No, not quite.
In this chapter we will discuss the culture, society and world of man in the Dusk setting. You will find many surprising differences between the way we view the world and how the characters view their world. To play your character effectively you must make some attempt to understand these differences even if your character doesn’t behave this way.
One: The Telzoan World
The people of the Dusk setting are known as the Telzoans as they live upon an island they call Telzoa. The island was named by conquerors from the south called the Malchani, and in their language the word Telzoa means “Fire Mountain.”
The Malchani came to Telzoa some eight-hundred years ago and their empire has long since fell and faded into memory – though some ruins of the time remain. The nobles of the island trace their lines to the officers of the Malchani armies. They settled in the east displacing the native people known as the Cuolshans and also dispersing elves, orcs, goblins, et al as they settled the coasts and lowlands. After a time they formed a nation called Dalsundria which controlled the eastern part of the island. More on that in a bit.
Telzoa marks the northernmost reach of known human civilization, making it a frontier region of the world. They call their world “Carthasana,” meaning “All Earth and Sky.” The Telzoans are a xenophobic and troubled lot, with a history of internal struggles that have left their island scarred. Understanding the Telzoan peoples involves understanding how those struggles have shaped their attitudes about the outside world.
As Telzoa enters it's fifteenth century since the closing of the great gates to Selacdrual at Castle Semberholme, the kingdom faces the difficult task of reuniting itself or, failing that, the dread fate of falling in on itself. Although the people of Telzoa think of themselves as one to some extent, they've already begun to form the national identities of their baronies. Even as the nobility struggle to subjugate one another, the people struggle to continue their existence on an island as volatile as the tempers of their lords
Life and Death
"Each life is a circle. Each existence is a chain." – Druidic Teaching.
Life expectation in Telzoa is exceedingly low by our standards, with most folk dead before the age of thirty. Part of this is due to the alarming infant mortality rates of the island - only half of all children born see their first birthday. Half this surviving number die before the age of five. The average woman in Telzoa will give birth twenty times, but only three of her children will see adulthood.
Not surprisingly, this mortality rate has an effect on the attitudes of the people concerning infants. Telzoans regard their very young children much as we would a family pet – with caring and affection, but the expectation that death may take them at any moment. Grieving is usually short for those taken at this precarious time. As children age and approach adulthood though, the attachment afforded them increases and at the age of fifteen the child is assumed to have reached majority.
Several factors conspire to maintain a life expectancy this low - plague and war chief among them. In the last century alone Telzoan scholars have estimated that the sporadic warring between the baronies has killed as many as 100,000. Smallpox and bubonic plagues have also swept the island several times along with a unique magical disease called Crimson Death. While priests magically abate the worst of smallpox and bubonic plague, the last outbreak of Crimson killed as many as 270,000 people. Predatory and poisonous creatures, most famously dragons, but also ranging from dragons to humble mountain lions and snakes account for as many as 7,000 deaths over the last hundred years. And the effects of 4 major earthquakes and one volcanic eruption in the last century cannot be overlooked in terms of their death toll, which may be as high as 90,000.
If death is a far more familiar sight in Telzoa, its counterpart - birth - is as well. With no birth control available beyond the most primitive of forms, many sexual interludes will lead to pregnancies. Some Telzoan women bear children quite literally whenever they can. While this has lead to families numbering with as many as 27 children, it would also explain why so many women die at a young age of apparently natural causes. Marriage too often occurs very early -- noble children have been betrothed at as young as five, but actual marriage doesn't occur until 9 at the very earliest (Even this is very rare - 12 is the usual age). Most women don't bear children until 15 - those that do are often killed by the pregnancy, or the fetus is aborted.
Despite all of this, faith remains strong upon the islands in the gods. Priests remain somewhat detached from the situation, and even if they can help they often won't, as disease is viewed as a manifestation of the will of the gods - a punishment for transgressions either in this life or in another. Another reason for this aloofness may be the sheer logistics involved in a concerted effort to alleviate the suffering of major plagues - that and the fact that much of the work is for naught since the Telzoan people still do not understand the basics of sanitation. Human wastes are cast out directly into the streets and occasionally it taints the water supply - leading to cholera and similar nastiness.
The general attitude towards life and death in Telzoa is that it is part of a never-ending cycle. Telzoans believe in reincarnation after a time - and that the acts in life are either rewarded in the paradises of Aborea or Valrea, or punished in the hells of Shuun and Sodrea. This afterlife lasts, according to most beliefs, for a century or so, and then most must return to life and begin a new test. Once all the tests are complete then the soul will reach its perfection and be allowed to rest for eternity. This belief, which pervades much of the priestly rhetoric given in the temples, helps to soothe the heartache of the populace.
Wealth and Trade
"While you can't take it with you, you can enjoy your stay." -- Timmon.
Although the death rates in Telzoa are alarming, her population is growing. A combination of the censuses taken in 1300 place the number at or around 2,306,000, although this figure doesn't include demi-human races. Analysis of the Matachan Ruandi Nombren would indicate that the population in 1360 was around 2,615,000 and currently it is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000,000.
The population growth has led to a growth in trade throughout the island and with its neighbors. Eastern Telzoa's chief products cross a wide range of goods. The island is rich in iron, gold and copper ore, so much so that gold has a lesser value as a currency on the island than elsewhere in Carthasana. Her agricultural products are dominated by wool, but this is supported by the growth of potatoes, rye, barley, wheat and oats. Eastern Telzoa also trades a large amount of finished goods with the nearby nations of Armandy and Telmandy. These nations, for their part, provide rare spices from the southlands, silver ores and gems and a trickle of rare fabrics brought up from the Estarian Empire far to the south.
Of the various industries on the island the textile industry is the fastest growing. Telzoan wool and cloths command high prices in Estarian markets, and the profit to be made in these ventures has not escaped the attention of the nobles of the island. As a result, in the last hundred years there has been a dramatic growth in the amount of sheep enclosures on the estates of the island. While in most areas this hasn't caused too much trouble, in some areas it has caused food shortages. This is particularly true in Alsland, where commoners sometimes complain of being starved to death by the sheep. The balance of trade shift this causes is more than a little dangerous - the fields of Telzoa, what with their rich volcanic soil and fairly temperate, if geothermically induced weather, is the only favorable area to grow foodstuffs north of the Calishmere. There is some terrace farming done in the cliff-lands of Armandy and in Telmandy, but the output of these farms is barely sufficient to support these nations and can little afford to export to Telzoa should the increased sheep-herding on that island cause a shortage of some type in the future.
Within the island trade is mostly dealt with on a barter basis. Nobles typically tax their charges in terms of a number of foodstuffs, such as chickens, cattle, vegetables and wood chords. Players be warned that coinage is not used in most areas, and money holds value equal to its weight and purity. Most gold pieces are alloyed with silver such that they only count for half value outside the jurisdiction of their minters. To further complicate matters, no less than 24 nations and cities are printing money somewhere on the island. Despite this trade is on the rise, and several countries have made inroads to attempt to standardize currency. Dalsundria and Dabrinia have been the most successful in this endeavor.
Nobles and Commoners
"I will never understand why one minority sect of your society treats all the rest as dogs." -- Trishdare, Elven Sorcerer.
Telzoans have an interesting sense of what separates the gentle classes from the rabble, tied mostly to idleness - the ability to pursue earthly pleasures whilst avoiding earthly work. This is not to say that Telzoans are lazy, but the noble Lord who does no direct work is held in higher esteem than the actor who's trade does not require manual labor, but is meager in its own right. The actor in turn holds more prestige than an artisan such as a cobbler, who does work with his hands but does not work out of doors. Those who's lot it is to till the land are held in lowest regard, especially if their work is indentured for crimes or past debt.
The actual distribution of wealth is indeed stark - 90% of the wealth of the country is in the hands of 6% of the population. This upper tier of nobles also control 85% of all the land in Telzoa that is under human control. The power enjoyed by these families is enormous - and their shifting allegiances are the principle agency by which the Succession Wars have been continued, on and off, for the last 200 years. There are only 15 families in Telzoa with heraldry dating back to the arrival of the Malchani. Beyond this core are only around 42 more families that have lands and titles granted by the self-styled kings that control the twelve baronies of the island.
The middle classes are still considered, along with the nobles, to be "gentlemen." This hodgepodge group also contains the landless nobles - who are, as a rule, the second and third born sons of the landed families, denied lands and titles by the predominate inheritance system of primogeniture. Knights, priests, scholars, entertainers, lesser government officials and persons of similar station round out the group. Craftsmen may or may not be included in this group - blacksmiths certainly aren't, but whitesmiths (those who work in soft metals, particularly silver and gold) are. This class holds considerable power in the cities and their wealth has earned them some begrudging respect from the upper nobles who often find themselves in need of their services. It can be assumed that most "adventuring" characters, such as the role the PC's most likely fit, fall into this social strata and as such are charged with the modes of behavior appropriate to their station (the details of this are to be detailed further in the book).
The commonfolk who work the land are not considered gentile in any way, and are often the butt of jokes and derision of the upper classes. Despite their lowly stasis though, their role is important enough that they do enjoy some basic rights under common law.
Telzoa society's classes are fairly locked down, and while movement does occur through the ranks, it is rarely more than one or two steps in a single generation. Those who attempt to fight their way up the social ladder are usually admired by those beneath them; begrudged respect of those who are their equals, and disrespected by their superiors. The two main exceptions to this are priests and wizards. Priests have their own hierarchy based primarily on merit (depending on the temple). Wizards are feared universally by non-wizards, and they are so lacking in number that they rarely attempt to striate themselves within their own number (so far as is known by the commonfolk).
There have been some half-hearted attempts to keep the rabble in their place, most famous of which are the sumptuary laws. These laws prohibit the wearing of expensive cloths and jewels by those of low station. As a rule, these are almost never enforced, and even when they are such enforcement is by moderate fine. There are also innumerable loopholes in the law that have found themselves placed there over time. One of the principle obstacles to their enforcement is the ready proof of station. Only high nobles carry badges of heraldry to prove their lineage, and the sumptuary laws are not so specific as to limit cloths to them. Thus, in the end, the only effective obstacle in what a character can cloth himself in is what he can afford - although players should be warned that bureaucrats are infamous for using little known laws to advance their cause.
Riot and Disorder
"The peasants are revolting - that much is known at all times. Pray then that rank alone is their offense, as opposed to arms."
-- Quip from the play A Noble Supper.
Between the harsh conditions imposed by nature and the harsh conditions imposed by those in power, it should not be surprising that several times in Telzoa's history that armed revolt by the peasantry has occurred. Typically these rebellions are put down in brutal and sometimes gruesome fashion. That only one rebellion - The Merchant's Rebellion in Dabrinia (1343) - has been successful and hundreds have not hasn't daunted those who would move against the powers that be. Most of these uprisings have been pell-mell attacks that collapse on themselves. Most of the participants are slain, the leaders hunted down and publicly executed, and then the nobles usually rectify the problem that caused the uprising in the first place - provided that is convenient.
The afore mentioned Merchant's Rebellion can be measured successful since it ended King Maidoc of Milicsundria's control of Dabrinia and established the island nation's independence. Fought between 1343 and 1345 SR, it took advantage of the fact that Maidoc had already weakened his resources in a vain attempt to pursue territorial rights in Telmandy. In its wake Dabrinia has become on the surface the most forward thinking territory of Telzoa, although it is rife with political maneuverings between its powerful merchant families.
Other rebellions have met more ignominious ends. The so-called Barley Rebellion of 1306 in Dalsundria is a typical case. Provoked by several bad harvests, a rumor somehow got started that then Duke Charles Orlanis was stockpiling huge amounts of barley and grain for export to Hone Rae despite the fact his people were starving. The two weeks of fighting and insanity ended with the perpetrators being burned at the stake in the marketplace at Ultan.
Many of the riots that have occurred in Telzoa have shared several causes. Most of the time a shortage of some type, usually food, compels the rebellion. At other times festivity simply gets out of hand and turns ugly. Classic times for this to occur include the Rizaldi Tunis (Rose festival), the Hula Tunis (Harvest-tide festival) and the new year's celebrations. These outbreaks are to be expected and sometimes even go somewhat unpunished - depending on how much blood is spilled during the confusion.
More insidious, at least from the noble point of view, are planned rebellions. Paranoia comes cheap on an island of near constant civil war, and chief amongst the targets of the fear are adventuring companies. These well armed groups often gain some amount of fame from their exploits, and as their popularity grows so too grows the suspicions of the nobility. Wise kings know to keep very close tabs on the allegiances of these well armed, well trained, and often magically adept groups so they do not become a threat - or can be removed at the first sign of being a threat. Wizards and sorcerers in particular are kept closely watched - for they had a key role to play in the Merchant's Rebellion, which was successful - a fact not lost on anyone holding power in Telzoa. Adventurers are advised to tread lightly and move often.
Legal Status of Women
"You call me fair, beautiful and super-praise my body. Never forget my wit, or my power " -- Queen Tiliansia.
Women are denied many basic rights throughout most of Telzoa, especially once they consent to be married. Single women are the charges of their fathers or uncles, but in the absence of each of these they can hold and inherit property, run a business, sign her name or affix her seal to legal documents or even sue at court. Most women in this position are widows, as fathers and uncles usually try to get their unwed daughters and nieces married as soon as they can afford the dowry and find an appropriate suitor. Neither men nor women have any legal right to choose their spouses – this is decided by their parents.
Women do not traditionally gain political office unless no men are present to inherit. Even then it is unclear how far into other family branches one can go in search of a male heir before a female heir is accepted. This is a particular point of contention in Dalsundria, where Princess Nelaria Ellery Tuval is the direct heir to Elgrel's throne, yet her uncles each conspire to take this from her or at least act as her regent whether she wants this to occur or not.
