The Gods
The following has been lifted from Fajitas'
Welcome to the Halmae SH. I've edited the text to remove references to his game.
Sidebar: the Gods
courtesy of Fajitas
There is an old parable about the three blind men and the elephant.
Three blind men are asked to describe an elephant. The first feels around and finds the trunk. "Aha," he says. "An elephant is like a snake!" The second blind man feels around and finds the legs. "No, no," he says. "An elephant is like a tree." The third finds an ear. "You’re both wrong," he declares. "An elephant is like a manta ray."
So it is with the Gods of the Halmae. They are strange and mysterious, and defy simple explanation.
Here is what is (almost) universally agreed upon. In the beginning, there were four fundamental forces, distinct in kind but equal in power. They joined together to make and maintain the World. Mortals call them Gods. What they call themselves is unknown.
Each of the Gods has multiple interpretations, but where one is found, the other three are present also. They are the four elements. They are the four seasons. They are the cycle of life. They are the four axes of alignment.
KETTENEK (keh-TEN-eck)
Kettenek is seen as a stalwart figure, implacable and unmoving, Guardian of the Underworld and Lord of Winter. He brings the freezing cold, and like the cold he hardens and strengthens things. Foundations are laid with Kettenek. His words endure, and his law is rigid. He is God of the Dead, though not of death, and holds the barrier between the living and the unliving.
Kettenek’s domains are Law, Earth, Strength, Protection, and Death. Winter is his time of strength.
ALIRRIA (uh-LIR-ee-uh)
Alirria is the tender mother figure, caring and nurturing, lover of all life and the Lady of Spring. Her tears of joy bring the rains, which restore all things to health. Spring is the time of plantings and beginnings. Journeys commence in Spring, and children are conceived. Her world is a world of love.
Alirria’s domains are Good, Water, Healing, Plant, Animal, and Travel. Spring is her time of strength.
EHKT (ect)
Ehkt is a boisterous warrior, never resting, never shirking, like a fire, always growing in any and all directions he can. He is the Champion of Summer. Ehkt seeks all challenges, physical or mental, and demands that they be conquered. His days are days of war and learning. Summer is a time to take on adversity and to be all that you are capable of, for good or for ill.
Ehkt’s domains are Chaos, Fire, Sun, War, and Knowledge. Summer is his time of strength.
SEDELLUS (SEH-deh-lus)
Sedellus is a creeping, hiding figure, crouched and lurking, the Mistress of Autumn, the Wind of Change, the Whisper of Death. Things wither at her touch. When her chill breath blows, leaves fall, animals flee, cities topple. Some folk are ruined by her cruel whimsy. Some are blessed. Some are merely ignored. Which it will be, she does not tell. Autumn is the time of death, a time of upheaval, a time of change for weal or woe. And the Mistress cares not which.
Sedellus’s domains are Evil, Air, Luck, Trickery, and Destruction. The Autumn is her time of strength.
Most members the general population worship all four in equal degrees. However, there are many sects devoted to specific aspects of each God. For example, The Lady’s Handmaidens worship Alirria as the goddess of love, while Nature’s Tenders focus on her as the goddess of nature. Some join these sects because their vocations demand it. Some join because their personalities draw them towards one god or one aspect. But even those who have dedicated their lives to one specific part of the divine order, acknowledge the presence and power of the other three.
There is very seldom in-fighting between religious sects. Like the blind men and the elephant, each interpretation is correct, if not wholly complete.
Between them, the gods govern every aspect of the world. But there is one exception: arcane magic.
Sidebar: Religious Orders of the Gods
Courtasy of Fajitas
The many different interpretations of the gods have led to the rise of a wide number of religious orders, each worshipping their own god in their own way. There are very nearly as many orders as there are different beliefs. Some of the major ones are described below.
Religious orders are not restricted to clerics, or even to divine casters. Anyone can belong to any religious order. Initiation rituals vary from group to group; it takes little more than a declaration of intent to become a Questor, whereas it takes many years of training and study to become a Justicar.
(NOTE: This is in no way an exhaustive list of religious groups. It is merely the list that [Fajitas] created for the PC packet at the beginning of the campaign. They were designed as seeds for character generation, tidbits to help spark the imagination. Details were deliberately left vague, allowing PCs interested in these orders to take part in their development.
Each entry include the most common classes, alignments, or clerical domains associated with each order, as well as any game-related trivia.)
Kettenite Orders
Kettenek’s Pillars
The Pillars live to serve. It is their mission to support all worthy and noble causes. They provide the foundation on which worthwhile undertakings can rest. They are usually Fighters and Paladins, but anyone who feels they can support righteousness is welcome in their membership. (Lawful Good; Law, Strength, Protection)
Justicars
Justicars worship the Law. They hold rigidly and mercilessly to its tenets. Everything is black or white for them. Legal is permissible, illegal is not, end of story. Judges and paladins are often found among Justicars.
