Showing posts with label gods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gods. Show all posts
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Suloise vs Baklunish
From: Allen [gargoyle@GVI.NET]
Sent: Saturday, November 21, 1998 4:35 PM
To: GREYTALK@mitvma.mit.edu
Subject: Re: [GREYTALK] (Suloise vs Baklunish)
>While I am sort of on this Suloise kick--what makes anyone think the current batch of barbarians found on the Thillonrian Peninsula have anything to do ith their ancient Suloise forefathers ( or fore-mothers if you follow the matriarchal lineage idea), or in any way but the most crude resemble the vikings of Old Earth?
My own take on this has been that the Thillornian Penn. was inhabited by a minor race when the seul refugees made it there. Through various conflicts, politics, etc., the two peoples merged into one, retaining mostly cultural elements of the original race and the reiligion and appearance of the seul. Not perfect, but it works ...
> They were the ragged remains of a people that first invaded what is now the Yeomanry and Keoland. After consecutive drubbings they ended up in lands no one else either owned or wanted. So some questions I have ...
> Who taught them about boats? I haven't a clue on this one.
> Would they even bother with a batch of deities that more-or-less failed to prevent the downfall of one of the greatest empires the Oerth has ever seen? Llerg, yes! Maybe even Norebo. But Braim, Beltar, Lydia, and Lendor, probably not. I don't see mages as having real high status among the Thillonrian barbarians--magery was equally responsible for everyone on the sub-continent hating them with a passion. So Wee Jas probably wouldn't have a real big following their either. You might be able to give Xerbo, Phyton, Phaulkon, and Furtubo more "macho" aspects. Rough them up a bit and give them a cruder, less subtle edge. Kord needs to become more than just the god of sports. IMC he has a very strong storm aspect (sort of the Stormbull of the north, ala RQ). Pyremius (the poisonous dwarf) and Syrul (his lying mom) are just deities of those sour old folks who remember the good old days when the Suloise enslaved everyone and sacrificed them on bloody altars.
> How did such a decadent culture (as the Suel Dominion) lend itself to survival in the frozen north? It probably didn't. I would say they probably copied the survival techniques and society of some other unnamed (possibly Flani) culture already living in the area. Maybe they intermarried, maybe they didn't. Maybe they were just successful enough to overwhelm the natives, subjugate them and maintain a few of the Old Ways.
> Anyway, just a few thoughts on what many folk take to be assumptions.
>--Chris Jarvis
My list of deities for the Thillornian barbarians is likewise different from the standard seul - I include many norse or norse-like deities.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
The Dreaming God -A Fable
From: Jason Zavoda [nemesis@MAGPAGE.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 5:50 AM
To: GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: [GREYTALK] The Dreaming God -A Fable
There was a dream of wings. Tharizdun laughed, and from his laughter the Gods of Oerth were born.
Tharizdun had eight children of his laughter. Some men would call evil, others good, but all hated and feared their father Tharizdun.
The Oerth was a wilderness. The elves walked naked beneath the trees, the dwarves were more of stone and mud than they were of flesh. Man was a beast, hunting in packs, hiding in trees and caves from the greater beasts around him.
The oldest of Tharizdun's children, born only a sliver of a moment before his kin, reached down and gave thought to mankind. Tharizdun watched and smiled and blasted the land. In some places he drew the heat away till the waters froze and the plants withered. With a glance he raised mountains that belched forth fire, or turned the grass and trees to sand where the days baked and the nights were bitterly cold.
Man did not perish, nor elves or dwarves. All grew stronger and new races and species were born. The other gods showed themselves to the tribes of man. The ancient fathers of the Flan, the Suel, Bakluni, Oeridian, and Olman, and tribes which fell and did not flourish, and tribes which live on Oerth beyond the borders of the Flanaess.
Tharizdun took the spirit of the beasts and the spirit of man and twisted. The monsters of the Oerth were born, touched by evil, brought forth to torment and to destroy.
The dreaming god, Tharizdun, grew bored with his children, tired of his own monsters, angry at the resilience of man. He would do away with them all, devour all the Oerth and the gods he'd born from his dreams, but his children knew his mind.
None had the strength to match Tharizdun. Not all eight together could defeat him, not even bind the master of nightmares. But together they might trick him and use his greatest strength against him.
The world was a dream to Tharizdun and while he was awake he was its master, but some part of Tharizdun always slept. A balance was struck between his waking self and his dreaming existence. The children of Tharizdun knew that they must shift the balance, send Tharizdun into an eternal sleep, but some small fragment of the dark god must remain awake or the Oerth, its people and its protecting gods would be swallowed whole into the dreaming mind of Tharizdun.
The children of Tharizdun created a great hall within a castle sitting on a hill. Inside they prepared a feast beyond the imaginings of men. Of the Oerth and on the Oerth this hill and castle and hall appeared to be, but it was an island of thought, a cage and a trap for the dreaming god, their father.
They sang and feasted and rejoiced. They wove a dream, a pale imitation of Tharizdun's great dreaming. It brought the dark god to them. He was within the hall, though the doors were barred, and ruin was around him. The hall was dark, the walls scarred and the finery tattered and decayed, but his children were not there.
He found ten thousand rooms within the castle walls, ten thousand horrors he left behind him, twisted dreams and nightmares, but always his children were not there.
The sound of laughter that he no longer possessed called to him and he .allowed it in greater and greater haste. Up he went till he came to a small door in the highest tower of the castle. Inside there was a child's room and sleeping in a bed was Tharizdun, his children 1 s dream, small and pale, a fragment of himself, the dreaming sliver that the waking Tharizdun held inside.
There was a ladder against one wall of the room and a trapdoor in the ceiling. Beyond the door Tharizdun could hear the laughter which he sought to reclaim. A little climb and the trapdoor was flung open. Inside was laughter and a dream of wings.
Only the gods know what happened to Tharizdun's oldest child. In the room below, the child Tharizdun is awake and laughs among ten thousand rooms, but does not sleep.
* Visit Canonfire! GREYtalk-on-the-Web at http://www.canonfire.com/ *
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Monday, September 28, 2020
Bleredd for RQ/Greyhawk
Gods of the Bakluni
BLEREDD
Runes: Earth, Heat, Stasis
Tai Meta [talmeta@BELLATLANTIC.NET] Friday, October 02, 199811:50 PM GREYTALK@mitvma.mit.edu
[GREYTALK] DMD - Bleredd for RQ/Greyhawk
Bleredd is the god of metals, mines, and smiths. He is the son of Zaan and Selan, and brother to Jaahar.
Cult in the World
Bleredd is the Forgemaster; it is said that there is no metal he cannot temper.
Unlike most of his brothers, Bleredd sought a mate outside of his lands, returning with the lovely Ulaa, goddess of gems (to the envy of his sister, Jaahar, who has similar interests).
Bleredd's followers hold the 5th of Ready'reat as their Holiest of Days, with lesser holidays on the 5th and 22nd of each month. Bleredd's temples differ from most in that they are built of quarried stone, but boast a hammered metal shell that encases the rock.
Bleredd's priests wear simple blacksmith's garb, though generally somewhat finer and better kept than actual work-wear.
Lay Membership
Requirements: Blredd's faith appeals mainly to miners, smiths, and others who work with metal.
Apprentices of such trades are commonly found among the lay membership.
Skills taught by the cult include Craft (all smithcraft), Evaluate, Mineral Lore, World Lore, Devise, Search, Ceremony, and Hammer attack.
Initiate Membership
Reqyirements: Standard. Initiates of this cult are commonly found as journeymen in their trades, though in sparesely populated areas they can command the same prices as masters.
Spirit Magic: Bludgeon, Extinguish, Heat Metal, Ignite, Mighty Blow
Priesthood
Requirements: Standard. Bleredd's pristhood are all master smiths, mine foremen, and the like.
