ITHRON by Tomas Cummings

GODS AND RELIGION Ithron

Crowa, Goddess of Battle & Protectress of the Weak Well, here we are at the shrine of Crowa - you can tell it’s an area dedicated to her, what with all that red. See that sword? That’s the symbol of her faith and quite fitting it is too: her sphere is combat, skill at arms and the protection of the weak. She demands skill at arms from her followers and aids them in the performance of heroic feats. They’re a reasonable bunch, Crowans...if a bit headstrong from time to time. They also look down on magic as a means of combat and abhor treachery. The priests look to the goddess for protection and are never seen in armour ....other followers never seem to take their armour off. Warriors tend to pick her as their patron, along with Mercenaries and Weaponsmiths. Anyway .... let’s stop here a while and pay our respects to the Lady on this fine day to her name.

Holy Symbol: A weapon, almost always a sword. Colour: Red. Holy Artefact: The Crowa Blade Holy’ Days: St Alfred’s Day, 23rd April (V); Crusade Day, 5th July (F)

Kharach, God of Death Right then, let’s move along. This next area is consecrated to the dark Lord Kharach, Keeper of the Halls of the Dead and patron of executioners, slaughters and funeral workers. Pay your respects, lad ...same as me, that’s right. Kharach is a powerful god and yet a patient one. He knows when it is someone’s time to die, often using his followers as the means to bring death, yet he does not begrudge us life either ...everyone will come to him eventually. He can wait. Kharach is often feared, you know - as are his followers, but he is neither cruel, evil nor arbitrary. His services are necessary. Why? Well, it would get mighty crowded if nobody ever died, wouldn’t it’?! Kharach’s priests inspire great respect, for they are able to set dead souls to rest and thus prevent them from being called back as undead. They look after the bodies of the dead as well as the soul, showing respect in many ways: those who have passed on deserve to be treated with dignity.

Holy Symbol: A skull, usually human. Colour: Black and/or dark red. Holy Artefact: The Mace of Kharach. Holy Days: End of Winter, I5th??? March (V): Night of the Dead, 31st??? October (F).

Longstor, God of Nature Step this way now into the courtyard. Mind that tree branch. Here we are ...the shrine to Longstor. Yes, these wild flowers do look nice at this time of year. Praise be. Longstor is the God of nature, you know ...mainly concerns himself with forests and such - the wild areas where nature runs free, not the cultivated areas controlled by the hands of we mortals - but he overlooks it all ...the earth, seas, seasons, plant life and animals. His followers advocate the primacy of the natural course of events and the protection of wilderness and forest areas from interference and desecration. Don’t go picking flowers in front of them lad, you’ll end up the worse for wear, believe me. They can be a bit of a wild bunch, a little unsociable maybe. They’re more interested in natural cycles, like those seen in the heavens and the passing of the seasons, than they are in talking to people sometimes. Who follows him? Woodsmen, scouts, fishermen, hunters and astrologers, usually.

Holy Symbol: A nature symbol, usually an acorn. Colour: Green/ brown. Holy Artefact: The Coat of Longstor. Holy days: Ploughing of the Sod, 2nd??? February (F); Festival of Crops, 15th??? August (V).

Rolbor, God of Wealth, Prosperity and Hospitality You look slightly wobbly, lad. Feeling hungry? Come on then, we’re sure of a warm welcome at the shrine of Rolbor. He wishes everyone to celebrate, prosper and enjoy life and you may rest assured that his priests help everyone to do just that, though never to excess, you understand? Anyway, as I was saying ...Rolbor rewards those who follow him and share what they have. with others, so that all may prosper and not just the chosen few. My, those fruit pies look good. Take what you’re offered lad, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Not too many now. Rolborians look down on greed and selfishness, finding that sharing and friendship bring the greatest rewards. As indeed they do. Here, I’ve a nice bottle of wine with me. Take some and pass it on, lad. That’s it. Mmm. Rolborians tend to find themselves rich, content and able to live an easy, opulent life. It’s not really surprising that their god is patron of traders, merchants, Alchemists, vintners and jewellers. Right. Refreshed? Good. Praise be to Rolbor. Now, let’s move on.

Holy Symbol: Usually a gem, though any expensive piece of jewellery may be acceptable. Colour: Anything expensive and opulent, often purple and gold. Holy Artefact: Crystalis. Holy Days: First Milk, 12th February (F); Harvest Festival, 28th??? August (V).

Sidhe, God of Justice, Equality and Balance Now, this is a shrine to the Lord Sidhe (pronounced Sid-thay) who is also known as The Grey God or Father of the Gods He is indeed the father of all the other gods and goddesses and acts to balance them in their actions and spheres of influence. He is often seen as a remote, unhelpful God who prefers to sit, watch and wait in judgement upon others. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true that he rarely takes action, but he is an honourable god who demands his followers to be fair and equal in all their dealings, treating all with the same degree of impartiality. It is rare for a follower of Sidhe to lie or cheat. He is the patron of Judges, Magistrates, Knights, Guards & Foresters.

Holy Symbol: A set of scales. Colour: Grey. Holy Artefact: The Scales of Sidhe Holy Days: Council Day, 15th May (F); All Saints Day, 1st November (V).