(NOTE: The Justicars ... have deviated somewhat from the way [Fajitas] originally saw them, and that’s mostly [his] fault. Since they occupy a prominent position in most justice systems, they have turned out to be a somewhat more politically savvy than they are described as above. Or, at least, the higher ranking ones ... are. Lower ranking ones … they tend to be a tad more rigid in their thinking.)
Guardians of the Barrier
The Guardians revere Kettenek as the Lord of the Dead. They seek to ensure that those who have passed into the earth stay there. They seek to contain the undead, and more extreme members constantly protest resurrections. Many members of this sect have little to do with the living. They are often morticians. ... All Guardians take the name Cyrus when they are inducted into the Order. (Lawful Neutral; Earth, Protection, Strength)
Crossers of the Barrier
The Crossers were originally an offshoot sect of the Guardians. They probed the secrets of the undead, learning how to create and control them. They seek to emulate the Lord of the Dead, by ruling over them. Needless to say, Crossers are not very popular in civilized areas.
Since the Crossers originated from Guardians that had gone bad, many of them also carry the name Cyrus. This couldn’t possibly ever lead to confusion. Or hilarity. (Lawful Evil; Earth, Law, Death)
Alirrian Orders
Nature’s Tenders
The Tenders worship Alirria as goddess of nature. They encourage harmony with nature. Many wander the wilds, offering the goddess’s aid to her creations. Others live in city-states, helping the people there to live peaceably with nature. Tenders are busiest during planting seasons, when every farmer around seeks their blessings. Druids and Rangers often belong to this sect.
Nature’s Protectors
A more fanatical branch of the Tenders. Medieval eco-terrorists, the Protectors will aggressively protect nature against the encroachments of humanity. (Chaotic Neutral; Water, Plant, Animal)
Givers of Life
The Givers see Alirria as a healer. They dedicate themselves to providing for health needs. They are healers, physicians, midwives, etc. They live to help and aid the sick and injured. ... (Lawful Good; Good, Healing)
Water Walkers
Walkers are consumed by wanderlust. They have a burning desire to see everything that exists in nature. They are always on the move. The longer they stay in one place, the more they miss elsewhere. Walkers often serve as messengers in their travels. (Neutral Good; Water, Travel)
The Lady’s Handmaidens
The Handmaidens worship Alirria as the goddess of love, and they provide, ahem, services in that regard. Their temples are effectively high-class brothels, but there is nothing dirty or illegal about them. Their priests, both male and female, seek to share love, sexual comfort, and respect with others. ... (Neutral Good; Healing, Good, Water)
Ehktian Orders
Students of the Sun Blade
The Sun Blades see Ehkt as the god of War. Ehkt craves honor and glory, and showers praise on those who find the most. Most warriors, mercenaries, or soldiers belong to this sect. ... (Chaotic Neutral; War, Sun, Fire)
Keepers of Light and Flame
Keepers believe that Ehkt encourages growth. To them, self-improvement is the ultimate form of worship. They seek physical (Keepers of Flame) or intellectual (Keepers of Light) perfection, depending on their personal focus; the holiest of Keepers seek both. Monks, Wizards, scholars, and librarians are frequently Keepers
The Keepers of Light are one of the more pro-arcane orders around. The Keepers of Flame have less interest in the arcane question. (Chaotic Good; Sun, Fire, Knowledge)
Questors
The Questors worship Ehkt as god of challenges. Like a fire constantly in need of fuel, Questors constantly seeks new obstacles to overcome. There is no quest, no dare, no stunt, no new or potentially exciting and dangerous experience that a devout Questor will turn down. ... (Chaotic Neutral; Fire, Chaos)
Sedellan Orders
Harbingers of the Future
The Harbingers worship Sedellus as goddess of change. All things must end that new ones can begin. Change is inevitable, and often frightening. The Harbingers do their best to shepherd people through changes, feeling no need to force it upon them. They are the most respected sect of Sedellus. ... (True Neutral; Air, Luck)
Fortune Riders
The Riders see Sedellus as goddess of chance, never knowing which way her fickle winds will blow, but always working an angle to get it blowing in their favor. Riders are often con artists or tricksters. The Order supports itself through games of chance. They are not generally well thought of, but who really wants to offend the goddess of luck? Rogues are often Fortune Riders. (Chaotic Neutral; Air, Luck, Trickery)
Children of the Wind
The Children are dedicated to Sedellus’s evil nature, to death and destruction. They detest civilization and all its trapping, constantly seeking to bring about its downfall. They have little formal organization, as they are generally killed on sight. However, they continue to strike, generally from small cells, leaving ruin in their wake. It is *highly* recommended that PCs not play Children of the Wind. (Chaotic Evil, Evil, Destruction)
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A note regarding alignment. I don't play alignment in a formalised way. I rarely notice which alignment a character is (with a few exceptions) and don't insist on a one being chosen. For game purposes, consider the alignment associated with the sects to reflect the philosophical undepinnings of the sect and its 'ideal'.
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