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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Welcome to the Halmae (updated 2/27/07)
- Thread starter spyscribe
- Start date
spyscribe
First Post
Part the Seventeenth
Three… Two… One…
Professor Alexandra shuts the door on her class of third-year students and looks around at the group of adventurers crammed into her office.
“Does the name Jordan Hampton mean anything to you?” Anvil demands.
“Yes, he’s one of my first year students. What is this about?”
“We think he’s the one who told Jelliana you had sent us to get the diamond. May we speak with him?”
Professor Alexandra rubs the bridge of her nose and sighs. “I take it you’re asking as a Justicar, not a private citizen?” she asks. Anvil nods.
“Excuse me a moment.” Alexandra closes her eyes and mutters a brief incantation. This is followed by a short whispered exchange with someone only she can hear. After a few moments she opens her eyes again and regards the party. “Meet me in the administration building. I’ll go get him out of class.”
**********
In his prime, Edmund Worthington II possessed one of the finest arcane magical minds the Halmae has ever seen. His early theories of levitational magic eventually led to the creation of the spells fly, levitation, and feather fall. Sadly, those days are long past, and the wizard who sits behind the richly carved mahogany desk in the wood-paneled Chancellor’s office is a frail, white-haired old man, with a very quiet and conciliatory nature.
Professor Alexandra and Jordan arrive a few minutes behind the party. Jordan is a skinny fifteen-year-old, with freckles and an awkward manner. He takes a seat and Anvil focuses on glowering down at him with every inch of Justicar intimidation at his disposal. Reyu stands on his other side, wearing an expression that suggests she eats human babies for breakfast. Jordan gulps.
“What is your relationship to the Priestess Jelliana?” Anvil demands.
(Thatch leans over to Dennis and whispers, “Umm… I thought that was kind of obvious?”)
“We…” Jordan stammers, “We’re in love.”
“Love,” Reyu repeats, her tone flat with disblief.
“Yes.” Jordan repeats, sitting up a little straighter.
“She was planning an attack against the Mage’s Academy.”
Jordan is unsure for only a second. “You’re lying.”
“We’re not. We found the plans in her room at The Lion’s Head.”
“What were you doing there?” Jordan scans the room, looking for an ally. He finds none, but then, “understanding” dawns. “I know what this is… you’re just jealous.”
Lira looks at the young wizard and puts on her most dazzling smile. “Come on, we’ve got no reason to lie to you… Maybe she’s just fallen in with the wrong sort of people,” she suggests. “Tell us what you know, and we can help her.”
Jordan is only partially reassured. “She wouldn’t plot against the Academy,” he insists. “She wanted to study magic. To be a wizard.”
“Did she ever ask you to bring her anything from the Academy? A scroll of charm person maybe?”
Jordan gulps.
“Tell us the truth,” Anvil says, “Kettenek’s Justice demands it!”
“I… I… got her a couple scrolls. One of them might have been charm person. I… didn’t want to, but she said she needed them.”
“What spells were on them?”
“I don’t know! I just grabbed some out of the Professor’s cupboard. I’m sorry, but you can’t blame her, this isn’t her fault!”
Professor Alexandra blanches at the revelation of the theft. “What sorts of scrolls do you keep there?” Reyu asks.
“Just some student work… nothing higher than second level.”
The party exchanges glances, that’s still higher than any of them can cast.
The interview continues for a few more minutes, but the party is soon satisfied that Jordan’s complicity in the conspiracy was limited to following his hormones instead of his head. Despite all of their efforts at persuasion, they are unable to convince Jordan that Jelliana was not as in love with him as he was with her.
After Jordan returns to class, the Chancellor mostly seemed annoyed that Professor Alexandra has asked the party to intervene in the matter of Gurn Stoneshaper and the diamond in the first place.
"I told you to let that go!" the old man practically shouts. "And you just went ahead, stirring up trouble."
"But," Reyu points out, "If not for our intervention, the plot against the Academy might never have been discovered."
“If it wasn’t for people” the Chancellor eyes Professor Alexandra meaningfully, “making unnecessary problems—”
Anvil interrupts him. "You should send the students home."
Chancellor Worthington blinks for a second before wheezing, "Out of the question! Create a panic over nothing. We don’t bother anyone. Why should anyone bother us?"
