Greater Gods, their Saints and their Clerics

Clerics in Miraboria may choose to worship in one of two ways, through a saint or directly. Most lawfully oriented clerics and some neutral types prefer to worship a Saint who serves their God. These clerics belong to distinct orders, such as the order of St. Crotofiros the Childbearer, Servant of Nelora.

 

Those who feel restricted by such structure will probably prefer to serve their god directly, belonging to no order or group.

 

Structure of a typical Order

The cleric within an order has a rank that has little to do with his actual experience level. This rank has more to do with the tasks assigned and the duties expected than anything else. It also will have some social weight that level, being an artificial power rating, cannot give.

 

rank and typical title (note that titles will vary from order to order; these are terms often used by outsiders who do not know correct terminology for a specific order)

1. acolyte
2. brother/sister
3. father/mother
4. father/mother superior
5. abbot/abbess
6. high priest/priestess

 

1. Acolyte: also laybrothers. Lowest rank of cleric in the order, generally serves as worker/errand boy.

2. Brother: also some laybrothers, many never try to pass this rank, and brothers are the commonest type of cleric found in small villages, etc... This is usually the position at which an adventuring cleric will start.

3. Father: also highest of the lay brothers. A father would be found in slightly larger temples of the order; large villages or small towns, with several others under him, probobly acolytes.

Note: Laybrothers are not clerics and have no clerical powers. the rank listing merely denotes position of authority and level of church learning they may acquire. Often they are experts, or sometimes commoners.

4. Father superior: might be in charge of a town or small lord's keep, could act as clerk or secretary to a priest at this rank. Adventurers rarely surpass this rank, being too busy to cater to the politics of the church.

5. Abbot: likely to be in authority over several smaller temples, or a single large chapter house or priory. Might also be in charge of a whole town's temples, or be in direct service to a ranking nobleman. Sometimes they are the head of their entire order.

6. High Priest: High priests are rare. There might be one or two in an entire order. Usually they live at the largest temple in their order.

 

Advantages of serving a saint; the Cleric can hope for more direct intervention in cases of dire need from a Saint than from a Deity directly. Also a saintly order will more swiftly aid a fellow member than an outsider, even of the "same god".

 

Disadvantages; Less freedom to adventure, higher tithes, possible problems when confronting orders serving the same deity but different Saints. Political machinations can be very detrimental.

 

The saints: Note that the statistics provided represent the spirit form (avatar) of a saint who may come down to walk the earth for some purpose. A saint, like a god, can never be permanently slain in the prime material world.

 

St. Belestros, the Bull of Kehret

(fighter/cleric L6+10)

Most popularly worshipped in Tallowsland, St. Belestros is a warrior, strong, practical and competent. He is interested in common, earthy things; building, saving, constructing and defending. His symbol is the bull, and he is often perceived as a bull-headed man, or even a bull-centaur. Belestros was a warrior-turned-farmer who lived in the late stages of the collapse of the 2nd Empire. He threw down his weapons and took up a plow to feed his followers, and became known as The Bull because of his enormous strength and perseverence.

 

St. Belestros is a believer in all things strong, practical and plain. He believes that men should lead, because they are stronger. Women should allow themselves to bow to this as only practical and sensible, not dispute it with their shrill emotions. Exactly how and why St. Belestros became a saint is told in a number of legends, but there is no historic evidence to support the truth of any of them. Variously, he defeated a giant in a wrestling match, forcing it to leave his people alone, or he wrestled a flooding river back into its banks, or perhaps he tore up a hundred trees by their roots to build a wall and turn aside an invading army of orcs. In any case, he only appears to those (men) who are willing to fight for themselves when they are otherwise seemingly overwhelmed.

Colors - brown, green, yellow

Device - a bull's head on a green field, with a spear head above it.

Symbol - an iron V with horned tips, hung on a chain.

 

St. Crotofiros the Childbearer of Timothus

(cleric L6+10)

St. Crotofiros appears as a kindly, middle-aged man dressed in plain but good charcoal robes. Children and animals like him very much. He carries a magical mace and an ordinary hammer. His mace is distinctive and a cleric of his order will recognize it, and by it Crotofiros. Other clerics of Timothus have a 50% chance of recognizing it, others 20%, non-clerics 10%.

Crotofiros will always be concerned with children. He will do his best to see that they are not mistreated, and will fight to protect them.

