in Cerilia dedicated to Eloéle is located in the city of Brechlen in the Brecht domain of Müden. The Grotto of the Evening Star is a series of interconnected, high-ceilinged caves located beneath Founder's Tor in the wealthy district of the city. The priests bought the grounds several years ago through intermediaries, and began building up its interior to serve their purposes. The principal area dedicated to public worship is the Central Dome, an open-air grotto that faces the south. Natural hot springs running throughout the complex provide year-round warmth for worshipers. The caves beneath the Tor have numerous side passages that lead to hidden chambers where secretive priests manage the business of the order.
In Mieres, followers of Eloéle have built a complex of buildings connected by underground passages in the capital city of Seaward (in the province of the same name). These twisting passages hide a number of rooms, which serve as storage chambers for the goods they smuggle past the governor. Not yet strong enough to challenge the governor for control of the guilds of Mieres, the temple slowly expands its small secret network of informants, spies, and assassins in preparation for an inevitable guild war against the governor. Eloéle's followers are getting much training in the nastier aspects of urban warfare in their vicious conflict with the temple hierarchy of the Vos of Mieres.
Affiliated Orders: Associated guilds and secret societies uncover information, which they provide to the priesthood of Eloéle for a fee. These spies, thieves, and guilders are not limited to working in areas in which the church of Eloéle has holdings. They often leave messages at prearranged drop locations, where members of the priesthood pick them up.
Recently, Eloéle has also attracted a new group, which takes her as its patron: young bands of rakes and other ruffians. They see her as the goddess of chaos, and they worship what they believe is her destructive impulse. No priests are known to work with these groups, but they venerate the Goddess of the Night anyway, and treat her priests as their own.
In the Vos lands of Molochev and Zoloskaya, a secret society of Vos women warriors who take Elyal as their patron has formed within the last fifty or so years. The aims of this society are not known, but the churches of Belinik and Kriesha have attempted to exterminate its members since its creation. The society flourishes despite this vicious persecution. Rumors suggest that the group has begun to expand into other domains within Vosgaard, but this cannot be confirmed.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of Eloéle wear the colors of night: black breeches, dark gray tunics, and dusk gray cloaks. These are of fine wool, linen, or silk. The priests also bear the symbol of their goddess: a black dagger, worn in a sheath at the belt. These daggers are enameled and are of a different appearance from those blackened items that are symbols of Eloéle's favor. Some followers try to have their equipment blackened to look as if they have been blessed by Eloéle; they may fool their peers, but they do not fool their goddess.
Adventuring Garb: The principal difference between a priest's attire while adventuring or conducting daily business and what is worn in religious ceremonies is the quality of the clothing. Only the finest garments are acceptable for important religious events.
Priest of Eloéle look like most other people when conducting daily business, wearing whatever colors they prefer. Those who go on adventures are allowed to wear leather armor and have a reasonable selection of weapons from which to choose. They tend not to burden themselves with too much equipment (they'll make an exception for treasure, of course).

Priests

Requirements: Wis 9, Dex 12
Prime Req: Wisdom
Alignment: CG, CN, CE
Weapons: Dagger, dart, crossbow, sling, short sword
Armor: Leather, no shield
Major Spheres: Animal, Chaos (ToM), Charm, Divination, Sun
Minor Spheres: All, Healing, Necromantic
Magical Items: Any allowed to priests or thieves
Power Over Turn: No
Undead: Command: Yes
Powers: 1) Gains thief abilities as a thief of half priest's level, rounded up (1st-level thief abilities for 1st-level priest, including 60 discretionary points of a 1st-level thief, plus 30 discretionary points at odd levels: 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc.). Backstabbing multiplier is calculated at half the priest's level (round up); only after 9th level does the priest's multiplier reach 3 times normal damage.
4) Infravision to 30 feet
7) Darkness 15' radius 1/day