There are exceptions to this rule of course, but as mentioned previously most of those exceptions are widows. The most famous case of this manner is Teresa Orlanis, Duchess of Dibili and the matriarch of House Orlanis. Baroness Jalsi and Baroness Mintrube of Ultan are two more examples of powerful women in Telzoa on the local political scene. On a national scale one of the most famous figures is Queen Tiliansia of Hone Rae. A highly intelligent and endlessly crafty individual, this half elf has kept her country out of many wars through virtue of her unwed status and the manipulation of powerful suitors, including Prince Parsifal of Poc Sian.
Married women do enjoy some power. She is the primary heir to all his estates until she bears a male heir. Further, she can legally divorce him, but by strange quirk of Telzoan law, he cannot divorce her. In the role of wife many women have mastered the art of husband manipulation in order to continue to enjoy some freedom and independence.
Within careers women usually advance as their merits allow. This is particularly true in those priesthoods that admit women, and it should be noted that there are several priestly sororities - Cuane's priestesses most famous among them. Women tend to take to the art of magic more readily than men and there are, as a result, more female wizards than men. Among the ranks of warriors and knights are women seen least often. Women are not generally as strong as men, and this, combined with the chauvinistic nature of most military orders has limited their numbers in this profession. The parity between male and female rogues is about even - as this is a field where personal skill and aptitude alone are the keys to both success and survival.
The Telzoans and “Others”
"Racism exists where understanding does not - the two cannot coexist." - Telsindria.
Non-human races exist outside of Telzoa’s social structure, and this presents numerous problems but also some unique opportunities for members of these races.
Legally the Telzoans recognize elves, oyasini (halflings), and gnomes as “civilized” races. Despite this, they hold almost no legal rights beyond a right to live and not be killed or robbed without cause. Depending on the region and relations with races in the area though even these rights can disappear. This is still better than the situation faced by other races that can be hunted and killed like animals without legal ramification.
Telzoans have an even dimmer view of half-elves and half-orcs in most areas. The very existance of each these races drives a cold knife into the ideas of blood purity and human superiority. Half-orcs are particularly reviled most circles and in some areas they can be killed like animals just as their orcish parents can.
Despite all this, the amount of antagonism to be viewed between the local populace and any of the demihuman races is more likely than not to be caused by recent events rather than be triggered by long standing racial prejudices. Since most of the demihuman races live longer than humans they have learned how to avoid testing the volatile tempers of humans, especially large groups of humans. Nevertheless mob attacks on demihumans do occur from time to time, and anyone not of human race within the cities of Telzoa is highly advised to observe caution.
Elves have perhaps the easiest time, so long as they can conceal their racial identity. It is a trivial matter for most elves to pass them off as adolescent boys or girls in the right costuming, and most do when traveling outside of their own domains. Nevertheless elves face some severe prejudicial laws in some areas. In Altania it is not against the law to kill an elf, regardless of the circumstances. In most of the other countries of Telzoa elves cannot testify in human court as they are deemed untrustworthy, expert liars. Most areas have a bounty out for any elven mage - and many an unfortunate elf has been brought in for the bounty simply because he's able to read.
In other areas elves are more accepted. While the laws in Dalsundria are still barbaric where elves are concerned, the people don't seem to notice even openly costumed elves overmuch - particularly in the cities. In Hone Rae they are held in the highest regard - but this is to be expected perhaps in a country with a populace composed of at least 40% half-elves, and nearly everyone in the country has an elven parent within 3 generations of themselves.
Dwarves can't conceal their identity as easily, but their skill in "useful" crafts, particularly weapon smithing, has kept them clear of most admonishment, except from jealous human competitors. Still, dwarves distrust humankind, especially in light of the treatment of the elves in recent generations (the Black Week massacres in Pildania, were as many as 40 elves were rounded up, drawn and quartered is still spoke of in dwarven and elven circles). Dwarves want no part in such insanity, and unlike the elves they see no reason to believe that the Telzoans will change their ways unless they want something - and then your only safe until they get what they want. Hence dwarves maintain a cold relationship on the island with the Telzoans. They also harbor a collective grudge for the failure of humankind to help them when Kilidzear was destroyed.
Halflings are the least seen of the "common" demihuman races in Telzoa. They refer to themselves as “Oyasini” and most people in Carthasana follow suit. The halflings native to Telzoa almost exclusively stay west of the wall, and only the rare few adventurers come out of those domains to mingle with humankind. Of those folks who've seen an halfling, the vast majority have only seen the males, or Oyasoi. Females (oyasi) are too rare and valuable to the race to be readily found outside their clan-holds, despite the fact that the females run the society from those clanholds (a concept that boggles the minds of more than a few knights told of the fact). Oyasi that do make these sorts of journeys take special care to conceal their wings from casual observance, as they (rightfully) fear that the more ignorant members of the Telzoan populace would accuse them of witchcraft or of being demons.
While individual gnomes often manage to make individual impressions on Telzoans, as a race they are held as a great unknown. Few indeed are the humans that can remember seeing a grouping of gnomes, and some believe that they aren't a race at all, but aberrant dwarves - a belief dwarves actively deny and gnomes ignore while they continue to smile and nod. Very much the great enigma to humans, gnomes would prefer to keep things that way lest they fall upon the kind of hatreds that humans have espoused to the other races from time to time.
While humans may dislike elves, distrust dwarves and ignore the small folk, their feelings for orcs are very plain: hatred. And the feeling is mutual. However, orcs are pragmatic enough never to pass up on an opportunity to fight as mercenaries, and as a result most of the fighting that orcs have been involved in since Hanial's War have been as mercenaries. And while human lords won't turn orcs loose on any task requiring finesse, supervision, or non-combat related skills, they will certainly hire them as ready, and usually willing, cannon fodder. Trick is, human paymasters often assign the orcs to assignments that virtually assure half of them are killed - reducing the actual pay that must be made. In return, orcish chieftains usually only send good troops to human commanders that have proven themselves willing to use those troops well. Others are supplied with inexperienced or outright green troops. This habit has led to the assumption by many lords that orcs are weak. That is a dangerous assumption - for the orcs remain some of the best fighters in the region, and they've repeatedly proven themselves to be among the better soldiers of the world.
Goblins, on the other hand, mostly deserve their reputation as fierce but utterly incompetent fighters. Goblins actually perform better than orcs in small groups though, and orcs recognize this fact and make extensive use of goblin scouts. Telzoans claim to despise goblins, but most can't tell them apart from orcs - as indeed the differences between the two races are about as slight as the differences between elves and humans. Goblins avoid confronting humans in large numbers, but enjoy preying on individual travelers and virtually any other target of opportunity they can find. All the nations of Telzoa have a bounty out goblin scalps, and all goblins realize that going into a human city is just asking to have that bounty collected.
Kobolds are at once the most dangerous and most maligned of the "goblin" races, despite being physically the weakest. Kobolds are opportunists like the goblins, and use highly structured units to make up for their physical weakness while exploiting such opportunities like the orcs. Kobolds have become masters of making sure that any misbehavior on their part is blamed on the goblins. For their effort they are actually able to carry on trade with the Telzoans of some regions, particularly in Altania, where one band of kobolds has figured out how to spin spider's silk into cloth and garments. They have been able to demand and gain very high prices for these items. While kobolds aren't actively hunted in most regions, they are still viewed with disdain and fear, and they know it. Kobolds traveling among humans usually do so in comparatively large robes to conceal their stature.
Magic and Miracles
"It never ceases to amaze me what faith and will can conjure." - Telsindria.
The role of wizards in the history of Telzoa has been one carried out mostly in the shadows. These mysterious figures of power are almost universally feared regardless of race, and male or female they are almost never shown quarter by their enemies. While there may indeed be five forms of magic, to the Telzoan commoner there is only one form of magic not granted by the gods - black. To this end, even when the local government doesn't sanction it, wizards are persecuted and often hunted, especially when they are weak in power.
Most priesthoods do little to mitigate the situation. They view wizards at best as charlatan rivals - persons granted power by the dark gods yet tricked into believing they wield their power by themselves to fuel their ambition and arrogance. These factors have conspired to drive wizardry underground, but not completely from the island, or from history. Such is magic's lure that no amount of danger or social prejudice can drive everyone away from its grasp.
Secretly wizards thrive in Telzoa. The most famous of the wizard orders among the commonfolk are the members of the mysterious Order of Tanzeos. Allegedly established by the brother of Otal I, Alblasker, the Order of Tanzeos is said to control those who would assault the crown, or the nobility with magic. Secretly they keep tabs on any magician of note. Publicly they register and track the heraldic badges from their offices in Merryville - and by some twist of fate they have managed to remain the only national office of Otal's Dalsundria that has not disintegrated with the breakup of the nation.
Outside the council the only known society of wizards are the Academy in Hone Rae. This organization actively teaches magical arts to those willing to pay the price of tutelage. As a result the Academy has become quite wealthy, even if they've demonstrated a marked willingness to teach almost anyone with either a great amount of money or a great amount of talent.
Whispers abound of wizardly involvement in history, but outside of a few isolated episodes there presence can never be proven conclusively. Why this is remains unclear to outsiders. Perhaps it is because wizards enjoy the prestige the mystery brings. Or perhaps something far darker is being hidden by the ancient masters.
As for priests, they and their magic remains quite open and overt. Most priesthoods will grant a spell boon for sufficient donation and penance to the temple - and as a result most of the temples have become quite wealthy. Some of the finest buildings on the islands are the monasteries, with which few mortal buildings can compare.
Noble trust of the priesthoods has always been uneasy. The temples have been given roughly 10% of the land in Dalsundria, and there are more than a few manors ran by this or that abbot. What worries the nobles most is the sheer power the temples of the way have over the heart of the people - both through magic and also through faith. But they dare not move against the priests, and would instead maneuver the priests against each other, relying on their historical hatreds of each other to keep their powers in check and their forces occupied.
Two: History
While it is possible through the consultation of elves, dragons and other long lived races to trace the history of Telzoa back a couple of milenia, this section will only address what the Telzoans know themselves of their history which is, with the exception of some scattered legends, limited to the last four-hundred years.
For the most part it is only the nobles and the temples that track history to any great degree. Commoners rarely worry about events beyond their own experience and those of their parent’s generation. Hence the ongoing war between the nobles is, to the commonfolk, the only condition they’ve ever known. They, sadly, cannot remember a time when their nation wasn’t embroiled in civil war.
Origin of the Peoples
"There are certain things that will never be found. A river without a source for one." - Telsindria.
The peoples who inhabit the island of Telzoa come from four stocks. The first, and most common, are the Dalsundrians, who speak the language that serves as a common tongue on the island, Dalsundrian. They include the nobles who came during the Malchani conquest of the island. The second group is the Cuolshan people who are, as far as is known, the original inhabitants of the island. Intermingling and intermarriage of the Cuolshans with the Malchani and later the Dalsundrians has led to their near disappearance from the island. The third group, the Telmish, where driven onto the island by the same orcs who destroyed the Malchani empire. They married into the Dalsundrian families and, with time, have disappeared as a distinct group in Telzoa though they hold a nation of their own across the Channel of Miandris that separates the island from the continent. The fourth, and smallest group, are the Jilini – a people from the distant south who occasionally wander the island in tribal bands. The Jilini are certainly the most transient, holding no lands and coming and going from the island on ships.
To the current inhabitants these historical footnotes affect their language and religion. The Telzoan faith, Telensitary (“The Way”), was formed from the merger of at least three distinct religions, with isolated deities that may have came from a fourth. The merger of peoples also has affected languages – while the people speak Dalsundrian many of their place names have Cuolshan roots.
The peoples who came to Telzoa settled in over a period of four hundred years. For a time they were united under the Malchani Empire, but as that empire collapsed the island split into tribes with incursions of the Telmish. Telzoan history as a distinct subject usually starts with the collusion of those tribes, due in large part by the actions of King Mirand. He began his campaign in earnest around 870 SR and it ended in 986 SR when he captured and executed his last rival, Elsered.
The High King
"Many men have been a King of Dalsundria. But Dalsundria has only known one king that was great." - Alblasker.
The son of Mirand would be fated to become the most famous of all the kings of Dalsundria, due in large part to the epic circumstances that erupted during his reign. Otal was crowned King Otal in 997 SR. He was the eldest of triplet children - his siblings being Princess Anatole and Prince Alblasker. He would be on the throne less than a month before he was forced to raise an army and wage a war of survival against the orcish warlord Tancher.
It is unclear to this day how or why Tancher came to power when he did, what is clear is that he somehow amassed an orcish army over 20,000 strong. With this army in tow he struck into the southern regions of the eastern peninsula of Telzoa, in the areas now known as Threndis and Poc Sian. The conflict between the two armies lasted well over two years, and ended when Otal managed to isolate Tancher from the rest of his army and slay him. This having been done, the rest of the army melted away.
The rest of Otal's reign was a period of building. Otal repaired and built roads throughout the island to encourage it's trade, drove the goblin species to the west entirely, and built what would eventually become known as Otal's Wall to mark the western frontier of Dalsundria and guard it from goblin assault.
Division of the Empire: Hanial's War
"It is much harder to rule well than to serve well, so why is that one task - hardest of all tasks - is the one so many men seek?" - Princess Anatole, in her diary.