 

Crotofiros was made a Saint because of his great piety and unswerving devotion to children. He spent his long life caring for children, giving them food, shelter, love, training and more. Many of the children he aided later joined him in caring for others, and thus began the following of St. Crotofiros. Crotofiros was a valiant man, not afraid to fight for his beliefs. In his old age (he was 120) he led a band of townsfolk and soldiers across the sea to Miraboria to stop slave-seizing raids on the coast of Mistland. Children were the primary targets of these slavers. Unfortunately, Crotofiros was badly wounded and died during the raid. He was carried back to Mistland and buried in a tomb not far from Daintali.

 

Colors- grey and brown

Device- a brown hand ending at the wrist, seen in side view, on a white field

Symbol- a carved wooden fist on a staff or wand

 

St. Edelmar of Kehret

(fighter/cleric L6+20)

 

St. Edelmar of Kehret's origins are lost in time. He was alive sometime during the mid-2nd Miraborian Empire. He was first a warrior and later a priest of Kehret. Some say he served St. Stephen before becoming a priest for himself. It is said that he rescued a band of children or youths who had been taken by priests of Aragh to be used as temple slaves. To this day the Priests and Knights of St Edelmar are rescuers of those in danger, protectors of children and the weak. However, unlike orders such as St. Crotofiros and Ste. Ilyria, they are not interested in raising children or doing long-term work among the poor. They seek causes and quests, individual wrongs to right, and heroic rescues to achieve. In this respect they are more like Knights of St. Justin. There are priests of St Edelmar in Miraboria and Narbada, but only a few in Mistland. In Greenvale there are about 500 priests of Kehret who devote themselves to Edelmar, and who travel the roads and hills seeking those in need. There are about 100 Knights of Edelmar, whose training order is outside Castleton.

 

Saint Ellemarha the Martyr of Nelora

(half-elven cleric/wizard L6+20)

 

In the year 2219 orc raiders from the Opel Mountains descended on the Havenplain. The cleric Ellemarha of Nelora, also a proscribed magic user, led a small band of priests and warriors against them. She nearly single-handedly defeated more than 150 orcs, and her troop stopped an army of over 1,000. She died in 2220 at the hands of the church, who twisted her acts to evil and distorted events to reflect their hatred of magic. They refused to accept her sainthood until 2531, over 300 years later. She became known as St Ellemarha the Martyr. For that 300 year period the church of Nelora was severely fractured in Mistland, and there were several factions of the order, some who opposed and some who supported Ellemarha's sainthood. The common people generally but quietly did support and follow her.

Ellemarha appears as a lovely woman about 25 years in age, She is golden haired and green-eyed. Ellemarha wears chainmail and shield. She wields a quarterstaff shod with silver, and carries a silver-bladed +3 dagger.

Many of the clerics of Ellemarha are wiz/cler multi-class 1/2 elves, as Ellemarha was. They make up about 10% of the priests of Nelora in Mistland, and are frequently found in positions of authority and power.

Ellemarha casts all magic user spells freely, up to 10 spells per level per day.

 

Colors- silver and emerald green

Device- two stalks of grain (yellow) crossed over a silver pentacle on a green field

Symbol- a silver pentacle studded with green crystals, sometimes emeralds, on a short handle or worn on a chain about the neck.

 

St. Erudan the Wise of Talaia

(cleric L6 +10)

St Erudan was famed as a scholar and savant in his day. He lived about 400 years ago, when Greenvale was still a primitive wilderness. Despite his scholarly nature, he spent much of his time questing for lost knowledge. He lived to a great age, and invented a number of the spells priests still use today in their scholarly pursuits. He died a very old man while in the pursuit of a rare scroll deep in the ruins of ancient Mirabor.

He has never been known to appear in person, but often delivers dreams, visions or cryptic clues to his followers when they are questing in his name.

Priests of St. Erudan make up about 15% of her order, but are almost exclusively holders of the highest ranks in Talaia's temples. This often creates ill-feeling among those who do not follow St. Erudan's path.

colors - black, grey, white

device - open eye

symbol - quill-feather pen, sometimes cast in bronze for durability.

