A BRIEF LOOK AT THE CHRONICLE OF THE GODSBy Faquem Daeni, Elven Priest of Phyloqure Collected herein is a brief summary of the Gods, their history and their tenets. Whilst by no means exhaustive it is an attempt to create clarity from the muddied pool of religious dogma and centuries of fables, myths and propaganda. It represents a lifetime's work of research and scholarly thought and it is my fervent hope that what it contains is truth, or the closest we can ever come to knowing the truth. ORIGIN OF THE GODSIt is believed that before our current civilisation established itself, other races held dominance over the land. These races worshiped ancient Gods. Most chronicles tally that before the Kharne Gods ruled the world, other more powerful Gods held the reigns of power, collectively referred to, for simplicity's sake, as the Old Ones. The Old Ones are believed to have spawned the worlds and given life to a wide range of creatures. These then set-up basic societies and worshipped the Old Ones. What is generally understood about the origins of the Kharne Gods is that they are probably the children of Molwanh who was a young member of the Old Ones; and like most things in life, the old is eventually replaced by the new. The Divine Wars followed, the details of which are unknown but the end result is, that the Old Ones were defeated and the Kharne Gods gained control of the world. Whatever the cause of the war, the results dramatically shifted the balance of power. The divine survivors of the conflict are the eight Gods we know and revere today, and we - Elves, Dwarves and men the races to pledge allegiance to the eight Gods - are the only 'high' races to escape genocide from that time. From the wreckage of the old arose the civilization of the new. Aided by their Priests the mortal survivors of the Divine War began to organize and the great Settlement-States began to form. As the civilised societies grew in structure and power the Gods withdrew from the mortal realm. Some say that the Divine War drained them. Others believe that the Gods made a pact to stay out of the world, lest they damage what they had fought so hard to gain. In truth, the Gods have not revealed themselves to us on this matter, so we cannot say. THE FAMILY OF THE KHARNE GODSEach God is a Power in their own right and their influence is said to extend to all things. However each God has stronger abilities, or greater interest in certain areas and spheres. No God holds dominance over the world, not even Fleyshur did during the years in which his mortal followers controlled most of the world. It is unwise to underestimate the power of any of the eight Gods! MOLWANHMolwanh was the first of the Kharne Gods, and is believed to have been an Old One. She originally held much more power than she currently does; it is thought that she is the mother of the Kharne Gods. As the power started to shift from the Old Ones to Molwanh's Kharne Gods, Molwanh's power started to diminish as the other Kharne Gods increased in power. By the end of the Divine War Molwanh's place as the head of the Kharne Gods was gone. The other members' power levels had dramatically increased and the current balance of power is believed to have been started then.
PRIESTS OF MOLWANHThe following are sects of Priests who dedicate their lives to Molwanh: - Warriors of the Wilderness: These infamous Molwanh Priests actions often tar the reputations of the other Molwanh Priests. Fortunately these Priests are quite rare, as they carry out raids on settlements, destroy farms and kill people as revenge for acts they deem are wrongdoings against Nature. This gives many of them short life-expectancies as they are going up against the forces of civilisation who are better equipped and of course vastly outnumber the Molwanh Priests. Cudgels do not make effective weapons when fighting steel clad knights riding warhorses supported by powerful magics and engines of war.
Nurturing Hand of Molwanh: On an opposite stance to the Warriors of Molwanh are the Priests that reside in the settlements and deal with the citizens. They appreciate the balance that is required between freedom, nature and civilisation, and constantly strive to remind the citizens of their responsibility. A lot of Molwanh's followers in this aspect are mothers, they relate to the suffering of raising a family and also ask Molwanh for her blessing as the God that has strongest influence over Fertility. Hermits: Most of the Priests that dedicate themselves to Molwanh are pacifistic farmer types who live away from civilisation. They tend to live their lives, as Hermits, quietly getting on with the day-to-day issues, like just surviving. They tend to dislike people that trespass into their areas, but as long as no hostile actions are carried out they usually just leave the transgressors alone. PHYLOQUREPhyloqure is the oldest of Molwanh's children. It is believed that Phyloqure figured out how to best improve Molwanh's and his siblings' power. It is speculated that Phyloqure was Molwanh's advisor during the Divine Wars, and also helped teach the rest of the family. Some disapproving Priests say this is why the Kharne Family is such a mess. As the oldest sibling, Phyloqure was instrumental in helping mould the races that threw their support in with the Kharne Gods. He holds sway over the following spheres of reality: -
PRIESTS OF PHYLOQUREJust about every variation of Phyloqure Priests shares the common ideology of peace, civilisation and knowledge. There is little blatant divide amongst the aspects of Phyloqure that are worshipped; instead Phyloqure tends to be worshipped as a whole, instead of his individual aspects. However due to the sheer amount of scholars that have different interpretations of the scriptures and history, to say that the Phyloqure Priesthood is one big happy family would be very wrong! YTHCALThere is so much more to the God of Death than simply death. As arguably the most feared God, Ythcal is probably even more misunderstood than his mother, Molwanh. Many Priests of Ythcal point to the end of the Divine War to explain why Ythcal isn't just some powerful evil selfish being.