The latter half of Otal's reign as well as that of his son Elgrel I are often considered the golden age of Dalsundria. It was during this time that the many of the standing roads and major temples of the island were built. Local trade flourished and the Dalsundrian empire pushed it's holdings south into neighboring Armandy and east into Telmandy. Yet despite these glories the kingdom began to decay from within. The nobles became decadent and the common classes began rioting with increasing frequency near the end of the 12th century Sealed Reckoning. The fatal blow would come from without however, not within.
In the year 1154 an orcish warlord known as Hanial attacked and destroyed a section of Otal's Wall, and then poured into Dalsundria with an army of enormous size. Human accounts of the time placed the army's size at nearly 100,000, but elven records and memories from the period put the estimate at a more probable 7,000 orcs. Regardless of the size of Hanial's army, their effect on Dalsundria was immediate, especially once Hanial successfully surrounded King Alskin I's army and captured him. When ransom negotiations with the orcish warlord broke down (and when, according to some records, Alskin slapped or spit on Hanial) Hanial executed the king and sent his severed body piecemeal back to his queen.
Alskin's lack of a male heir did little to slow down the Dalsundrian hunt for Hanial, which was redoubled after the king's death. Finally, in 1172 Erin Tuval raided the orcish camp and killed Hanial in his sleep. With their leader gone the orcs fell into disarray. Eventually they gained new leadership under Exeter, but he would not prove to be as effective a leader as Hanial, and his forces were soundly defeated at the Battle of Stone Bluff. After this victory though, the Dalsundrian forces fell to infighting to determine who would be the new king.
At first Anne Tuval attempted to take the throne. As Alskin's lone daughter, she unquestionably had the strongest claim save for one flaw - her sex. While Dalsundria had a regent queen in Alanis a generation before, many of the nobles balked at the idea of serving a woman. Nevertheless, Anne was crowned Queen Anne I. Her reign would last only two months before an assassin shot her in the stomach with a poisoned crossbow bolt. As she lay in the arms of her courtiers, who included Erin and Alan Yorick in their number she uttered a curse and prophecy that has so far went fulfilled - "No man shall ever unite this country." With those words she died.
Until the orcs were vanquished the rivals for the vacant throne co-operated, but afterwards they fell into infighting, with Erin Tuval, Alan Yorick, and Stalnin Haskel as the chief rivals for the throne. Within a couple of generations the territories were further divided among their sons, with only Erin's line staying relatively intact.
Attempts at Reunification and Conquest
"To give is easier than to take. To give is more rewarding than to take. So why do men take?" - Princess Anatole.
A great number of skirmishes have been fought between the kingdoms of eastern Telzoa since the first split in 1180, and in this introduction it serves little to no purpose to detail them all. Most of the notable ones are located in the timeline, and in the descriptions of each individual country the conflicts its citizenry have become embroiled in are detailed in full. The largest of these conflicts will be discussed in brief here.
The first real attempt to bring the rebel kings back in line was launched by Miro IV in 1212 and would continue until 1223. Known as the Owl Ridge war for the location of a great many of the battles, neither the Dalsundrians nor the Milicsundrians gained any real headway unless their goal was to form a lot of bad blood between each other, bad blood that remains to the present, as Milicsundria and Dalsundria have fought no less than 8 times in wars of varying lengths. In the end the war died with its instigator, Miro IV. His wife, Sarah, sued for peace as soon as she had control as regent. The country had hardly settled down when Tezolan broke away from Dalsundria. This time Queen Sarah was not as pacifistic, and she ordered the rebels caught and beheaded. By the time she was able to mobilize any real force though, the rebel nobles had assembled an army of nearly equal size.
Such was the nature of the fractionation of the country. Alsland broke up when Alan's son and grandson (through different wives) decided to peaceably split the country rather than bow to one another. Milicsundria lost Pildania while weakened from the Owl Ridge war, and lost Dabrinia when King Maidoc exhausted his military and economic resources pursuing territorial rights in Telmandy. Creania broke off from Tezolan when the alliance was no longer convenient and when the priests of the island all but eliminated the nobility there.
Hone Rae, as is its wont, presented the oddest case of all. During the reign of Elgrel II the region was established as a protectorate of the crown in 1107 for, according to the charter, "Persons of elven descent who are outcast either from their society, or ours." At that time the region was one of the last stretches of completely untamed wilderness left east of Otal's Wall. But by the time the fighting broke out between the would-be kings of Telzoa Hone Rae had become sizable sub-nation. When the true king became unclear the council of the country decided to declare their sovereignty, and did so with little notice from any of the other nations until well until the late 13th century when Hone Rae's wealth became readily apparent. Several attempts have since been made to subjugate the silvan state, but Hone Rae's rulers have become masters at playing each of the kingdom's rulers off of one another. It is currently understood by all the rulers in the region that it is better for Hone Rae to remain independent than for its libraries and, perhaps more importantly, its mages to come under the sway of another ruler. To date Hone Rae and its rulers have done their best to foster this uneasy neutrality, but even they’ve been invaded - most recently by Altania.
The Rise of Pentalism
"One people, One religion." - Priest Colsken, at the execution of several Pentalist heretics in 1392.
When diplomatic ties were first established with the Estarian Empire by Dalsundria in mid-1370 a new religion from that distant land found its way onto the island. Known as Pentalism, or the "Five Paths." this new religion rebuked the idea that there were several hundred gods and put forth that their were only five. The religion began around 300 SR in Sandiem with the teachings of Cleric Gregory. Since then the religion that evolved out of those teachings has become the state religion in the Estarian Empire, and bitterly embroiled in war with "The Way" elsewhere. In Telzoa "The Way" had been unchallenged, but Pentalism is finding fertile soil amongst the middle class and some of the nobles. It is most popular in Dabrinia, but nowhere has it managed to debunk the standing religion or even get a temple built.
The established priestly courts of Telzoa have already begun to move to snuff out the religion, but unlike those they have fought before this religion holds equal appeal for the masses and, more dangerously, can't be tracked down to one point. Having already lost incredible amounts of ground to the Pentalists elsewhere, the priests of The Way in Telzoa do not wish to lose the considerable influence they hold now. Their current removal activities focus priority, naturally, on the Pentalist priests who are capable of magic.
With the country still largely caught up in a political civil war, the leaders of the country not only would prefer to keep religion out as a side issue, but quell the priests from dividing precious man power from their own cause. For the most part, the established Way priests begrudgingly agree, but the Pentalist are attempting to convert rulers to their cause and make their attempts to hold their own kingdom, or conquer the others, into a holy cause. The situation is dire indeed, especially given rumor that King Salsis of Milicsundria may convert. There is already enough bad blood between Milicsundria and Dalsundria without the former changing religions and bringing all that entails into the mix. Yet it would seem that Salsis, who is known to consider himself abandoned by the gods of The Way, might do precisely that.
Three: The Natural World
The world around the Telzoans has shaped their culture in many ways. Telzoa is a harsh land of short summers and bitter winters punctuated by the occasional earthquake and even volcanic eruptions. These natural phenomena have given rise to much of Telzoa’s mythology and religion – though the Telzoans themselves believe fervently that their gods brought about these changes in the land and that these myths are indeed fact.
The Sky Above
"All things begin in dreams, and dreams begin above - 'tis little wonder then that the dreamers face the sky." - Telsindria.
Carthasana’s sky would truly be alien to us. In the daytime not one but two suns move through the sky. Each one is about three-quarters the size of our sun in the sky, though together they provide the world with the same amount of radiation. Usually they appear to wobble about slowly as months pass by since they orbit each other. Occasionally one eclipses the other.
The Telzoan names of the suns are Ria and Li – the right and left eyes of Tean, Lord of the Suns and also God of Justice. Tean watches the world for evil, records its passing, and in his due time he mets out punishment. When the suns eclipse one another the Telzoans believe that Tean is simply resting an eye.
There are three moons that orbit Carthasana, all of which are smaller than are own moon, although there orbital distance makes them appear to be roughly the same size. The closest, and smallest, is Matacha. Barely beyond being a glorified asteroid, Matacha appears to sail on the celestial sea at dusk and dawn. This "sea" is the rings of the planet, which from the ground look like a whitish haze. Telzoans liken this to a flock of sheep and picture Matacha as their shepherd. Like our moon, Matacha only shows one face to the world. She makes one trip around the world in 12 days.
Second out is Tiania. This moon is most like our own. Telzoans, interestingly, associate this moon with the earth mother. The second moon has a very discernible face pattern, even more so than our own nightly companion, and many regard it as the watching face of the mother that bore the world, much as a real mother always watches her children. Tiania has a 28-day orbital period.
The third moon is Kepho the dark one. This odd moon does not have a day synchronized to its orbit, spinning once every 3 days (so in effect, there is no dark side of Kepho). The 44 day orbit of this globe is in retrograde compared to the others - and it perhaps for this reason that Telzoans have named this third sphere for their God of Doom and Evil Death. The orbit of Kepho is also elliptical enough to cause its face to noticeably change size to the astute observer over time. Kepho also remains volcanically active, and on very rare occasions she has a violent enough eruption to be seen from Carthasana, sometimes prompting meteor showers within a few days of the event.
Due to the destabilizing effect of the binary stars, no planet in Carthasana’s system is closer in than she. However, there are three other planets further out – Sana, Sekoon and Pektos, in that order.
The backdrop upon which these bodies move is most interesting. Ria and Li are just outside of a huge nebula, and this body occupies a quarter of the sky every other winter. Often referred to as the Night gate or blood pool, it is a considered a bad sign when the planets align to it a certain way. This nebula is no brighter against the Carthasanan sky than our Milky Way galaxy is in our night sky.
The Zodiac
From the Telzoan point of view the most important part of the night sky are the zodiac constellations. The Carthasanan sky has twenty such constellations, divided into upper and lower houses. Years alternate between being ruled by the upper or lower houses, so any given year sees ten constellations (in truth all twenty are visible in the night sky at some point in the year). The first ten we will examine are visible during years with an even number. The second ten belong to years with an odd number. The area of constellation in the sky is sometimes called its "house" and an astral body is said to be in the "house" of a constellation if it is superimposed on that constellation. The twenty signs of the Telzoan Zodiac are.
· Januel: The beginning of the true year, or "yuron" is ruled by Januel, God of Elves and respected by Telzoans as the God of commencements, beginnings and remembrances. People born under this sign are quiet, reserved and reflective. They are loath to commit, but once they do it is unshakable.
· Thachatean: In Telzoan legend Thachatean was the god of the dead that was destroyed by Sekoon and replaced by Matacha and Kepho. Exiled to the night sky, he now watches the world of the living he once held in so much fear. People born under this sign tend to be slow and deliberate in their actions. Their emotions run deep.
· Arisane: Queen of Nymphs and the sister to the Goddess Narisane, in Telzoan legend Narisane scarred her face and strangled her in a fit of sibling rage. While Cuane could restore her beauty she was unable to restore her life, and she placed her spirit into the sky to watch over. People born under this sign tend to have beautiful and compassionate personalities, but they also tend to be emotionally frail.
· Eantonia: The half goddess Eantonia is said to be one of many products of the various trysts of Poen. A wild and vibrant spirit, she roamed all of the forests and wilds of Telzoa and she is said to have been the first Grand Druid. After she died her father put her among the skies to watch the wilds she had always loved and protected. Those born under her stars are notoriously free spirited individuals who follow their heart before heading to any logic or reason.
· Cuane: The Goddess of Love rules the fifth constellation of the Telzoan zodiac. People born under this sign are known for their love - both its depth and usually for its brevity. Flighty is another word used for the people born under Cuane's stars.
· Rosalynn: The second active deity with a constellation, Rosalynn is the Goddess of Self-Sacrifice. She was murdered in life by her father for thwarting his plans to enslave the world. People born under her sign tend to be introspective to a fault. They constantly question how their actions can affect those they love.
· Lystrania: The fairy Goddess of Laugher and Terix's constant companion rules the seventh constellation of the Telzoan pantheon. It was for her soul that Terix entered into a seven-year servitude beneath the Gods Oberon and Titania, taking the form of "Puck" during this time. People born under this sign are notoriously chaotic and unpredictable.
· Larindal and Arinas: The twins of valor are the children of Tean. They were conceived when Terix beguiled Tean into falling in love with a mortal woman. They lived their life in service to Tean and to King Mirand. With him they united Telzoa. Larindal's son, Alangyle, became the most famous paladin of all time on the island. People born under this sign tend to be very serious about everything, with very strongly ingrained senses of duty.
· Draco: In the ancient days the land of Telzoa had to be wrested from the grasps of the dragons. While they still persist on the island, their king has long since been slain and his body laid in the heavens. Each race has a different name for Draco, and each race takes credit for his slaying. People born under this sign tend to hoard everything they can lay claim to.
· Nethuan: The former god of night, Nethuan was laid into a deep enchanted slumber by Senda and has since passed from the active minds of most of the populace. He has no priests, though he still is said to have power over dreams and possibilities by some. Most theologians believe these powers to have been subsumed by Oralea, leaving Nethuan nothing beyond his stars to influence the world. People born under this sign are reputed to be dreamers, planners and schemers. They also have a reputation for becoming easily depressed when the world does not fulfill their dreams.
· Dulthos: The God of Treasures Below and Patron Father of Dwarves rules the constellation that launches the second cycle of ten. This is sort of odd since dwarves take no stock in astrology, but the association is largely a human one. People born under this sign tend to be dwarf like - gruff, uncompromising and usually uncharismatic in the extreme.
· Apenca: The Goddess of Retribution and Revenge is next in the zodiac. People born under her sign tend to have chip on their shoulder. They are bitter and reserved.
· Narisane: The Goddess of Lust and Hedonism is the chaotic ruler of the thirteenth house of the Telzoan Zodiac. People born under her sign can be lustful, beautiful, but also very tactless and straightforward. They have a reputation for over-indulgence.