Sought out for their quality goods, Blredd's priesthood is among the
wealthiest in the regions that it dominates. Virtues for his followers include: Creative, Proud, Social and Stubborn.
Common Divine Magic: all
Special Divine Magic: Enchant (metal), Enhance (Gustbran, Mahome), Sure Hammer
Associated Gods
Ulaa: provides Command Gnome
talm ta@bellatlantic.net - I *am• one of the Chosen Few! ICQ: 12594453
AIM - talmeta1
TANJ Livesl - <http://members.bellatlantic.neU~talmeta/> Alternate Homepage -
<http://members.xoom.com/talmeta>
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Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Re: Which Religions believe in an Afterlife?
Subject: Re: [GREYTALK] Which Religions believe in an Afterlife?
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 15:53:41 EST
From: "Rip Van Wormer"
Reply-To: The GREYtalk Discussion List
In a message dated 3/8/99 9:17:10 PM Eastern Standard Time,
RVEST@IUSMAIL.IUS.INDIANA.EDU writes:
> it would be better to view the afterlife in the context of pantheons
I don't know how important pantheons are in the Flanaess. In regions dominated by one ethnicity, like (the Duchy of) Urnst, the Tilvanot, and Tenh, I would say very, but in other areas a variety of pantheons might be mixed in unusual ways. Basically, each region would have a different mix of beliefs, and you're right to assume that only one or two of the local deities would preside over death.
> Nerull - The Reaper not only squelches the fire of life, he also judges the dead sends them to their
> punishment/ reward
Nerull rewards people? I still say that Allitur is a better choice for judge of the Flan.
> Istus - I see the Bakluni as believing more along the lines of reincarnation is a lot like the big goddess-figures of the Near East: Astarte, Ianna, etc. In really ancient days, the dead of those people were sent to generic Sheol-style underworlds, but by Roman times the place was filled with
astrology cults from Persia (the Magi), and reward-punishment afterlives influenced by Mithraism. I'm not quite sure what was going through the heads of the devotees of Cybele, but it probably had something to do with promised immortality.
The doctrine of transmigration of the soul came to Greece and Rome from India via Egypt (if you trust Herodotus). It could possibly fit into Baklunish society, as an undercurrent if nothing else.
> Rao - I see him as shepherding the souls of good in his "Peace & Serenity" aspect. If he is Flan > (again, I don't recall), he rules the GH "Elysian Fields"
Incabulos is "common" (to most areas). Rao is Flan, but I think the Elysian fields fit better with Pelor, unless Pelor pulls his faithful into the sun.
> If Rao IS Flan, then Pelor really has no need to be involved in the business of Death.
I'd rather that Rao and Pelor aren't worshipped in the same regions; their portfolios overlap too much. It's much neater if Rao is common to the Flan tribes of the West, and the Pelor/Nerull dichotomy limited to the east and north. The exception would of course be high-traffic central areas like Greyhawk and Dyvers where many ethnicities mingle, and recent introductions
like the Raostafari (grin) paladins in the southern Great Kingdom.
Do you think chaotic gods would defer to Wee Jas? I understood they didn't get along.
> Akwamon - Len Lakofka's sea - god. See Procan. (Anyone notice how much this guy's name >sounds like that of a DC comic's character?)
Sitting on a park bench. Eyeing little girls with bad intent. Snot dripping from his nose. Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes. Hey Akwamon!
Akwamon, my friend, don't go away I need thee. You poor old sod, you see it's only me...
and so on.
The others are fine.
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 15:53:41 EST
From: "Rip Van Wormer
Reply-To: The GREYtalk Discussion List
In a message dated 3/8/99 9:17:10 PM Eastern Standard Time,
RVEST@IUSMAIL.IUS.INDIANA.EDU writes:
> it would be better to view the afterlife in the context of pantheons
I don't know how important pantheons are in the Flanaess. In regions dominated by one ethnicity, like (the Duchy of) Urnst, the Tilvanot, and Tenh, I would say very, but in other areas a variety of pantheons might be mixed in unusual ways. Basically, each region would have a different mix of beliefs, and you're right to assume that only one or two of the local deities would preside over death.
> Nerull - The Reaper not only squelches the fire of life, he also judges the dead sends them to their
> punishment/ reward
Nerull rewards people? I still say that Allitur is a better choice for judge of the Flan.
> Istus - I see the Bakluni as believing more along the lines of reincarnation is a lot like the big goddess-figures of the Near East: Astarte, Ianna, etc. In really ancient days, the dead of those people were sent to generic Sheol-style underworlds, but by Roman times the place was filled with
astrology cults from Persia (the Magi), and reward-punishment afterlives influenced by Mithraism. I'm not quite sure what was going through the heads of the devotees of Cybele, but it probably had something to do with promised immortality.
The doctrine of transmigration of the soul came to Greece and Rome from India via Egypt (if you trust Herodotus). It could possibly fit into Baklunish society, as an undercurrent if nothing else.
> Rao - I see him as shepherding the souls of good in his "Peace & Serenity" aspect. If he is Flan > (again, I don't recall), he rules the GH "Elysian Fields"
Incabulos is "common" (to most areas). Rao is Flan, but I think the Elysian fields fit better with Pelor, unless Pelor pulls his faithful into the sun.
> If Rao IS Flan, then Pelor really has no need to be involved in the business of Death.
I'd rather that Rao and Pelor aren't worshipped in the same regions; their portfolios overlap too much. It's much neater if Rao is common to the Flan tribes of the West, and the Pelor/Nerull dichotomy limited to the east and north. The exception would of course be high-traffic central areas like Greyhawk and Dyvers where many ethnicities mingle, and recent introductions
like the Raostafari (grin) paladins in the southern Great Kingdom.
Do you think chaotic gods would defer to Wee Jas? I understood they didn't get along.
> Akwamon - Len Lakofka's sea - god. See Procan. (Anyone notice how much this guy's name >sounds like that of a DC comic's character?)
Sitting on a park bench. Eyeing little girls with bad intent. Snot dripping from his nose. Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes. Hey Akwamon!
Akwamon, my friend, don't go away I need thee. You poor old sod, you see it's only me...
and so on.
The others are fine.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Re: 3ed bastardation of gods....
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 21:33:23 -0800
From: Eric Van
Subject: Re: 3ed bastardation of gods....
Ummm...where's Incabulos?
I know Nerull and Hextor usually get the limelight, but that's why I liked Incabulos so much.
Ah well.
Eric VdW
--- sander wrote:
> Well, just you all knew - it is from the same site the holds the "vote".
> There is a tid-bit called 3ed gods. The table looks like this:
>
> God's name Portfolio Align. Domains
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
> Heironeous Valor LG Good, Law, War
> Moradin Dwarves LG Earth, Good, Law, Protection
> Yondalla Halflings LG Good, Law, Protection
> Ehlonna Woodlands NG Animal, Good, Plant, Sun
> Carl* Gnomes NG Good, Protection, Trickery
> Pelor Sun NG Good, Healing, Strength, Sun
> Corellon* Elves CG Chaos, Good, Protection, War
> Kord Strength CG Chaos, Good, Strength, Luck
> Wee Jas Death & Magic LN Death, Law, Magic
> St Cuthbert Retribution LN Law, Strength, Protection, Destruction
> Boccob Magic N Knowledge, Magic, Trickery
> Fharlanghn Roads N Luck, Protection, Travel
> Obad-Hai Nature N Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Water
> Olidammara Thieves CN Chaos, Luck, Trickery
> Hextor Tyranny LE Destruction, Evil, Law, War
> Nerull Death NE Death, Evil, Trickery
> Vecna Secrets NE Evil, Knowledge, Magic
> Erythnul Slaughter CE Chaos, Evil, Trickery, War
> Gruumsh Orcs CE Chaos, Evil, War
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> * Carl's and Correllon's names shortened by me. They still have their full
> names.
>
> My only comment - if the table is true - is "You screwed it up, bastards!".
