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Requiem for a God
Using the Memento Mori in Your Campaign As with the Cabal of the Dirge, you have two basic ways to use the Memento Mori in your campaign: as a new group formed to study a recently deceased god, or as an older group with knowledge of other dead gods as well. Beyond that, you need to decide whether the organization will ally with or oppose the player characters—or perhaps the PCs will decide that for you by their actions and opinions. As allies, the Memento Mori can be a source of great information and aid for those exploring the secrets of a dead god. They might even commission the PCs to investigate the corpus dei for them, payCosmic Locality vs. Immediate Locality ing them handsomely When discussing the death of a god, you’re for good information or automatically talking about things of a cosmic relics brought back. Of nature. A “cosmic locality” then, means the immediate vicinity on a huge scale: everything course, such a dangerous on a single plane and all adjoining planes. (The mission could bring the DM needs to determine what counts as an “adjoining plane,” of course. Perhaps all planes PCs into conflict with are adjoining. Perhaps some are more distant the Cabal of the Dirge. than others.) As enemies, the “Immediate locality,” on the other hand, never Memento Mori can affects more than a single world, and often just a portion of that world. serve as rivals for the treasures of a dead god, or—if the PCs side with the Cabal of the Dirge—they might be seen as raiders and defilers. Members of the Memento Mori are usually neither vengeful nor do they make pre-emptive strikes against their foes. Instead, they scheme and create elaborate plans to avoid or trick their opponents.
Changes to the Universe The loss of a single being of godly power sends ripples and repercussions throughout the universe. It is an event that shakes creation to its core. DMs are justified in making virtually any change to their campaign world or the plane in which it lies as a result of the death of a god. The way magic works, the way the laws of physics work, the races and character classes available—any of these things could change. Of course, at the same time, you should carefully consider the implications of any such changes. A god’s death can cause earthquakes that shatter whole mountain ranges and tear open vast canyons that fill with water to make inland seas in just a few weeks. If the god’s corpse lies at the bottom of such a new sea, the PCs must face whole new challenges to get to it to find divinity sparks or godsblood. The death of a god can open up a portal to another plane in the spot where the god died, potentially creating a stream
of traffic through the portal. Not so bad if the portal connects to a good-aligned plane, but one leading straight to Hell can bring apocalypse. A portal to another world might introduce a new intelligent race into the campaign for the player characters to interact with. Perhaps it is a new race that becomes available for PCs. A deity’s death could, in fact, herald the creation of an entire plane. This new realm, given life by the death of a god, might come with all new creatures and environments, probably accessible through a portal at the death site. No matter what happens as a result of the deity’s demise, the god’s demiurge remains. This ghostly presence can attempt to take an active role in events, trying to carry out some last task of the god, or it can recede into obscurity. Certain by-products (for lack of a better term) also result from the death of a god. Loosed divinity, divinity sparks, energy wells, godsblood, and godflesh, as introduced in the last chapter, all prove extremely valuable as sources of great power. They are the reason why, despite the risks, adventurers seek the bodies and death sites of fallen gods. Each of these power sources is described more fully in its own section later in this chapter.
The Loss of the God Of course, each god has duties, obligations, and tasks to undertake. The loss of the god means that those actions might go uncompleted. Sometimes a god works to keep some great evil (or some great good) imprisoned or in check. Other times, a god manages some important natural event or events, like the tides, the winds, or the eruption of volcanoes. For example, if Yannel, Mistress of the Morning, dies, the following days may dawn dark and gloomy, until the morning sun can be restored. Sometimes the changes discussed here may resemble the effects of loosed divinity, described a bit later. The difference is that the problems wrought by the absence of the deity might never be fixed— they might never fade. They are logical results based on what a god does, not on the god’s divine might. This issue proves an unending source of interesting plot hooks for the campaign. However, because they deal specifically with the dead god and her nature and portfolio, only you can devise them for your campaign. Here are a few more examples to inspire you: • Red Ferrith was the goddess of thieves. When she died, the city watch in the capital was able to find the grand and ancient thieves guild. The leaders were apprehended and the members scattered to the four corners of the earth. The guild will do anything to reorganize, even if it means somehow resurrecting Red Ferrith or gathering her loosed divinity.