Special Notes

Multi-classed half-elf priest/thieves do not receive the discretionary points for thieving abilities at odd levels. Instead, they progress exactly as thieves. As a one-time bonus, however, they add 5% to their starting thief abilities, giving the following:

Pick Pockets: 20%
Open Locks: 15%
Find/Remove Traps: 10%
Move Silently: 15%
Hide in Shadows: 10%
Detect Noise: 20%
Climb Walls: 65%
Read Languages: 5%

Half-elf priest/thieves then add their racial and dexterity modifiers, any modifiers for armor, and their 60 discretionary points to these numbers. These extra points represent the additional training provided by the priesthood.
The backstabbing multiplier is based on the thief class: no additional bonus is granted for multi-classed priest/thieves.

Proficiencies

Priests of Eloéle gain religion (Eloéle) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency at first level. They are free to select nonweapon proficiencies normally allowed to thieves without spending additional slots. Other proficiencies for members of the church follow.

Eloéle of Mieres
Required Proficiency: Disguise
Bonus Proficiency: Herbalism (7th level)

Éla's Quick Fingers
Required Proficiency: Disguise
Bonus Proficiency: Appraising (5th level)

The Nightwalkers
Required Proficiency: Reading lips
Bonus Proficiencies: Trailing (3rd level), information gathering (6th level, both from The Complete Thief's Handbook)
[+] Nesirie (Intermediate Goddess)
Goddess of the Sea, Lady of Mourning

Khinasi: Nari
Rjurik: Narikja
Brechtur: Neira
AL: Neutral good
WAL: Any
AoC: The seas, grief
Sy: Wave and trident

Nesirie (neh-SEE-ree-eh) is the patroness of mariners and explorers. Nesirie inherited Masela's power after that goddess perished, but their people-the Masetians-passed into history in a few short centuries following the War of Shadow. Nesirie mourns for them still, and any who know grief call on her. She is the wife of Haelyn.
Nesirie frequently roams the coastal waters and windswept bays of Cerilia, appearing as a beautiful girl in diaphanous robes surrounded by waves that answer her unspoken commands. She avoids combat when in her avatar form, but can fight as a 14th-level priest and commands 2-5 water elementals of maximum Hit Dice, strength, and loyalty.

Nesirie's Priesthood
Nesirie's Faith is a minor one, but it is popular with folk who live on or near the sea as well as individuals who feel they've suffered great losses in life. Few of Nesirie's priests are interestedin political power.
Requirements: AB Wis 12; AL any nonevil; WP dagger, harpoon, net, sling, spear, trident; AR scale or leather, no shield; Major SP All, Animal (sea creatures only), Charm, Divination, Elemental (Water), Healing, Necromantic, Protection; Minor SP Combat, Weather; PW 1) water breathing or water walking 1/day; 5) solid fog 1/day; 9) free action as per ring of free action; TU standard.
Paladins: Nesirie's paladins are always female. They share the granted powers of the priesthood, but cannot summon a warhorse.

From The Book of Priestcraft

Nesirie
Goddess of the Sea, Lady of Mourning
Intermediate Power of Elysium, NG

Portfolio: Mariners, explorers, grief
Aliases: Nasri (Khinasi), Narikja (Rjurik), Neira (Brechtür)
Domain Name: The Waves of Grief/Thalasia/Elysium
Superior: None
Allies: Haelyn, Cuiraécen, Avani, Ruornil
Foes: None
Symbol: Wave and trident
Wor. Align: Any

Nesirie is the goddess of the sea. She inherited her powers from Masela when that goddess destroyed herself killing Azrai at Deismaar. She also inherited the sorrow of Masela, whose favored people, the Masetians, met their end at Deismaar; now only a few of them remain.
Not everyone whose livelihood depends on the sea worships her, but nearly all pay her respect. Seafarers of all cultures murmur a brief prayer to her before setting sail on any voyage. Legend among sailors says that when Nesirie's grief overwhelms her, the seas become restless, so they offer to her their wishes that she find peace.
Nesirie is also the diplomat of the gods. She is the wife of Haelyn and mother of the mercurial Cuiraécen, and often is asked to mediate disputes between the two. Because of her connection to Masela and the lost Masetian people, who once lived in what are now Khinasi lands, she is accorded respect by Avani and her followers. She has acted as liaison between Haelyn and Avani, healing the rift caused by conflict between their followers.