>
> There are way too many gods with trickery in the domain. Also:
>
> * Olidammara's portfolio is thieves? Everybody hit that designer who
> read way too much conan instead of paying attention to Greyhawk. Also,
> suddenly music and wines and spirits are not something in his domain? Bad.
>
> * Boccob has now a domain of trickery? Oh no, all boccobs priest -
> supposed to be grave and considerate people - seem to have left and become
> Zagig's followers...
>
> * Who is the real god of magic? It seems as if all three - Boccob, Wee Jas
> and Vecna are contesting for the position...
>
> * Ehlonna has lost half-elves (of all things!) and gained sun...
>
> * Obad-Hai now has way in-appropriate elemental spheres...
>
> * Erythnul is apparently majorly screwed up if his spheres are really as
> seen above
>
> * There is a domain of GOOD!!!! And similarily the others, like Evil,
> chaos and law, but apparently *NOT* Neutrality!
>
> * Why the hell had they to bring in Vecna?
>
> Sander
>
> There is no love, no good, no happiness and no future -
> these are all just illusions.
From: Eric Van
Subject: Re: 3ed bastardation of gods....
Ummm...where's Incabulos?
I know Nerull and Hextor usually get the limelight, but that's why I liked Incabulos so much.
Ah well.
Eric VdW
--- sander
> Well, just you all knew - it is from the same site the holds the "vote".
> There is a tid-bit called 3ed gods. The table looks like this:
>
> God's name Portfolio Align. Domains
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
> Heironeous Valor LG Good, Law, War
> Moradin Dwarves LG Earth, Good, Law, Protection
> Yondalla Halflings LG Good, Law, Protection
> Ehlonna Woodlands NG Animal, Good, Plant, Sun
> Carl* Gnomes NG Good, Protection, Trickery
> Pelor Sun NG Good, Healing, Strength, Sun
> Corellon* Elves CG Chaos, Good, Protection, War
> Kord Strength CG Chaos, Good, Strength, Luck
> Wee Jas Death & Magic LN Death, Law, Magic
> St Cuthbert Retribution LN Law, Strength, Protection, Destruction
> Boccob Magic N Knowledge, Magic, Trickery
> Fharlanghn Roads N Luck, Protection, Travel
> Obad-Hai Nature N Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Water
> Olidammara Thieves CN Chaos, Luck, Trickery
> Hextor Tyranny LE Destruction, Evil, Law, War
> Nerull Death NE Death, Evil, Trickery
> Vecna Secrets NE Evil, Knowledge, Magic
> Erythnul Slaughter CE Chaos, Evil, Trickery, War
> Gruumsh Orcs CE Chaos, Evil, War
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> * Carl's and Correllon's names shortened by me. They still have their full
> names.
>
> My only comment - if the table is true - is "You screwed it up, bastards!".
>
> There are way too many gods with trickery in the domain. Also:
>
> * Olidammara's portfolio is thieves? Everybody hit that designer who
> read way too much conan instead of paying attention to Greyhawk. Also,
> suddenly music and wines and spirits are not something in his domain? Bad.
>
> * Boccob has now a domain of trickery? Oh no, all boccobs priest -
> supposed to be grave and considerate people - seem to have left and become
> Zagig's followers...
>
> * Who is the real god of magic? It seems as if all three - Boccob, Wee Jas
> and Vecna are contesting for the position...
>
> * Ehlonna has lost half-elves (of all things!) and gained sun...
>
> * Obad-Hai now has way in-appropriate elemental spheres...
>
> * Erythnul is apparently majorly screwed up if his spheres are really as
> seen above
>
> * There is a domain of GOOD!!!! And similarily the others, like Evil,
> chaos and law, but apparently *NOT* Neutrality!
>
> * Why the hell had they to bring in Vecna?
>
> Sander
>
> There is no love, no good, no happiness and no future -
> these are all just illusions.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Valsic Pantheon [DMD]
[This one is a special treat, having been printed out -- not from my e-mail -- but from the OLD Greytalk Archive website. So here is a chance to see what it looked like back in 2005, along with an early take on the pantheon I worked out for South Province (and wrote about much better later for Canonfire!).]
Friday, January 28, 2011
RE: [greytalk] Looking for a Bakluni War God
Wednesday, April 4, 2007 4:40 PM
From: "Marc-Tizoc González"
To: greytalk@canonfire.com
I agree. Al'Akbar as a righteous war / sun god, and Azor'alq as the noble paladin / fakir (is that the right word?).
LGJ 3 described Azor'alq (formerly of Pinnacles fame) and connected him in very interesting ways to Al'Akbar and the Bakluni struggle against evil / darkness.
MTG
"Vest III, Robert W" wrote:
I think Al'Akbar &/or Azor'alq are probably the closest thing the Baklunish have to war gods.
Rob Bastard
Bastard Greyhawk: http://homepages.ius.edu/rvest/Greyhawk.html
Age of Worms: http://www.ghoulgamers.com/viewforum.php?f=73
Greyhawk on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Greyhawk
-----Original Message-----
From: Basiliv [mailto:basiliv@cablespeed.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 10:36 PM
To: greytalk@canonfire.com
Subject: Re: [greytalk] Looking for a Bakluni War God
Official info on the Baklunish gods is sparse, so you might want to see what fan material is available.
But you can get just about everything officially available about them by consulting 2 sources:
1) The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer: This has a write-up of all of the Baklunish gods of Demigod status or higher. Each write-up is about 4 paragraphs, which is a lot more than many of them had in the past. But what I think is especially useful are the
write-ups of the Bakluni nations, and the religious conflicts add a nice dimension to this small pantheon.
2) Living Greyhawk Journal #3: This one may be questionable by some, as the real write-ups in here are of several Hero-Gods of Greyhawk. Several figures that were little more than names were turned into Hero-Gods, and a few of these are Bakluni in origin. But I mention it because, divine or not, the backgrounds of these figures provide a good addition to the religious conflicts I mentioned above.
Other than that, for official sources you've really just got several write-ups of Istus:
Greyhawk Adventures hardback
From The Ashes boxed set
1983 boxed set -- this also has a write-up of Xan Yae
I think that's about it. Hope this helps!
~Jim (Basiliv)
On Tue, 3 Apr 2007 22:39:14 -0400
"Aluvial" wrote:
> I'm looking for information about Baklunish gods.
> Especially a war god if any.
>
> I know that the Suel got a special writeup at some point... I was
>wondering about the Bakluni.
>
> Aluvial
From: "Marc-Tizoc González"
To: greytalk@canonfire.com
I agree. Al'Akbar as a righteous war / sun god, and Azor'alq as the noble paladin / fakir (is that the right word?).
LGJ 3 described Azor'alq (formerly of Pinnacles fame) and connected him in very interesting ways to Al'Akbar and the Bakluni struggle against evil / darkness.
MTG
"Vest III, Robert W"
I think Al'Akbar &/or Azor'alq are probably the closest thing the Baklunish have to war gods.
Rob Bastard
Bastard Greyhawk: http://homepages.ius.edu/rvest/Greyhawk.html
Age of Worms: http://www.ghoulgamers.com/viewforum.php?f=73
Greyhawk on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Greyhawk
-----Original Message-----
From: Basiliv [mailto:basiliv@cablespeed.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 10:36 PM
To: greytalk@canonfire.com
Subject: Re: [greytalk] Looking for a Bakluni War God
Official info on the Baklunish gods is sparse, so you might want to see what fan material is available.
But you can get just about everything officially available about them by consulting 2 sources:
1) The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer: This has a write-up of all of the Baklunish gods of Demigod status or higher. Each write-up is about 4 paragraphs, which is a lot more than many of them had in the past. But what I think is especially useful are the
write-ups of the Bakluni nations, and the religious conflicts add a nice dimension to this small pantheon.