· Derin: Cuvanill's predecessor was an extreme pacifist who was slain long ago by Sana. She cast his body into the fires of the suns, but Tean interceded and placed his resting form in the sky. People born under this sky tend to be easy going and quiet individuals.
· Poen: This constellation, named for the God of the Sky contains Austrasis, the brightest star of the Telzoan nightsky (it is roughly twice as bright as Sirius at magnitude 8.1). People born under this constellation are often artistically gifted and outgoing.
· Berenash: The God of Strife and Tyranny murdered his own daughter, Rosalynn, to punish her for thwarting his plans. For this and other acts he ascended to godhood. People born under this sign tend to be harsh, judgmental and oppressive to those around them.
· Anatole: The only outright mortal in the nightsky, Anatole was the sister of High King Otal. She was sacrificed to the gods so that they would aid the Telzoans in pressing back Tancher's Horde. She performed the ceremony upon herself without ever questioning the judgment that cost her life. For this selflessness Rosalynn placed her into the skies. People born under this sign tend to be equally selfless, though their friends sometimes accuse them of being to frivolous with their own life.
· Cuvanill: The Goddess of Defense and Mothers rules the eighteenth house of the Telzoan Zodiac. People born under this sign are known to be an overprotective lot.
· Char: The Lord of Destruction is the Lord of the nineteenth house. People born under this sign are expected to be violent in all things they do - passion as well as war. Many of them are extremists.
· Senda: The final house is a region of the sky that has no stars known as the nightshade. A large nearby nebula is the reason for this, though that is unknown to the people of Telzoa. They name the region for the Goddess of the Night. People born under this sign are quiet and secretive, and they have a reputation for nursing grudges for way to long.
Geography and Climatology
"You cannot escape the ground you stand upon." - Meglar, Dwarven chief
Telzoa is a geologically active land with multiple volcanoes, especially in the west. Everyone on the island has felt a noticible earthquake at some time, as this occurs at least once every five years. Highly destructive earthquakes occur on a less frequently cycle of around 30 to 60 years, and the last one of note was in the year 1395, so it is unlikely that another will occur soon. When earthquakes do occur on the island they are usually followed by tidal waves of varying magnitudes.
Telzoans have learned over time how to build on such unstable ground to some degree, and most homes can withstand modest to strong earthquakes without sustaining enough damage to destroy them outright. Temples and major structures are built with magical reinforcement when necessary, or at least under magical guidance to insure the buildings can withstand the restless earth.
Eruptions are a different matter. Telzoans know the locations of each of the more powerful volcanoes and fear them. All of them are basalt volcanoes like Mt. St. Helens or Mt. Vesuvius, meaning they will explode rather than gently erupt like the Hawaiian volcanoes. Many local traditions have evolved around the volcanoes ranging from ritual sacrifices to the mountains of livestock or, although illegal, fellow humans. Char, the dark god said to rule the volcanoes is fickle in his behavior, and though his priests are reviled, they are protected somewhat by the volitale power wrapped within the mountains.
The weather itself is also harsh and particularly active. Telzoa is a land surrounded by seas warmed by geothermal activity while Artic airmasses slam into the island during winter. Rain and snow is frequent, especially on the island’s west face where falls of as much as 10’ (2.1 meters) have been recorded. Winter is spectacular and fierce lasting three months of the ten-month year. It is followed by a highly rainy spring which turns into a humid though somewhat dry summer and late summer. Fall tends to be dry with only occasional rain, and the threat of forest fires sparked by dry lightning is ever present.
This weather is reflected in the clothing of the Telzoans. Even in summer most dress fully as summertime temperatures are only around the 60’s and 70’s. At the height of winter temperatures can drop to –20 and below.
Tracking Time
"I find it comical that those with the least time upon this world spend the most time counting their grains of sand." - Trishdare, Elven sorcerer
The Calendar used in Telzoa was devised during the Malchani Empire and is known as the Calendar of Ketheran (See below). It divides the year (or, more accurately, the half-year) into ten months of 36 days with a spacer day every 2 months.
Each month is divided into 6 six-day spans known as walks. Each walk has a name, and in order from first to last they are Ganfun, Teleran, Qion, Beras, Sendas, Cerana. Each day of the week is also named as follows - Jiane, Tenes, Areani, Esini, Lesosi and Childeni. The last day of the walk, Childeni, is reserved as a holy and resting day.
When dates are recorded characters in the setting normally give the day and week as a name, followed by the month. As an example, Jiane Sendas of Melamrin is the first day, fourth week of the eight month.
While the reckoning of months and seasons is fairly regular among the lands once under Malchani control (including Telzoa), the system by which the years are counted can be very confusing. Many kingdoms use the reigns of monarchs to count the years. Needless to say, the years upon which one monarch dies and another acends can cause confusion – is it the 1st year of the new king’s reign that this ascension occurs on, or the last year of the previous king’s reign.
The Malchani themselves dated the years according to what is commonly called “Seal Reckoning.” The event that this system runs from is known as the “Suasha” in Liternanin, or “The Sealing.” Fifteen wizards and five priests of great power combined their magic to lock a magical portal that opened unexepectantly in the City of Malchi in Castle Semberholme. Exactly what was sealed away has become a subject of myth and legend. Dates given in this book are by this reckoning system, and the campaign starting date is 1400.
Most Telzoan kingdoms set the date by the reign of their king, however using this system in this book would cause vast amounts of confusion. More distant kingdoms also use other major anniversaries to start their calendar – the Estarians for instance use the acsension of Gregory the Clark as a starting point – the date on their calendar is 1012.
Four: The Social World
Societies are wonderfully complex things to study and can be used to provide a deep understanding of one’s character. Social norms are the context that a character draws his or her own identity against whether they are a follower or a rebel. Aside from this, understanding what is accepted behavior and what is a faux paus could eventually save the character’s neck or at least get him out of a tight spot.
Family and Kin
'I am nothing. We are all." - Oath of Unity.
The ties that bind one to family are much stronger in Telzoan society than in our own. A man without a family is one with a large social stigma throughout the island. While Telzoans aren't given to reciting off their ancestors in a mantra like fashion as dwarves are, they do keep very close ties on their immediate ancestry and their living relatives.
One of the reasons for this is that it is through family that alliances are forged and property is passed down, especially among the nobles but even among the poor. Also, the first alliance anyone owes is to their father, then to the patriarch of the clan. Disobedience is punishable by death in most areas.
Since families are the device by which the monarch's power is distributed throughout the kingdom, it should not be surprising that this social unit has a huge amount of pull on all other aspects of life. The family's function goes beyond the nurturing of the children - it is a political structure more so than an emotional or compassionate one. As an institution in Telzoan society it is unquestioned and un-assailed - unlike in our world wherein the family's power has all but disappeared and radically changed.
The Telzoan concept of family is different than our own. At the largest level is the household, which includes all the persons related to the patriarch by blood and all the servants thereunto. The term kin is used less frequently to denote blood relations only. One is obligated to protect one's kin and if necessary aid them in defending their honor. Obviously one can expect protection to be given by the family in return.
Address and Title
"To whom you speak to affects how you speak." - Laws of Etiquette.
The elaborate formality that pervades a Telzoan's world seeps into their language. Words which we find odd or archaic are in everyday use in Telzoa. Since not all players will be familiar with these words (especially if English is one's second language) these words and their proper use is hereby explained to some detail.
· Thee, Thou and Thy: These three words are the archaic informal tense of the second person, the formal tense being the more familiar you and your. Specifically, Thou is the informal first person subject-pronoun, it will only rarely be seen in the object position, and even then that is a grammatical error. Thy is the informal second person possessive, and corresponds to your. Finally, thee is the informal second person objective, and it will never be seen in the subject position (as it is too easily confused with the article the ).
· Your Majesty: This address is reserved for the king alone.
· Your Grace: This address is properly used only to address High Priests, although occasionally it is used to address Dukes.
· Your Highness: Used to address Dukes and Duchesses.
· Your Eminence: This address is used for counts, barons.
· Your Excellency: An acceptable address for counts and barons, this address is more commonly used for high-ranking priests.
· Your Honour: A title used to address appointed officials of the nobility, most often judges.
· M' Lord / M' Lady: Used to address landed nobles of less than baron stature. Also used by higher ranking commoners to address any noble short of the king if the two have a long standing relationship.
· Sir / Madame: This title is used to address any landless noble, and also to address equals and superiors not of noble rank.
· Sirrah: This diminutive title is used to address inferiors. The nobles use it infrequently at best and its use by one commoner addressing another will probably provoke a quarrel and possibly a fight.
· Master / Mistress: An address of someone of superior rank to your own who is not of noble rank. Mistress does not carry the illicit sexual connotations in Telzoan society that it does in our own.
· Mister / Misses: An address of anyone married. Rarely used.
· Master / Miss: An address of anyone unmarried. Miss is used far more frequently than Master, the latter of which is falling out of use in this context.
· Enlai: From the Liternanin for "Enlightened," this term is used for any lower ranking priest.
· Magi: Used to address a wizard. Note that wizards rarely use this term themselves. Sometimes the address is used for an old or exceptionally well-versed scholar regardless of their magical talent (or lack thereof).
Customs
"How is as important as why, and often more so." - Telsindria.
One of the pervasive threads which binds the whole human population of Telzoa together are their customs. While most of these are religious in nature, all of them are highly important to the people of Telzoa. Players are alike are asked to sit up and take not - some of these quirky behaviors are what truly sets the Telzoans apart from us and they help to define their world. Here are a few, in no particular order.
· Bowing / Curtseying: A full bow or curtsey is performed when entering or leaving the presence of a king, further all present bow or curtsey as the king rises or sits. The degree of severity of the move reduces as the nobles' rank decreases - by the time one is dealing with a knight or esquire a simple nod of the head will suffice. One also bows and curtseys to their dance partners.
· Sitting: No one may sit in the presence of a king in his throne room. In other social situations involving nobles no one sits until the highest noble present sits down. Commoners may not sit at a noble table unless invited, further this invitation must come from the highest ranking noble present. Not surprisingly this individual is seated at the head of the table.
· Temples: A full bow or curtsey is done to the center of the main worship chamber, or the idol therein before entering it or leaving it. Higher-ranking priests are to be treated as nobility, being bowed to. One does not rise after bowing to a high priest until commanded to do so.
· On Guard!: This is to be shouted before a chamber pot is to be emptied into the street (so duck for cover when you hear it or risk being drenched by unspeakable materials).
· Weapons: Only nobles and those they designate have the right to bear arms - and in any event blades cannot be showing. Fines and the confiscation of the weapon are the usual punishment for breaking this code. Within cities the penalty can be more severe.
· Dress: In Hone Rae women working in the fields and orchids can go topless without incident. On extremely hot days elsewhere in Telzoa this will occasionally occur, but this is a rural - by no means an urban - custom.
· Prostitution is not only legal, but a somewhat accepted vocation within most of Telzoa, depending on the attendant clientele. This is a primary point of contention between the two good-aligned branches of the Telzoan religion, Aurnon and Rizaldi.
· Five is a significant number to Telzoans. Things that occur in groups of five are considered lucky. If suitor seeks to please the courted he'd be advised to give five roses.
· Nine, on the other hand, is an unlucky number in Telzoa. Part of this might stem from the number being one short of ten, although one Creanian priest argued that the number signified treachery and corruption of the highest order since it could always reappear after being multiplied (i.e. 3x9=27, the digits of which 2+7=9)
· Left Handed: Being left handed is something of a minor curse in Telzoa as one must be careful not to fall into a number of superstitions held by Telzoans related to left hands - like offering to shake hands with the left - which signifies treachery or ill will for the host. Curiously, some 85% of elves are left handed - and this has more than a few superstitions attached to it as well.
Rituals
"What we do is part of who we are." - Telsindria.
The lives of most Telzoans are punctuated by rituals, of which four are of keen importance: Birth, Coming of Age, Marriage and Death.
Rites of Birth
The beginning of life holds high significance to nearly all societies and the Telzoans are no exception to this rule. There are three ceremonies associated with birth as follows: Asiana, Madriana, and Nosiana.
Asiana
The first ceremony formally recognizes and celebrates the pregnancy. It is a private ceremony that is held at home with only close friends of the family invited unless the parents to be are high ranking nobles, in which case the event is occasion to throw a large celebration, especially if the pregnancy is the first for the marriage. The involvement of a priest in this ceremony is limited to a blessing on the expectant mother, and this act may be carried out at a temple if the priest cannot (or more likely will not) go to the home of the expectant parents. The first Asiana also finalizes the consummation of the marriage bed.
The only act of special significance carried out in these quiet ceremonies is the choosing of the Anglecani, or "Angel Parents." This individual(s) will serve as the step-parents of the child should death claim the blood parents at some point in the child's life. Also it is traditional that a male noble child serve his squire training under his Anglecani should that person be competent and able to provide such training when the time comes. This high honor also has political repercussions in the case of royal children. Should the King and Queen die before the child is of age to take the throne it is the Anglecani who serves as the Regent to the throne.
Given these facts it's not surprising that an Asiana is an elaborate affair for the nobility, but then again, aren't all things elaborate when the rich and powerful become involved. For the poor the Asiana may only involve the nuclear family but otherwise carry on without to much hoopla. Only the first or Asiana Primera receive special attention among the poor and there a couple of reasons for this. For the father the event marks the assurance that his bloodline will continue in some form, although total assurance won't be had until the child is proven to be male. For the mother the event marks the fulfillment of her womanhood. With this event she becomes the equal of her own mother in a sense, and for this reason the Asiana is a female dominated celebration where the actual ceremony takes place.