Nesirie's Avatar

Nesirie most often appears as a beautiful pale skinned, dark-haired girl wearing diaphanous robes, her face bearing lines of sadness. Her worshipers believe that her tears are in every gentle rain or storm. She has also appeared as a creature made entirely of water, her form changing continually. She is said to be able to read the spirits of those she visits, for she changes appearance to portray images from her guest's past. Some sailors believe that Nesirie has appeared to them as a mermaid, while others believe that she is present in every fair breeze the fills their sails. A particularly insightful Khinasi sea captain, before setting out on a voyage near the end of the storm season, once gave to the sea and exquisite Masetian sculpture. So pleased was Nasri with his offering of a lost treasure of the Masetians, he related later, that his sails were filled with fair winds, his prow cut smooth seas, and his ship returned laden with a fortune in silks and spices. A dolphin accompanied the ship in its travels, and the captain believes this was Nasri herself, following along to protect the ship.

The Church

Clergy: Priests, paladins (women only)
Clergy Align: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN; paladins, LG only

The church of Nesirie can be found nearly anywhere land meets sea. Sailors from Taeghas to Luthovsky and Suiriene to Hogunmark venerate, or at least respect, the goddess of the sea. They call to her for protection from storms, creatures of the deep, and other hazards. They beg of her full sails and calm waters.
The goddess's church is not much affected by national boundaries. Priests in Ilien, for example, vary little in their attitudes compared to those in Suiriene. Individual rites and ceremonies may vary from place to place, but her role as provider and guardian for those who make their living upon the sea does not.
Only the Temple of the Ancients in the coastal provinces of Ariya, Aftane, and Mesire differs somewhat from the other temples of Nesirie. This temple worships Nasri as the goddess of the sea, but it also worships her as the patroness of the lost Masetian people. The priests of the temple preserve the language of the Masetians, collect remnants of their lost civilization, and record what they can of their history, religion, and legends. Most of the priests and followers of the Temple of the Ancients are Khinasi, but they include followers from nearly every human culture in Cerilia.
Dogma: The followers of Nesirie believe the sea to be the lifeblood of the earth; the ebb and flow of the sea are reflected in the life of each human being. Birth, childhood, adulthood, dotage, and death all come and go like the tides; and when death comes, the spirit makes the journey to its rest, where it is reborn. This is the cycle of life.
Within this great cycle are lesser ones: the cycles of night and day, work and rest, sorrow and joy. The followers of Nesirie understand this cyclical aspect, and they assist others in accepting it as well. Their compassion for those who have suffered has helped many of Cerilia's people through difficult times. The knowledge that these individuals are willing to help them through their grief for a lost family member or friend often gives the forlorn the strength they need to continue. Privately, adherents of Nesirie also fear that every person who gives in to despair and rage strengthens the grip of the Shadow World on the mortal world.
The clergy of Nesirie also consider important the remembrance of things past. They believe that only through the memories of those who are left behind can a spirit find peace. Those who are forgotten after death are easy prey for the power of Shadow. Priests of Nesirie teach that a candle lit in memory of a loved one who has died pushes back the Shadow. They believe that this simple ceremony is best practiced on the Eve of the Dead and the birth date of the deceased.
Along with this view, the followers of Nesirie believe that the works of the past are the guardians of spirits of those who have died, for they serve as a reminder of what they accomplished in life. The Temple of the Ancients in Mesire is the principal temple devoted to preserving the memories of the past, especially of the lost Masetian people, but every temple devoted to the goddess of the sea maintains the history of its locale. Not all of their records and memorabilia survive, for the history of Cerilia is not a gentle one, but Nesirie's followers do their best to maintain these histories and preserve the memories of the past.
Some theologians and religious scholars suggest that Nesirie is gradually assuming responsibility for guarding the dead. They argue that her preservation of the works of the past and her concern for the spirits of the dead will gradually give her the role of guardian of those spirits. The dangers that the Shadow World holds for spirits and the evil uses the Cold Rider and other fell powers make of them offend deeply Nesirie's benevolent nature. Scholars believe that as she grows more powerful, she will be able to prevent the powers of the Shadow World from luring spirits to their dark domains.
Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Nesirie, like priests of other faiths, combine religious observance with more worldly duties. They give assistance to those who seek it (including sailors of all faiths), provide solace to those who grieve, and study the histories and legends of the lost Masetians.