2) Living Greyhawk Journal #3: This one may be questionable by some, as the real write-ups in here are of several Hero-Gods of Greyhawk. Several figures that were little more than names were turned into Hero-Gods, and a few of these are Bakluni in origin. But I mention it because, divine or not, the backgrounds of these figures provide a good addition to the religious conflicts I mentioned above.
Other than that, for official sources you've really just got several write-ups of Istus:
Greyhawk Adventures hardback
From The Ashes boxed set
1983 boxed set -- this also has a write-up of Xan Yae
I think that's about it. Hope this helps!
~Jim (Basiliv)
On Tue, 3 Apr 2007 22:39:14 -0400
"Aluvial" wrote:
> I'm looking for information about Baklunish gods.
> Especially a war god if any.
>
> I know that the Suel got a special writeup at some point... I was
>wondering about the Bakluni.
>
> Aluvial
Monday, October 19, 2009
Greyhawk parallels to real world deities
Date sent: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 01:26:56 EDT
Send reply to: The GREYtalk Discussion List
From: Rasgon
Subject: [GREYTALK] Greyhawk parallels to real world deities
To: GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Samwise asked, a week or so ago, what real world gods we associated with the gods of the flanaess. Also, Tal Meta complained that the gods of greyhawk lacked a mythology of their own. Someone else wanted more detail on the lesser gods. For them and whoever else is interested, here's a partial list of gods I associate with various greyhawk divinities. This list is just for inspiration in characterizing and writing about the deities. In some cases, the god will not be a perfect match.
Beory: Gaea and Rhea (greek), Grandmother Earth (amerindian), Hathor (Egypt)
Boccob: Thoth (Egypt), Hermes Tresmagistus (Catholic and esoteric), Odin (norse), Math Mathonwy (welsh)
Corellon Laerthan: Siva and Prajapati (indian), Zurvan (persian), Set (egypt)
Gruumsh: Horus (egypt), Tezcatlipoca (aztec)
Incabulos: Rudra, Chal and Hara (Indian), Plague & Pestilence (christian 4 horsemen)
Istus: Orlog and Norns (norse), three Fates (greek)
Nerull: Hades (greek), Ahriman (persian), Ghede (Haitian), Death (Medieval Europe), Arawn (welsh), Nergal (Babylonian)
Pelor: Asclepius and Helios (greek), Ormahzd (persian), Sun (Amerindian), Diancecht (celtic)
Rao: Osiris (egypt), Krishna (Indian), Great Spirit and Hiawatha (Amerindian)
Celestian: Bhuvanesvari (Indian), Akasagarbha (buddhist), Valevalenan (Samoan), Hermes (greek), Gabriel (Catholic), Wah-Kan-tah (Quapaw)
Cyndor: Coqui Zee (Zapotec), Leta Aquinchino (southern Zapotec), Braham (Indian)
Ehlonna: Artemis (greek), Epona (celtic), Ki (Sumerian)
Erythnul: Phobos, Typhoeus and Deimos (greek), Agni (Indian)
Fharlanghn: Mercury (Roman), Anthony of Padua, Christopher, Nicholas of Myra, Raphael and Three Magi (Catholic saints of travel)
Heironeous: Mithras (Roman), Tyr (norse), Lancelot (arthurian), St. George (catholic)
Hextor: Ares (greek), the Spanish Inquisition, Joseph Stalin, Huitzilopochtli (aztec)
Kord: Heracles (greek), Thor (norse)
Lendor: Chronos (greek), Methuselah (hebrew)
Obad-Hai: Sylvanus (gaulish), Attis (greek), Osiris (Egyptian), GreatSpirit(amerindian)
Olidammara: Dionysus and Hermes (greek), Vitus, Amand and Valentine (catholic)
Pholtus: Apollo (greek), Mithras (Roman), Anu (babylonian)
Procan: Oceanus and Proteus (greek), Nun (egypt), Apsu (babylonian), Manannan Mac Lir (celtic), Aegir (norse), St Brendan, Christopher & Elmo (catholic)
Ralishaz: Coyote (amerindian), Loki (norse)
St Cuthbert: Forseti (norse), Alphonsus Liguori (catholic)
Tharizdun: Apep (Egypt), Fenris Wolf (Norse), Nyarlothotep (lovecraft)
Trithereon: Horus (egypt), Willian Tell (swiss), William Wallace (scottish)
Ulaa: Fuji (japan), Delphi (greek)
Wee Jas: Hecate (greek)
Zilchus: Francis of Assisi and Nicholas of Myra (catholic), Pluton (greek)
Atroa: Flora (Roman)
Beltar: Hel (norse), Ereshkigal (babylonian), Lilith (hebrew), Coatlique (aztec), the Devil's Dam (medieval Europe), other chthonic forms of the Great Goddess
Berei: Hesta and Demeter (greek)
Bleredd: Ba (egypt), Ancanco (peru), Hephesteus (greek), Wayland (norse)
Bralm: anyone know the patron saint of beekeepers? And Isadore (catholic)
Delleb: Thomas Aquinas (catholic)
Fortubo: St Bernard of Mountjoux (catholic)
Llerg: Thor (norse), Enkidu (sumerian)
Velnius: Aeolus (greek), El (semitic)
I'm bored, so I'll just do a couple more...
Mayaheine: Athene (greek), Joan of Arc (catholic)
Wastri: the Demiurge (gnostic), Enki (sumerian), Dagon (Canaan)
'kay. I'm done. Any questions?
Send reply to: The GREYtalk Discussion List
From: Rasgon
Subject: [GREYTALK] Greyhawk parallels to real world deities
To: GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Samwise asked, a week or so ago, what real world gods we associated with the gods of the flanaess. Also, Tal Meta complained that the gods of greyhawk lacked a mythology of their own. Someone else wanted more detail on the lesser gods. For them and whoever else is interested, here's a partial list of gods I associate with various greyhawk divinities. This list is just for inspiration in characterizing and writing about the deities. In some cases, the god will not be a perfect match.
Beory: Gaea and Rhea (greek), Grandmother Earth (amerindian), Hathor (Egypt)
Boccob: Thoth (Egypt), Hermes Tresmagistus (Catholic and esoteric), Odin (norse), Math Mathonwy (welsh)
Corellon Laerthan: Siva and Prajapati (indian), Zurvan (persian), Set (egypt)
Gruumsh: Horus (egypt), Tezcatlipoca (aztec)
Incabulos: Rudra, Chal and Hara (Indian), Plague & Pestilence (christian 4 horsemen)
Istus: Orlog and Norns (norse), three Fates (greek)
Nerull: Hades (greek), Ahriman (persian), Ghede (Haitian), Death (Medieval Europe), Arawn (welsh), Nergal (Babylonian)
Pelor: Asclepius and Helios (greek), Ormahzd (persian), Sun (Amerindian), Diancecht (celtic)
Rao: Osiris (egypt), Krishna (Indian), Great Spirit and Hiawatha (Amerindian)
Celestian: Bhuvanesvari (Indian), Akasagarbha (buddhist), Valevalenan (Samoan), Hermes (greek), Gabriel (Catholic), Wah-Kan-tah (Quapaw)
Cyndor: Coqui Zee (Zapotec), Leta Aquinchino (southern Zapotec), Braham (Indian)
Ehlonna: Artemis (greek), Epona (celtic), Ki (Sumerian)
Erythnul: Phobos, Typhoeus and Deimos (greek), Agni (Indian)
Fharlanghn: Mercury (Roman), Anthony of Padua, Christopher, Nicholas of Myra, Raphael and Three Magi (Catholic saints of travel)
Heironeous: Mithras (Roman), Tyr (norse), Lancelot (arthurian), St. George (catholic)
Hextor: Ares (greek), the Spanish Inquisition, Joseph Stalin, Huitzilopochtli (aztec)
Kord: Heracles (greek), Thor (norse)
Lendor: Chronos (greek), Methuselah (hebrew)
Obad-Hai: Sylvanus (gaulish), Attis (greek), Osiris (Egyptian), GreatSpirit(amerindian)
Olidammara: Dionysus and Hermes (greek), Vitus, Amand and Valentine (catholic)
Pholtus: Apollo (greek), Mithras (Roman), Anu (babylonian)
Procan: Oceanus and Proteus (greek), Nun (egypt), Apsu (babylonian), Manannan Mac Lir (celtic), Aegir (norse), St Brendan, Christopher & Elmo (catholic)
Ralishaz: Coyote (amerindian), Loki (norse)
St Cuthbert: Forseti (norse), Alphonsus Liguori (catholic)
Tharizdun: Apep (Egypt), Fenris Wolf (Norse), Nyarlothotep (lovecraft)
Trithereon: Horus (egypt), Willian Tell (swiss), William Wallace (scottish)
Ulaa: Fuji (japan), Delphi (greek)
Wee Jas: Hecate (greek)
Zilchus: Francis of Assisi and Nicholas of Myra (catholic), Pluton (greek)
Atroa: Flora (Roman)
Beltar: Hel (norse), Ereshkigal (babylonian), Lilith (hebrew), Coatlique (aztec), the Devil's Dam (medieval Europe), other chthonic forms of the Great Goddess
Berei: Hesta and Demeter (greek)
Bleredd: Ba (egypt), Ancanco (peru), Hephesteus (greek), Wayland (norse)
Bralm: anyone know the patron saint of beekeepers? And Isadore (catholic)
Delleb: Thomas Aquinas (catholic)
Fortubo: St Bernard of Mountjoux (catholic)
Llerg: Thor (norse), Enkidu (sumerian)
Velnius: Aeolus (greek), El (semitic)
I'm bored, so I'll just do a couple more...