The ceremony, whether at home or in temple, occurs along these lines. The couple stand before either the altar (in temple) or the hearth (at home) with the priest before them. He blesses them both, then a second bless is set upon the mother. Next the parents offer the Anglecan to the individual they have chosen for the task, and that individual accepts before the priest and swears to protect both the parents and the child. At this point the formalities are concluded and what occurs next is largely an issue of personal taste. As a general rule though the parents ironically separate to be with their sexual peers - that is the men congratulate the father in one room while the women congratulate the mother in another. Feasting may be (and often is) thrown into this mix, but on the whole the evening is segregated as a rule.
Madriana
Essentially a Telzoan baby shower, this private occasion is held at about the middle of the third trimester. A friend of the mother to be or the Anglecani arranges it if that person is a she. Men do not take part in this ceremony for the most part, nor are any priests involved. Her friends give gifts to the mother and they spend part of the evening praying for a safe birth for both mother and child. In some areas the Madriana is not practiced at all, and in others it is a more elaborate affair with the whole village involved.
Nosiana
In a sense this ceremony begins with the rigors of birth itself. Once the birth is complete the child is "set before the eyes of Tean" which is to say he or she is presented to the suns, then the true name of the child is called out.
Within the next ten days the ceremony of the Nosiana is performed. The child is brought to a temple of Aurnon and there presents the child before three priests - one of Cuvanill, one of Tean and one of Matacha. The mother kneels on her right knee3 and calls out to the priest, "The one who speaks for the Mother of Mothers speak, for I seek her guidance."
The reply she receives is "I am here child. Cuvanill guides you."
Her next line is "The one who speaks for the Ever-watching Father speak, for I seek his protection."
And the reply, "I am here child, Tean protects you."
The two priests receive the child and place it upon the altar. The child is blessed by each priest which involves marking the forehead in ash powder and sprinkling holy water upon the child. As this is done the parents speak the true name of the child when prompted. Then the presiding priest of Matacha adds what is arguably the most ominous part of the ceremony, "Mother, speak the name of your child that all may know, that I may record it herein in this the Roll of Names."
The elaborate reply is, "I call (him/her) (name), and may Oralea bless (him/her) with many years before (his/her) name is recorded again thereupon."
Now it should be noted that what transpires above is the consistent core of the ceremony. Other areas add their own distinctive touches, as do individual families. A royal Nosiana is a full day affair, while the poor may barely afford the cost to go to temple. Regardless of the amount of pomp and circumstance actually afforded the occasion though, it is an important one in the lives of all people - it is the beginning.
Rites of Passage
"There is a special time in the lives of all people when the child without dies and the adult within is born" - Telsindria.
Telzoans celebrate four major coming of age ceremonies held at the ages of 9 and 15. Further the nature of these ceremonies is highly segregated by sex. The various coming of age ceremonies are held by many persons in Telzoa as cherished memories. Further, it is at this time that many Telzoans begin to walk the path they will follow in adult life.
Untalis Crindal
Translating literally as "First Bleeding," this ceremony is held for girls after they experience their first menstrual bleeding, at between the ages of nine to as late as twelve. The ceremony is a solemn one with no men present, and it is usually held during the moon festival of Tiania that occurs immediately after the event. The ceremony is overseen by druids and held within their groves when possible.
The girl (or girls, for it is not unusual for several to undergo this ceremony together) that are to undergo the rite are dressed in brilliant white cotton or linen dresses for the occasion and are unadorned by makeup, jewelry or the like before the ceremony begins. All others present at the ceremony are completely nude. As the ceremony begins they are lead by their mothers and elder sisters to the center of the grove, and there left while their relatives join the circle of druids at the grove's edge.
Three matriarchs occupy the space between the girls and the ring formed by their sisters and mothers. The first represents Cuvanill, Goddess of Mothers. The second represents Cuane, Goddess of love. The third, and master of ceremonies is a priestess of Tiania, Goddess of Nature and Natural cycles. For about an hour hymns and chants are sung in praise of the three while the girls sit quietly facing out from the center stone of the grove. As this is concluded the priests approach the children. The first to speak is the priestess of Cuvanill.
"I, who speaks for our Mother of Mothers, welcome you children. Today you pass from Chiantu my daughter's protection unto mine. Today you celebrate the first step of womanhood. Ayla! " With that said the children are motioned to stand. The ground beneath their feet begins to glow.
The priestess of Cuane speaks, "Today thou art fertile. Today thou may bear children as your mothers, your grandmothers, and all the generations before. Ayla!! " The ground beneath the feet of the girls catches fire, but they and the priests next to them are unharmed by the flame.
The priestess of Tiania speaks, "Today you have completed a circle of life, yet many circles remain before you. We shall continue to watch, we shall continue to pray, and we shall continue to guide. Ayla!!" The flames catch the girl's dresses and begin to burn them away. Some of the girls flinch in pain, and almost all present begin to cry.
All the priests and women present begin to chant along with the girls, "All are born by us! Ayla!! All are nurtured by us! Ayla!! We are the keepers of the flame! Ayla!! We are the sources of the river! Ayla!! We are women! We are forever!! Ayla!!! "
The flames subside with a blinding light, and the girls are left as nude as their mothers and sisters. They are covered in sweat, but unhurt. With this the ceremony concludes.
Decandi
The male companion to the Untalis Crindal has no biological signal, so the tenth birthday is used as the marker to celebrate this transition in life. At or around this point of the child's life he is taken by his father to the nearest temple of the branch of faith the father holds trust in. The child is put alone in a room (or in the center of a grove if druids are involved) and not given food or water for two days. The location is gradually heated (or exposed if outdoors). During this the boy is to meditate. Most fail to really do so during the whole time period, but those that are the most successful in this task do often garner the attention of the priests. Eventually the boy passes out and has a vision. The priest interprets the vision and it determines the vocation of the boy and to whom he is to be apprenticed (In theory. Some parents and children go against the vision and take up some other task).
After this rather grueling test a feast is held in the child's honor at his home. The vision, the parent’s finances, and everyone’s personal tastes shape the details of this feast.
Rites of Marriage
"We all live - never truly alone, and never truly together save with one - or without one." - Alisan, Priestess of Cuane.
Marriage is the most important pact a Telzoan will ever make. It forms a bond of trust and love that is never truly severed without great consequence. A spouse is seen as such a part of one that cutting them off is as serious as needing to amputate a hand or foot. Divorce can occur and be justified, but divorcee's are ostracized in Telzoan society all the same.
The marriage ceremony itself is all that is covered here. Proposals of marriage and betrothals (in the case of arranged marriages) vary to wildly for an introduction to handle, but the marriage vows are one of the most consistent parts of the Telzoan religion. Priests of Cuane and Poen are preferred when handling a ceremony, but any married couple will do. That is the one caveat of the Telzoan wedding ceremony - it is not a priest, but another wed couple that marries one. Further it cannot be your parents. Since priests of Cuane and Poen invariably intermarry they are often chosen - further they have access to spells to further sanctify the marriage.
The ceremony begins at dusk of the preceding day. From sunset to the ceremony itself it is considered bad luck for anyone of the opposite sex to see either member of the ceremony, and this is often enforced with the occasional exception given to overly doting parents. At morning the two are led to opposite sides of the ceremonial grounds in the nude, and then one at a time they walk to the center of the grounds alone. In the center of the grounds, also nude, are the priests or presiding couple. To the right of the priests are the bride's parents, and to their left the grooms - the three couples form a triangle. Parents may or may not be clothed for the occasion as determined by age and area. The bride and groom enter the triangle from the side of their parents. The words of the ceremony are as follows:
Priestess: "Her enchanting lady,"
Priest: "And her eternal consort."
Priests: "Invest their power in us."
Priestess: "Oralea [fate] has chosen that you to meet."
Priest: "And you have chosen to love."
Priestess: "This love has grown."
Priest: "Hence you have brought it before us"
Priestess: "For eternal blessed confirmation."
Priests: "Shall we proceed?"
Couple: "Yes"
Priest: "Very well, Do you give your heart to this woman, that she shall never be alone; Do you give your faith, so that she shall never be in want of trust; Do you give your life, that she shall never fear harm; Do you give her your love, through which each of you shall be eternally strong."
Groom: "I give my heart, none else can tame it; I give my faith, none else can claim it as she; I give my life, for none shall shame her while I live; and I give my love, with no restraint now or ever."
Priestess: "And do you accept what he will give?"
Bride: "Yes, I, now and forever, claim his heart, faith, life and love!"
Priestess: "Very well, Do you give your compassion, that he may never again know sorrow; Do you give your hearth, that his journeys may always find an end; Do you him give your mercy, so his wounds might find comfort; Do you give him your love, through which each of you shall be eternally strong."
Bride: "I give my compassion, his tears are mine alone to weep; I give my hearth, his home is mine alone to keep; I give my mercy, his joy is mine alone to need; and I give my love, with no restraint, now or ever."
Priest: "And do you accept what she will give?"
Groom: "Yes, I, now and forever, claim her compassion, hearth, mercy and love!"
Priestess: "Two came unto us,"
Priest: "Two as one depart,"
Priestess: "Two shall love forever."
Priest: "Two shall ne'er depart."
(The priests give a rose to the couple, and they place it tightly between their palms and face one another.)
Priestess: "Cuane of the Roses"
Priest: "And Poen of Song"
Priests: "Bless you, Unite you, and Free you, Two made One."
Rites of Death
"The end which comes once and comes to all is always at hand - prepare." - Matachan saying.
Much ado is made over the whether or not one will have peace or torment after they die, or in the cases of some of the evil sects of Telensitary, whether one receives torment or gets to inflict it. Hence placating the gods almost always has death in mind anyway.
This said, funerals are for the living and not the dead. It is in these ceremonies that we remember the ones we loved and lost. Funerals serve the necessary function of allowing the living to find closure. As for the dead, they too need closure – an unburied or mistreated member of the deceased can come back to haunt the living in Telzoa, and some care is taken in Telzoan tradition to placate the dead.
If one knows they are going to die they will seek the counsel of a priest of their patron god so that they might confess their sins before dying. If this is not possible a Matachan priest can take such a confession, any priest is preferable to none and at the very least someone should be there. Telzoans hate to die alone.
When someone dies in a character's presence they are expected to know and to say the decorum or last rite.
Delce de decorum trist
Delce de decorum delenerum torum
Translated this Liternanin phrase means "All are born hence, all are fated to die someday."
The preparation of the body for burial takes only a few hours and if a priest is involved it will include castings of bless and gentle repose. The rich often have elaborate costumes prepared for their death, and the body is cleaned for its journey, but left undressed. Naked we enter the world, so too do the Telzoans deliver the bodies of the dead to their rest.
Burial ceremonies begin at dawn when the body is set out for visitation. The friends and relatives of the deceased remain on the premises. Two hours before nightfall the body is taken to the local temple and the Incardra is performed by the priests of Matacha. During this ceremony the body lies just before the altar and the immediate children of the deceased form a semicircle around the casket. They are arranged from eldest to youngest from the right to the left of the body if it were to stand and face them. If the parents or spouse of the deceased survive they stand on the rightmost hand before the children, although this is a rare occurrence, it is not unheard of. Behind them in a second row are any grandchildren. In the third circle come all other relatives, and these relatives make a full circle around body and altar if there enough of them. They are arranged starting directly in front of the altar and progress clockwise around the body in this order – siblings, uncles & aunts, cousins. A fourth ring is composed of all other friends to the deceased – in the case of royal or high noble funerals this ring will be arranged by pecking order and a fifth ring will be formed of the non nobles present.
There will be one or two presiding priests – the first is always of Matacha. The second is determined by whether or not the deceased had a patron god (most do). In this case the god of the priest will be the same as the patron.
The Matachan priest begins the Incardra by repeating the decorum. The second priest then recounts the deeds of the deceased, and this may take around a half hour. The Matachan priest then calls out to the spirit to behold those who have come to bid them farewell. Each person present then says their last words to the priest and concludes with, “I, [Name] bid thee farewell.” It is customary to keep this last farewell under a minute or so, depending on how many folk must say their last farewell. In the case of very large ceremonies only the inner two circles perform this process. After each person says their farewell they turn away from body, and light a candle.
When all have turned away the Matachan priest opens a copy of the Ruandi Nombren and sets it upon the altar, and then enters the name of the deceased into the book. He says what he writes aloud. The song of the Ruandi Nombren is sung afterward, and when this song is completed the Matachan priest slams the book shut. With this cue all present snuff their candle, and hold the wick as long as they can even if it burns them.
All present bow their head as eight “Death Speakers” enter the ceremony room (or grounds) from behind the altar. They close and take up the casket, and deliver it to the burial grounds. After they leave the survivors are free to go. Some accompany the body to it’s burial grounds. In some areas the body is cremated on the spot.
Five: The Spiritual World
“All serve someone, whether they are aware of it or not.” – Sirrom
Religion plays a significant role in the lives of the Telzoan people. Both gods and priests are quite active and demonstrate their power on a regular basis. The humans of Telzoa practice a faith knowns as “Telensitary,” meaning “The Way.”
Telensitary
While strongest on the Isle of Telzoa itself, Telensitary is found throughout Losineris and northern Delcerni in one form or another. In many regions though some deities disappear from the canon of legends and tales, and others move in to take their place.
Telensitary is divided into five courts, four of which are opposed along lines of alignment. While general clerics owe fealty to no court or power in particular, neither do they hold any real influence in the temple hierarchies. They do however serve a vital role as go betweens and messengers between the various courts, and their importance has risen significantly since the beginning of the Pentalist incursions (See Pentalism). Clerics can be found in the service of all courts save Siliani, which exclusively has druids in its service.