Lira speaks very slowly, just in case the Chancellor has trouble understanding Common. "We’ve found evidence that group of unknown size and unknown arms is planning something at midnight tonight, and if you don't do anything, lots of people are going to die. Don’t you care?"
The Chancellor stares back at her. "Do you think it would be possible for you to have a little less information about this ‘plot’?” He waves a hand of dismissal. “People will always dislike us. These are rogue misfits. I'm not going to create a panic over nothing."
And with that, the discussion is closed.
Professor Alexandra sees the party out of the Administration Building.
"That man," says Anvil, with characteristic tact, "is a fool."
Alexandra does not agree openly, but her look speaks volumes.
"We have to protect the students," Reyu urges her.
Alexandra nods tightly. "I'll talk to the other professors. We'll be on guard tonight, and we'll do whatever we can as far as spell selection. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time to prepare. I suppose that students who live locally can go home; although I don’t know how many of them will agree to. Only a handful of them have families that live within the city…" She gives a helpless shrug. "It's all we can do. Let's hope it's enough."
**********
By sunset that evening, the party has secured several major allies: Tenacious has spoken to King Orin who has called out the City Watch in force. The Pillars of Kettenek have come through with a well-armed squad to assist in the academy’s defense. All together, eight squads of four or five roam the grounds, keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble. The Givers of Life have healers with several of these groups and their hospital stands ready for casualties. Finally, Dennis has paid five of the city's less-reputable citizens to scout out the sewers and report back with what they find.
One by one, the spies return. The first has found nothing. Neither has the second. Nor the third. Nor the fourth. The fifth does not return.
Midnight is only minutes away.
The party is in the Divinations Building, where Professor Davis is keeping his crystal ball (the good one, with sound, Lira notices) focused on the muster-point marked on Jelliana's sewer map, as he has for the past hour.
Nothing.
"I'm telling you," Thatch tells no one in particular, "we should have gone into the sewers ourselves. Rooted them out."
Maybe they should have. At the time, facing an unknown enemy in unknown numbers didn't seem worth the risk. Now, waiting, with all the academy in readiness, knowing that in a few minutes something is going to happen, the party wracks their brains for the thing they have forgotten, the thing they could have done.
Two minutes to midnight.
One.
Dennis clears his throat, a loud noise in the otherwise silent room.
"I don't know if this will help, but could you try to scry for the fifth guy I sent out?"
In seconds, the Professor is refocusing his crystal ball and locates the man Dennis describes.
"I've got him." As the scene comes into focus the Professor Davis’ voice becomes more and more agitated. "He's... unconscious, or dead, I can’t tell… It's underground, somewhere in the sewers, a room or junction of some kind... the space is filled with barrels, I can't tell..." He stops, then, almost in a whisper, "By the Gods! The fuse, it's-"
The sound of an earth-shattering explosion rocks the building.
Three… Two… One…
Professor Alexandra shuts the door on her class of third-year students and looks around at the group of adventurers crammed into her office.
“Does the name Jordan Hampton mean anything to you?” Anvil demands.
“Yes, he’s one of my first year students. What is this about?”
“We think he’s the one who told Jelliana you had sent us to get the diamond. May we speak with him?”
Professor Alexandra rubs the bridge of her nose and sighs. “I take it you’re asking as a Justicar, not a private citizen?” she asks. Anvil nods.
“Excuse me a moment.” Alexandra closes her eyes and mutters a brief incantation. This is followed by a short whispered exchange with someone only she can hear. After a few moments she opens her eyes again and regards the party. “Meet me in the administration building. I’ll go get him out of class.”
**********
In his prime, Edmund Worthington II possessed one of the finest arcane magical minds the Halmae has ever seen. His early theories of levitational magic eventually led to the creation of the spells fly, levitation, and feather fall. Sadly, those days are long past, and the wizard who sits behind the richly carved mahogany desk in the wood-paneled Chancellor’s office is a frail, white-haired old man, with a very quiet and conciliatory nature.
Professor Alexandra and Jordan arrive a few minutes behind the party. Jordan is a skinny fifteen-year-old, with freckles and an awkward manner. He takes a seat and Anvil focuses on glowering down at him with every inch of Justicar intimidation at his disposal. Reyu stands on his other side, wearing an expression that suggests she eats human babies for breakfast. Jordan gulps.
“What is your relationship to the Priestess Jelliana?” Anvil demands.
(Thatch leans over to Dennis and whispers, “Umm… I thought that was kind of obvious?”)
