Deities of Ara

I've written in previous posts about Arandish clerics and sword-clerics, enticed you with the forthcoming elementalist class, and even mentioned a few ancient Noffellian deities, but now it is time to put forth, in broad terms, most of what I know about the principal deities worshipped in Ara.

Note that the deities discussed in this post do not constitute a comprehensive list of the available gods to be worshipped in Ara; in fact, I would personally allow clerics adventuring in Ara to follow whichever deity they choose, be it from Deities and Demigods, from this list, or even made up.  This post provides information about deities commonly worshipped in the Lands of Ara, a few of whom are culturally specific to certain kingdoms or regions (e.g., Noffel).  Adventurers in Ara can surely find temples to almost any god or worshippable thing within the walls of the Free City of Kaladar; but outside that city, full-blown temples to anything besides local deities or those entities specifically designated below are probably rare.  If an individual player wanted to make an argument for why some other deity might be widely known throughout Ara, I'd hear the argument out; but until then, I would say that while any deity may be worshipped and may provide clerics and sword-clerics with their spells, only those gods discussed below (and those I may discuss in future posts, e.g. the deities of the Mizarian people) may be assumed to be widely known or followed by any statistically significant group in the Lands of Ara. 

By the way, I am a big believer in making deities / gods / goddesses a proactive part of the gaming campaign, ESPECIALLY if there are clerics in the party or involved as NPCs.  There are some very insightful comments on this subject over at Chicagowiz's old guy rpg blog. 

I also like religious factional wars as story material, whether it be different temples vying for power in an urban setting like Kaladar, or a The Stand-esque end-of-the-world duke-it-out between good and evil forces that takes place in a remote, hidden evil crypt.  I specifically love the idea of the undead and the mortal races fighting it out on a grand scale -- hence the powerful necromantic vampires and Noffellian Sword-Clerics who inhabit Ara.  In fact, when Dave and I developed Crimson Blades of Ara, the homebrewed FRPG that used the Lands of Ara as its setting, we did not include a cleric or priest class (or, since CBOA was a skill-based system, I should say we did not include cleric-ing or priesting skills); we instead made the primary "religious" battle on Ara that between the undead and these badass mortal undead-fighters whom we called "palladins."  I definitely wanted to carry this palladins vs. vampires motif forward into my Labyrinth Lord conversion, but in order to avoid confusion vis-a-vis the popular AD&D "paladin" class, and because I think of our Arandish undead-fighters as being a bit closer to a priest/cleric than a fighter, I re-dubbed the old CBOA "palladins" Sword-Clerics of Frey in this, their latest iteration.

Anyway, on with the Arandish deity descriptions:

Frey
Frey, god of the mountains and iron, is the most widely worshipped deity in Noffel, and is held to be the principal deity of the Noffellians.  Noffellian clerics -- be they "regular" clerics or Sword-Clerics -- all follow Frey.  Frey has a huge (if spartan) temple in the Noffellian king’s capitol city, Highgate.

Zapar
Zapar, god of the waters, was the principal deity of ancient Noffel and may be the oldest god still actively worshipped in Ara.  Nowadays, Zapar has few bona fide clerics (if any), but he does have many witch doctors and shamans loyal to him (see “Tribal Spell Casters,” DMG p. 40), and Noffellian sailors and fisherfolk all pay their respects to the sea-god. 

Minar
Minar, god of copper, was worshipped by the ancient Noffellian tribe called the Minars, who migrated to the mountainous region now called  Minoch circa Old Calendar year 171.  It is thought that the ancient Minochian culture, along with worship of Minar, vanished at the time of the unexplained Great Catastrophe of Minoch in Old Calendar year 787; most present-day Minochians either worship local village gods, are agnostic, or give reverence to Awra, the creator-sorceress.

Aldor
Aldor, goddess of the wood, is now worshipped exclusively by the Aldorian elves of northwestern Ara.  (Though some human rangers and druids privately pay their respects to Aldor when passing through certain northern Noffellian wooded areas.)