 

 

St. Gwydion the Savior of Kehret

lvl cler 6 lvl ftr 19

str 17 int 16 wis 16 dex 14 con 16 chr 18

 

In 2342, Orcs, fleeing trouble from some western land, landed on the Grey Forest coast. They at once wiped out a small village. Fleeing from them was a youthful priest of Kehret named Gwydion. He sought out a nearby temple to Kehret and as the orcs advanced on the unsuspecting cities of Mirkheim and Murile, began to recruit an army of elves and men. This unusual alliance defeated the orcs resoundingly, and the Grey Kingdom was formed. It is ruled equally by two humans, two elves and a half elf, each with the title of Prince. The humans are still descendants of St Gwydion the Savior.

Gwydion looks like a 25 year old warrior, dressed in silvered plate mail weilding a two handed sword +1. Gwydion's appearance is legendary and he will almost always be recognized. His business on earth is the protection of the common people. He has the following special abilities:

1. Gwydion speaks and understands all languages, even animals.

2. He is surprised only 1 in 12 times, due to his incredibly keen senses.

3. When he wishes, Gwydion's hands glow with light to light a 5' radius area to torchlight.

Colors- light green, silver and dark blue

Device- a silver mailed fist on a light green ground, bordered in dark blue.

Symbol- a silver pin in shape of a mailed fist. Sometimes it is a gauntlet on a staff or rod.

 

 

St. Hranulf the healer of Kehret

St. Hranulf is the patron saint of Healers. He began his life as a fighter, but gave up the profession when he realized his calling. He is worshipped everywhere on Vishteer.

St. Hranulf's order dates back to perhaps the days of the First Miraborian Empire. His origins and background are shrouded in legend. It is said that he was a mercenary, who was forced to see that his career could only cause harm, no matter how honorable his actions. Others say that he was an old man, crippled from war, who turned to the healing of warriors only when he was too weak to weild his own weaponry.

St. Hranulf is a healer; he might appear to help end a plague or other threat, but that would be about the only reason. He appears in pictures as an older man, red-haired and bearded.

 

 

St. Iylyria the Lady of Nelora

St. Iylyria the lady was high priestess of Nelora during Emperor Herudiband's attempt to restore the Miraborian Empire. She was born in 2040, and by 2056 had begun her lifelong quest to destroy Aragh's forces across Miraboria. She had great success raising armies of one-time peasants, slaves, and terrified towns-folk who wanted only to restore peace to go on with their lives.

Sixty-two years later, in the year 2075, seeing defeat draw near at the hands of the priestess Ilyria of Ellanora and her army, the Emperor Herudiband's High Priest of Aragh, Umade, cast a mighty ritual of desecration and destruction. The result was the laying to waste of a major portion of the richest lands of 'Boria. Thus were Umade's Barrens created. Only the sacrifice of her life in a powerful counterspell by Ilyria stopped total devastation of the whole continent.

 

In the time since her death, St. Iylyria has become known as the "protector of humankind". Her order is strong in Greenvale, and an accompanying order of Knights also exists there. They are quite humanocentric in their outlook, and some other followers of Nelora fear they are creating prejudice in their fervor to promote human welfare.

 

Colors- dark blue, red and white

Device- the symbol of a cracked heart on a blue ground

Symbol-  Scales carved in wood, surmounted by or sometimes holding in each pan, Iylyria's heart.

 

Saint Justin of Dragon's Isle of Kehret

When he was a young man, St Justin went on a quest to the Dragon's Isle to find a cure for a dying noblewoman. Duranda, the silver dragon, gave Justin the cure and he took it to her. But afterwards, he returned to Duranda and they became friends and companions. They flew all across Vishteer, doing great deeds of heroism and goodness, until Justin's death about 100 years ago. St. Justin is the most recently cannonized Saint. He is very popular and his clerics tend to be eager adventurous young people.

St Justin appears as a handsome youthful man, maybe 30 years old. He wears beautifully crafted banded mail +2, a silver dragon shield+1, carries a flail +3.

St Justin has the following abilities.

 

Evil dragons Hate Justin and will do their utmost to thwart his plans.

Colors- silver and light blue, also brown is often worn

Device- a silver dragon on a blue ground

Symbol- a staff or rod with a dragon's head carving

 

St. Luana the warrior of Kehret

lvl ftr 10 lvl cler 12

str 18 int 16 wis 16 dex 15 con 16 chr 18

St. Luana led a band of women mercenaries for many years until she became crippled in a battle. She then became a priestess of Kehret, devoted her time to training women for battle and formed the Lyrdian Sisterhood, which still exists today. Luana was a hard cruel woman and taught her followers to be the same.