“We…” Jordan stammers, “We’re in love.”
“Love,” Reyu repeats, her tone flat with disblief.
“Yes.” Jordan repeats, sitting up a little straighter.
“She was planning an attack against the Mage’s Academy.”
Jordan is unsure for only a second. “You’re lying.”
“We’re not. We found the plans in her room at The Lion’s Head.”
“What were you doing there?” Jordan scans the room, looking for an ally. He finds none, but then, “understanding” dawns. “I know what this is… you’re just jealous.”
Lira looks at the young wizard and puts on her most dazzling smile. “Come on, we’ve got no reason to lie to you… Maybe she’s just fallen in with the wrong sort of people,” she suggests. “Tell us what you know, and we can help her.”
Jordan is only partially reassured. “She wouldn’t plot against the Academy,” he insists. “She wanted to study magic. To be a wizard.”
“Did she ever ask you to bring her anything from the Academy? A scroll of charm person maybe?”
Jordan gulps.
“Tell us the truth,” Anvil says, “Kettenek’s Justice demands it!”
“I… I… got her a couple scrolls. One of them might have been charm person. I… didn’t want to, but she said she needed them.”
“What spells were on them?”
“I don’t know! I just grabbed some out of the Professor’s cupboard. I’m sorry, but you can’t blame her, this isn’t her fault!”
Professor Alexandra blanches at the revelation of the theft. “What sorts of scrolls do you keep there?” Reyu asks.
“Just some student work… nothing higher than second level.”
The party exchanges glances, that’s still higher than any of them can cast.
The interview continues for a few more minutes, but the party is soon satisfied that Jordan’s complicity in the conspiracy was limited to following his hormones instead of his head. Despite all of their efforts at persuasion, they are unable to convince Jordan that Jelliana was not as in love with him as he was with her.
After Jordan returns to class, the Chancellor mostly seemed annoyed that Professor Alexandra has asked the party to intervene in the matter of Gurn Stoneshaper and the diamond in the first place.
"I told you to let that go!" the old man practically shouts. "And you just went ahead, stirring up trouble."
"But," Reyu points out, "If not for our intervention, the plot against the Academy might never have been discovered."
“If it wasn’t for people” the Chancellor eyes Professor Alexandra meaningfully, “making unnecessary problems—”
Anvil interrupts him. "You should send the students home."
Chancellor Worthington blinks for a second before wheezing, "Out of the question! Create a panic over nothing. We don’t bother anyone. Why should anyone bother us?"
Lira speaks very slowly, just in case the Chancellor has trouble understanding Common. "We’ve found evidence that group of unknown size and unknown arms is planning something at midnight tonight, and if you don't do anything, lots of people are going to die. Don’t you care?"
The Chancellor stares back at her. "Do you think it would be possible for you to have a little less information about this ‘plot’?” He waves a hand of dismissal. “People will always dislike us. These are rogue misfits. I'm not going to create a panic over nothing."
And with that, the discussion is closed.
Professor Alexandra sees the party out of the Administration Building.
"That man," says Anvil, with characteristic tact, "is a fool."
Alexandra does not agree openly, but her look speaks volumes.
"We have to protect the students," Reyu urges her.
Alexandra nods tightly. "I'll talk to the other professors. We'll be on guard tonight, and we'll do whatever we can as far as spell selection. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time to prepare. I suppose that students who live locally can go home; although I don’t know how many of them will agree to. Only a handful of them have families that live within the city…" She gives a helpless shrug. "It's all we can do. Let's hope it's enough."
**********
By sunset that evening, the party has secured several major allies: Tenacious has spoken to King Orin who has called out the City Watch in force. The Pillars of Kettenek have come through with a well-armed squad to assist in the academy’s defense. All together, eight squads of four or five roam the grounds, keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble. The Givers of Life have healers with several of these groups and their hospital stands ready for casualties. Finally, Dennis has paid five of the city's less-reputable citizens to scout out the sewers and report back with what they find.
One by one, the spies return. The first has found nothing. Neither has the second. Nor the third. Nor the fourth. The fifth does not return.
Midnight is only minutes away.
The party is in the Divinations Building, where Professor Davis is keeping his crystal ball (the good one, with sound, Lira notices) focused on the muster-point marked on Jelliana's sewer map, as he has for the past hour.
Nothing.