Mayaheine: Athene (greek), Joan of Arc (catholic)
Wastri: the Demiurge (gnostic), Enki (sumerian), Dagon (Canaan)
'kay. I'm done. Any questions?
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Re: Incabulos
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 1999 00:40:16 EST
From: ">Rip Van Wormer>"
Subject: Re: Incabulos
In a message dated 10/30/99 9:46:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time, aleph@CCWF.CC.UTEXAS.EDU writes:
> So how have you guys brought the worshippers of Incabulos into play in your campaigns? Who worships him, and why? What sort of goals have you given them?
Incabulos is the best god of evil the campaign has. Tharizdun is asleep, Nerull is too death and night oriented, and Iuz and Erythnul are just punks.
Incabulos is all-encompassing, the lord of nightmares, delirium, and the hordes of Hades, the patron of the witches who hex your crops and the ninety plagues of the gods. He's the only god who has "evil" as a major part of his portfolio. He commands maggots and corruption. He is tied to no specific
pantheon.
Incabulos is said to be the child of Beory; he ripped his way out of his mother's womb and proceded to inflict havoc on her surface. As the patron of UnBalance, he was responsible for overpopulation, plagues which endangered whole species, sickly forests that burnt to ash at their first encounter of a
spark, still ponds breeding monstrosities, endless famines and all manner of other maladies and travesties of the circle of Life. His younger sibling Obad-hai, patron of Nature's Balance, was created to set things aright, and the two have been bitter enemies ever since.
According to traditional Oeridian theology, Incabulos is the Ill Wind, bearer of all accursed plagues and manifestations. Working with the Court of Chaos, he slew the Oerid's oerth goddess Oeridia while she was still pregnant with the brothers Celestian and Fharlanghn.
The Suel churches reckon him as far older, one of the bizarre entities to crawl out of the primordial void before Time. As such, he is as old or older than Lendor himself. Even the power-hungry Suel dared not establish major temples to this foul menace.
Incabulos wears a black, horribly ragged cloak trimmed in green and lined with orange which blows about in the absence of wind, as does his hair. His face is a pallid, sickly blue covered in pockmarks and tumors that end in random horns and tendrils. His eye sockets are completely black with tiny
sparks like maddened stars. His hands are long and skeletal and his body is twisted and deformed, almost doubled over, with peeling scales, plaguemarks and running sores that resemble extra mouths and eyes.
Incabulos is supposed to have created the hordlings; nightmarish creatures with bizarre, surrealistic shapes infesting his plane of Hades.
As patron of night hags (nachtmares), he is the consort of the hag goddess Cegilune. Cegilune has Flannish features covered with cancerous, craterlike tumors and is associated with the darkest phase of the moon Luna. The two lovers look much alike.
His unholy symbol is one of the coolest of them all.
Everyone burns candles to ward him off, but he's worshipped by the depraved survivors and bringers of plagues, by those who haven't slept in years and those who sleep twenty hours a day. He's worshipped by those so consumed with hatred they would sacrifice anything for power. He's both served and
hated by hags and disease-carrying undead, and half-real things spawned from unwholesome dreams.
His devotees work alone, or occasionally and untrustingly with Nerulliacs or other depraved maniacs they feel will cause more harm than good. They seek to undo the work of priests of good with their heal disease and cure light wounds. They seek to throw corpses in the town well and make the women
barren. They destroy healing relics and undermine the good religions and heroic rulers.
Incabulos hates all of creation and constantly works against it. His realm in the outer planes might have looked like the cold void or gray dust he seeks to make of the worlds, but that's too easy. Instead, it's a place of constant corruption, festering
Magical items associated with Incabulos look like horns, drums, banners and other objects meant to signal allies, which in this case can be anything from enormous creatures of the netherworld to winds of invisible plague.
From: ">Rip Van Wormer>"
Subject: Re: Incabulos
In a message dated 10/30/99 9:46:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time, aleph@CCWF.CC.UTEXAS.EDU writes:
> So how have you guys brought the worshippers of Incabulos into play in your campaigns? Who worships him, and why? What sort of goals have you given them?
Incabulos is the best god of evil the campaign has. Tharizdun is asleep, Nerull is too death and night oriented, and Iuz and Erythnul are just punks.
Incabulos is all-encompassing, the lord of nightmares, delirium, and the hordes of Hades, the patron of the witches who hex your crops and the ninety plagues of the gods. He's the only god who has "evil" as a major part of his portfolio. He commands maggots and corruption. He is tied to no specific
pantheon.
Incabulos is said to be the child of Beory; he ripped his way out of his mother's womb and proceded to inflict havoc on her surface. As the patron of UnBalance, he was responsible for overpopulation, plagues which endangered whole species, sickly forests that burnt to ash at their first encounter of a
spark, still ponds breeding monstrosities, endless famines and all manner of other maladies and travesties of the circle of Life. His younger sibling Obad-hai, patron of Nature's Balance, was created to set things aright, and the two have been bitter enemies ever since.
According to traditional Oeridian theology, Incabulos is the Ill Wind, bearer of all accursed plagues and manifestations. Working with the Court of Chaos, he slew the Oerid's oerth goddess Oeridia while she was still pregnant with the brothers Celestian and Fharlanghn.
The Suel churches reckon him as far older, one of the bizarre entities to crawl out of the primordial void before Time. As such, he is as old or older than Lendor himself. Even the power-hungry Suel dared not establish major temples to this foul menace.
Incabulos wears a black, horribly ragged cloak trimmed in green and lined with orange which blows about in the absence of wind, as does his hair. His face is a pallid, sickly blue covered in pockmarks and tumors that end in random horns and tendrils. His eye sockets are completely black with tiny
sparks like maddened stars. His hands are long and skeletal and his body is twisted and deformed, almost doubled over, with peeling scales, plaguemarks and running sores that resemble extra mouths and eyes.
Incabulos is supposed to have created the hordlings; nightmarish creatures with bizarre, surrealistic shapes infesting his plane of Hades.
As patron of night hags (nachtmares), he is the consort of the hag goddess Cegilune. Cegilune has Flannish features covered with cancerous, craterlike tumors and is associated with the darkest phase of the moon Luna. The two lovers look much alike.
