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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 775988" data-attributes="member: 5808">Sidebar I(The management realizes that the gentle reader might, after perusal of previous chapters, be asking him or herself questions such as, "Just who is this Kettenek guy anyway?  And why is he so possessive about Justice?"  It is for the purpose of shedding light on such matters that we are pleased to bring you periodic informational supplements. While they should not be necessary for comprehension of the plot, it is our hope that they will provide an entertaining diversion for those with an interest in matters of the world and culture of our protagonists.--spyscribe)Sidebar: Gods of the Halmaecourtesy of Fajitas    There is an old parable about the three blind men and the elephant.  Three blind men are asked to describe an elephant.  The first feels around and finds the trunk.  "Aha," he says.  "An elephant is like a snake!"  The second blind man feels around and finds the legs.  "No, no," he says. "An elephant is like a tree."  The third finds an ear.  "You’re both wrong," he declares.  "An elephant is like a manta ray."So it is with the Gods of the Halmae.  They are strange and mysterious, and defy simple explanation.Here is what is (almost) universally agreed upon*.  In the beginning, there were four fundamental forces, distinct in kind but equal in power.  They joined together to make and maintain the World.  Mortals call them Gods.  What they call themselves is unknown.(*The Sovereignty of Kettenek, a powerful theocracy, has a different view of the divine order.)Each of the Gods has multiple interpretations, but where one is found, the other three are present also.  They are the four elements.  They are the four seasons.  They are the cycle of life.  They are the four axes of alignment.  KETTENEK (keh-TEN-eck)    Kettenek is seen as a stalwart figure, implacable and unmoving, Guardian of the Underworld and Lord of Winter.  He brings the freezing cold, and like the cold he hardens and strengthens things.  Foundations are laid with Kettenek.  His words endure, and his law is rigid.  He is God of the Dead, though not of death, and holds the barrier between the living and the unliving.      Kettenek’s domains are Law, Earth, Strength, Protection, and Death.  Winter is his time of strength.    Anvil the Just is a follower of Kettenek.  He is a member of the Justicars, an order devoted to Kettenek as the maker of Law.  Justicars tend to see the world in black and white.  Legal is permissible.  Illegal is not.  They are the judges and arbitrators of the Halmae.    Anvil also belongs to a growing sub-sect within the Justicars known as the Universal Law Caucus.  This is a group of Justicars indignant about the way the Law changes from city-state to city-state.  The Law, they argue, should be an absolute. Why then is it not the same in Dar Pykos as it is in Dar Aego?  (In fact, an unscrupulous exploitation of these legal loopholes is what got the PCs into this mess to begin with.)  The Caucus is working to change this, though they face substantial opposition from both other Justicars and civil authorities.ALIRRIA (uh-LIR-ee-uh)    Alirria is the tender mother figure, caring and nurturing, lover of all life and the Lady of Spring.  Her tears of joy bring the rains, which restore all things to health.  Spring is the time of plantings and beginnings.  Journeys commence in Spring, and children are conceived.  Her world is a world of love.    Alirria’s domains are Good, Water, Healing, Plant, Animal, and Travel.  Spring is her time of strength.EHKT (ect)    Ehkt is a boisterous warrior, never resting, never shirking, like a fire, always growing in any and all directions he can.  He is the Champion of Summer.  Ehkt seeks all challenges, physical or mental, and demands that they be conquered.  His days are days of war and learning.  Summer is a time to take on adversity and to be all that you are capable of, for good or for ill.    Ehkt’s domains are Chaos, Fire, Sun, War, and Knowledge.  Summer is his time of strength.    Lira is a member of the Questors, an order that sees Ehkt as the God of Challenges.  Questors constantly seek new obstacles to test themselves.  There is no quest, no dare, no stunt that a devout Questor will not attempt.SEDELLUS (SEH-deh-lus)    Sedellus is a creeping, hiding figure, crouched and lurking, the Mistress of Autumn, the Wind of Change, the Whisper of Death.  Things wither at her touch.  When her chill breath blows, leaves fall, animals flee, cities topple.  Some folk are ruined by her cruel whimsy.  Some are blessed.  Some are merely ignored.  Which it will be, she does not tell.  Autumn is the time of death, a time of upheaval, a time of change for weal or woe.  And the Mistress cares not which.    Sedellus’s domains are Evil, Air, Luck, Trickery, and Destruction.  The Autumn is her time of strength.Most members of the party and the general population worship all four in equal degrees. However, there are many sects devoted to specific aspects of each God.  For example, The Lady’s Handmaidens worship Alirria as the goddess of love, while Nature’s Tenders focus on her as the goddess of nature.  Some join these sects because their vocations demand it.  Some join because their personalities draw them towards one god or one aspect.  But even those, like Anvil, who have dedicated their lives to one specific part of the divine order, acknowledge the presence and power of the other three. There is very seldom in-fighting between religious sects.  Like the blind men and the elephant, each interpretation is correct, if not wholly complete.Between them, the gods govern every aspect of the world. But there is one exception: arcane magic.</blockquote>

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