"I'm telling you," Thatch tells no one in particular, "we should have gone into the sewers ourselves. Rooted them out."
Maybe they should have. At the time, facing an unknown enemy in unknown numbers didn't seem worth the risk. Now, waiting, with all the academy in readiness, knowing that in a few minutes something is going to happen, the party wracks their brains for the thing they have forgotten, the thing they could have done.
Two minutes to midnight.
One.
Dennis clears his throat, a loud noise in the otherwise silent room.
"I don't know if this will help, but could you try to scry for the fifth guy I sent out?"
In seconds, the Professor is refocusing his crystal ball and locates the man Dennis describes.
"I've got him." As the scene comes into focus the Professor Davis’ voice becomes more and more agitated. "He's... unconscious, or dead, I can’t tell… It's underground, somewhere in the sewers, a room or junction of some kind... the space is filled with barrels, I can't tell..." He stops, then, almost in a whisper, "By the Gods! The fuse, it's-"
The sound of an earth-shattering explosion rocks the building.
thatdarncat
Overlord of Chat
Gah! I'm up to date... and such a cliff hanger!
Fajitas
Hold the Peppers
Well, we take pride in our cruelty around here. Glad it's appreciated.Seonaid said:They're horribly, horribly good at that.
Alas, I'm afraid we're going to have to be a little more cruel than usual this time. See, spyscribe is going into finals week for her last semester of grad school. There may be some time before she gets a chance to post.
But don't worry. Uncle Fajitas is here to take care of you with a Sidebar or two to tide you over. Probably not a "Effects of Large Explosions on Mages Academies in the Halmae" sidebar, but hopefully something entertaining.
And hey, you guys think you got it bad? This is where we ended a session going into the end of grad school for both myself and Bad Monkey Jeff. Scheduling was a nightmare. As a result, it took us a full month to get to the next session.
spyscribe
First Post
A minor "fix" of Halmae goodness
Just a little mindless diversion while waiting for sidebars.
More than a year later, I've got a project due for Survey of Interactive Media
At least all that work didn't go to waste for everyone.
Just a little mindless diversion while waiting for sidebars.
Fajitas said:
More than a year later, I've got a project due for Survey of Interactive Media
At least all that work didn't go to waste for everyone.
Fajitas
Hold the Peppers
Sidebar: Religious Orders of the Halmae
Just before the attack at the Mages’ Academy began, our heroes visited a number of religious orders in Dar Pykos to seek aid for their cause. Most of these discussions happened off-screen. But we thought some of you out there might be a little curious as to just what religious orders there are out there that the PCs might have gone to. Thus, we present…
Sidebar: Religious Orders of the Halmae
The many different interpretations of the gods of the Halmae have led to the rise of a wide number of religious orders, each worshipping their own god in their own way. There are very nearly as many orders in the Halmae as there are different beliefs. Some of the major ones are described below.
Religious orders are not restricted to clerics, or even to divine casters. Anyone can belong to any religious order. Initiation rituals vary from group to group; it takes little more than a declaration of intent to become a Questor, whereas it takes many years of training and study to become a Justicar.
(NOTE: This is in no way an exhaustive list of religious groups in the Halmae. It is merely the list that I created for the PC packet at the beginning of the campaign. They were designed as seeds for character generation, tidbits to help spark the imagination. Details were deliberately left vague, allowing PCs interested in these orders to take part in their development.
Each entry include the most common classes, alignments, or clerical domains associated with each order, as well as any game-related trivia.)
Kettenite Orders
Kettenek’s Pillars
The Pillars live to serve. It is their mission to support all worthy and noble causes. They provide the foundation on which worthwhile undertakings can rest. They are usually Fighters and Paladins, but anyone who feels they can support righteousness is welcome in their membership. (Lawful Good, Law, Strength, Protection)
Justicars
Justicars worship the Law. They hold rigidly and mercilessly to its tenets. Everything is black or white for them. Legal is permissible, illegal is not, end of story. Judges and paladins are often found among Justicars.
Anvil, of course, is a Justicar, a member of the Universal Law Caucus, a splinter group within the Justicar Order. (Lawful Neutral, Earth, Law, Strength)
(NOTE: The Justicars are probably the most well explored order in the game right now. They have deviated somewhat from the way I originally saw them, and that’s mostly my fault. Since they occupy a prominent position in most justice systems in the Halmae, they have turned out to be a somewhat more politically savvy than they are described as above. Or, at least, the higher ranking ones like Tenacious are. Lower ranking ones like Anvil… they tend to be a tad more rigid in their thinking.)