Targos and Syrna
The practice of elementalism most likely began in southern Telengard around Old Calendar year 1520, almost seven hundred years before the birth of Awra.  Elementalist practitioners believe that their powers come to them by the will of two ancient gods, Targos, god of earth and fire, and his sister Syrna, goddess of wind and water.  Worship of these deities probably originated in ancient Noffel (though they are not mentioned in any surviving texts) and came north with the
early Telengardian settlers.  The four branches of elementalism, earth, fire, wind, and water, are divided into four different sacred Orders, each somewhat removed from the other.  These Orders call themselves The Servants of Targos (earth), The Warriors of Targos (fire), The Holy Followers of Syrna (wind), and The Children of Syrna (water).  Non-elementalists, especially those living in northern Arandish lands like Telenagard, Delzar, and northern Achelon, acknowledge Syrna and Targos and pray to them occasionally, but may also revere other gods alongside them, something an elementalist would never do.  Worship of Targos and Syrna is less popular in southern Ara.

Cryonax, Elemental Prince of Cold

Cryonax
I mentioned some while ago that Cryonax (Fiend Folio p. 31) was coming to Ara.  I have always loved Cryonax -- what's not to love about an incredibly powerful yeti-thing with tentacles for arms? -- and once I started brainstorming ways to convert the Lands of Ara into old-school D&D terms, I soon hit upon the idea of creating an evil order of elementalists who worship Cryonax. Whereas the original Crimson Blades of Ara RPG only had four types of elementalists and two elementalist deities, i.e., the brother / sister team Targos and Syrna, who for the most part cooperate with each other, I thought: what if there are some Evil Cold Elementalists who worship the terrifying demigod Cryonax and fucking HATE the mamby-pamby elementalist followers of Targos and Syrna?  Wouldn't that set the stage for yet another MAJOR RELIGIOUS FACTIONAL WAR??  Huzzah!!

Awra
Awra's history has been recounted elsewhere, but she is a widely revered and worshipped figure in Ara, perhaps the most popular in all Ara.  Rodians revere her (and depict her as a Rodian), as do most human magic-users and enchanters (who depict her as human).  Many Arandish natives refer to her (in awe) as "the creator-sorceress" and fear to speak her name aloud. Awra is believed to have fought the ancient Noffellian gods, particularly Frey, sometime around Old Calendar year 2287; according to many, Awra won, dethroning the old gods, but Noffellians insist that Frey triumphed, beating Awra back and driving her out of Noffel.  In any case, Awra is called “the arch-sorceress” or simply “the witch” in most areas of Noffel, and is despised by almost all Noffellians.  She is widely believed to have given up her human form long ago, and now mainly roams Ara (when she does at all) in gold dragon form. 

Here are the gaming stats for Awra when she appears as a gold dragon:

Awra as Gold Dragon (LL p. 70)
# Encountered: 0 (1)
Alignment: lawful (good)
Move: 90’ (30’), Fly: 240’ (80’)
AC: -2
HD: 11
Attacks: 3 or 1 (2 claws, 1 bite, or breath)
Damage: 2d4 / 2d4 / 6d6
Save: F11
Morale: fearless
Hoard Class: XV
XP: 3600+
Awra casts spells as a 20th-level magic-user and a 20th-level cleric, and she knows every possible arcane and divine spell ever invented.  She can (and should) have additional magical abilities available to her at will at the GM's discretion. 

Other Deities
Besides the various deities listed above, ancient dragons -- especially particularly powerful dragons like Krakko -- are often worshipped in Ara by so-called Dragon Priests and their followers.  Of course, demons are often worshipped as well, as are local gods and spirits of the forest etc.

Noffel - Sword-Clerics of Frey

The Sword-Clerics of Frey are an elite organization dedicated to the discovery and eradication of the undead, especially vampires, in Ara.  While arcane magic is generally forbidden in Noffel, clerics loyal to the ancient Noffellian gods—Zapar, Minar, and even Aldor—have proliferated since the earliest days of the Noffellian Kingdom.  The Sword-Clerics of Frey are a specialized group founded in the latter days of the Old War between Telengard and Achelon; its original members were Noffellian Frey-worshipers trained to use special enchanted iron swords to drive off and destroy the undead beings created by Telengardian Necromancers.