PRIESTS OF YTCHALThey are quite a mysterious and dangerous group. The different common sect beliefs are
Dark Seed: Sect for the growth through pain. Only through struggle will the races evolve beyond their current level. They tend to hide behind pleasing visages in order to manipulate events around them to force difficulties. They believe Ythcal will reward them in the afterlife for furthering his goals of total power.
Assessors: The last main sect of Ythcal contains some members who often believe one of the above belief structures with a sight difference. That of balance, evil must exist so good can define itself. This very devious sect is believed to control many different sects, not just Ythcal ones, but other Gods as well; of course there is no proof, just conjecture.
SUNDONAKSundonak is a god of action and proved as much during the wars with the Old Ones. Both his strategies and strength of arm were crucial in the final usurpation of the control of the world.
PRIESTS OF SUNDONAKAction is all that matters to the Priests of the Sundonak. The fact so many military personal actively follow Sundonak is more than enough evidence to prove that Sundonak is the epitome of a war god.
There are a few different sects of Sundonak Priests in addition to the common ones mentioned above. Bodyguards: These Priests often protect Officials of settlements, usually members of the Settlement Officials, but it is not too uncommon for them to protect members of the other Organisations like the Bankers & Merchants Guild.
Anti-Magic: The few rare individuals that make up this sect believe that Magic is something left over from the Old Ones, that its constant use could cause their return. Most members of this sect believe that magic is dishonourable, that it is "cheating" and generally a weapon of cowards who should learn how to use real weapons. They say that too much power in one person's hands is dangerous, as power can so easily corrupt.
Purists: Even more rare than the average Anti-Magic member are Priests of Sundonak called the Purists. They believe any magic and even ranged weapons should not be used. Needless to say most do not command long if they do attain any leadership position. Many other Sundonak Priests believe that these people are too rash, that they are tactical unsound, and thus are to be carefully watched and if possible educated. Another problem is that these Priests are generally quite, obviously, anti-Magic Cyrcle in their beliefs, often accusing members of the Magic Cyrcle of one scheme or another.
BALDORAs the middle sibling Baldor quickly developed into his role as mediator. The constant bickering between the Kharne Gods was eventually resolved by making Baldor settle the normal differences of young Gods (Garthrana, Fleyshur and Novala) against their mother and older siblings (Molwanh, Phyloqure, Ythcal and Sundonak). He covers the following spheres of reality: -
PRIESTS OF BALDORThere are no major sect differences amongst the Priests of Baldor. They are nearly all skilled herbalists and healers. A keen sense of diplomacy is generally the next most valued trait, followed by the ability to mediate. After these it can vary quite a lot. The Baldor Priests try to keep their freedom to include the fact that they should not interfere with anyone else's freedom, something that is much harder to do than it sounds. Priests of Baldor tend to be in high demand in nearly all settlements. The combination of their healing skills, ability to settle disputes and the added benefit of them being quite adapt at protecting the settlement has made them a must even in the most rural of villages. An ironic point for many of those that are opposed to Baldor is that Baldor Priests tend to try and help them, partly in an effort to convert them. Of course most followers of the "evil" Gods just find the Baldor Priests efforts amusing. GARTHRANAGarthrana is slightly older than Fleyshur by only a few minutes. The twins have been at odds with each since they have existed. Garthrana was initially greatly impressed by Sundonak and strove to be like him, however she realised she could never replace him in the role of War God so instead she decided to counter her twin's irritating violent streak. Since then Garthrana and Fleyshur have had an obsession with defeating each other. The older Gods generally tolerate their sibling's obsession with each other and leave them to it. Her natural tendency to challenge the actions of her twin developed over time into an obsession to right wrongs, eventually developing as the personification of revenge and also as the purifier. When Fleyshur's minions gained the upper hand in Kharne Garthrana was distraught. Eventually, through sheer persistence, Garthrana was able to help her minions defeat the forces of Fleyshur. Since the Fleyshur rampages came to an end Garthrana has tried to persuade the other Gods to help limit Fleyshur's activities. The other gods though have their own spheres of interest and tend to be a blinded to the actions of their sibling except where it interferes with their own concerns. She covers the following spheres of reality: -
PRIESTS OF GARTHRANAThe high expectations of Garthrana Priests is too much for most people, thus most of the active Garthrana Priests are quite impressive, and sometimes quite scary, people. Purifiers: This sect is peopled with zealots bent on the discovery and destruction of evil in all its many forms. Their obsessive natures often results in resentment by the common man especially when entire villages are burnt following accusations of necromancy. The Inquisitors say this is an unfortunate side effect of protecting everyone from evil. The Inquisitors are particularly opposed to necromancy, constantly searching for any signs of the foul creatures spawned by this dark art.
Inquisitors: This sect believes that seeking out corruption is often self-defeating. The Priests tend to be cynical or sceptical, waiting for true proof before acting. While this can be seen as logical and receives praise from the followers of Phyloqure, it can lead to missed opportunities, when evil could have been confronted and defeated, simply by acting too late; some Sundonak sects see this as a failing, rather than a strength.