Guardians of the Barrier
The Guardians revere Kettenek as the Lord of the Dead. They seek to ensure that those who have passed into the earth stay there. They seek to contain the undead, and more extreme members constantly protest resurrections. Many members of this sect have little to do with the living. They are often morticians.
Cyrus, during his brief tenure in the game, was a Guardian, as is the current head of the Church of Kettenek in Dar Pykos. All Guardians take the name Cyrus when they are inducted into the Order. (Lawful Neutral, Earth, Protection, Strength)
Crossers of the Barrier
The Crossers were originally an offshoot sect of the Guardians. They probed the secrets of the undead, learning how to create and control them. They seek to emulate the Lord of the Dead, by ruling over them. Needless to say, Crossers are not very popular in civilized areas.
Since the Crossers originated from Guardians that had gone bad, many of them also carry the name Cyrus. This couldn’t possibly ever lead to confusion. Or hilarity. (Lawful Evil, Earth, Law, Death)
Alirrian Orders
Nature’s Tenders
The Tenders worship Alirria as goddess of nature. They encourage harmony with nature. Many wander the wilds, offering the goddess’s aid to her creations. Others live in city-states, helping the people there to live peaceably with nature. Tenders are busiest during planting seasons, when every farmer around seeks their blessings. Druids and Rangers often belong to this sect.
Although Dennis is not a Tender, he has developed close ties with them. (Neutral Good, Water, Plant, Animal)
Nature’s Protectors
A more fanatical branch of the Tenders. Medieval eco-terrorists, the Protectors will aggressively protect nature against the encroachments of humanity. (Chaotic Neutral, Water, Plant, Animal)
Givers of Life
The Givers see Alirria as a healer. They dedicate themselves to providing for health needs. They are healers, physicians, midwives, etc. They live to help and aid the sick and injured.
The current head of the Church of Alirria in Dar Pykos is a Giver. (Lawful Good, Good, Healing)
Water Walkers
Walkers are consumed by wanderlust. They have a burning desire to see everything that exists in nature. They are always on the move. The longer they stay in one place, the more they miss elsewhere. Walkers often serve as messengers in their travels. (Neutral Good, Water, Travel)
The Lady’s Handmaidens
The Handmaidens worship Alirria as the goddess of love, and they provide, ahem, services in that regard. Their temples are effectively high-class brothels, but there is nothing dirty or illegal about them. Their priests, both male and female, seek to share love, sexual comfort, and respect with others.
Jelliana, of course, was a Handmaiden. And, while Dennis is not a Handmaiden, he has >cough, cough< developed close ties with them. (Neutral Good, Healing, Good, Water)
Ehktian Orders
Students of the Sun Blade
The Sun Blades see Ehkt as the god of War. Ehkt craves honor and glory, and showers praise on those who find the most. Most warriors, mercenaries, or soldiers belong to this sect.
The current head of the Church of Ehkt in Dar Pykos is a Sun Blade. (Chaotic Neutral, War, Sun, Fire)
Keepers of Light and Flame
Keepers believe that Ehkt encourages growth. To them, self-improvement is the ultimate form of worship. They seek physical (Keepers of Flame) or intellectual (Keepers of Light) perfection, depending on their personal focus; the holiest of Keepers seek both. Monks, Wizards, scholars, and librarians are frequently Keepers
The Keepers of Light are one of the more pro-arcane orders around. The Keepers of Flame have less interest in the arcane question. (Chaotic Good, Sun, Fire, Knowledge)
Questors
The Questors worship Ehkt as god of challenges. Like a fire constantly in need of fuel, Questors constantly seeks new obstacles to overcome. There is no quest, no dare, no stunt, no new or potentially exciting and dangerous experience that a devout Questor will turn down.
Lira, of course, is a Questor. (Chaotic Neutral, Fire, Chaos)
Sedellan Orders
Harbingers of the Future
The Harbingers worship Sedellus as goddess of change. All things must end that new ones can begin. Change is inevitable, and often frightening. The Harbingers do their best to shepherd people through changes, feeling no need to force it upon them. They are the most respected sect of Sedellus.