Tralda, Goddess of Luck Yes, you can hear music. A place where Traldans gather is rarely a quiet place ...let me tell you a little about their goddess. She is often referred to as simply The Lady and is called upon by many who are involved in dangerous activities, not just followers. Tralda is the patroness of Thieves, actors, gamblers, entertainers, artists and musicians. She is unconcerned with right or wrong and will change the outcome of any event on a whim. Those who do not understand the nature of Tralda may wrongly assume that she is totally amoral, since she appears to act in any manner likely to suit her own purposes and is notoriously unreliable when called upon (often playing practical jokes upon her own followers). What’s that? No, lad ...she’s not evil. She doesn’t usually wish harm to any except those that hurt and provoke her (unless it’s funny). A lot of her followers do not announce their faith openly, but you know ...if you see someone garishly dressed in bright colours and with a bit of a quirky personality ....most likely to be one of hers.

Holy Symbol: Usually the Lady’s face, but any gambling symbol (dice, playing card etc.) is acceptable. Colour: Anything bright and/or multicoloured. Holy Artefact: The Luckblade. Holy Days: Festival of the Summer Dance, I5th May (V); Fools Day, 1st September (F).

Vleybor, Goddess of Life Sit yourself down lad. This is the shrine to my goddess - The Lady Vleybor, also known as The White Lady. We’ll stop here for a while, I think. Well now. Vleybor is concerned with the creation, preservation and renewal of life. Her spheres of influence are primarily fertility, peace, healing and love. We Vleyborians tend to be great lovers .... oh yes we do, I’m not exaggerating to impress... we’re more fertile than others and most interested in doing our duty to their Goddess by bringing new life into the world. We’re also healers, who wish to prevent unnecessary death and conflict ...striving to live a life full of compassionate acts, peace, love and understanding. It’s a hard path in this dangerous and bloodthirsty world, but it’s worth it, even if many people do misunderstand what we’re about. Vleybor’s power extends over all forms of life, including the cultivation of plants and animals, hence she is patroness of midwives, farmers, couples, physicians and anyone wanting children. No ...lad, don’t worry. It’ll take more than you sitting here for a while to get your lady-friend pregnant, though it’ll happen when the Lady wills. Be sure of that.

Holy Symbol: The celtic cross. Colour: White with red decoration. Holy Artefact: The Cup of Vleybor. Holy Days : Lovers Day, 14th February (F): Mid-Winter, 1st December (V).

PROFESSIONS WARRIOR SCOUT HEALER PRIEST ALCHEMIST MAGE OTHER MAGIC USER.

RACES

Humans “We are the only people of any consequence, of course. We are the rulers, the movers, the shakers. Nonhumans? Who cares about them? If they have any sense, they should stay in their homelands like they’re supposed to and not mix in decent society causing trouble...”

Restrictions: None. May follow any profession. Initial Funding: i0/- . Special Abilities: None.

Halflings Are small, jolly creatures who normally prefer staying at home to travelling: few venture far from their homes. They are, however, very fond of food and constantly seeking new gourmet delights.

Restrictions: May not join certain guilds, see table below. May never study non-religious magic of any kind. May not use any two-handed weapon or a shield with a largest dimension of more than 36â&#x20AC;?. Initial Funding: 8/-. Special Abilities: Two natural resists a day.

Elves are usually reclusive, woodland creatures, steeped in magic and legend: the immortal denizens of secret forests. Very few venture to human towns and those that have done seemed to dislike material possessions, preferring to travel light. They can be aloof and distant: superior beings who normally live much longer than any human and therefore have totally different ideas on the importance of the passing of time. They tend to be taller and slimmer than the average human and also have pointed ears.

Restrictions: May not join certain guilds or schools, see table below. Initial Funding: 8/-. Special Abilities: One natural point of active reserve and knowledge of the Command Spell â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dropâ&#x20AC;?.

Half-Elves are the product of mixed parentage. They can portray the appearance of their elven or human race to a greater or lesser degree, but are normally taller and slimmer than the average human and often have pointed ears. Due to the dilution of their elven blood, half-elves have lost much of their innate magic.

Restrictions: May not join certain guilds, see table below. May never learn non-religious magic. Initial Funding: 10/-. Special Abilities: One natural resist a day.

Dwarves are short, stocky and invariably bearded. Doughty fighters from deep woodlands or mountain caverns, dwarves have an innate distrust of elves and halfelves but have a certain fondness for halflings (perhaps because of their similarity in height). Due to their fine constitution, they are immune to diseases and to serpent venom. Dwarves make fine alchemists.

Restrictions: May not join certain guilds, see table below. Unaffected by physiciansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; medicines. Initial Funding: 14/-. Special Abilities: Immunity to disease and serpent venom.

Guilds Permitted Mercenary/Sco ut Guard/Forester Physician Alchemist Thieves Nighthawks Mages - general Mages demonology Mages necromancy Mages enchantment Churches

Hum        

Halfli 

Elf 

Elf

Half

Dwar 

   

  

 

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Note: Ithron is pre-dominantly human. Non-human characters are subject to varying amounts of racial prejudice and may not hold most important positions.