Aurnon
Centered on the alignment of "Lawful Good," the court of Aurnon and its deities have a well-deserved reputation for conservatism and reactionary behavior. Of the five courts of Telzoa, Aurnon is the most vehement in its persecution of Pentalist priests regardless of the aims they may profess unto. Aurnon is without doubt the most politically powerful court, with many kings and nobles professing faith in Tean and placing large donations into the court. Enemies of the court snidely remark that the priests have duty first to their earthly patrons before higher matters are concerned. Aurnon views its detractors as simply another burden to bear.
Militarily Aurnon is stronger than the other courts combined. Fortunately for the others the large court can never seem to bring it's might to bear. Also Aurnon has considerable resources tied up in the attempt to quell the now 200-year-old war of succession in Telzoa. Despite these problems no one questions the virtue of the temples, or of its champions the paladins (All paladins of Telzoa serve court Aurnon).
Tean
The Watching One, Lord of Burning Eyes
Symbol: A twin Sunburst
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: The Twin Suns, Justice, Duty, Honor, Chivalry
Domains: Law, Good, Sun, Strength, Justice
Favored Weapon: The Longsword
The Power: Tean is Lord of the twin suns of Carthasana, which are said by legend to be his burning eyes as they watch the world. He is final judge of the dead that are brought before him by Matacha and Kepho, whose actions he weighs before turning them over to one of those two to do with as they please. He is the patron of duty, honor and chivalry, and the precepts of these have said to have been passed down to mortals from his hand.
Tean is depicted as a young man with fire red hair, glowing all white eyes which project beams of light which can part any shadow. His skin is white yet glows with a golden hue. He wields a longsword named in legend as Landrasindrel. His armor, when he chooses to wear such, is made of pure gold.
The Ethos: Tean's faithful are ethically and morally unreproachable, save for those who resent its purity. His priests teach that the light of the soul can shine from within if the mind and the body are kept pure. Justice is achieved through obedience to authority, and all just authority is divine in nature so to defy a king is to defy Tean himself.
The Clergy: Priests of Tean are found in the larger cities of Telzoa acting as emissaries and advisors to the noble rulers of the island. Paladins act as direct agents for these priests as they are bound by code to defer to these priests before any others.
Ceremonial vestments of the priests are white with red skullcaps. Higher priests use gold embroidery of varying degrees of complexity - the degree of which is determined by the rank of the priest.
Matacha
The Shepherdess, Lady of Regret
Symbol: The Crow
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Natural Death, The 1st Moon, The Good Aligned Dead.
Domains: Good, Rest, Healing
Favored Weapon: Morningstar
The Power: As one of the two Gods of Death and the Dead, Matacha and those who worship her are most curious individuals indeed. The general populace of Telzoa fear her, for Tean's wrath has been expressed through her, and many in the whole island remember her visitation on the night of the first anniversary of the destruction of Castle Maldanca by the Milicsundrians when 112 noble children died in their sleep - the same as the number of priests murdered one year before by King Salsis. Normally though Matacha's purpose is guardian of natural death. She abhors the existence of the undead and charges her priests with the task of destroying all such creatures they encounter.
Matacha is depicted as a middle aged woman who, while certainly not young, has yet to really show her age. Her visage exudes a silent strength to it, yet the weariness of age. Her eyes and hair are raven black. She is always dressed with a black cloak and a white gown. She is also said to be able to shape change into a crow at will, and superstition holds that she takes this form when she ferries dead souls to the beyond.
Matacha also rules over the nearest moon of the sky as it nightly moves amid the celestial sea of souls.
The Ethos: The teachings of the priesthood are dominated by warnings of the dangers to come if one leads an evil life. This life is but a test meant to earn the right to paradise in the beyond - those who succeed are fated to be rewarded by Matacha (or their patron god in the case of priests). Those who fail are to be turned over to Kepho to be punished and tortured as he wills.
The Clergy: Priests of Matacha wander the island with copies of the enigmatic Ruandi Nombren, a roll containing the names of all souls born and died in this world. It is said that when a name is recorded into a priest's Ruandi Nombren, it appears in the copy held by Matacha herself and used as a ledger to track the movement of souls.
Ceremonial garments are deep black gowns and cloaks with hoods drawn over the head. Priests where thin veils which force anyone to be very close to them to actually recognize them. As this dress is very similar to Senda's priests many of the priests of Matacha accent their garb with a bright white sash.
Cuvanill
The Mother of Mothers, Lady of the Shield
Symbol: A Gold Shield
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Defensive War, Mothers, Protection
Domains: War, Protection, Guardian
Favored Weapon: Halberd
The Power: She of the shield, Cuvanill is stubborn and resolute goddess of defense and protection. She is the sworn enemy of Sana, the Goddess of Aggressive War and Slaughter. While a skilled warrior, Cuvanill hates war craft and battle and prefers the ways of peace. But she and her followers recognize the inevitability of war as long as evil hearts exist in the world and the necessity of preparing to combat them and drive them back into the darkness from which they came.
Cuvanill is depicted as matronly figure in full plate armor and a full body shield of light in her left hand. In her right hand she holds a halberd which is her weapon of choice. She is also often depicted without any arms and in the company of children - for she is patron of motherhood. Just as their is no end to a mother's love and willingness to protect her children, so too does Cuvanill show no lack of compassion or love as she smites those who would harm her priests or children.
The Ethos: War is evil - yet it must be fought when brought unto you. There is no honor in surrendering to oppression, no good in allowing the wicked to rule the virtuous. One prepared for war does not invite attack, and if vigilance and preparation prevents war so much the better. The strong must protect the weak.
The Clergy: Cuvanill's priests guard the temple establishments of Aurnon and defend them without question, to the bitter end. If assigned to protect someone a priest of Cuvanill will not live to see them harmed. The stalwart reputation of the priests proceed them, and their enemies loathe having to fight them. Cuvanill's priests are often assigned the duty of protecting key positions in a fight - and as such when they see fighting, they find themselves in the thick of it.
Outside of combat the clerics were simple white robes with a red sash and a polished gold-tinted wooden shield. These ceremonial shields are rarely, if ever actually used in combat.
Rosalynn
The Martyred One, Lady of Sorrow
Symbol: A Crying Eye
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Suffering, Matyrs
Domains: Healing, Aid
Favored Weapon: None
The Power: Known as the "Martyred Goddess," Rosalynn is one of two deities in the pantheon held to have ascended from a mortal state after giving up her life to protect her people from the tyranny of her father. Though the circumstances of her death and the heroism of her actions change from telling to telling of the story, Rosalynn's actions are always seen as pivotal in saving her people from darkness. The truth of the matter is itself lost to time.
Today Rosalynn is seen as the willing sufferer, the one who takes mantle of other's burden's upon themselves. Hers is not a popular faith to follow, although the line of persons willing to take advantage of the charity of her priests remains long.
Rosalynn's avatar is said to be that she had just after death - a girl of fourteen years whose throat has been cut open with a knife. Due to this injury she cannot speak, and her priests similarly do not speak in their temples and only very rarely will they quietly speak outside such circumstances. In order to communicate despite this practice the priests have developed an elaborate sign language.
The Ethos: Humble thyself not only before the gods, but also before your fellow man. Nothing in the world is as worthless as empty pride. The next greatest virtue to a priest of Rosalynn is patience, and both combined give dignity to the individual - which is a very different thing from pride. Most Rosalynn followers are quiet introverts preferring to demonstrate their teachings through action.
The Clergy: The worshippers of Rosalynn are very few in number, but their impact can be great. All the other priests of Aurnon have a grave amount of respect for the priests who take, embrace and endure what is sometimes called the "quiet path."
The ceremonial vestments of the Rosalites are black but often tattered, for these priests own only their priestly habits and forsake many other possessions. They also tie a red necklace of woven hemp about their necks to symbolize their matron's death wound.
Gintuse
The Scribe of Law, Keeper of the Tomes
Symbol: A scroll
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Literature, Law, Knowledge Known
Domains: Knowledge, Scribe
Favored Weapon: Staff
The Power: Gintuse is the Lord of Scribes, Law and all knowledge known to man. It is he that is charged with the guarding and protection of the written word - and to his eyes all literature, for good or ill, must be preserved. While not charged with the interpretation of the law (a function of Tean's power and position) Gintuse often throws himself willingly into the role of devil's advocate in the debates of the court.
Gintuse is depicted as a scholar - strong and robust for such an individual, but a scholar all the same. Most paintings and statuary paint him as balding with the hair on the back of his head and his beard both flowing to his waist. He usually carries a book or scroll and the more tedious, realistic renderings of him stain his fingertips with ink ever so slightly to signify his roll as scribe of the gods.
The Ethos: Knowledge must be preserved - to be preserved it must be written - and once written it must be guarded. This applies equally to evil as well as to good knowledge, although those things man is not meant to know must be sealed away and left only as a weapon to combat it should that knowledge be rediscovered by the wicked.
The Clergy: The most pedantic members of Aurnon, the priests and devotees of Gintuse urge caution to the point that caution itself becomes risky. As a result of this tendency priests of Gintuse are more sedentary and don't range far afield.
Gintuse's priests have a bit of a rivalry with Matacha and her brood despite the two being allies. Gintuse is somewhat critical of Matacha for often thinking with her heart instead of her head, and his priests follow through with this accusation on her followers. The rivalry is not heated though, as each group recognizes the needs of the others role - but they are at ends with each other when trying to influence the other three.
Rizaldi
The popular Court of Roses is chaotic good, and while Aurnon follows a doctrine of spiritual fulfillment, Rizaldi espouses a philosophy of earthly pursuit and pleasure. Rizaldan priests indulge themselves to the brink of hedonism, and a few cross over that brink. Though none of them would ever intentionally harm someone else, they occasionally do so by accident and a good deal of the court's time is spent redressing lapses in better judgment.
Ever since Rizaldi and Aurnon came to a tenuous peace some 270 years ago the two sub-religions have had a strained history. More than once individual priests have come to blows, and while the two courts do not officially war, they do keep their fences hedged high and try to stay away from each other's affairs. Most of the arguments between the two arise when they attempt to cooperate.
Rizaldi espouses the virtue of freedom and its priests argue against any strictures to it save one - freedom must be given to all, and any act that restricts the freedom of another cannot be taken. Rizaldans often recklessly exploit their own freedom, to the point of disgusting outsiders. Rizaldans usually walk nude within the confines of their own temples, for why conceal the bodies the gods have so perfectly made?
Rizaldi is unique among the four courts for its lack of hierarchy. A Rizaldan temple has a floor plan that lacks procession or altar. The temples are laid out in radial around the deity statue and no one person has status over the others. While there are certainly priests that maintain and guard the structure and fight to defend the faith, they take no prominence in prayer. All are equal before His Enchanting Lady and Her Eternal Consort.
Cuane
Of the Waves, Lady of Dance.
Symbol: Right half of a heart in the shape of a face.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Love, The Sea, Feminine Beauty, Dance
Domains: Chaos, Good, Water, Love, Sea
Favored Weapon: The Bow
The Power: His Enchanting Lady of the Roses, of the waves, of the dances, of charm - Cuane has many titles that Rizaldans use in front of outsiders, but among themselves she is simply "Cu." Her name comes from the Liternanin Cu for "Love" and Anne meaning "Grace," hence "Beloved Grace." Cuane rules over the sea - and like it she can be beautiful in her calm and terrible when enraged. Her depictions are impossibly beautiful - for she is the Goddess of Feminine Beauty. And with the waves it is said that she invented and is the Patroness of Dance.
The Ethos: Love. Do whatever the hell you want, but love. Insure freedom for all and love. Bring beauty to world, and do it with love. You must learn to love yourself to truly know how to love anyone else, including His Enchanting Lady - with that lesson in hand teach love to all.
The Clergy: Cuane's personal following is a sorority - there are no men in her following - contrawise women do not follow Poen her husband. There is a duality between these two orders, and many of the priests and priestesses are married. Marriage is not a contract between Rizaldans as it is between dedicates of Aurnon. It is a spiritual bond. Neither is sexual contact exclusive to the marriage, although it is still somewhat taboo there are justifications. Adultery does not carry the connotations of betrayal among the Rizaldans that it does in our culture or the followers of Aurnon. This "free love" principle is one of the strongest points of contention between the courts.
Priestly vestments are bright pink and blue ribbons that barely conceal the wearer's breasts or genitals. Rose and flower garlands complete the outfit and have given rise to the nickname "flower-children." Cuane's priests find the nickname amusing, but far from formal. Outside their temples the priestesses dress to allure, but within the constraints of the local culture and law.
Poen
Of the Skies, Lord of Song
Symbol: Left half of a heart in the shape of a face.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Love, The Sky, Bards, Masculine Beauty, Music
Domains: Chaos, Good, Air, Love, Music
Favored Weapon: Bow
The Power: Her Enchanting Consort is the title by which Poen (Liternanin meaning, "Guards") is usually addressed, and it implies that his is a secondary role in the pantheon. This is partially true - Cuane does most of the speaking for the two, but his role is quite strong. All the waters of the world flow into the sea, and all those waters come from the sky - just as the waters of a man flow into his spouse to plant the seed of new life. Such sexual metaphors are constant within Rizaldan doctrine. Woman may hold the waters from which new life springs, but man is required to protect her especially when she bears such burdens. Some sects also hold that while a woman must give birth to the body of a child her husband must mediate at the same time in order to give birth to the soul.
