The Elemental Gods - Revision history

JasonK at 21:31, 16 February 2009

2009-02-16T21:31:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:31, 16 February 2009
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	A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:		A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:

	* '''DC 20'''		* '''DC 20''' - ''Getting A Head'' - Knowledge and wisdom are not the same, and though Beira's priest Branwen had knowledge of the doom of Mathol, Saeson Duke of Harlech, he did not have the wisdom to keep from speaking his prophecy. He lost his head as a result but even that didn't stop his tongue. Within the season, Mathol had the head placed far out of sight in his tallest tower, where it continued to tell of the future. Mathol's doom came from the sea soon after, though, in the form of giants, and what's happened to Branwen's head since no one has been willing to find out.
	* '''DC 25''' - ''The School of Ice'' - Few have ever survived the tundral cold long enough to find Beira's icy palace, but for those who do the Strigamarche awaits. In this dread school, Biera teaches her greatest rituals of prophecy, divination and control. The cost of such knowledge is simple - each student must, at the end of one year of study, divine the time and nature of their own death. Few to begin with, fewer students still return to the world of men, either driven mad by the knowledge or finding that their life ends there, with Mother Crow's cold hand on their warm hearts.		* '''DC 25''' - ''The School of Ice'' - Few have ever survived the tundral cold long enough to find Beira's icy palace, but for those who do the Strigamarche awaits. In this dread school, Biera teaches her greatest rituals of prophecy, divination and control. The cost of such knowledge is simple - each student must, at the end of one year of study, divine the time and nature of their own death. Few to begin with, fewer students still return to the world of men, either driven mad by the knowledge or finding that their life ends there, with Mother Crow's cold hand on their warm hearts.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Standing On Native Snow'' - Of the five gods, Beira alone was born within Scalgard, and raised herself to godhood only after Cerithwen traced her path to this world. Her history is sung in the howling of the winter wind and written in the patterns made by snow drifts. Learning the whole of this history would undoubtedly grant insights into the origins of her sorcerous power, and how possibly to usurp it - or to claim new godhood of one's own.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Standing On Native Snow'' - Of the five gods, Beira alone was born within Scalgard, and raised herself to godhood only after Cerithwen traced her path to this world. Her history is sung in the howling of the winter wind and written in the patterns made by snow drifts. Learning the whole of this history would undoubtedly grant insights into the origins of her sorcerous power, and how possibly to usurp it - or to claim new godhood of one's own.

JasonK at 20:43, 16 February 2009

2009-02-16T20:43:35Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:43, 16 February 2009
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	A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:		A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:

	* '''DC 20''' - ''The Churlish Servant'' - Cerithwen set her priest Gwion to tend the fire beneath her cauldron. But when three drops boiled over from the bowl and splashed on his hand, the goddess came at him in a rage for learning the secrets she had brewed. He turned himself into a rabbit to run from her, but she chased him as a hound; He became a salmon and jumped into a river, but she swam after as an otter; he took to the air, a swallow, but she was faster as a hawk. Gwion only lost his lady when he became a seed, but now he will not return to life as a man for fear his goddess will find him from her view in the skies.		* '''DC 20''' - ''The Churlish Servant'' - Cerithwen set her priest Gwion to tend the fire beneath her cauldron. But when three drops boiled over from the bowl and splashed on his hand, the goddess came at him in a rage for learning the secrets she had brewed. He turned himself into a rabbit to run from her, but she chased him as a hound; he became a salmon and jumped into a river, but she swam after as an otter; he took to the air, a swallow, but she was faster as a hawk. Gwion only lost his lady when he became a seed, but now he will not return to life as a man for fear his goddess will find him from her view in the skies.
	* '''DC 25''' - ''Early Birds Better Late'' - Ever seeking the new, Cerithwen was the first of the gods to come to Scalgard. Though she did not mean for them to see, Annwyn and Mannanan followed her light to find the way. A skilled astrologer might be able trace her courses through the sky and find a path to the land from which the gods arrived, but reaching that land once a path is found might prove... difficult.		* '''DC 25''' - ''Early Birds Better Late'' - Ever seeking the new, Cerithwen was the first of the gods to come to Scalgard. Though she did not mean for them to see, Annwyn and Mannanan followed her light to find the way. A skilled astrologer might be able trace her courses through the sky and find a path to the land from which the gods arrived, but reaching that land once a path is found might prove... difficult.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Birthing the New Flesh'' - The same ritual that the Luminous use to change their shapes can be turned into a terrible curse when used against their foes. A man can be changed to a pig and set in a sty to wallow his days away in filth, or a fox to be hunted by his own hounds. But cursed worse yet is the man whose form will not stay still, but changes from man to wolf and back again, his nights filled with murderous rage directed against his most loved, as Cerithwen chases him across the sky.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Birthing the New Flesh'' - The same ritual that the Luminous use to change their shapes can be turned into a terrible curse when used against their foes. A man can be changed to a pig and set in a sty to wallow his days away in filth, or a fox to be hunted by his own hounds. But cursed worse yet is the man whose form will not stay still, but changes from man to wolf and back again, his nights filled with murderous rage directed against his most loved, as Cerithwen chases him across the sky.