The Sword-Clerics have always done their job well.  However, no one could have predicted how quickly and how far abroad the living dead would spread their seed.  Today, twelve and a half centuries later, the Sword-Clerics of Frey continue their struggle against the Arandish undead.  Their ultimate aim is to find and eliminate every Arandish vampire (Necromancer) in existence.

Sword-Cleric of Frey
Requirements: CON 15, WIS 16
Prime Requisite: WIS
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 14 [levels similarly to PH druid]

The Sword-Cleric of Frey differs from other clerics in having attribute requirements and a level limit (given above), and in its focus upon undead-turning rather than spell use – click here to download Sword-Cleric Level Advancement, Turning Undead, Spell Progression, and Sword Power Tables. In summary, the Sword-Cleric of Frey trades greater access to spells for longsword use, sword-related powers, and increased undead-turning abilities.

Relative to a standard cleric, a sword-cleric of Frey functions at +1 to current level for undead-turning purposes and at -1 to level for cleric spell acquisition. For example, a 6th-Level sword-cleric turns undead as effectively as a 7th-Level cleric, but acquires spells at the same rate as a 5th-Level cleric. A 1st Level Sword-Cleric turns undead as if he were a 2nd Level Cleric, but gets no Cleric spells at 1st level! Furthermore, even at 14th Level, the Sword-Cleric of Frey will never gain access to 7th-Level Cleric spells.

Upon attaining second level, a Sword-Cleric of Frey must take Detect Undead, a special first-level spell described below, as his first (and only) level one spell.

Sword-Clerics of Frey are permitted to use just one type of edged weapon, a specially blessed long sword provided by their Order. Sword-Clerics are NOT permitted to use any other swords or edged weapons, be they mundane or magical; NOR are they allowed to use their blessed swords upon any creatures or monsters EXCEPT the undead.  That is, sword-clerics are ONLY allowed to use the specially blessed swords provided by their Order, and only upon undead targets.  [Note: Thanks to A Paladin in Citadel for suggesting this latter amendment.] 

The Ceremony of the Sword
Upon attaining 2nd level (Initiate of the First Circle), each Sword-Cleric must return to the Citadel of Frey (see below) to undergo the Ceremony of the Sword, wherein the Sword-Cleric’s blessed longsword receives its first divine power. The Ceremony of the Sword not only prepares the sword for divinely heightened effectiveness versus the undead, it also attunes the energy of the weapon to the energy of the Sword-Cleric who wields it. A single Sword-Cleric is attuned to a single sword, and vice-versa. Therefore, the special sword-related powers listed below only work when the synergy between the specific sword and the specific Sword-Cleric of Frey is in effect. The Sword-Cleric must return to the Citadel of Frey and undergo another Ceremony of the Sword each time he wishes to "unlock" the next power of his blessed sword. A Sword-Cleric who loses his special sword may enchant a new one, provided he returns to the Citadel and undergoes the Ceremony of the Sword again.

Blessed Sword Powers
Note that the sword-cleric must be holding / wielding / in physical contact with his/her blessed sword to use any of its powers.

Level 2
Sword affects vampires, wights, wraiths, and spectres, inflicting 1/2 damage.

Level 4
Sword does double damage to zombies, skeletons, and ghouls.

Level 7
Life Force Cloaking: the sword empowers the sword-cleric to cloak his Life Force emanations, making him effectively invisible to the undead for 1d6 minutes.  Usable thrice per day.

Level 9
Sword affects vampires, wights, wraiths, and spectres, inflicting full damage.

Level 11
Resist Life Force Drain: the sword enables the sword-cleric to roll his CON or lower on 1d20 to reduce undead life force drain by 1 level (i.e., vampire life force drain drops to only 1 level, wight and wraith life force drain reduced to zero).  Usable thrice per day.