Poen rules all things that flow into the sea from the sky. He is therefore Lord of the Sky, though things within the sky are the properties of other deities. He rules the rivers and streams that flow to the sea. The sound of their flowing gives rise to the first music, and he is the Patron of Music. Dance without Music is not whole, and neither is Music without dance whole. Two make one.
Poen is depicted as an impossibly handsome man as befits his status as Lord of Masculine Beauty. He is robust and well formed, but not overly so. He is usually depicted as clean-shaven, though some areas give him a beard. It is rare to see him or Cuane depicted alone - they are almost always together.
The Ethos: Love. Essentially the same as Cuane's ethos - love others, but Poen also teaches faith. One should not spend their seed upon those whose potential children you cannot care for or protect. Life is sacred. It is the duty of women to create it, men to protect it, and of both to serve it. Poen's priests are the most forward thinking on the island where women's rights are concerned.
The Clergy: Poen is followed by a fraternity - no women are in his direct following just as no men follow his wife Cuane. Priestly vestments are scarlet and deep blue and are everybit as skimpy (often moreso) as the garments worn by Cuane's following.
Balaxa
Of the Smith, Lord of Craft
Symbol: A workman's hammer
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Crafts, Invention
Domains: Creation, Knowledge
Favored Weapon: The Warhammer
The Power: The Lord of Artifice, Balaxa is the craftman of the gods. He is at least partially responsible for the creation of many of the artifacts wielded by his fellow powers, and his priests have likewise created many of the magic items that exist in Telzoa. Balaxa rules over the creative arts and the products of those arts are highly sought by mortals and occasionally even the gods.
Balaxa is depicted as an incredibly well muscled blacksmith or weapon smith, although occasionally he is depicted as a painter or sculptor. He always has a thick beard, piercing blue eyes and a powerful figure.
The Ethos: Within the act of creation lies the renewal of the world. When a new invention or item is first used the world changes. As an artisan, you are responsible to see to it that such changes are for the good of all mankind.
The Clergy: Balaxa is followed by artisans of all callings and many of his clergy members are likewise skilled artisans. His priests regularly create magic items of varying degrees of power - and those who would seek to buy a magic item know that these priests are often the first group to contact.
Priestly vestments are simple brown tunics over white breeches and undertunics. Most priests wear a belt that holds the tools of their favorite craft.
Seloku
Of the Merchants, Lord of Coins
Symbol: A coin.
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Commerce, Travel and Messengers.
Domains: Travel, Trade
Favored Weapon: The Mace
The Power: Seloku is the known as the Lord of Coins. Within his purview are all matter of exchanges made with the aim of profit by one or both parties so long as they are done in good faith. Seloku is a guardian of travelers and roads. He is the sworn enemy of Tharpoen, thieves and all who would disrupt free trade.
Seloku is depicted in much the same way as any merchant except that his wealth abounds about him - coins are often stacked all the way to the ceiling in most paintings depicting him. He has shoulder length black hair and is usually mustachioed.
The Ethos: Wealth promotes wealth. Gold should not be horded - it should be invested in ventures to gain ever more gold. Wealth is not a matter of one person ending up with everything - wealth creates more wealth for everyone, but especially for those who promote it's acquisition. A coin in the pocket is as worthless as the lint - to have value it must be used in trade.
The Clergy: Seloku's priests rank among the wealthiest individuals on the islands. He actually has temples of his own separate from the rest of Rizaldi, and these establishments function much as banks do in our own world. Some of the priests have even begun the practice of insuring goods - though the profit in this is as yet unproven.
In ceremony the clergy wear as much gold as they can afford in jewelery and other nick nacks. The main fabric of their costumes are plain white with gold thread coin designs upon them. High priests tend to wear silk instead of cotton.
Terix
Of the Laughter, Lord Fool
Symbol: A six sided die
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Luck, Chaos, Rogues, Madness, Trickery
Domains: Luck, Trickery
Favored Weapon: The Blackjack.
The Power: Mad Terix is at the center of many a bard's tale by fireside. Accounts of his chicanery upon the other figures of the pantheon, and even within his own court are legendary and grow with each telling. One tale recalls how he, spurned by Cuane, cut off her hair and presented it to the other gods, much to her embarrassment. Almost all the other gods have at least one run in with Terix, and all of them tend to keep him at arms reach least they become the target of his next prank. Even mortals have need to fear him, for of the gods he is the most likely to interfere in the livelihood of a common mortal for sport.
Despite his happy go lucky nature Terix does have some confirmed enemies. His hatred for Sekoon and his allies is complete since they were responsible for the death of Terix's mother, Tersha, within the last century.
Terix is depicted as a young child of indeterminate sex with an ever-present smile crawling across his face. Everything is a delight to him, and his eyes are in constant wonder. Perhaps this is the reason why he is constantly getting into trouble. More likely it's because he lacks any sense of control.
The Ethos: Have fun at any cost. Push life to it's limits. Living without pleasure is not living at all. Bring humor to the world and spread joy and laughter - even if this means making some self-righteous boob the butt of one or more jokes. Never let an ego go by unscatched - teach the arrogant the true value of humility through humiliation. But in all this wildness, don't kill or seriously injure anyone - you can't play anymore pranks on them if that happens.
The Clergy: Many whisper that all of Terix's clergy are insane - and while many of his devotees are, not all of them could be certainly. Can they? Terix's priests often serve as jesters, entertainers and other never-do-wells. Bards that entertain by means other than music often swear fealty to Terix.
Terix's clergy rarely gather in ceremonies exclusive to themselves, and beyond the carrying of the holy symbol of the order – an unmarked die - they do not have anything approaching an organized set of clerical vestments.
Damosi
The Court of Hatred reviles everyone and everything around it, and has a knack for receiving much the same treatment. Damosi has a tenuous alliance with Shadrea insomuch as the two courts avoid getting in each other's way and occasionally they will work together to keep the Aurnon / Rizaldi alliance from wiping them both from the landscape of the Telzoan island.
While the precious few priests of this order worry about this constantly, the gods of this court seem to thrive with comparatively little direct prayer or worship. If a god's power is based on the number of people that acknowledge their existence though it is easy to see why this court's deities continue to thrive even as their followers flounder and rarely mount any serious offensive against their sworn enemies which include, incidently, just about everyone, even their "ally" Shadrea.
The Damosin doctrine is one of rule by oppression, fear and malice. Theirs is an organized evil - rarely overt, but dangerous nonetheless. And while there are few professed clerics of the various Damosin orders, there are more than enough Rogues and Blackguards about whom through the forwarding of their own agendas further the agenda of the Court of Hate.
By necessity Damosi is more or less underground. As the traditional enemy of the Rizaldan court it was drawn into Telensitary's networks of myths. If there was a deal cut by the deities involved at this time no mortal is privy to it.
Damosi is not as underground as Court Shadrea though. In strife torn areas temples to Apenca are frequently seen, and the other four deities are never far behind. Most Damosin sacred sites are privately owned - for instance no assassin's guild is complete without a small shrine to Tharpoen.
Sekoon
The Black, Lord of Hate
Symbol: A black flame on a red field
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Fire, Hate, Strife
Domains: Law, Evil, Fire, Destruction, Hate
Favored Weapon: Spear
The Power: No deity in the Telensitaran pantheon is capacle of eliciting as strong a set of reactions as Sekoon. While his power as the god of fire is undeniable and his sway over dark thoughts is irrefutable, Sekoon is still rarely mentioned, and then either in contempt or fear, and often both. Sekoon has few clerics, but many men swear by his name when cursing their enemies. Occasionally, it is whispered, the Lord of Hate answers their call.
Long ago it is said Sekoon had the ability to take on a handsome young man who could beguile anyone and turn the hearts of men against each other at a glance. While the legends conflict as to why, it is known that currently Sekoon cannot take any form that is pleasing to the eye - outside of that restriction he can (and does) take any form he wishes. His favored form is a pillar of black fire. He is not known to take any remotely human looking form, neither is he depicted in such forms in temple art.
The Ethos: Love is a lie. Dreams are a lie. The truth is to be found in the cold reality of hatred. Hatred is a fire that can burn away all weakness and temper the soul. Only a coward forgives, only a fool sets his differences behind. If someone offends you, then they are your enemy. Enemies are to be hated until the day they die - and it is your duty to hasten the arrival of that moment if you can without compromising greater goals.
The Clergy: Faith in Sekoon is rarely open. His priests usually dodge the question when asked about the source of their powers, or feign being wizards and save their healing magics for themselves. Then there are those few clerics that are powerful enough to not give a damn about who knows if they are a cleric of the Black Lord.
In ceremony the clerics of Sekoon wear dark grey robes trimmed in bright red fire patterns.
Tela
The Bitch, Lady of Pain
Symbol: A barbed whip
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Torture, Agony, Contempt
Domains: Evil, Pain, Hate
Favored Weapon: Whip
The Power: Tela has earned the tile of "Bitch Among the Gods," by alienating virtually everyone around her except her father, Sekoon, and her few priests. Paranoid and prone to lash out at anyone, including her own faithful at the slightest provocation, Tela represents all that is ugly in human nature. She and her clerics share a love in inflicting pain and agony upon others frequently. Whatever hatreds, contempts and fustrations cannot be taken out on the source are usually taken out on hapless victims.
Tela is depicted as a beautiful young woman with a narrow scar that runs down her right cheek - a wound given to her by her sister Sana whom she tried to usurp with her father's help. Sana has since migrated to Court Shadrea. Tela is usually to be found carrying one or more instruments of torture, and her face is usually in glee from inflicting pain, or a horrible scowl.
The Ethos: Do unto others before they do unto you. Strike them and hurt them both physically and emotionally - let them know that they live only by your grace - a grace you will dismiss at the slightest provocation or failure on their part. As to those you cannot control - kill them.
The Clergy: As with Sekoon, Tela's following is sparse at best. The priests do keep in fairly good contact with each other, but range far afield lest they get on each other's nerves, with usually fatal consequences. In ceremony the priests wear maroon robes with black trim.
Berenash
The Fallen, Lord Strife
Symbol: A broken crown
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Tyranny, Slavery, Oppression
Domains: Discord, Destruction, Earth
Favored Weapon: The Partisan
The Power: Legend holds that Berenash once controlled an empire of unimaginable power in the centuries preceding even the Malchani Empire (Though many scribes believe this to be a boast). Through treachery or, some say, his own will his empire fell apart and Berenash was taken into the depths by Sekoon himself to serve at the Black Lord's right hand. Whatever the case, few doubt Berenash's qualifications for the post.
The Lord of Tyranny, Berenash is depicted in temple art as a resplendent king to whom all bow. Those who oppose him are depicted as being tortured, already slain, or enslaved. Berenash's hair is short and his cold black eyes are always alive with schemes to one day rule an empire equal in glory to the one he lost.
The Ethos: The weak exist only to serve the strong. If something is weak you either control it or kill it - anything else grants it more honor than it deserves. Rule by fear - for no other form of rule is consistent or strong. Show no weakness - or be prepared to fall as a consequence of that weakness.
The Clergy: Aside from Apenca, Berenash's clergy are the most visible members of Damosi. They are always scheming to gain control of some group or power structure. The ongoing Succession War has given them many opportunities to thrive.
In ceremony Berenash's priests wear white robes with silver trim.
Tharpoen
The Assassin, Lord Murder
Symbol: A dagger sheathed in a vial of poison
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Conspiracy, Intrigue, Murder
Domains: Death, Destruction, Stealth
Favored Weapon: Dagger
The Power: Tharpoen is rarely mentioned directly in any temple's literature, but he and his agents are never far from the mind of any deity or priest. Numerous times in the past he has assassinated his fellow gods, most recently Tersha - the former Goddess of Luck and Insanity (portfolios that fell to her son Terix). His priests likewise tend to dispose of their enemies quietly.
Tharpoen is the known as The Assassin, a title that fits him well since he is also Lord of Conspiracies and Intrigues. The two go well together, especially when coupled with his control of murder.
When Tharpoen is depicted at all in temple art it is a shadowy, vaguely human form with, occasionally, a dagger visible.
The Ethos: The foolish advertise their strength. The wise strike silently from the shadows, leaving no survivor and no clue as to the identidy, let alone the strength of the attacker. Let others take risks for you, then reap the rewards through their elimination while they are yet weak.
The Clergy: Most of Tharpoen's followers are assassins, and his clerics make especially potent members of that class once they reach the requisite level to enter the it.
Apenca
The Black Hand, Lady of Vengeance
Symbol: A coiled black viper
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Retribution, Revenge
Domains: Strength, Vengeance
Favorite Weapon: Hand Ax
The Power: Known among detractors as Her Lady of the Eternal Grudge, Apenca has a long list of enemies befitting one known to never forgive. This attitude of hers falls through to her priests, many of whom would be otherwise ‘good’ souls were it not for a persecution complex so deeply rooted in their psyche’s that they lash out at any they perceive to be wronging them. Apenca rules over this hatred in all men’s hearts – the third for revenge regardless of its justification and regardless of the slight.
Apenca is depicted as a ravenhaired lady clad in full plate and holding an ax legends call Milcarda. She has recently been depicted more and more often with Sekoon, and some legends hold that the two have married.
The Ethos: Trust no one. Trust nothing. Everyone has an agenda that is to pursued at your expense. No one is truly benevolent - they always have altruistic motives. Hurt those that wrong you. Slay those who threaten your life. Punish the crime before it can be done – for thought alone is guilt enough.
The Clergy: Apenca’s role in Damosi is a very uneasy one for her clerics, then again they are a group that has enough trouble cooperating with each other – let alone with the other clerics in this court, and given their choice of allies even a paladin can understand their sense of paranoia. There is a great deal of distrust between Apenca’s flock and Tharpoen’s, and the two keep apart as much as possible.