The current head of the Church of Sedellus in Dar Pykos is a Harbinger. (True Neutral, Air, Luck)
Fortune Riders
The Riders see Sedellus as goddess of chance, never knowing which way her fickle winds will blow, but always working an angle to get it blowing in their favor. Riders are often con artists or tricksters. The Order supports itself through games of chance. They are not generally well thought of, but who really wants to offend the goddess of luck? Rogues are often Fortune Riders. (Chaotic Neutral, Air, Luck, Trickery)
Children of the Wind
The Children are dedicated to Sedellus’s evil nature, to death and destruction. They detest civilization and all its trapping, constantly seeking to bring about its downfall. They have little formal organization, as they are generally killed on sight. However, they continue to strike, generally from small cells, leaving ruin in their wake. It is *highly* recommended that PCs not play Children of the Wind. (Chaotic Evil, Evil, Destruction)
GM’s Note: As I said, this list is by no means exhaustive. If anyone out there has cool ideas for new Religious Orders, feel free to send ‘em my way…
Just before the attack at the Mages’ Academy began, our heroes visited a number of religious orders in Dar Pykos to seek aid for their cause. Most of these discussions happened off-screen. But we thought some of you out there might be a little curious as to just what religious orders there are out there that the PCs might have gone to. Thus, we present…
Sidebar: Religious Orders of the Halmae
The many different interpretations of the gods of the Halmae have led to the rise of a wide number of religious orders, each worshipping their own god in their own way. There are very nearly as many orders in the Halmae as there are different beliefs. Some of the major ones are described below.
Religious orders are not restricted to clerics, or even to divine casters. Anyone can belong to any religious order. Initiation rituals vary from group to group; it takes little more than a declaration of intent to become a Questor, whereas it takes many years of training and study to become a Justicar.
(NOTE: This is in no way an exhaustive list of religious groups in the Halmae. It is merely the list that I created for the PC packet at the beginning of the campaign. They were designed as seeds for character generation, tidbits to help spark the imagination. Details were deliberately left vague, allowing PCs interested in these orders to take part in their development.
Each entry include the most common classes, alignments, or clerical domains associated with each order, as well as any game-related trivia.)
Kettenite Orders
Kettenek’s Pillars
The Pillars live to serve. It is their mission to support all worthy and noble causes. They provide the foundation on which worthwhile undertakings can rest. They are usually Fighters and Paladins, but anyone who feels they can support righteousness is welcome in their membership. (Lawful Good, Law, Strength, Protection)
Justicars
Justicars worship the Law. They hold rigidly and mercilessly to its tenets. Everything is black or white for them. Legal is permissible, illegal is not, end of story. Judges and paladins are often found among Justicars.
Anvil, of course, is a Justicar, a member of the Universal Law Caucus, a splinter group within the Justicar Order. (Lawful Neutral, Earth, Law, Strength)
(NOTE: The Justicars are probably the most well explored order in the game right now. They have deviated somewhat from the way I originally saw them, and that’s mostly my fault. Since they occupy a prominent position in most justice systems in the Halmae, they have turned out to be a somewhat more politically savvy than they are described as above. Or, at least, the higher ranking ones like Tenacious are. Lower ranking ones like Anvil… they tend to be a tad more rigid in their thinking.)
Guardians of the Barrier
The Guardians revere Kettenek as the Lord of the Dead. They seek to ensure that those who have passed into the earth stay there. They seek to contain the undead, and more extreme members constantly protest resurrections. Many members of this sect have little to do with the living. They are often morticians.
Cyrus, during his brief tenure in the game, was a Guardian, as is the current head of the Church of Kettenek in Dar Pykos. All Guardians take the name Cyrus when they are inducted into the Order. (Lawful Neutral, Earth, Protection, Strength)
Crossers of the Barrier
The Crossers were originally an offshoot sect of the Guardians. They probed the secrets of the undead, learning how to create and control them. They seek to emulate the Lord of the Dead, by ruling over them. Needless to say, Crossers are not very popular in civilized areas.
Since the Crossers originated from Guardians that had gone bad, many of them also carry the name Cyrus. This couldn’t possibly ever lead to confusion. Or hilarity. (Lawful Evil, Earth, Law, Death)
Alirrian Orders
Nature’s Tenders
The Tenders worship Alirria as goddess of nature. They encourage harmony with nature. Many wander the wilds, offering the goddess’s aid to her creations. Others live in city-states, helping the people there to live peaceably with nature. Tenders are busiest during planting seasons, when every farmer around seeks their blessings. Druids and Rangers often belong to this sect.