JasonK at 20:42, 16 February 2009

2009-02-16T20:42:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:42, 16 February 2009
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	A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:		A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:

	* '''DC 20''' - ''Corpse On the Run'' - Annwyn's devoted priest Rhygedd is a genealogist and explorer in the Low Countries. He writes ~~about~~ military exploits and history across the land, but his researches have recently turned up a strange treasure - a large iron crock that, once filled, seems to never empty of food so long as it rests above a cook-fire. Strange as this power might be, there must yet be more to the crock, for since his find Rhygedd has been pursued by the servants of giants and the clergy of Beira both. What they want with the crock, and his life, Rhygedd has no intention of finding out.		* '''DC 20''' - ''Corpse On the Run'' - Annwyn's devoted priest Rhygedd is a genealogist and explorer in the Low Countries. He writes of military exploits and history across the land, but his researches have recently turned up a strange treasure - a large iron crock that, once filled, seems to never empty of food so long as it rests above a cook-fire. Strange as this power might be, there must yet be more to the crock, for since his find Rhygedd has been pursued by the servants of giants and the clergy of Beira both. What they want with the crock, and his life, Rhygedd has no intention of finding out.
	* '''DC 25''' - ''Calling Home the Weary Sailors'' - Daily in his innermost sanctum, Annwyn practices a ritual of power, the only thing that brings the dead safely to his black ships and from there to his realm. If he failed to perform this ritual, the dead would remain in Scalgard and who knows what might happen then? There are some who claim that, though very secret, the ritual is not hard and a very skilled mortal necromancer might master it; a good thing, should Annwyn ever fall, or a terrible temptation to his power.		* '''DC 25''' - ''Calling Home the Weary Sailors'' - Daily in his innermost sanctum, Annwyn practices a ritual of power, the only thing that brings the dead safely to his black ships and from there to his realm. If he failed to perform this ritual, the dead would remain in Scalgard and who knows what might happen then? There are some who claim that, though very secret, the ritual is not hard and a very skilled mortal necromancer might master it; a good thing, should Annwyn ever fall, or a terrible temptation to his power.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Dust, Ashes and Forgot'' - The Prince of Dust calls many souls guests in his house. One of these, his name now lost, was (or would have been) a sixth god, his purview the Shadows. If he knows the name of his slayer(s) and what has become of her, he has whispered it only to Annwyn. Who now, if anyone, controls his shadows is similarly a mystery.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Dust, Ashes and Forgot'' - The Prince of Dust calls many souls guests in his house. One of these, his name now lost, was (or would have been) a sixth god, his purview the Shadows. If he knows the name of his slayer(s) and what has become of her, he has whispered it only to Annwyn. Who now, if anyone, controls his shadows is similarly a mystery.

JasonK at 02:58, 12 February 2009

2009-02-12T02:58:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:58, 12 February 2009
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	A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:		A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:

	* '''DC 20'''		* '''DC 20''' - ''The Churlish Servant'' - Cerithwen set her priest Gwion to tend the fire beneath her cauldron. But when three drops boiled over from the bowl and splashed on his hand, the goddess came at him in a rage for learning the secrets she had brewed. He turned himself into a rabbit to run from her, but she chased him as a hound; He became a salmon and jumped into a river, but she swam after as an otter; he took to the air, a swallow, but she was faster as a hawk. Gwion only lost his lady when he became a seed, but now he will not return to life as a man for fear his goddess will find him from her view in the skies.
	* '''DC 25''' - ''Early Birds Better Late'' - Ever seeking the new, Cerithwen was the first of the gods to come to Scalgard. Though she did not mean for them to see, Annwyn and Mannanan followed her light to find the way. A skilled astrologer might be able trace her courses through the sky and find a path to the land from which the gods arrived, but reaching that land once a path is found might prove... difficult.		* '''DC 25''' - ''Early Birds Better Late'' - Ever seeking the new, Cerithwen was the first of the gods to come to Scalgard. Though she did not mean for them to see, Annwyn and Mannanan followed her light to find the way. A skilled astrologer might be able trace her courses through the sky and find a path to the land from which the gods arrived, but reaching that land once a path is found might prove... difficult.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Birthing the New Flesh'' - The ~~magical beasts of~~ the ~~world (the bulette, the chimerae, the otyughs and more) are not natural~~. ~~No, they are the creations of Cerithwen's priests, who receive visions of~~ a ~~new world from their goddess's mind~~ and ~~use~~ a ~~ritual of their order~~ to ~~turn that which was into that which is new~~. But the ~~Lady of the Moon's mind waxes~~ and ~~wanes throughout the month~~, ~~and while sometimes those visions are things of beauty~~, ~~just~~ as ~~often they are aberrant terrors~~.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Birthing the New Flesh'' - The same ritual that the Luminous use to change their shapes can be turned into a terrible curse when used against their foes. A man can be changed to a pig and set in a sty to wallow his days away in filth, or a fox to be hunted by his own hounds. But cursed worse yet is the man whose form will not stay still, but changes from man to wolf and back again, his nights filled with murderous rage directed against his most loved, as Cerithwen chases him across the sky.

JasonK at 01:50, 12 February 2009

2009-02-12T01:50:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:50, 12 February 2009
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	A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:		A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:

	* '''DC 20''' - ''~~One~~ Corpse ~~Too Many~~'' - ~~Born in Saesony,~~ Annwyn's devoted priest ~~Havgan~~ is ~~now~~ a genealogist and ~~scribe for Jahn, warlord of Cambrai,~~ in the Low Countries. He writes about military exploits and history across the land, but his researches have recently turned up ~~frightful tales about Cambrai's Guild~~, ~~tales~~ of ~~slavery~~ and ~~sacrifice that he whispers into~~ his ~~cups in taverns~~, ~~but~~ has ~~yet to share with either~~ of ~~his lords~~.		* '''DC 20''' - ''Corpse On the Run'' - Annwyn's devoted priest Rhygedd is a genealogist and explorer in the Low Countries. He writes about military exploits and history across the land, but his researches have recently turned up a strange treasure - a large iron crock that, once filled, seems to never empty of food so long as it rests above a cook-fire. Strange as this power might be, there must yet be more to the crock, for since his find Rhygedd has been pursued by the servants of giants and the clergy of Beira both. What they want with the crock, and his life, Rhygedd has no intention of finding out.
	* '''DC 25''' - ''Calling Home the Weary Sailors'' - Daily in his innermost sanctum, Annwyn practices a ritual of power, the only thing that brings the dead safely to his black ships and from there to his realm. If he failed to perform this ritual, the dead would remain in Scalgard and who knows what might happen then? There are some who claim that, though very secret, the ritual is not hard and a very skilled mortal necromancer might master it; a good thing, should Annwyn ever fall, or a terrible temptation to his power.		* '''DC 25''' - ''Calling Home the Weary Sailors'' - Daily in his innermost sanctum, Annwyn practices a ritual of power, the only thing that brings the dead safely to his black ships and from there to his realm. If he failed to perform this ritual, the dead would remain in Scalgard and who knows what might happen then? There are some who claim that, though very secret, the ritual is not hard and a very skilled mortal necromancer might master it; a good thing, should Annwyn ever fall, or a terrible temptation to his power.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Dust, Ashes and Forgot'' - The Prince of Dust calls many souls guests in his house. One of these, his name now lost, was (or would have been) a sixth god, his purview the Shadows. If he knows the name of his slayer(s) and what has become of her, he has whispered it only to Annwyn. Who now, if anyone, controls his shadows is similarly a mystery.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Dust, Ashes and Forgot'' - The Prince of Dust calls many souls guests in his house. One of these, his name now lost, was (or would have been) a sixth god, his purview the Shadows. If he knows the name of his slayer(s) and what has become of her, he has whispered it only to Annwyn. Who now, if anyone, controls his shadows is similarly a mystery.

