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gods_and_religions

All of the gods listed in the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide are worshiped across the continent in the Irongate Campaign.

Some additional campaign information includes:

  • City of Irongate: there is a “City Temple” which is the official temple of the government of Irongate and is supported by the nobles and trade guilds. In the Temple, there are three cells or shrines, each devoted to one of the three patron dieties of the city: Bahamut, Moradin and Erathis. All of the other good and unaligned dieties are worshipped in the city, usually in private homes, or small shrines which are often converted shops. The god Pelor, however, has his own impressive temple in the city, maintained by private donations.
  • See of Medegia: this important fief of the Great Kingdom is ruled by a college of Priests of Erathis, and their leader the Holy Censor. However, the Medegian College is a ruthless, corrupt order of priests that have gotten the idea in their heads that only their order speaks for Erathis and all other Erathian priests are heretics and schismatics. In fact, the Medegian College and the Holy Censors, have drifted into Evil for the most part and are actively shunned by the other Erathians across Oerth.

Saints of Pelor

Saint Pollyanna the Much-martyred -Patron Saint of positive thinking, cheerfulness, morning people, and overcoming adversity.

Saint Pollyanna was an honest businessperson of simple Halfling upbringing, who was raised a devout Pelor worshipper. Not satisfied with the safe (yet boring) life she had in the shires of Hollow Hills, she took up adventuring with a group of like-minded young Halflings. Pollyanna was the driving force keeping the group together after a series of horrific encounters with a wide variety of monsters across wide the lands of humanity and the Halfling shires. The band had varying degrees of success, until they encountered a massive giant of unknown lineage. The band made a valiant attempt at fighting the giant, but after a short, bloody fight all of the Halflings were eventually consumed. The only one of the band to remain alive, and unchewed, Pollyanna escaped and slew the giant by literally carving her way out of the giant’s stomach. She loaded up what was left of her companions, and the giant’s loot, to return them to their families. She gave her friend’s family all of the loot (keeping none for herself), said kind words over their graves, and set out for the nearest human town. Obtaining work as a messenger for the town’s rulers, she was quickly hired as a messenger for the human king. Just as quickly, she was captured by a group of dark elves seeking information they believed Pollyanna knew, and tortured for days on end. Helpless to fight back physically, she fought back with her voice, cheering the torturer for particularly painful efforts, celebrating every miniscule amount of light that would come into her room, and complimenting the presiding Lolth priestess on how good her hair looked. Finally managing to escape, she made her way back to town, only to discover that a horde of goblins had conquered the kingdom, and laid her former employers to the sword. Believing that she was all that stood between the goblins and her Halfling roots, she undertook a one-halfling guerrilla war against the goblins. The goblins lost hundreds, before they tracked Pollyanna down to an isolated tower. Taking no chances, the goblin king sent all of his troops into take her, suffering terrible causalities making their way through the heavily trapped fortification. But Pollyanna avoided capture, and attacked the goblin king directly, whereupon both of them fell into a primed catapult, which promptly went off throwing both of them (and a heavy boulder) into the tower. The tower collapsed in upon itself, killing all the remaining goblins and their king. Pollyanna was recovered by a passing band of goodly adventurers, including a priest of Pelor, to whom she related the her life story before passing away.

Polyanna is asked to intercede by many of all walks of life, from people who are unhappy with another’s dour disposition to bands of warriors facing dour, suicidal odds. She is symbolized by brightly colored smiling faces in the middle of sunbursts, and is thought to be observing anywhere there are honest, happy people. She is shown by the church of Pelor as a Halfling, even in the lands of other races, because her stories are used to typify that even the small or weak can maintain a bright, sunny disposition in the face of the darkness. A number of holy artifacts have been attributed to Polyanna from the dagger she used to save herself from the giant’s stomach to the bright red braids she was said to have worn all her life. Saint Pollyanna’s day is celebrated in the spring, by eating enormous amounts of sweet pastries and drinking sweetened tea or fruit juices at first dawn gatherings, where all will tell jokes, share uplifting stories, and enjoy the company of others.

Saint Augustus the Unrisen -Patron Saint of redemption, survival in dark places, and vampire slayers.