Level 13
Entrap Vampire: the sword enables the sword-cleric to entrap one vampire in its current form, effectively neutralizing its shape change ability (see LL p. 101).  Range: 100' and in sight; Duration: 1d12 rounds.  Usable once per day.

Click here to download the Blessed Sword Powers information in table format.

Fearlessness and Resistance to Charm Gaze
In addition to the spells, undead-turning abilities, and sword powers described above, Sword-Clerics of Frey also gain fearlessness of Arandish Vampires from Sword-Cleric Level 3 onward, and resistance to vampires' Charm Gaze ability from Level 5 onward.  The latter manifests as an exemption from the usual -2 penalty to save vs. the Charm Gaze ability (see Labyrinth Lord p. 101).  Fearlessness and Resistance to Charm Gaze abilities set in automatically at the appropriate Sword-Cleric Level, and do not require visits to the Citadel to "unlock" or enable.

The Citadel of Frey
The Citadel of Frey lies north of Noffel in the foothills of the Frey Mountains, near the eastern edge of the Great Western Swamp.
A Sword-Cleric of Frey must return to the Citadel to unlock each new sword-related power, i.e., at Levels 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, and 13.

New Spell: 
Detect Undead
Level: 1 (Sword-Cleric Spell)
Duration: 6 turns
Range: 1 mile
The caster can sense the presence of the undead within 1 mile.  Note that the spell does not allow the Sword-Cleric to detect evil intent [see Detect Evil in LL p. 22] nor read minds.  It only tells the Sword-Cleric if there are undead beings about, and if so, in roughly what numbers and to what level of power (gauged by the undead creatures' HD).

New Spell: 
Bless Sword
Level: 6 (Sword-Cleric Spell) [Grand Avatar of Frey only]
Duration: permanent
Range: touch
The Grand Avatar of Frey, the sole 14th Level Sword-Cleric in Ara, is the only individual empowered by the god Frey to enchant the Blessed Swords used by the Sword-Clerics of the Order.  Bless Sword is the spell s/he uses to grant each new sword-power at Sword-Cleric Levels 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, and 13.  These enchantments are always done in high ceremonial fashion at the Citadel of Frey.

Noffel – Warrior Culture

Pronunciation guide: Noffel [NAW-ful], Noffelian [naw-FELL-ee-yun]

As one might glean from reading Noffel’s early history,  Noffel’s economy is based upon iron mining, fishing, and sea trading, and its culture centers upon its fishing villages and its proud military/warrior tradition.  Noffellians are most renowned throughout the Lands of Ara for their prowess at fishing and sailing, and their deadliness with the long sword.

As was noted in a previous post on the Lands of Ara, Noffel is by far the oldest Arandish kingdom, having originated as a tribal fishing culture whose people worshipped Zapar, god of the waters, Minar, god of copper, Aldor, goddess of the wood, and Frey, god of the mountains (plus various local tribal gods now lost to history).  In present-day Noffel, Aldor and Minar have been forgotten, but Frey is still widely worshipped and is held to be the principal deity of the Noffellians; Noffellian clerics all follow Frey.  Fisherfolk and sailors still pay their respects to Zapar as well, though there is no formal temple to Zapar in the king’s city of Highgate.  Awra, who is called “the arch-sorceress” or simply “the witch” in most areas of Noffel, is despised by almost all Noffellians. 

In present-day Noffel, there is a mandatory one-year military term for all Noffellian youths of all genders, and nearly everyone in the kingdom is exposed to sword use long before reaching adventuring age.  Though the rare Noffellian has strayed from tradition and turned to the ways of magic, there is no official teaching or practicing of arcane magic anywhere in the kingdom of Noffel, and arcane magic use is looked down upon by most Noffellians.  Some towns and regions in Noffel even have explicit laws forbidding magic use, under threat of permanent exile.  The only thing more despised in Noffel than an arcane magic practitioner is a draft-dodger.