JasonK at 09:28, 21 January 2009

2009-01-21T09:28:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:28, 21 January 2009
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	* '''DC 20''' - ''A Disquieting Storm'' - While most of Mannanan's clergy take up an axe and chain, Strannik is armored only in black robes and madness. A devoted cleric, Strannik wanders the Volkhovi countryside, preaching surrender to Mannanan, who he credits with the whole of Volkhov's sorry state. The only true protection for the people, he says, is submission to the Duke of Thunder's will. With little other hope, some few of the people are listening, and offering up their own kin as sacrifice.		* '''DC 20''' - ''A Disquieting Storm'' - While most of Mannanan's clergy take up an axe and chain, Strannik is armored only in black robes and madness. A devoted cleric, Strannik wanders the Volkhovi countryside, preaching surrender to Mannanan, who he credits with the whole of Volkhov's sorry state. The only true protection for the people, he says, is submission to the Duke of Thunder's will. With little other hope, some few of the people are listening, and offering up their own kin as sacrifice.
	* '''DC 25''' - ''The Hungry Throne'' - Few ~~are~~ Annwyn's black ships ~~that Mannanan has~~ sunk beneath the sea, but he has made every soul aboard them count. Those who die in the Saeson county Durham rise as ghouls and take up their old lives again. These cunning hunters influence those around them into cannibalism and terror, and soon more ghouls are born in Mannanan's consumptive service. The Duke, Sweyn, is now one such ghoul, and he will soon march against his former fellows, the head of a terrible army.		* '''DC 25''' - ''The Hungry Throne'' - Few of Annwyn's black ships have sunk beneath the sea, but Mannanan has made every soul aboard them count. Those who die in the Saeson county Durham rise as ghouls and take up their old lives again. These cunning hunters influence those around them into cannibalism and terror, and soon more ghouls are born in Mannanan's consumptive service. The Duke, Sweyn, is now one such ghoul, and he will soon march against his former fellows, the head of a terrible army.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Lone Wolves Never Rest'' - The Duke of Thunder is the one who lead the charge to drive the Foimoire from the earth, in the days when the gods still stood together, for he could countenance no challenge to his rule. But now that he and his fellows have turned to fighting amongst themselves, and he has no allies to stand at his back, he is fearful of revenge. The Foimoire, after all, are not dead, only driven into the waves. So Mannanan starts at the quaking of the earth and the tall shadows, thinking always that the Foimoire have returned.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Lone Wolves Never Rest'' - The Duke of Thunder is the one who lead the charge to drive the Foimoire from the earth, in the days when the gods still stood together, for he could countenance no challenge to his rule. But now that he and his fellows have turned to fighting amongst themselves, and he has no allies to stand at his back, he is fearful of revenge. The Foimoire, after all, are not dead, only driven into the waves. So Mannanan starts at the quaking of the earth and the tall shadows, thinking always that the Foimoire have returned.