His unholy symbol is one of the coolest of them all.
Everyone burns candles to ward him off, but he's worshipped by the depraved survivors and bringers of plagues, by those who haven't slept in years and those who sleep twenty hours a day. He's worshipped by those so consumed with hatred they would sacrifice anything for power. He's both served and
hated by hags and disease-carrying undead, and half-real things spawned from unwholesome dreams.
His devotees work alone, or occasionally and untrustingly with Nerulliacs or other depraved maniacs they feel will cause more harm than good. They seek to undo the work of priests of good with their heal disease and cure light wounds. They seek to throw corpses in the town well and make the women
barren. They destroy healing relics and undermine the good religions and heroic rulers.
Incabulos hates all of creation and constantly works against it. His realm in the outer planes might have looked like the cold void or gray dust he seeks to make of the worlds, but that's too easy. Instead, it's a place of constant corruption, festering
Magical items associated with Incabulos look like horns, drums, banners and other objects meant to signal allies, which in this case can be anything from enormous creatures of the netherworld to winds of invisible plague.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Hardby: Ilshar Aki
Subject: [GREYTALK] Hardby: Ilshar Aki
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:44:27 EDT
From: ""
Reply-To: The GREYtalk Discussion List
This post is mostly inspired by Chris Jarvis' concept of Ra'al'tsvar, the keepers of the sacred bloodlines. I absolutely adore his work on ancient societies of Oerth. Basically, what I'm attempting to do here is use this concept in the context of Hardby as described in The Adventure Begins and Artifact of Evil, and the Suel language and culture from The Scarlet Brotherhood accessory. I am using tSB's Suel language, though in Jarvis' terms it should probably read Il'shar'aki, or perhaps Il'shar'tsvar. If I'm horribly misusing his ideas, I apologize.
Begin:
In the wake of the Rain of Colorless Fire, many heresies sprung up in an attempt to deal with the changes forced up on Suloise society. For a while, one of the most prevalent was allowing the belief in the sacred matrilinear bloodlines along which magical potency is passed to fill the vacuum left by the old hierarchies of power. For some, this reverence for bloodlines manifested itself as severe racial intolerance, a fear that purity was the highest and most holy goal remaining, some going so far as to create deliberate human breeding programs. For others, it meant that all of the remaining power went to the carriers of the blood -- the women (among the Cruskii and the Shnaii, it meant that women were actively repressed for fear of their potential influence, and the female thaumaturgii were forced to go underground as witches. The Fruztii remained egalitarian).
The tiny house of Norbe Nehelifon was of the matriarchal persuasion. Mob, the ancient matriarch, saw it as her holy duty to uphold the principle of Shar Aki -- Pure Womanhood -- and nearly destroyed her house warring against the barbarious Oeridians, who treated their guardians of purity like chattel. Her grandaughter Ena was wiser, and lead the survivors of the family (including such historical figures as Molly and Jaka Norbe) to the promisingly-named Wild Coast.
It was not to be. The Coast was too crowded already with crass bandits and desperados scarcely better than Oeridians, ruling each other by strength and force of arms, ignoring their ancient roots and connection to the subtle arts entirely. The Norbes moved on and settled in a deepwater port across the Wooly Bay, trading with and learning to survive from the matriarchal Flan tribes.
It was from the Flan that the new settlement -- called Il Shar Aki by the Norbes, and Harada (later vulgarized as Hard Bay, then Hardby) by the natives -- was to gain much of its culture. While still governed by the principles of its Suel founders, the daughters of Ilshar Aki found that the rather limited pantheon of Wee Jas, Xerbo and Osprem didn't serve them in their new home half so well as the goddesses of the Flan. A temple to Beory was concecrated in the first farms under instructions from the Flan as they taught the new settlements in agriculture, but the goddess that spoke loudest to the settlers was Ehlonna, the Horned Lady. Associated by the locals with moons, magic, the forest, and armed protection from those who would desecrate her, Ehlonna seemed to be the core of everything the Norbes were striving for. While Ena's name is included on the foundation stone of Ehlonna's first great church, and her body was laid to rest in the family tomb there, it isn't clear that the first Despotrix herself ever worshipped anyone but Wee Jas. Certainly, no invocations to the Horned Lady ever appeared in her tomb. Nevertheless, by the time of Ena Norbe's death, Ehlonna's reverence was
firmly entrenched.
Hardby today isn't the dominatrix paradise it is sometimes made out to be by prejudiced sailors and boastful townsfolk. It's a cosmopolitan port, and the casual visitor won't notice any marked differences from any of the other free ports in the domain of Greyhawk and the Wild Coast. Hardby depends on trade for its wealth, and it will do nothing to discourage visitors. Longtime and frequent residents know, however, that the city's balance of power is firmly in the hands of the women. Temples exist that cater to most of the Flanaess' gods and philosophies, but the biggest are the Jasidan, Ospremi, Beoric, and Istusian cathedrals, towering over the port town's skyline.
The philosophy of "Shar Aki" (still in the name inscribed in the city's record books) today refers less to the purity of fleshy blood (Hardby is now firmly multiethnic) than to the "flow" of the world and women's connection to it. The polis of Hardby believes that only women are fit to rule because only women are capable of truly understanding their place in Her greater scheme. This philosophy has also carried over to combat, and female knights are more common than male. Don't mistake this for some drippy New Age mantra; the female powers are old and fierce, and the Oerth's blood runs thick with hate as much as love. The original idea of the sacred bloodline still has currency among magical residents, though no racial stigma is attatched. Magical potential is searched for without regard to racial origin, as the existence of the half-gnomish illusionist Guma Norbe confirms.
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:44:27 EDT
From: "
Reply-To: The GREYtalk Discussion List
This post is mostly inspired by Chris Jarvis' concept of Ra'al'tsvar, the keepers of the sacred bloodlines. I absolutely adore his work on ancient societies of Oerth. Basically, what I'm attempting to do here is use this concept in the context of Hardby as described in The Adventure Begins and Artifact of Evil, and the Suel language and culture from The Scarlet Brotherhood accessory. I am using tSB's Suel language, though in Jarvis' terms it should probably read Il'shar'aki, or perhaps Il'shar'tsvar. If I'm horribly misusing his ideas, I apologize.
Begin:
In the wake of the Rain of Colorless Fire, many heresies sprung up in an attempt to deal with the changes forced up on Suloise society. For a while, one of the most prevalent was allowing the belief in the sacred matrilinear bloodlines along which magical potency is passed to fill the vacuum left by the old hierarchies of power. For some, this reverence for bloodlines manifested itself as severe racial intolerance, a fear that purity was the highest and most holy goal remaining, some going so far as to create deliberate human breeding programs. For others, it meant that all of the remaining power went to the carriers of the blood -- the women (among the Cruskii and the Shnaii, it meant that women were actively repressed for fear of their potential influence, and the female thaumaturgii were forced to go underground as witches. The Fruztii remained egalitarian).
The tiny house of Norbe Nehelifon was of the matriarchal persuasion. Mob, the ancient matriarch, saw it as her holy duty to uphold the principle of Shar Aki -- Pure Womanhood -- and nearly destroyed her house warring against the barbarious Oeridians, who treated their guardians of purity like chattel. Her grandaughter Ena was wiser, and lead the survivors of the family (including such historical figures as Molly and Jaka Norbe) to the promisingly-named Wild Coast.
It was not to be. The Coast was too crowded already with crass bandits and desperados scarcely better than Oeridians, ruling each other by strength and force of arms, ignoring their ancient roots and connection to the subtle arts entirely. The Norbes moved on and settled in a deepwater port across the Wooly Bay, trading with and learning to survive from the matriarchal Flan tribes.
