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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BookTenTiger" data-source="post: 8529265" data-attributes="member: 6685541">Religion and Faith The world of Amnesis has no known gods. In the centuries before the war, the wealthy rulers of Vaulten Hall established a system of ancestor worship. Citizens of the realm were forced to honor the ancestors of nobility through prayer and tithes. It is said that named gods used to be worshiped before this, but any records were destroyed by those in power. Now most folks worship the Masters of the Three Towers, the powerful undead, aberrations, and fiends that conquered Vaulten Hall. There are three such individuals commonly worshiped as gods in Amnesis, though it is debatable if they truly have divine power. Masters of the Three Towers<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Old Ironspike<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Symbol: A barbed whip</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: War, Forge</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Forms of Corruption: Industry, Slavery</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Old Ironspike is a powerful devil, said to rule over the Tower of the Heart. He grants his followers knowledge of powerful machines, but uses that industry to turn their fields to dust and forge chains for their wrists.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Grandma Golden<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Symbol: A skull with two golden coins for eyes</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Arcana, Death</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Forms of Corruption: Greed, Immortality</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Grandma Golden is a lich in beautiful robes whose treasure hoard is said to fill the entire Tower of the Soul. She promises her followers immortality and a glorious afterlife, if they can pay the price.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Grinn, the Smiling Child<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Symbol: A necklace of teeth</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Peace, Tempest</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Forms of Corruption: Pollution, Zealotry</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It is said that the first aberrations sprung from the mind of a spoiled child who wanted more; this was Grinn, and they remain the child ruler of the Tower of the Mind. Grinn wants everything, and those who pledge themselves to the Smiling Child are said to be filled with an ever-blissful peace.</li> </ul></li> </ul>The Forgotten Gods After the war, rumors of gods spread once again in Amnesis. The rare few who can channel divine power call to the Forgotten Gods. Some say these are the true gods, granting their will to priests and prophets. Others think it is the land itself, the raw elemental energies of the earth and sky channeled through chosen individuals. Worship of the Forgotten Gods is a dangerous task. The Masters of the Three Towers are quick to visit destruction on temples and churches, and paranoid townsfolk may be inspired to take matters into their own hands in order to avoid worse fates. That said, the power of the Forgotten Gods often impresses those who witness it. Clerics, Druids, and Paladins who channel the Forgotten Gods can easily inspire hope, or intimidate those too far corrupted. One way adventurers can plant Seeds of Hope is in restoring worship of old gods. Unfortunately, so much has been forgotten about these gods that the rituals and lore must essentially be built anew. During some adventures, the characters will come upon powerful magic items called Holy Symbols. This might be a rune carved into a stone, a wooden statue, the sanctified bones of an animal, or a fragment of ancient text. Meditating upon the Holy Symbol (or casting Identify) reveals the Divine Domains and Seeds of Hope associated with its nameless god. In order to restore its divine power, the Holy Symbol must be given a Manifestation and a Lore. Example Holy Symbols: An iron horseshoe, with two crossed swords in the middle.Divine Domains: War, TempestSeeds of Hope: Triumph, Progress A bear skull carved with blackberry vines and stars.Divine Domains: Arcana, KnowledgeSeeds of Hope: Joy, Tradition An owl’s face, carved into the white wood of a birch.Divine Domains: Grave, OrderSeeds of Hope: Refuge, Purpose Manifestation: A manifestation must be chosen for the god. This might be done in a few ways. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An Intelligence (Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion) check may reveal local magical beings, folk heroes, or animals connected to the Holy Symbol.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A Charisma (Investigation) check can be used to gather information from locals about possible manifestations.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Casting spells such as Divination or Commune with Nature can reveal the manifestation.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The manifestation can be discovered as part of an adventure or granted as a reward.</li> </ul>Lore: To create the Lore of the god, the characters must be able to answer four of the following questions, one for each Divine Domain, and one for each Seed of Hope. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Why is this god prayed to?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What is this god’s temperament?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">When has this god appeared?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What evidence is there of the god’s power?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What offerings are preferred by this god?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What stories or legends are told of this god?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What are the laws or commands of the god?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">What restrictions or rituals does the god require?