Given its culture, most Noffellian adventurers end up as fighters or rangers of some sort, and usually swordspersons.  Some Noffellian families, especially those with a military history or ties to the Noffellian High Guard, encourage or demand that their youth, to confirm their passage into adulthood, perform what is called a “Sword Quest,” a dangerous mission designed to prove the quester’s worthiness to take up the family sword.  These quests can be of any sort, from heroic rescue missions to monster-hunting quests. . . whatever the referee might wish or concoct.  Family and community politics can be involved in this, too: maybe a young sword-quester is sent on a mission as a favor to Uncle Leebort in the High Guard, or to make good on some past debt the quester’s father owes to an old war buddy.  Sometimes sword-questers find themselves naively caught up in some intricate web of deceit and treachery, wherein their own family members have been manipulated into sending the quester on a suicide mission or a quest that is not at all what it seems.  The perceptive reader will note that Noffellian Sword Quests make GREAT 1^st-level adventure hooks; whenever a player says s/he wants to roll up a Noffellian swordsperson, I start thinking about possible Sword Quests and I swiftly interview the player about whether his/her Noffellian character’s family might demand a Quest and if so, what general form it might possibly take.

Note that Noffellian Sword Quests are named both (1) for the tradition of passing down the “family sword”—either a purely ceremonial item and/or an actual combat long sword previously belonging to a warrior family member or mentor—to the successful quester, and (2) as a reference to the Legend of the Crimson Blades, which tells of thirteen Noffellian swords cursed and turned blood-red by the arch-sorceress Awra, a figure much despised in Noffel.  During a particular period of Noffellian history (and still in rare cases to this day), Sword Quests were actually missions to find one of the lost “Fifty Swords” and/or the thirteen Crimson Blades.  I will return to the subject of the Crimson Blades in a future post. 

Politically, Noffel is ruled by a king, but also has a Senate with power of approval over the succession of Noffellian kings—an innovation introduced to Noffellian government in Old Calendar Year 2229 by Ormin, adviser to King Tandar the Beloved.  The Noffellian seat of government, including both the King’s Palace and the Senate Hall, is in Highgate, a beautifully kept city nestled in the hills where the King’s Ford River forks, becoming the King’s Ford River and the Blint River.  Highgate also houses the King’s Place of Judgment, which is the highest court in Noffel, and the famed Keep of the Noffellian High Guard.  The High Guard is one of the most effective and feared military organizations in Ara.  The High Guard is made up almost exclusively of Noffellians; some Blintians are also permitted to join, but no one of any other nationality or kingdom would ever be allowed in.  Despite this exclusivity, or perhaps because of it, the Noffellian High Guard retains the best longsword users in Noffel and probably in all the Lands of Ara.  The High Guard is typically presumed to be fanatically loyal to the king, and its main function is to protect the king and his city.  Referees wishing to set a campaign in Noffel could easily brew up some political tensions /conflicts / mutinies between the Noffellian king and the Captain of the High Guard.  I also sometimes use the High Guard as a kind of Noffellian FBI, sending its soldiers and agents to places throughout Noffel to investigate wrongdoings and clamp down on violent crime inside Noffel’s borders.

Some of the most famous historical Noffellians include King Tarandis, the First King of Noffel; Silverblade the Stout-Hearted, the first and greatest of the Noffellian crusaders against the undead; and, of course, in our present era, Hokka the Sailor. 

Noffel is a great place for launching missions to the southern (and largely unexplored) Komar Peninsula, the rodian island of Suhl, the Free City of Kaladar, and/or the Great Western Swamp, which lies to the north and west of Noffel.  As a referee, I like how Noffel’s culture and law mess with magic-users’ ability to practice their magic openly; wizards traveling to/through Noffel are usually advised by friendly NPCs to conceal their class.  In my own campaigns, I have used Noffel mostly as a place to be passed through; the only Noffellian city any of my parties have spent much time is is Jakama.  In fact, strangely, I have never even had an adventure party so much as set foot in the Noffellian capitol city of Highgate; though the existence of the seat of Noffellian government and the Keep of the High Guard have always been implied in my campaigns, the city did not even have a name until I named it a few weeks ago!