Although Dennis is not a Tender, he has developed close ties with them. (Neutral Good, Water, Plant, Animal)
Nature’s Protectors
A more fanatical branch of the Tenders. Medieval eco-terrorists, the Protectors will aggressively protect nature against the encroachments of humanity. (Chaotic Neutral, Water, Plant, Animal)
Givers of Life
The Givers see Alirria as a healer. They dedicate themselves to providing for health needs. They are healers, physicians, midwives, etc. They live to help and aid the sick and injured.
The current head of the Church of Alirria in Dar Pykos is a Giver. (Lawful Good, Good, Healing)
Water Walkers
Walkers are consumed by wanderlust. They have a burning desire to see everything that exists in nature. They are always on the move. The longer they stay in one place, the more they miss elsewhere. Walkers often serve as messengers in their travels. (Neutral Good, Water, Travel)
The Lady’s Handmaidens
The Handmaidens worship Alirria as the goddess of love, and they provide, ahem, services in that regard. Their temples are effectively high-class brothels, but there is nothing dirty or illegal about them. Their priests, both male and female, seek to share love, sexual comfort, and respect with others.
Jelliana, of course, was a Handmaiden. And, while Dennis is not a Handmaiden, he has >cough, cough< developed close ties with them. (Neutral Good, Healing, Good, Water)
Ehktian Orders
Students of the Sun Blade
The Sun Blades see Ehkt as the god of War. Ehkt craves honor and glory, and showers praise on those who find the most. Most warriors, mercenaries, or soldiers belong to this sect.
The current head of the Church of Ehkt in Dar Pykos is a Sun Blade. (Chaotic Neutral, War, Sun, Fire)
Keepers of Light and Flame
Keepers believe that Ehkt encourages growth. To them, self-improvement is the ultimate form of worship. They seek physical (Keepers of Flame) or intellectual (Keepers of Light) perfection, depending on their personal focus; the holiest of Keepers seek both. Monks, Wizards, scholars, and librarians are frequently Keepers
The Keepers of Light are one of the more pro-arcane orders around. The Keepers of Flame have less interest in the arcane question. (Chaotic Good, Sun, Fire, Knowledge)
Questors
The Questors worship Ehkt as god of challenges. Like a fire constantly in need of fuel, Questors constantly seeks new obstacles to overcome. There is no quest, no dare, no stunt, no new or potentially exciting and dangerous experience that a devout Questor will turn down.
Lira, of course, is a Questor. (Chaotic Neutral, Fire, Chaos)
Sedellan Orders
Harbingers of the Future
The Harbingers worship Sedellus as goddess of change. All things must end that new ones can begin. Change is inevitable, and often frightening. The Harbingers do their best to shepherd people through changes, feeling no need to force it upon them. They are the most respected sect of Sedellus.
The current head of the Church of Sedellus in Dar Pykos is a Harbinger. (True Neutral, Air, Luck)
Fortune Riders
The Riders see Sedellus as goddess of chance, never knowing which way her fickle winds will blow, but always working an angle to get it blowing in their favor. Riders are often con artists or tricksters. The Order supports itself through games of chance. They are not generally well thought of, but who really wants to offend the goddess of luck? Rogues are often Fortune Riders. (Chaotic Neutral, Air, Luck, Trickery)
Children of the Wind
The Children are dedicated to Sedellus’s evil nature, to death and destruction. They detest civilization and all its trapping, constantly seeking to bring about its downfall. They have little formal organization, as they are generally killed on sight. However, they continue to strike, generally from small cells, leaving ruin in their wake. It is *highly* recommended that PCs not play Children of the Wind. (Chaotic Evil, Evil, Destruction)
GM’s Note: As I said, this list is by no means exhaustive. If anyone out there has cool ideas for new Religious Orders, feel free to send ‘em my way…
Greybar
No Trouble at All
Good stuff. I like the challenges that come from reconcilling how people can draw power from the same god you do, yet for purposes that seem opposite to how you see your own god. Have the heroes beat their heads on that much? So far I think they've just opposed the people without questioning why the god gives boths sides divine support.
john
p.s. oh, and a big thanks for sharing the story with us!
john
p.s. oh, and a big thanks for sharing the story with us!
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