Saint Augustus was born over a thousand years ago in an unknown human village. Raised to be a morally centered warrior of some renown, Augustus was part of a last-ditch battle between the army of his land and a mass of plague ridden undead. Brought before the great vampire, Lord Drachenfel, Augustus was infected with vampirism. Though a devout worshipper of Pelor, he could not bring himself to end his own life, and was forced to slay innocents by the will of his vampire lord. A broken man, Augustus gradually embraced his life as a servant of evil, and was finally made into a general for Drachenfel’s horde of undead. For hundreds of years, the vampire-led army ravaged the land, until a crusade under the direction of a number of paladins of Pelor gathered and faced down the undead scourge. Scouring the land of undead, the final confrontation in Drachenfel’s very throne room with battle raging all over the castle. Vastly overmatched, the vampire lord toyed with the goodly folk facing him. A Pelor priest of unknown name and lineage appealed to the humanity of the vampires gathered in the room, begging for mercy. This drew only derisive laughter from the vampires…except for Augustus. In him, the appeal stoked the last spark of humanity in his long dead heart to life. Augustus drew his heavily enchanted blade, and struck Drachenfel from behind, splitting him in half from shoulder to hip, splitting his heart and killing him instantly. The resulting release of necrotic energy destroyed all of the lesser undead defending the castle, and the resulting confusion led to the destruction of vast numbers of vampires. Dropping his sword and kneeling down, Augustus asked the gathered paladins of Pelor to slay him quickly and mercifully. One of the priests, thanking Augustus for his assistance and commending whatever remained of his soul to Pelor, called upon his divinity to smash open the darkened windows in the throne room, letting in Pelor’s divine gift of sunlight to purify the room and all within. To the amazement of all, Augustus remained alive there, kneeling amongst the scarred ash of the remains of the former vampires. By freely redeeming himself, and offering himself up to Pelor’s judgment without question, he had been made human again. The survivors of the crusade carried Augustus back to the nearest temple of Pelor, where he was examined thoroughly, and judged to be totally free of any taint physically, mentally, and spiritually. Augustus would spend the rest of his mortal life hunting down vampires, and educating younger crusaders on the best, most efficient ways to deal with the taint of vampirism, in the name of Pelor

Saint Augustus is asked to intercede by people who are concerned about the immoral actions of friends, family, or loved ones, those who are forced to venture into the dark, and many who hunt/battle undead. Augustus’s symbol is a sunburst on top of a sword, with the blade pointing down to earth. He is depicted as a large, caring man with a weather-beaten, drained face. The sole artifact ever truly linked to Saint Augustus is said to be his fel sword, though there are some who claim to have gathered up the broken glass from the windows as tokens after his redemption. Saint Augustus’s day is typically celebrated by congregations gathering just before dawn, and facing the sun as it rises, singing or story telling, and fasting (which is to symbolize the saint denying himself) until the following dawn, whereupon a massive meal involving heavy amounts of garlic is consumed.

Saint Ignatio of the Candle -Patron Saint of purification through fire, non-magical healing, and military service.

Saint Ignatio was a human born in the City of Greyhawk where he quickly showed an aptitude for wizardry at a very young age. Studying the healing arts under a former priest of Pelor turned wizard, Ignatio showed an inclination towards battle spells in general, and fire spells in particular. Deciding that the best thing to do to channel such inclinations into a more positive manner was to join the military, Ignatio said goodbye to the city of his birth and journeyed to the frontier with the horrid nation of Iuz for his service. Upon arrival, Ignatio was thrust into the fore-front of a battle and showed skill beyond his years, and bravery. Unable to overcome the newly fortified enemy frontier through direct actions, the demonic forces of Iuz brewed a horrific magical disease, and spread it amongst their enemies. Faced with disease within, and the invigorated forces of evil without, the garrisons up and down the frontier were hard pressed, and many fell. But Ignatio turned his powers over flame, and extensive knowledge of the healing arts, towards combating the disease. He discovered that, through a combination of a minor period of sweating in sunlight, a change of diet, and improved hygiene, the virulent disease was actually easily treatable. The discovery nearly came too late, as there was a massive column of orcs and goblins streaming towards that region of the frontier. As the only battle-ready mage and officer, Ignatio gathered as many troops as were combat ready, and rode to a narrow pass that the goblinoids would have to pass through. In the time they had, the troops fortified the area as much as they were able. Two days while the battle raged, Ignatio pressed himself, and his men, beyond their breaking point. Bravery and heroism abounded, but the odds were just too great, and in the end all fell. Just as he was about to be slain, Ignatio cried out to Pelor, and released all of his vast magical power at once. A massive firestorm that was visible for miles, burnt everything in the mountain pass to a cinder, and left the pathway far too hot to cross for days. When it finally cooled enough for the goblins to resume their march, they found just enough time had passed for all the garrisons on the frontier to have cured themselves of the plague, and mustered themselves to engage in a fight. Already sorely wounded by the explosion in the pass, the goblins were wiped out, and the frontier saved.

Saint Ignatio is asked to intercede by people who cannot afford, or do not trust, magical healing, as well as cooks, medical personnel, and wizards in service to the government. Ignatio’s symbol is a very elaborate sunburst on the end of a torch or staff. He is depicted as a portly man with wild read hair and beard in brightly colored robes. Ignatio’s staff was recovered from the middle of the valley where he, and the others, died and the ones who recovered it claimed it carried a wick of flame on the end which never was consumed, and displayed all the normal signs of being an artifact of great power. It is also said that several of the surveying party gathered scorched soil and small stones as souvenirs that hold some small power. Saint Ignatio’s day is celebrated with bonfires, great feasting, the burning of elaborate effigies, and massive pyrotechnic displays.

gods_and_religions.txt · Last modified: 2019/08/05 13:08 by 127.0.0.1