</li> </ul>These questions can be made up with a successful Charisma (Performance or Deception) check, researched through Intelligence (Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion) checks, revealed by spells such as Contact Other Planes and Legend Lore, or revealed in the course of an adventure. Restoration of a God Once a god has a Holy Symbol, a Manifestation, and Lore, it exists in Amnesis. It may have a proper name, such as Greenbeard, or be named after an animal or natural phenomena, such as the Briar Bear or Shadow of the Moon. Restoring a god plants a Seed of Hope, and should grant Experience Points equal to a Deadly Encounter. Forgotten Gods of Amnesis A few gods have already been restored in the realm. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Beggar<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Holy Symbol: A cracked bowl</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Peace, Trickery</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Seeds of Hope: Charity, Brotherhood</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Manifestation: The Beggar appears as a faceless individual dressed in rags, holding out a cracked bowl.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lore: The Beggar is said to walk the realm, in the guise of a poor man, woman, or child, changing their face with every sunrise (trickery). They are generous to those who give them charity, and vengeful to those who withhold (charity). Folks pray to the Beggar for luck and mercy, or in order to curse the selfish or powerful (peace). It is said there is a secret order of priests known as the Barefoot Brotherhood, who go about in the guise of the Beggar in order to visit divine justice on those who hoard their wealth (brotherhood).</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Storm Horse<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Holy Symbol: Crossed swords in a horseshoe</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Tempest, War</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Seeds of Hope: Triumph, Progress</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Manifestation: A horse with a body of falling rain, a mane of flowing clouds, and whose hooves spark lightning</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lore: The Storm Horse is a temperamental god, quick to trample their enemies beneath hooves of thunder and lightning (tempest). The Storm Horse is a weather spirit, and is prayed to for safe travel and gentle seasons (progress). It is said that in times of war, the Storm Horse would gallop at the front of armies, lending its might to the battlefield (war). Those who wish to win the Storm Horse’s favor should dedicate their triumphs to the god by placing a horseshoe at sites of their personal good fortunes, such as over a baby’s crib, on a post above a bountiful crop, or at the door of a newly built town hall (triumph).</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Greenbeard and the Lady of Vales<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Holy Symbol: A face cut into a leaf</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Nature, Twilight</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Seeds of Hope: Regrowth, Balance</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Manifestation: Greenbeard appears as a man made of bark and leaves, with a wild green beard. The Lady of Vales appears as a woman made of stone wearing a dress made of flowing water.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lore: Greenbeard and the Lady of Vales are sometimes said to be a loving couple, sometimes bitter rivals, and sometimes two faces of the same god (balance). They are worshiped for protection in wild places, or to help crops grow (nature). The two are gods of dusk and dawn, and in worship songs are sung at times of transition: the planting of a new field, the dedication of a spring or holy grove, the birth or death of loved ones (regrowth). At the same time, Greenbeard and the Lady of Vales are fierce guardians of natural places, especially against the corrupting influences of the undead, aberrations, and fiends (twilight).</li> </ul></li> </ul>Other Holy Symbols Here are some other Holy Symbols that may be found during adventures in Amnesis. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Holy Symbol: a red ruby with living fire within it<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Forge, Life</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Seeds of Hope: Health, Rebirth</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Possible Manifestations: fire; a smithy with a glowing heart; a shield guardian</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Possible Name: Hearthheart</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Holy Symbol: an owl’s face carved into white wood<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Grave, Order</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Seeds of Hope: Refuge, Purpose</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Possible Manifestations: a great white owl; the moon; a hollow birch tree</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Possible Name: Shadow of the Moon</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Holy Symbol:a bear skull carved with blackberry vines and stars<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Knowledge, Arcana</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Seeds of Hope: Joy, Tradition</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Possible Manifestations: a black bear with stars in its coat; a hermit wearing a bearskin cloak; a blackberry briar formed like a man or beast</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Possible Name: The Briarberry Bear</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Holy Symbol: a comet with a rainbow tail<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Domains: Light, Death</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Seeds of Hope: Light in the Darkness, an End to Suffering</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Possible Manifestations: a comet; a hooded figure carrying a torch; a sparkling geode</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Possible Name: The Torchbearer</li> </ul></li> </ul></blockquote>

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