FLEYSHURBeing one of the youngest Gods, and also being slightly younger and initially weaker than Garthrana, gave Fleyshur a driving ambition to improve his standing. He quickly grew bored of trying to impress Sundonak, the whining of Molwanh, the waffle of Baldor, or the self-importance of Garthrana, etc. and so decided to change his position. Legends speak of Fleyshur's reckless attitude and chaotic violent nature was often a hindrance to the plans of the Kharne Gods in the Divine Wars, but other times it was the key to their victory. However Fleyshur's delight in violence, including the needless death of the Kharne Gods' minions eventually resulted in him being ostracized from the Kharne Gods for a brief while.
The eventual defeat of Fleyshur's minions mostly by Garthrana's minions, and the rebalancing of the powers of the Gods, has rekindled his passion for devastation and power. He covers the following spheres of reality: -
PRIESTS OF FLEYSHURFleyshur generally does not have sects. It is more a case of temporary allegiances, although temporary can include a few hundred years. The Powermongers: This sect keeps rearing its ugly head, and during the Fleyshur rampages it dominated the chronicles of much of that period of history. This sect follows the aspect of Fleyshur that is best summed up as: -
Whilst they are often involved in plans to usurp power in a settlement, the Priests also tend to be powerful highly motivated members of a community. They nearly always require a good reason to back down from something, so weak leadership doesn't last long. Most importantly for most non-Fleyshur followers is that the Powermongers can often keep the other types of Fleyshur Priests in line.
Chaos Lords: This rumoured elite sect does not lead in the open and is probably the only reason why it has never been out of operation, if it exists. They could just be a rumour, but many believe that the greatest victory Fleyshur has managed is for the majority of people to believe that Fleyshur's minions are stupid thugs; this idea is believed to be what allowed the Fleyshur rampage across Kharne to gain such momentum. It is speculated that the members of this sect are simply after one thing - Power, and that it's members are very dangerous as they often have lots of it.
Destructors: The last sect is not really a sect, as Priests with this inclination rarely work with each for more than a few years. They make very unstable allies, often turning on each other. The Fleyshur rampage was probably started by a group of these Fleyshur Priests that were able to tolerate each other for a surprising amount of time. It is also fairly certain that the ultimate collapse of Fleyshur's dominance over Kharne was a direct result of their inability to co-operate without a strong foe to unite them.
NOVALAThe youngest Kharne God, it is believed that she was still young when the Divine Wars were coming to an end. Novala and her minions helped distract the Old Ones minions, as she and her followers were not strong enough for more direct action. Novala's powers quickly increased once established settlements grew in power. With the security offered by the settlements and Organisation of the civilised races, people turned to cultural pursuits to entertain themselves and fill the time. Soon all types of games, art forms, jobs and of course problems filled the settlements. Novala is quite a whimsical Goddess. One moment she can be helping her followers the next she is making things difficult/"more interesting" for them. However with the wide range of Spheres that Novala covers, and with so many of them being emotions it is not surprising that she is so prone to changing her mind.
PRIESTS OF NOVALAOne thing that just about all Priests of Novala share is their pursuit of self-gratification, however it is too easy for many citizens to confuse this with hedonism. It is true, however that many Novala Priests view the dedication and intensity of Priests following other deities as largely amusing and wholly unnecessary. Something else often linked to Novala Priests are drugs. The many different results that can be achieved with the application of herbs is quite staggering. In many settlements the Novala Priests production and distribution is strictly policed by settlement Officials, in other settlements it is more lax. What type of drugs and what they are used for depends entirely on the type of Novala Priests involved. Manipulators: This sect is not very big or common, and it has been stereotyped as being full of people who are weak bodied but having astute minds. Whilst this stereotype is quite appropriate, it is not strictly true. Their often-brilliant schemes are carefully and meticulously worked out, and have been the downfall of many powerful opponents. A few people that have faired badly when they come away from involvements with members of this sect compare these Novala Priests to Ythcal Priests. The sect is kept weak by its constant infighting, as the different members are often just out for themselves and frequently have opposing goals. There is much circumstantial evidence linking many members of this sect to the Thieves Guilds, and it is this that has regrettably tarred the other Novala Priests with accusations of just being a bunch of Thieves. Muses: This sect believes that everyone should pursue their heart and some sort of art form. They spend a lot of time educating people and motivating them to apply whatever talent they have. Their brilliant work and good people relations have earned them, and the other Novala Priests, great respect. In fact there have been times when this sect has helped keep the Novala Temples open when others have been persecuting Novala minions, or helped prevent war by distracting would be combatants. IMPORTANT NOTESIn closing it is most important to mention that this short summary only touches on the most common aspects of the Gods. This document is intended to give the reader a good approximation of what each God stands for and more importantly what the most common minions of a God stand for. An additional note also worth mentioning is that it is believed that the different Gods have roughly the same power level |
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