The temples conduct daily services before dawn and after dusk. In the morning, they give their blessings to those who will put to sea that day. At these services can be found local fishermen as well as the crews of great merchant ships and sleek naval vessels. In the evening, these ceremonies (considerably less well attended) request of their goddess her protection for those who are still at sea.
Priests of Nesirie's temples perform other tasks as well, many of which benefit the communities in which they live. Followers of the sea goddess maintain lighthouses on the shores of many domains. Some of the tenants of these lonely outposts are there by choice; some feel closest to their goddess when helping to protect those who depend on her good will. Others seek a solitary life because of some tragedy they have suffered, or as a means of atoning for past wrongs. Regardless, Nesirie's priests visit these individuals regularly to deliver their goddess's teachings.
Priests also use their magic and skills to predict the weather; most captains visit the local temple or shrine before putting to sea. The service usually costs little or nothing, but most seafarers drop a coin or two as a way of invoking Nesirie's blessing. Some temples purchase a portion of each day's catch from local fishermen, which they provide to the poor. This is not always a popular service among those it benefits, but most are grateful to the priests who bring it.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The Eve of the Dead at the end of Emmanir is the principal holy day for the priesthood of Nesirie. Their ceremonies honor the memories of those who have died and comfort those who grieve for them. The Masetians are also remembered at this service. In addition, this is the only time in the year that most people have the opportunity to view the relics of the Masetians. These displays and the elaborate beauty of the ceremony ensure that it is well attended by the local populace regardless of individual religious beliefs.
Nesirie's priests are often sought out by the families of those who have died. They look to Nesirie to help them manage their loss. This is true even among those who do not worship the sea goddess. The priests normally perform funeral rites only for followers, but they are often present, at the request of relatives, at funerals for worshipers of other faiths.
Almost without exception, nearly every new ship launched to sea is blessed by a member of Nesirie's clergy. Most seafarers believe that to ignore the sea goddess's blessing is to incur her disfavor, and the seas are already dangerous enough. This belief is so widespread that even among fatalists and others who do not follow the teachings of a god, few will sign up to crew on a ship that has not been so blessed.
Major Centers of Worship: The church of Nesirie does not have a central temple that provides doctrinal guidance to the faith. If the faith has a spiritual heart, however, it is the Great Citadel of the Temple of the Ancients in Mesire. This temple fulfills perhaps more than any other the role that Nesirie has asked of her worshipers.
In addition to serving her as goddess of the sea, this temple preserves the memory of the Masetian people. The temple has the largest collection of Masetian relics anywhere in Cerilia, and is one of the few places where the Masetian spoken language is still used. The temple seeks to develop ties with the Masetians living on the Isle of the Serpent, but they fear the influence of the Serpent in their own society, and have not yet done so.
The young high priestess of the Great Citadel, Jasmina el-Mesir (FKh; Pr7, Nasir; Br, Minor, 17; NG) is renowned for her insight. Devout followers from across the continent seek out her wisdom.
Despite its location away from the sea, the Ursuline Chapel of the Eastern Temple of Nesirie in the province of Calrie in Aerenwe is the most important center of Nesirean worship in Anuire. Strongly supported by the queen, the chapel sustains the worship of nearly the entire population on the province. The priests and populace venerate Nesirie less in her role as goddess of the sea (although ships do travel up the Berendor River to Calrie) and more as a goddess of self-reliance.
The people of Aerenwe do not seek to dominate others; equally, they prefer to remain out of the conflicts of others. The desire only to go their own way, depending on no one, responsible for no one. This has been the cornerstone of Queen Liliene's policy as well. The priests of the temple of Nesirie support them in their desire to remain aloof from the intrigues of outsiders. The diplomatic skills of the priests protect the domain from some of their more aggressive neighbors.
The chapel is named for Ursula Diem, a Veiled sister (see "Affiliated Orders," below) and scion of the noble house of Diem. She left that order to take on the duties of high priestess for her friend Liliene Swordwraith, then the young Queen of Aerenwe. Ursula had realized years earlier that the grief she endured was a result of her entanglement in affairs that did not concern her. Further, her enemies attacked her through those she loved. As a result, she preached a doctrine of self-reliance to the people of Aerenwe, exhorting them to rely on themselves and their communities in protecting their independence and way of life. So profound was the effect of her teachings on the people of the domain that the worship of Nesirie is now the only religion practiced there, although they are not intolerant of those of other faiths.