It was from the Flan that the new settlement -- called Il Shar Aki by the Norbes, and Harada (later vulgarized as Hard Bay, then Hardby) by the natives -- was to gain much of its culture. While still governed by the principles of its Suel founders, the daughters of Ilshar Aki found that the rather limited pantheon of Wee Jas, Xerbo and Osprem didn't serve them in their new home half so well as the goddesses of the Flan. A temple to Beory was concecrated in the first farms under instructions from the Flan as they taught the new settlements in agriculture, but the goddess that spoke loudest to the settlers was Ehlonna, the Horned Lady. Associated by the locals with moons, magic, the forest, and armed protection from those who would desecrate her, Ehlonna seemed to be the core of everything the Norbes were striving for. While Ena's name is included on the foundation stone of Ehlonna's first great church, and her body was laid to rest in the family tomb there, it isn't clear that the first Despotrix herself ever worshipped anyone but Wee Jas. Certainly, no invocations to the Horned Lady ever appeared in her tomb. Nevertheless, by the time of Ena Norbe's death, Ehlonna's reverence was
firmly entrenched.
Hardby today isn't the dominatrix paradise it is sometimes made out to be by prejudiced sailors and boastful townsfolk. It's a cosmopolitan port, and the casual visitor won't notice any marked differences from any of the other free ports in the domain of Greyhawk and the Wild Coast. Hardby depends on trade for its wealth, and it will do nothing to discourage visitors. Longtime and frequent residents know, however, that the city's balance of power is firmly in the hands of the women. Temples exist that cater to most of the Flanaess' gods and philosophies, but the biggest are the Jasidan, Ospremi, Beoric, and Istusian cathedrals, towering over the port town's skyline.
The philosophy of "Shar Aki" (still in the name inscribed in the city's record books) today refers less to the purity of fleshy blood (Hardby is now firmly multiethnic) than to the "flow" of the world and women's connection to it. The polis of Hardby believes that only women are fit to rule because only women are capable of truly understanding their place in Her greater scheme. This philosophy has also carried over to combat, and female knights are more common than male. Don't mistake this for some drippy New Age mantra; the female powers are old and fierce, and the Oerth's blood runs thick with hate as much as love. The original idea of the sacred bloodline still has currency among magical residents, though no racial stigma is attatched. Magical potential is searched for without regard to racial origin, as the existence of the half-gnomish illusionist Guma Norbe confirms.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Gran March Religions Document part 5
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 00 20:39PM PST
From: Nick Perch Add To Address Book Add To Junk Mail Blocker To: GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: [GREYTALK] Gran March Religions Document part 5 (last part)
I lied, I only split it into 5 parts. Parts 2 and 3 are somewhat large.
Nick Perch
Gran March Triad
-----Begin Part 5
The Harvest Church:
Overview:
The Harvest Church is dedicated to the worship of the Oeridian agricultural Powers. The church worships Merikka and Velnius as the primary agricultural Powers, and pays homage to Atroa, Sotillon and Wenta according to the season. (Wenta is honored in all seasons in his aspect as the god of brewing.) Telchur is not worshiped, but services to appease him, and seek a gentle winter are held every Sunsebb, and services thanking the Power for his mercy are held every Readying.
In addition to the above-mentioned Powers, the Harvest Church venerates Saint Gwen, patron saint of the land and planting. The honoring of this saint is unique to the Harvest Church of Gran March, however it seems clear that this veneration is not some misguided cult, as priests who claim to follow Saint Gwen have been observed to invoke miracles in his/her name.
The Harvest Church is broadly worshipped in Gran March, encompassing a greater number of worshippers than any other single faith. This is a church of the common man, and while less politically influential than the churches of Heironeous or even Zilchus, the leaders of the Harvest Church are still well heeded by those in seats of power.
The Harvest Church was established by a group of like-minded priests in the earliest days of the settlement of Gran March. Though the idea of a multi-Power church may seem odd to outsiders, it has been a part of the fabric of Gran March for so long that it is accepted as the normal order of things. In the days when the Knights of the Watch were bringing order to Gran March, they made a decision to support and defend the Harvest Church.
This decision was based on the view that the Church would be an influence likely to avoid the petty squabbles between followers of different agricultural traditions that might otherwise have plagued the land. That alliance continues to this day, to the benefit of both parties.
Centers of Worship:
Chapels of the Harvest Church are found throughout Gran March, in villages and hamlets and towns. They are typically simple wooden structures, but adorned with a wealth of trappings to reflect each of the Powers venerated by the church. Such chapels are almost always attended by a priest, and serve both the host community and the surrounding villages. The center of the Harvest Church is the Golden Temple in Barony Bullette. This temple, constructed of yellow stone imported from quarries in the Hellfurnaces, is home to the High Harvestmaster and a large congregation. The remains of Saint Gwen are also said to be interred here.
The Temple of Merikka in Orlane is unusual in the Harvest Church, in that it is primarily devoted to a single Power. It was brought into the Harvest Church only within the last 10 years or so, and retained the trappings of a dedicated temple of Merikka until very recently. In 589 CY, the temple suffered extensive damage during a raid from the Rushmoors. While the main structure is still intact, many of the trappings (particularly the gold statues that were the pride of the church) were carted off into the Rushmoors. The temple has been partly refurbished, and there are currently negotiations between the leaders of the Harvest Church and those of the Orlane temple regarding the inclusion of the trappings of other Powers when the temple in Orlane is fully restored.
Activities of the Priesthood:
While each priest receives spells from a single Power, they consider themselves to be priests of the Harvest Church, and perform the rituals of the Harvest Church rather than of any individual Power. The priests of the Harvest Church are charged to aid those who work the land of Gran March. To this end they heal the sick, use their magics to enhance crop growth and prevent crop failure, carry news or messages as they make their rounds from village to village, and spread the word of new agricultural advances.
The priests of the Harvest Church are valued counselors as well. As with the Zilcherans and Cuthbertians, the Harvestors are frequently called upon to mediate disputes. Their advice is frequently sought by those in authority on matters concerning the common folk of Gran March. Additionally, Harvestors are considered, as a group, to be diplomats second in skill only to the Zilcherans, and priests of the Harvest Church fill not a few ambassadorial posts. As with the Zilcherans, Harvestors are frequently paired with a more military minded deputy ambassador. Reyla Hyttaska (priest 12, Merikka), the current ambassador to Keoland is one such. She is paired with deputy ambassador Lieutenant Deskar Vaggarel, (0-level human) a retired army supply officer.
Demographics:
About 24% of the adult population are members of the Harvest Church. They do not follow any single Power. The nearly exclusive majority of the members of the church are farmers or those in related jobs (such as millers or brewers). All the human races of Gran March are represented in the congregation, though a majority of the followers have Oeridian blood.
Females out number males about 11 to 9. The congregation comprises all alignments common to Gran March, as well as a significant number of Chaotic Good and Neutral Good followers.
The priesthood of the Harvest Church comprises priests of each of the Powers venerated by that church. The distribution is roughly 40% priests of Merikka, 20% priests of Velnius, 15% priests of Wenta, 10% priests of Atroa, 10% priests of Sotillon, and 5% priests of Saint Gwen. There are no priests of Telchur in the Harvest Church. All told, there are about 970 priests of the Harvest Church, and they tend to follow similar distribution patterns as the congregation.
Church Leadership:
The church is led by a High Vestry made up of nine leading priests. The nine offices of the High Vestry are each selected by different methods, and for different terms. The office of the Youngest is held by the youngest full priest in the church at the time that the office becomes open. The Youngest serves for 5 years, at which point a new Youngest is automatically selected.
The office of the Eldest is fairly self-explanatory. The remaining 6 offices are undefined at this time. The office of the High Priest is held for 10 years at a time, and the office holder is selected during the Richfest celebrations every ten years by voting among all Harvest Church priests. The current High Priest, who began her second term in 590 CY is Gabriella Consannis (priest 14, Merikka). Gabriella is currently using her office to smooth the integration of refugees into Gran March society and the Harvest Church. She is well respected and heeded by those in authority, and her counsel is valued even by Magnus Vridanian, Commandant of the March and a priest of Heironeous. She splits her time between the Golden Temple attending to the business of the church, and Hookhill where she makes sure the concerns of the common folk are respected.
