KUIL
God of Rogues and Illusion, The Lucky, The Rogue, The Spirit in All
Intermediate Deity
Symbol: Silver dagger shining through shadow
Home Plane: Elysium
Godly Realm: Duskhall
Alignment: Neutral good
Portfolio: Daring, good rogues, illusion, luck, zeal
Worshipers: Bards, halflings, illusionists, rogues, scouts, rangers, wilderness rogues, fremlins, the gema
Cleric Alignments: NG, CG, LG
Domains: Good, Illusion, Knowledge, Luck, Skullduggery
Favored Weapon: Dagger or punching dagger
Kuil is the North God of Rogues and Illusion. Kuil is the oldest child of Immotion and Jalivier. He is often referred to as The Lucky, The Rogue, and The Spirit in All. Kuil’s Avatar is rarely seen on Harqual, as he prefers to appear only in dire circumstances. However, often a bright, young rogue catches his attention. Then his Avatar will manifest as a scrawny, undisciplined street urchin who just happens to be serious trouble. If the rogue fails to help Kuil, in this guise, then he or she will likely have a couple of weeks of bad luck, at the minimum. If the rogue is friendly and helpful to Kuil then he or she will find that Kuil has smiled upon him/her.
When he does appear to devote followers, his Avatar takes the form of a large, sinewy male humanoid, most often human or half-elven, wearing the best possible gear that a rogue could hope to find. The gear is always different in its apparent application, depending on the follower’s goals. A scout would see Kuil as halfway in appearance between a rogue and a ranger, while a temple raider would see Kuil wearing subterfuge equipment. Regardless of these minor differences, Kuil’s Avatar always carries his +5 keen speed assassin-bane dagger called Shadowstealer.
Dogma
Luck is life; zeal is joy. Followers of Kuil must dare to dream of the impossible and then if the chance arises, risk everything for the experience. Kuil teaches that one must accept what luck gives you. One must remain true to the morale high ground set by the faith, even in the bad times. Kuil is the patron of good-hearted rogues who live for adventure, not for treasure but for the thrill and the chance to battle evil doers. The tenets of his faith do not allow for assassins or cutthroats and his followers must remain vigilant against such scoundrels. Yet, he embraces the concepts of the rogue and the need for stealth. Illusion magic is the cloak of his followers as much as the shadows, which protects them from the evil in the darkness. Kuil’s followers are often called upon by the faith, as well as the entire pantheon, too guard the treasures of the North Gods or steal them back from those who would defile the pantheon’s holy places.
Clerics and Temples
The clergy of Kuil includes bards, clerics, rogues, rangers, and wilderness rogues. While Kuil’s clerics may be of any good alignment, his lawful good clerics cannot multiclass as rogues. Instead, they often multiclass as cleric/rangers. However, most of his most powerful clergy members are cleric/rogues (most often NG). There aren’t any paladins dedicated to Kuil, as The Lucky lets such powerful devotion fall to the followers of the other North Gods.
Kuil has more sects than there are Interloper Gods. Most of these divisions are invisible to outsiders of the Church of Kuil. To those inside the church, the variation in how to interpret doctrine is a valued way to keep the faith from becoming stagnant. Outright conflict between the Cabals of Kuil, as referred to by the church, is not permitted. Each cabal is responsible for interpreting the tenets of the church, while remaining true to the faith’s morale high ground. The largest and most famous cabal is the Order of Lost Treasures. The Order is the main group responsible for retrieving relics lost to the Pantheon of the North. Other cabals include the Scourge of Rogue Dragons, the Warders of Law, the Outriders of Kuil, and dozens of others.
Temples dedicated to Kuil are as varied as the church’s many cabals. They either take the form of a traditional temple or that of a Thieves’ Guild. Many are affiliated with such guilds, especially those controlled by the Order of Lost Treasures. The Order can often call upon such an alliance for aid in the retrieval of lost relics and even evil artifacts that the Order deems to powerful to leave in the hands of power hungry wizards. (The Order has such an alliance with the Angle's Edge Thieves’ Guild in the Kingdom of Stonn.)
The temples controlled by the Warders of Law, the main lawful good cabal, are more like wardens in good aligned societies, working with the local watch. Warder temples often have good relations with any lawful good aligned Honorbound Companies, in the region. However, the Warders of Law are not welcome in most despotic lands, even those aligned towards law. In these lands, the Warders are more like rogues in the night with more neutral followers to fight for the people behind the scenes. It is always a balancing act, as the Warders aren’t willing to break the law and are only willing to bend it in dire circumstances.
Those controlled by the Scourge of Rogue Dragons, a major neutral good cabal, are less visible then Warder temples, as they are known for plumbing the depths of lairs of those dragons that have rejected the Tenets of the Balance, to recover stolen treasures and learn the rogue dragons’ secrets. Scourge temples are known to recruit hoardstealers and align themselves with the Knights Majestic, in the fight for the neutrality of the Balance. Thus, they remain somewhat hidden in order to protect their clergy and agents from any havoc a rogue dragon, or its minions, might wish too unleash. The Scourge is known for taking on powerful allies of rogue dragons, as well (i.e. Cult of the Dragon).
The Outriders of Kuil are a major chaotic good cabal of the Church of Kuil. They don’t have true temples, instead riding across Harqual to act as scouts for the church. Many wilderness rouges favor this cabal for its ideals of freedom and daring. They take the fight to the old evil of the Sword Gods and the growing minions of the Interloper Gods known as Gruumsh and Erythnul. The Outriders are the most visible and well-known cabal in the northern lands. They are well respected by the common man, but are considered to be little more than mercenaries and outlaws by many nations.
The most famous temple to Kuil, however, is the Warder temple known as the Heart of Zeal, in the Kingdom of Navirosov. Navirosov, long a bastion of law and good, has always worshiped Jalivier over other gods. This devotion has lead to the citizens of that country to pay homage to Jalivier’s divine wife and offspring as well. Thus, it was inevitable that Kuil’s strongest lawful good cabal would come to prominence in Navirosov. Many turn to Kuil’s Warders when disputes require a more creative solution within the boundaries of the law.
Most other temples dedicated to Kuil are found in lands with a lot of conflict and uncertainty. Major temples can be found in the Aerie Holds, Arkhangel, Crystal Cairns, the Four Cities, Izmer, Minar, Osebye, Tallawan, and the Wind Plains, as well as in Stonn, just to name a few.