Affiliated Orders: The most famous order of the church of Nesirie is the Holy Convent of the Sisters of the Veil, more commonly referred to as the Veiled Sisters. This is a very small order, numbering no more than 150 members across the breadth of Cerilia. It is dedicated to protecting others from harm by persons of evil or selfish ways. Most of the women who enter the order have endured some terrible tragedy that has left them bereft. Taught by the priests and priestesses of Nesirie to face their sorrows, they repay the gift by aiding others in any way they can. Although they are skilled in comforting those who have suffered tragedy, they are equally skilled in preventing tragedy in the first place. Many of them are paladins of Nesirie, but the order also includes other warriors, priestesses, mages, and even a few thieves and guilders. Sisters are given new names upon entering the order; after this, their real names are known only to the head of their order. All Sisters cover the lower halves of their faces with a veil or similar mask (such as a specially-made chain mail coif) both to hide their individual identity and as a means of identifying the order.
Another order known throughout Cerilia and prized for its skills is the diplomatic order known simply as the Speakers. These priests and other followers of Nesirie extend their offices to heads of state and other leaders to prevent disputes from escalating into open hostilities. As they cannot correct the grasping nature of some rulers their successes are fewer than their failures, especially after the disintegration of the Anuirean Empire.
Still, this group has been instrumental in preventing some significant conflicts. It is the Speakers who shuttle back and forth between Daulton in Avanil and Seaharrow in Boeruine. They work diligently to prevent a war that could engulf all of Anuire and leave the Iron Throne open for the taking by the Gorgon. The Speakers are nearly all priests and priestesses of Nesirie, although this is not a requirement of the order. Rulers respect the neutrality of the clergy of Nesirie; other classes would have to prove such neutrality before being accepted into the order.
Some of the Speakers were once Veiled Sisters. Perhaps a natural progression exists in working to protect countries and kingdoms after learning to protect individuals and villages. Or, many of them may be inspired by the legend of Renelle of the Silver Veil.
Renelle was a Veiled Sister who lived in the years following the death of the last Anuirean Emperor. No one knows what tragedy brought her into the order. She was one of a small group of humans captured by the Elf, Rhoubhe Manslayer, in the province of Elevesnemiere in what was western Alamie (modern day Tuornen). Brought before the implacable Rhoubhe in the courtyard of his keep, all the humans save Renelle begged for mercy. He sent the other humans away to await their deaths. When the Elf asked her why she did not beg to be spared like the others, she calmly replied that there was nothing the Elf could do to her that she had not already endured.
Renelle's response and her courage intrigued Rhoubhe. When he turned to Renelle and asked to know more of her, she refused to answer. He pressed, but still she maintained her silence. Rhoubhe became enraged and demanded to know why she stood there like a wooden pole.
She turned to him, gazed for a moment, and said, "No number of human dead will ever fill the void that is your spirit." "What do you know of my spirit?!" Rhoubhe screamed. "Nothing," she answered, "Only that you turn your sorrow into hate."
Rhoubhe stared at her for a long moment, then spun, stalked to his chair, and sat down. He continued to stare at Renelle without speaking. Renelle, apprehensive though she was for herself and her condemned companions, returned his gaze coolly. The Elf finally spoke. "I will grant your friends their lives and freedom. You will remain for a year and a day. We must talk."
With that, he sent his guards off to prevent the executions and send the humans on their way. Renelle did indeed remain at Rhoubhe's fortress of Rhuannach for a year and a day. None know what passed between them during her stay, but while she was alive, there was an unspoken truce between Rhoubhe and the surrounding human lands. Rhoubhe's first attack came against the people of Boeruine, a year and a day after Renelle died.
Priestly Vestments: Priests of the sea goddess wear pale blue robes trimmed in silver or white. Members of the Holy Convent of the Sisters of the Veil also wear a matching mask or veil that covers the lower half of their face.
Adventuring Garb: When they face the possibility of danger, followers of Nesirie bear arms and equipment as they are allowed. Priests are limited to scale or leather armor. They are limited to the following weapons: dagger, harpoon, net, sling, spear, and trident. Paladins may wear any armor; normally, they wear armor appropriate to their environment and mission, such as armor of lighter weight when they are at sea. Paladins are unlimited in their choice of weapons.