The Lyrdian Sisterhood is a band of mercenary women based out of Haven. Followers of St. Luana are war-priestesses, often serving as medics in the van of armies, and sometimes even as leaders of special units, as well as all officers of the Lyrdians being priestesses.

She appears as a tall husky woman dressed in armour chased in red, and wielding spear and axe.

Colors- red and purple

Device- four spearheads on a red field, all pointing to the center

Symbol- a red shafted spear, or a red- painted staff

 

St. Michael the Leveler of Marinha

It is no longer known when St. Michael lived or died, but it was probably in the early days of the first Miraborian Empire. His followers were well-known and respected by the time of the second empire, and made up nearly 1/2 of Marinha's priests. It was said then that St. Michael existed to ensure that all good beings were given their fair and legitimate chance to defeat the evil influences in their daily lives. Legends within the order say that he was born into the family of an evil man, and was forced to endure great hardships before escaping that life. He vowed then that all people would have the opportunity to do the same. 

 

St. Michael appears as a middle-aged man with a thick dark beard, slightly chubby. He wears a short robe in Marathina's colors over trousers and sturdy boots. He appears only rarely but usually to great effect.

Colors: Gold, Black and White

Device: Marathina's dice and a balance scale on a white ground

Symbol: one black and one white die, each with gold pips

 

St Morgala the Wrecker of Sithlar

As Oceana's twin and counter, Morgala is the destroyer. She is called upon in appeasement; sacrifices are made in her name to gain protection. Those who follow her make their living from the wrath of the sea (pirates, wreckers and scavengers). In places where her worship flourishes, as in Freeport, St Morgala has her own temple, apart from Sithlar and her sister St. Oceana. It is possible that someday she, or they, will make the shift from Saint to Lesser God.  The origin of the twins is unknown; they're two of the oldest saints, and some insist that indeed they are lesser Goddesses who have slipped down into sainthood, rather than Saints who are climbing into godhood.

Colors-- turquoise and black

Device- a serpent in black on turquoise ground

Symbol- a black pearl or black coral carved into a sphere

 

 

St Oceana the Protectress of Sithlar

Ste Oceana is the protector of those who live on or in or with the ocean. She is called upon as a savior and as granter of favors. She only rarely appears on the earth, and then only to save or protect those most faithful to her.

Colors- dark blue and light green

Device- a pair of teardrops, light green and dark blue, on reversed grounds, split vertically

Symbol- a chunk of green coral, carved into a teardrop shape

 

St. Orin of Haldar

St. Orin was a dwarvish warrior of great note, a member of the Alakh-kar clan of Koruzd. He was reputedly one of the first ten dwarves to come to Koruzd from far off lands in the west, in the times of the first Miraborian Empire, or perhaps even earlier. St. Orin led his people well, and became clan-leader to his people, breathing life into nearly 300 children with his own hands (or so it is said). He also led his people in battle against the Orcs of the nearby Knifetongue mountains.

There are many priests of Haldar today in dwarvish society, but only about 1 in 5 follows St. Orin in particular. They are usually the more warlike and outgoing members of their society.

 

St. Orin appears as a sturdy axe-wielding dwarf with black hair and green eyes. He wears mithral plate, and his axe is also mithral. His purpose is always to improve the lives of the dwarven clans, not necessarily to help individual dwarves, although he sometimes does that as well.

 

St. Orin's symbol is an axe and a mountain, and his colors are brown and silver.

 

St. Pilandru Crystalmaker of Nuthiar

Pilandru was an inventor of great renown, and a priest of Nuthiar. He lived so long ago his birth and death dates are unknown. In fact, some nonbelievers have doubted that he ever existed at all. Only about 1 in 20 of Nuthiar's priests are followers of St. Pilandru, and they are highly respected by the rest of their order.

 

 

St Richard of the Wold of Safreth

In the time between the first and second Miraborian Empires the forests of Miraboria were endangered by raiding armies which now had no goal but survival. There arose an order of protectors of the forest, both human, elvish and of other races. Their leader was St. Richard. He also formed a band of warrior companions to assist the priests. Eventually the order of priests of St. Richard died out. There are now only a few scattered priests of St Richard, but his order of Knights is still strong.

St. Richard appears only very infrequently, usually in a vision or as a warning of upcoming danger.

Colors - green and brown, gold

Device - an oak tree in full leaf with a longbow crossed over it

Symbol - a carved oak tree with an arrow raised on the trunk, colored gold.