Relationships with other Faiths:
The Harvest Church gets along well with its fellow churches in Gran March. The Church has an extremely close relationship with the churches of Phyton and St. Cuthbert, and the priests of the Harvest Church will usually not hesitate to help a follower of Phyton or St. Cuthbert in need. This warmth is reciprocated, and the three churches enjoy an informal alliance to serve the needs of the people of Gran March.
The priests of the Harvest Church are on cordial but distant terms with the Zilcherans. They are suspicious of the Pholtites, whom they regard as slightly dangerous zealots, and because of the extremely strained relationships between the Pholtites and both the Cutbertians and the followers of Phyton. They are suspicious of the followers of the Shalm, but largely ignore them, and they have a rapidly cooling relationship with the Heironean church, as a result of the proselytizing currently in progress.
The Church has a friendly but distant relationship with the church of Fharlanghn.
-----End Part 5 - This is the last part. There is no part 6.
From: Nick Perch
Subject: [GREYTALK] Gran March Religions Document part 5 (last part)
I lied, I only split it into 5 parts. Parts 2 and 3 are somewhat large.
Nick Perch
Gran March Triad
-----Begin Part 5
The Harvest Church:
Overview:
The Harvest Church is dedicated to the worship of the Oeridian agricultural Powers. The church worships Merikka and Velnius as the primary agricultural Powers, and pays homage to Atroa, Sotillon and Wenta according to the season. (Wenta is honored in all seasons in his aspect as the god of brewing.) Telchur is not worshiped, but services to appease him, and seek a gentle winter are held every Sunsebb, and services thanking the Power for his mercy are held every Readying.
In addition to the above-mentioned Powers, the Harvest Church venerates Saint Gwen, patron saint of the land and planting. The honoring of this saint is unique to the Harvest Church of Gran March, however it seems clear that this veneration is not some misguided cult, as priests who claim to follow Saint Gwen have been observed to invoke miracles in his/her name.
The Harvest Church is broadly worshipped in Gran March, encompassing a greater number of worshippers than any other single faith. This is a church of the common man, and while less politically influential than the churches of Heironeous or even Zilchus, the leaders of the Harvest Church are still well heeded by those in seats of power.
The Harvest Church was established by a group of like-minded priests in the earliest days of the settlement of Gran March. Though the idea of a multi-Power church may seem odd to outsiders, it has been a part of the fabric of Gran March for so long that it is accepted as the normal order of things. In the days when the Knights of the Watch were bringing order to Gran March, they made a decision to support and defend the Harvest Church.
This decision was based on the view that the Church would be an influence likely to avoid the petty squabbles between followers of different agricultural traditions that might otherwise have plagued the land. That alliance continues to this day, to the benefit of both parties.
Centers of Worship:
Chapels of the Harvest Church are found throughout Gran March, in villages and hamlets and towns. They are typically simple wooden structures, but adorned with a wealth of trappings to reflect each of the Powers venerated by the church. Such chapels are almost always attended by a priest, and serve both the host community and the surrounding villages. The center of the Harvest Church is the Golden Temple in Barony Bullette. This temple, constructed of yellow stone imported from quarries in the Hellfurnaces, is home to the High Harvestmaster and a large congregation. The remains of Saint Gwen are also said to be interred here.
The Temple of Merikka in Orlane is unusual in the Harvest Church, in that it is primarily devoted to a single Power. It was brought into the Harvest Church only within the last 10 years or so, and retained the trappings of a dedicated temple of Merikka until very recently. In 589 CY, the temple suffered extensive damage during a raid from the Rushmoors. While the main structure is still intact, many of the trappings (particularly the gold statues that were the pride of the church) were carted off into the Rushmoors. The temple has been partly refurbished, and there are currently negotiations between the leaders of the Harvest Church and those of the Orlane temple regarding the inclusion of the trappings of other Powers when the temple in Orlane is fully restored.
Activities of the Priesthood:
While each priest receives spells from a single Power, they consider themselves to be priests of the Harvest Church, and perform the rituals of the Harvest Church rather than of any individual Power. The priests of the Harvest Church are charged to aid those who work the land of Gran March. To this end they heal the sick, use their magics to enhance crop growth and prevent crop failure, carry news or messages as they make their rounds from village to village, and spread the word of new agricultural advances.
The priests of the Harvest Church are valued counselors as well. As with the Zilcherans and Cuthbertians, the Harvestors are frequently called upon to mediate disputes. Their advice is frequently sought by those in authority on matters concerning the common folk of Gran March. Additionally, Harvestors are considered, as a group, to be diplomats second in skill only to the Zilcherans, and priests of the Harvest Church fill not a few ambassadorial posts. As with the Zilcherans, Harvestors are frequently paired with a more military minded deputy ambassador. Reyla Hyttaska (priest 12, Merikka), the current ambassador to Keoland is one such. She is paired with deputy ambassador Lieutenant Deskar Vaggarel, (0-level human) a retired army supply officer.
Demographics:
About 24% of the adult population are members of the Harvest Church. They do not follow any single Power. The nearly exclusive majority of the members of the church are farmers or those in related jobs (such as millers or brewers). All the human races of Gran March are represented in the congregation, though a majority of the followers have Oeridian blood.
Females out number males about 11 to 9. The congregation comprises all alignments common to Gran March, as well as a significant number of Chaotic Good and Neutral Good followers.
The priesthood of the Harvest Church comprises priests of each of the Powers venerated by that church. The distribution is roughly 40% priests of Merikka, 20% priests of Velnius, 15% priests of Wenta, 10% priests of Atroa, 10% priests of Sotillon, and 5% priests of Saint Gwen. There are no priests of Telchur in the Harvest Church. All told, there are about 970 priests of the Harvest Church, and they tend to follow similar distribution patterns as the congregation.
Church Leadership:
The church is led by a High Vestry made up of nine leading priests. The nine offices of the High Vestry are each selected by different methods, and for different terms. The office of the Youngest is held by the youngest full priest in the church at the time that the office becomes open. The Youngest serves for 5 years, at which point a new Youngest is automatically selected.
The office of the Eldest is fairly self-explanatory. The remaining 6 offices are undefined at this time. The office of the High Priest is held for 10 years at a time, and the office holder is selected during the Richfest celebrations every ten years by voting among all Harvest Church priests. The current High Priest, who began her second term in 590 CY is Gabriella Consannis (priest 14, Merikka). Gabriella is currently using her office to smooth the integration of refugees into Gran March society and the Harvest Church. She is well respected and heeded by those in authority, and her counsel is valued even by Magnus Vridanian, Commandant of the March and a priest of Heironeous. She splits her time between the Golden Temple attending to the business of the church, and Hookhill where she makes sure the concerns of the common folk are respected.
Relationships with other Faiths:
The Harvest Church gets along well with its fellow churches in Gran March. The Church has an extremely close relationship with the churches of Phyton and St. Cuthbert, and the priests of the Harvest Church will usually not hesitate to help a follower of Phyton or St. Cuthbert in need. This warmth is reciprocated, and the three churches enjoy an informal alliance to serve the needs of the people of Gran March.
The priests of the Harvest Church are on cordial but distant terms with the Zilcherans. They are suspicious of the Pholtites, whom they regard as slightly dangerous zealots, and because of the extremely strained relationships between the Pholtites and both the Cutbertians and the followers of Phyton. They are suspicious of the followers of the Shalm, but largely ignore them, and they have a rapidly cooling relationship with the Heironean church, as a result of the proselytizing currently in progress.
The Church has a friendly but distant relationship with the church of Fharlanghn.
-----End Part 5 - This is the last part. There is no part 6.
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