The clerical vestments of these priests are emerald green with yellow accents.
Shadrea
The enigmatic Court of Shadow, Shadrea and its agents are feared by all other courts. Little is known of the court by outsiders beyond the identidy of the deities which grant their spells and answer their prayers. Their agendas, motives, powers, resources and number are all secret, and numerous murders of spies and would be traitors have worked to insure it will remain so.
Shadrea is sometimes known as the Court of Whispering Death. Where Damosi destroys, Shadrea corrupts, and for this reason more than any other all four other courts have a healthy fear of Shadrea, its lure and it’s power.
While the clergy of Shadrea may be quite underground, it’s deities are not. Indeed, three members of the court – Senda, Char and Kepho have at their disposal some of the most powerful portfolios for havoc and destruction. More often then not they obliquely employ these powers. Why then the clergy is underground is not understood unless one considers that they may be pursuing a darker agenda still.
Shadrean doctrine is one of corruption. Divide and conquer is a classic theme, and more than one conflict between Aurnon and Rizaldi can be laid at the feet of a Shadrean agent. Their world of secrecy is necessary to protect them not only from their enemies, but also from each other. Although Shadrea puts up a unified face, they have a tendency to turn on each other far more often than the other courts.
Senda
Of the Night, Lady Black
Symbol: A near black disk with solid black eyes.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolio: Darkness, Shadow, Night, Corruption, Lies
Domains: Chaos, Evil, Trickery, Destruction, Darkness
Favored Weapon: The Net
The Power: Lady Black has been Tean’s mortal enemy since the beginning of time. The Goddess of Darkness, Shadow and Night holds great power, or at least fear throughout the land, but her hold is never complete – banished completely by day and weakened at night by Carthasana’s three moons. All the same, Telzoans have a great deal to fear her and the malice that is born within her soul.
Senda is depicted as a completely near black shadowy form, sometimes humanoid, more often amorphous, with two eyes that are even blacker than the rest of her black form. If she is capacle of other forms she has yet to adopt them. She rarely speaks aloud, but her voice can be heard as a whisper in the mind, the little voice that encourages us all to do the wrong thing is said to be of Senda’s design.
The Ethos: The weak are those which foolishly believe that the world is clear and crystal if only the light can be brought upon it. It is the light that is the lie, the truth lies in darkness, and it is far more frightening than any fool can comprehend. Side with the darkness and Senda will embrace and protect you. Fight the darkness and eventually it will consume and destroy you. There is no light that does not know the touch of shadow. Everything is or can be corrupted – it is only a matter of time until this shall occur. Time itself began in darkness, and it shall end that way.
The Clergy: Sendites are known to produce robes which act as cloaks of elvenkind in any amount of darkness, and they wear these at all times. They are a very secretive lot and tend to pose as priests of other gods intentionally, that they might more easily corrupt the foolish followers of other gods. The faith is organized tightly despite being mostly chaotic. Priests belong to circles of two to twelve individuals, and the number in any circle is always even.
Char
Of Violence, Lord of Storms
Symbol: A lightning bolt afore a tornado.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolio: Destruction, Storms, Malice, Violence
Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Violence
Favored Weapon: The Hammer.
The Power: Char. The very name can send shivers of dread and fear up the spine of the most stalwart paladin. The only deity of Shadrea that does not know the meaning of the word subtle, while he may be the most visible of the Shadrean powers, his priests have to be as secretive as possible to survive the wrath of the many who’ve lost lost loved ones to Char’s tremendous and near continual wrath.
Char could probably count his active worshippers on one hand. That matters little to him, cause nearly no one on the island doesn’t acknowledge his existence and power, and he constantly reminds them of it. Volcanoes, Tornadoes, Thunderstorms, Gales, Blizzards, and natural disasters of all other kinds can be blamed solely on Char, and he relishes in it with great intensity.
Char is depicted as the legendary Tarrasque, for it is said this beast is his avatar and true form – an unstoppable engine of destruction with nothing but malevolence for the world. He holds tornadoes of pure fire in his hands and breaths lightning bolts out of his mouth. Fortunately he has not been seen in this form for centuries.
The Ethos: Destroy. Any way. Any means. It matters not. The world was created so it could be destroyed. The mountains where raised up to be broke down. The seas where laid down to be evaporated away. Nothing is eternal, so gain power in the destruction of all things.
The Clergy: A character wishing to become one of Char’s five or so priests has his work cut out for him in gaining followers, or staying alive – but it does happen on occasion. There is one village in Creania that has a priest and a following to Char – the villagers struggling to appease the god and his priest lest the volcano less than two miles away erupts killing them all.
Sana
Of the Bleeding Field, Lady of the Sword
Symbol: A greatsword soaked in blood.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolios: Aggressive War, Conquest, Slaughter
Domains: War, Destruction
Favored Weapon: The Greatsword
The Power: Goddess of Attack and Slaughter, Sana is the daughter of Sekoon and was in Damosi until he aided Tela in an attempt to kill her. Though Sana was victorious, she has become alienated to her father and sister. Her hatred for them is hotter than for any good aligned entity. Cuvanill, the Goddess of Defense, is Sana’s usual antagonist.
Sana is an impossibly beautiful woman in full plate but wearing no helmet, with blood red hair and eyes. Despite her lithe form she is incredibly strong and more than a match for any who would fight her.
The Ethos: War is the means by which the strong cull out the weak. It is to be encouraged, for the survivors are always stronger because of it. Peace is nothing more than a time of rest between conflicts, and a rest that need not be lengthy. War is truth of the hatred of man – unabashed, honest and pure. Peace is a lie in it’s horrible light.
The Clergy: Sana’s following is large, as befits a nation at war. She may not be personally popular, but many of the champions of her order have gained great popularity. Her priests wear a red bandana into battle to symbolize Sana’s blood red hair and wear no helmet. They charge furiously into battle – for it is a great honor to gain the first kill in any battle.
Kepho
Of the Depths. Lord Doom
Symbol: A blackened skull
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Porfolio: Undeath, Disease, Pestilence, Evil Souls, the Third Moon.
Domains: Corruption, Death, Evil
Favored Weapon: Scythe
The Power: Death is always feared, and that can be seen merely by how much Matacha’s priests unnerve folks in their travels. But if Matacha’s good aligned followers unnerve, Kepho’s following tends to scare the hell out the commonfolk.
Kepho is the God of Unkind Death. When one dies to pestilence or disease Kepho is held to blame. His priests lurk in the shadows, waiting to torture the souls of the innocent even further by animating their remains and forcing them into a slavery beyond the grave.
Kepho is depicted as a powerful lich wielding a scythe who is willing to torture any and all who would so much as annoy him. The bodies of the dead and dying each grasp at his tattered robes, and decay abounds everywhere in his presence.
The Ethos: Decay is the natural order of things. Death is a release to be given only after the cleansing torture of torment by disease and pestilence. Cling to your gods, for if thou art false Kepho shall have your very soul to torment for eternity.
The Clergy: The silent deathbringers that form Kepho’s following are rarely seen, but said to haunt graveyards looking for likely victims for use in their nefarious schemes of torture and revilement. They, like most of Senda’s following, wear solid black robes with no adornment.
Narisane
The Whore, Lady Seduction
Symbol: A nude. The vulgarity of the pose varies.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Lust, Seduction, Coercion
Domains: Trickery, Seduction
Favored Weapon: The whip
The Power: The kind words for Narisane describe her as the "dark side of love." The rebellious second-born daughter of Cuane and Poen, Narisane is the only one of their children to become a goddess in her own right, and she rules over lust and seduction, coercion and lies. She is the abuser of the heart, the one who twists good will to dark ends. Still, Narisane has yet to become totally evil - but she is slowly slipping deeper and deeper into Senda's dark fold. Narisane is Chaotic Neutral, and most of her evil tendencies of late are more to spite her parents than being born of true malice.
The Ethos: Lust is the truest weakness of the human soul, and like all weaknesses it exists to be exploited. Pleasure is found in exploitation and controlling others through their emotions, thoughts, fears and dreams. Satisfy the dark urgings of others, but leave them hungry for still more at all times.
The Clergy: Most followers of Narisane are prostitutes. While Telzoa has not historically had that much of a taboo associated with this profession, the fall of Narisane to darkness and the changes it has incurred in her following has begun to darken the reputations of the “Ladies of the Night.”
Siliani
The final court of Telensitary is Siliani, the druidic court. Concerned with the maintanence of the natural world, the five deities of this court remain somewhat aloof and removed from the machinizations and plots of the other four members of the court. Its deities also remain the most popular with the country folk that are far more dependent on their whims.
As it’s nickname implies, only druids act within Siliani. There are no clerics in this court, so there is no need to detail the domains granted by the deities of this court.
Basia
The Lord of the West Wind
Symbol: A brown disk with a withered leaf.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Autumn, The West Wind, Drought.
Favored Weapon: The Staff.
The Power: Lord Basia rules the chaotic withering touch of drought that usually comes during the early fall preceeding the harvest. His time is one of great splendor, especially of color. Basia is sometimes depicted as a mad painter as a result of the turning leaf colors. More often he is shown as an emancipated old man with badly chapped lips and the symptoms of dehydration.
Damnisu
The Lord of the East Wind
Symbol: A blue disk with a green leaf
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Spring, The East Wind, Mysts, Renewal
Favored Weapon: The Dart.
The Power: The Springlord is one of the most popular of the deities of Telensiarty. He is considered a god of hope and birth as well as his official positions of Spring and Renewal. Damnisu’s rise in power has, it is rumored, led to some clerics following him in addition to druids, but as of yet such individuals have yet to be found. For now the druids themselves are quiet on the issue, though there are many druids that are unduly loyal to the myst lord.
Tethas
The Lord of the South Wind
Symbol: A black disk with a rain drop.
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Summer, The North Wind, Rain
Favored Weapon: Scimitar
The Power: The Summerlord has become progressively weaker both in following and in power in the last century. Char is suspected to be the culprit, as the portfolios of the two have left them in great conflict since the Siliani entered Telensitary. If Tethas does fall he would not be the first deity to do so over time.
All the same, Tethas is the ruler of the south winds and the rain that comes on them. At one time the violence of the summer thunderstorms was his to claim, but Char has since subsumed that identidy in the pantheon.
Sere
The Lady of the North Wind
Symbol: A white disk with a snow flake
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Winter, The South Wind, Cold
Favored Weapon: The Mace
The Power: Lady Sere is known in most of Telzoa as the Bitch Queen of the North. Easily the most well known of the “druid” deities even among those who do not worship her directly, Sere has managed to defend her portfolio against Char’s incursions into natural calamities far better than her counterpart Tethas has. This may be due to the fact that she is easily as ruthless as Char when driven to rage, and she is far more patient. The wrath of Sere is something that no Telzoan jokes about, for snowfalls on the island of up to a foot are not unknown and the past few winters have been especially harsh and viscious.
Tiania
Her Lady of the Eternal Circle
Symbol: An unadorned disk
Alignment: True Neutral
Portfolio: Cycles, The Natural World, The Second Moon.
Favored Weapon: Scimitar
The Power: Known as the Silent Mother, Tiania is the most powerful deity in Court Siliani and one of the most powerful deities in the whole pantheon. Yet she is quiet. Beyond granting spells to druids she does not communicate to the outside world at all. Auguries and other divinations done by druids are always answered by one of the four gods of the winds – Tiania herself never speaks. All the same the belief in her existence remains strong, and some druids maintain that she does speak – if you know how to listen to the world all around you.
Fate & Magic
Two of Telensitary’s deities aren’t associated with a court. Each of them rules powerful portfolios that require their utmost neutrality in the affairs of mortals. Although clerics and the common folk refer to them often and sometimes beseech their favor, they each lack a following in the sense that the other deities have priesthoods. Indeed, each of them has only one priest each, individuals so unique that the details of their prestige classes are detailed with them.
Oralea
The Seer, Fate.
Symbol: A pendlelum afore a cloud.
Alignment: True Neutral
Portfolio: Time, Fate, Prophecy.
The Power: As goddess of time, at least as mortals understand the concept, Oralea is a goddess apart from all the others. She is alone among the gods in being able to see the future perfectly, or rather she sees all futures that might occur. She holds in her hands the fate of all mortals and, some whisper, all gods as well. All the other gods respect her if not fear her outright, and even the likes of Char and Sekoon have never dared reproach her, even for a moment.
Oralea is served by The Oracle, a prophetess who holds court in the Valley of the Gods far to the west of Dalsundria proper on the side of Mt. Calnis, the highest mountain on the island. This area is known to be inhabited by some of the most treacherous creatures in the world, and many adventurerers who have sought out The Oracle, whoever and whatever she is, have never returned.
Pektos
Symbol: An eight-sided star
Alignment: True Neutral
Portfolio: Magic, Knowledge Unknown, The Supernatural.
The Power: While Pektos claims no titles, he holds many names in the references of wizards and other spellcasters everywhere. He is known as the Master of the Craft, Lord of Wizards and to a few as the One True Spell. The scope of his powers is known to none, and it is said that mystery lies at the core of his being and that of magic so much so that if magic where ever fully understood, Pektos would be destroyed. Whatever truth or fiction lies in this witticism, it is known that Pektos is the most secretive of the deities of Telensitary. He seems unconcerned with the activities of all the other deities. Perhaps he shouldn’t be as he commands the very energies they use to garner worship.
Pektos has no known priest at all, which makes him the only power in Carthasana that is completely removed from the restriction of belief. Or perhaps it is the belief in magic itself that makes it possible for Pektos to exist without any priesthood whatsoever.
Of course I'll read the whole thing. And comment on it.