Priests

Requirements: Wis 12
Prime Req: Wisdom
Alignment: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN
Weapons: Dagger, harpoon, net, sling, spear, trident
Armor: Scale or leather, no shield
Major Spheres: All, Animal (sea creatures), Charm, Divination, Elemental (Water), Healing, Necromantic, Protection
Minor Spheres: Combat, Weather
Magical Items: As priest, plus the weapons listed above
Power Over Turn: Yes
Undead: Command: No
Powers: 1) water breathing or water walking once per day
5) solid fog once per day
9) free action as per the ring of free action

Paladins

Requirements: Str 12, Con 9, Wis 13, Cha 17; women only
Prime Req: Strength, Charisma
Alignment: Lawful good
Weapons: Any
Armor: Any
Spell Spheres: Divination, Healing, Necromantic, Protection
Magical Items: As paladin
Power Over Turn: Yes
Undead: Command: No
Powers: As paladin (paladins of Nesirie may not summon a warhorse), plus:
1) water breathing or water walking once per day
5) solid fog once per day
9) free action as per the ring of free action

Proficiencies

Priests and paladins of Nesirie gain religion (Nesirie) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency at first level. Other proficiencies for members of the church follow.

Eastern Temple of Nesirie
Required Proficiency (choice of one): Agriculture, blacksmithing, brewing, carpentry, cobbling, fishing, leatherworking, pottery, seamstress/tailor, stonemasonry, weaving, armorer, bowyer/fletcher, weaponsmithing
Bonus Proficiency: Healing or herbalism

Peaceful Seas of Nesirie, The Sailing Song of Neira, Sailor's Home, Church of the Eternal Seas, Coastal Temple of Nesirie, Holy Temple of Nasri, Water's Blessing
Required Proficiencies: Swimming, rope use
Bonus Proficiency (choice of one): Seamanship, navigation, or weather sense.

Temple of the Ancients
Required Proficiency: Ancient language (Masetian; choice of spoken or written)
Bonus Proficiency: Ancient language (Masetian).
Character chooses spoken or written, whichever was not chosen previously.

Holy Convent of the Sisters of the Veil
Required Proficiency: None
Bonus Proficiency: One additional weapon proficiency in a permitted weapon.

Speakers
Required Proficiency: Etiquette
Bonus Proficiency: Diplomacy

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