 

St. Romanus, thiefslayer of Centarius

St. Romanus led a small group of cleric/fighters who patrolled against theives on the highroads and mainstreets of the cities, after the fall of the second empire. They were the bane of thieves' guilds everywhere. Though he is long gone now, in some places orders of knights who call themselves Romani carry on the tradition. St. Romanus will sometimes ccome to aid in the downfall of some particularly powerful or evil thief or bandit. There are very few priests of St. Romanus, mostly serving directly in the temples of the knightly order.

 

Colors- light blue and rose

Device- a rose on a blue ground

Symbol- a rose carved from any pink stone (often jade)

 

St. Stephen the destroyer of Kehret

St. Stephen began his life as a mercenary soldier. However, by the peak of his career he was the commander-general of the army of Khur Habbal, founder of the second Miraborian Empire. He led the armies in a devastating path of destruction across Miraboria, becoming known as Stephen the Destroyer. He bound himself with promises to a man he loathed, but would not foreswear himself to forsake him, and that horrible curse has haunted the saint's followers ever since. They are priests and knights who will not be foresworn, whose promises will bind them to or even beyond death.

Priests of St. Stephen are frequently found alongside his knights. Otherwise they are frequently adventurers or special 'arms' of temples of Kehret, carrying out his more aggressive needs.

St. Stephen is now worshipped by those who love battle, bloodshed and destruction. He sometimes will appear during or before some great battle to aid the 'evil' side to victory. He was the patron saint of the second Miraborian Empire.

 

Colors- black and purple

Device- a purple rondel, in dexter chief (top right corner) on a black ground, bordered in gold

Symbol- a black sword, with an amethyst set in the pommel

 

St. Syranna of Khutaba

lvl cler 19 ac 7 hp 95

str 15 dex 16 con 14 int 16 wis 17 chr 19

St Syranna was a beautiful half-elf. She lived some seven hundred years ago in Haven, and was the architect who designed the first bird-shaped temple to Khutaba She is often seen in visions on Vishteer, and sometimes comes to the aid of adventurous priests of her order. She supports the causes of creation, inspiration and birth or rebirth.

Syranna's following is much smaller than Crotofiros', but equally respected. Many of her followers choose the path of adventurers.

 

colors- pale pink, primrose yellow

device - sunburst flanked by white wings

symbol - sunburst headpiece flanked by white wings

 

St. Throgar Dragonslayer of Aragh

 

In 2376 Throgar, a priest of Aragh, was born. Before he died in 2410 he slew 5 good dragons, including Induhira the Silver, mate of Duranda, a vastly old and powerful being. For this act in particular, Throgar was Sainted. He was also known to have become the companion and agent provocateur for at least two evil dragons. It was during his lifetime that three separate cities were raided by dragons and nearly destroyed. He is called St Throgar the Dragonslayer, and good dragons are ever his and Aragh's foes.

St. Throgar only rarely comes to earth, to interface with dragon-human relations and to rouse evil dragons to the attack.

 

Colors- grey and gold

Device- a gold dragon's tail on a grey field

Symbol- a dragon's head carved on a staff, painted either red or black

 

St. Tulic the Fair of Mikol

St. Tulic's origins are ancient; he was one of the first priests of Mikol, as legend has it; he led a group of beleaguered folk out of the east, fleeing some great force of evil, into Miraboria. He established a new center of civilization, peace and order. His followers have existed ever since, calling upon him in times of need, ensuring that law and chaos are kept in balance, allowing all good folk to exist in peaceful harmony, sheltered under his strong light. 

 

Colors - yellow and red

Device - a ray of sunlight breaking through black clouds

Symbol - a gold candle with a red flame

 

St. Vargarus the Sunstealer of Mikar

He is a legendary figure who was a thief as well as a priest. He is reputed to have stolen a powerful artifact belonging to Mikol's temple, which was known as the Sun's heart. The followers of this priest are intriguers and creators of devious torment.

Vargarus is a tall saturnine man who dresses in dark blue and red. He enjoys torture and bloodshed. He often appears to cause trouble between groups of good and evil, to provoke fighting. His priests are often found as a separate order of 'enforcers' in Mikar's temples, and are both loved and feared by the regular priesthood.

 

Colors- dark blue and red

Device- a dark blue rondel on a red field, pierced by a black spearpoint

Symbol- black-tipped spear or spearhead, with a red shaft