JasonK at 09:26, 21 January 2009

2009-01-21T09:26:55Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:26, 21 January 2009
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	* '''DC 20''' - ''A Disquieting Storm'' - While most of Mannanan's clergy take up an axe and chain, Strannik is armored only in black robes and madness. A devoted cleric, Strannik wanders the Volkhovi countryside, preaching surrender to Mannanan, who he credits with the whole of Volkhov's sorry state. The only true protection for the people, he says, is submission to the Duke of Thunder's will. With little other hope, some few of the people are listening, and offering up their own kin as sacrifice.		* '''DC 20''' - ''A Disquieting Storm'' - While most of Mannanan's clergy take up an axe and chain, Strannik is armored only in black robes and madness. A devoted cleric, Strannik wanders the Volkhovi countryside, preaching surrender to Mannanan, who he credits with the whole of Volkhov's sorry state. The only true protection for the people, he says, is submission to the Duke of Thunder's will. With little other hope, some few of the people are listening, and offering up their own kin as sacrifice.
	* '''DC 25''' - ''The Hungry Throne'' - Few are Annwyn's black ships that Mannanan has ~~driven to the bottom of~~ the sea, but he has made every soul aboard them count. Those who die in the Saeson county Durham rise as ghouls and take up their old lives again. These cunning hunters influence those around them into cannibalism and terror, and soon more ghouls are born in Mannanan's consumptive service. The Duke, Sweyn, is now one such ghoul, and he will soon march against his former fellows, the head of a terrible army.		* '''DC 25''' - ''The Hungry Throne'' - Few are Annwyn's black ships that Mannanan has sunk beneath the sea, but he has made every soul aboard them count. Those who die in the Saeson county Durham rise as ghouls and take up their old lives again. These cunning hunters influence those around them into cannibalism and terror, and soon more ghouls are born in Mannanan's consumptive service. The Duke, Sweyn, is now one such ghoul, and he will soon march against his former fellows, the head of a terrible army.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Lone Wolves Never Rest'' - The Duke of Thunder is the one who lead the charge to drive the Foimoire from the earth, in the days when the gods still stood together, for he could countenance no challenge to his rule. But now that he and his fellows have turned to fighting amongst themselves, and he has no allies to stand at his back, he is fearful of revenge. The Foimoire, after all, are not dead, only driven into the waves. So Mannanan starts at the quaking of the earth and the tall shadows, thinking always that the Foimoire have returned.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Lone Wolves Never Rest'' - The Duke of Thunder is the one who lead the charge to drive the Foimoire from the earth, in the days when the gods still stood together, for he could countenance no challenge to his rule. But now that he and his fellows have turned to fighting amongst themselves, and he has no allies to stand at his back, he is fearful of revenge. The Foimoire, after all, are not dead, only driven into the waves. So Mannanan starts at the quaking of the earth and the tall shadows, thinking always that the Foimoire have returned.

JasonK at 02:44, 12 January 2009

2009-01-12T02:44:25Z

JasonK at 02:03, 12 January 2009

2009-01-12T02:03:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:03, 12 January 2009
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	* '''DC 20'''		* '''DC 20'''
	* '''DC 25''' - ''The School of Ice'' - Far north of even frigid Orcheim, Beira makes her home. Few have ever survived the tundral cold long enough to find palace ~~of ice~~, but for those who do, the Strigamarche awaits. In this dread school, Biera teaches petitioners her greatest rituals of prophecy, divination and control. The cost of such knowledge is simple - each student must, at the end of one year of study, divine the time and nature of their own death. Few to begin with, fewer students still return to the world of men, either driven mad by the knowledge or finding that their life ends with there, with Mother Crow's cold hand on their warm hearts.		* '''DC 25''' - ''The School of Ice'' - Far north of even frigid Orcheim, Beira makes her home. Few have ever survived the tundral cold long enough to find her icy palace, but for those who do, the Strigamarche awaits. In this dread school, Biera teaches petitioners her greatest rituals of prophecy, divination and control. The cost of such knowledge is simple - each student must, at the end of one year of study, divine the time and nature of their own death. Few to begin with, fewer students still return to the world of men, either driven mad by the knowledge or finding that their life ends with there, with Mother Crow's cold hand on their warm hearts.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Standing On Native Snow'' - Of the gods, Beira alone was born within Scalgard, and raised herself to godhood after Cerithwen traced her path to the world. Her history is sung in the howling of the winter wind and written in the patterns made by snow drifts. Learning the whole of this history would undoubtedly grant insights into the origins of her sorcerous power, and how possibly to usurp it - or to claim new godhood of one's own.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Standing On Native Snow'' - Of the gods, Beira alone was born within Scalgard, and raised herself to godhood after Cerithwen traced her path to the world. Her history is sung in the howling of the winter wind and written in the patterns made by snow drifts. Learning the whole of this history would undoubtedly grant insights into the origins of her sorcerous power, and how possibly to usurp it - or to claim new godhood of one's own.

JasonK at 23:57, 9 January 2009

2009-01-09T23:57:37Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:57, 9 January 2009
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	A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:		A character knows the following with a successful Religion check:

	* '''DC 20''' - ''One Corpse Too Many'' - Born in Saesony, Annwyn's devoted priest Havgan is now a genealogist and scribe for Jahn, warlord of Cambrai, in the Low Countries. He writes about military exploits and history across the land, but his researches have recently turned up frightful tales about Cambrai's Guild, tales he whispers into his cups in taverns, but has yet to share with either of his lords.		* '''DC 20''' - ''One Corpse Too Many'' - Born in Saesony, Annwyn's devoted priest Havgan is now a genealogist and scribe for Jahn, warlord of Cambrai, in the Low Countries. He writes about military exploits and history across the land, but his researches have recently turned up frightful tales about Cambrai's Guild, tales of slavery and sacrifice that he whispers into his cups in taverns, but has yet to share with either of his lords.
	* '''DC 25''' - ''Calling Home the Weary Sailors'' - Daily in his innermost sanctum, Annwyn practices a ritual of power, the only thing that brings the dead safely to his black ships and from there to his realm. If he failed to perform this ritual, the dead would remain in Scalgard and who knows what might happen then? There are some who claim that, though very secret, the ritual is not hard and a very skilled mortal necromancer might master it; a good thing, should Annwyn ever fall, or a terrible temptation to his power.		* '''DC 25''' - ''Calling Home the Weary Sailors'' - Daily in his innermost sanctum, Annwyn practices a ritual of power, the only thing that brings the dead safely to his black ships and from there to his realm. If he failed to perform this ritual, the dead would remain in Scalgard and who knows what might happen then? There are some who claim that, though very secret, the ritual is not hard and a very skilled mortal necromancer might master it; a good thing, should Annwyn ever fall, or a terrible temptation to his power.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Dust, Ashes and Forgot'' - The Prince of Dust calls many souls guests in his house. One of these, his name now lost, was (or would have been) a sixth god, his purview the Shadows. If he knows the name of his slayer(s) and what has become of her, he has whispered it only to Annwyn. Who now, if anyone, controls his shadows is similarly a mystery.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Dust, Ashes and Forgot'' - The Prince of Dust calls many souls guests in his house. One of these, his name now lost, was (or would have been) a sixth god, his purview the Shadows. If he knows the name of his slayer(s) and what has become of her, he has whispered it only to Annwyn. Who now, if anyone, controls his shadows is similarly a mystery.

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:44, 12 January 2009
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	Mother Crow is a goddess of permanence and stasis. She has found, in Scalgard, a perfect place, and she wishes that it would never change; she would cover the world in the stasis of her bitter cold, and rule forever as its queen. She has already begun, for far to the north, past even the frosty shores of Orcheim, the goddess lives in a palace made of crystal. So cold and still is her domain that not even Mannanan's winds can reach her - they die in silence while clouds fall to the ground as snow. A thousand frozen statues of men dot the approach to her home, testament to her implacable will.		Mother Crow is a goddess of permanence and stasis. She has found, in Scalgard, a perfect place, and she wishes that it would never change; she would cover the world in the stasis of her bitter cold, and rule forever as its queen. She has already begun, for far to the north, past even the frosty shores of Orcheim, the goddess lives in a palace made of crystal. So cold and still is her domain that not even Mannanan's winds can reach her - they die in silence while clouds fall to the ground as snow. A thousand frozen statues of men dot the approach to her home, testament to her implacable will.

	In her goal, though Beira stands opposed by every god, the last laugh may yet be hers; Beira's interest in ~~stillness and~~ an endless time gives her the gift of prophecy. The Queen of Frost ~~can tell what the future holds; she~~ may tell a petitioner, ~~but the furthest futures always end with ice. For~~ this reason alone~~, despite the dangers it brings,~~ many ~~are the~~ lords of Scalgard ~~who~~ have asked one of Beira's priests to advise them.		In her goal, though Beira stands opposed by every god, the last laugh may yet be hers; Beira's interest in an endless time gives her the gift of prophecy, and the furthest futures she predicts always end with ice. The Queen of Frost may tell a petitioner what she sees, and for this reason alone many lords of Scalgard have asked one of Beira's priests to advise them.

	Beira is an older, serene woman with painfully sharp features and bluish skin and hair. She wears a mantle of furs above her gown, and cradles a crystal scepter in her arms. On her regal brow she wears a crown of icicles. Her priests are called '''Rime-hags''' and are most often Devoted Clerics, and their powers do Cold damage rather than Radiant.		Beira is an older, serene woman with painfully sharp features and bluish skin and hair. She wears a mantle of furs above her gown, and cradles a crystal scepter in her arms. On her regal brow she wears a crown of icicles. Her priests are called '''Rime-hags''' and are most often Devoted Clerics, and their powers do Cold damage rather than Radiant.
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	* '''DC 20'''		* '''DC 20'''
	* '''DC 25''' - ''The School of Ice'' - ~~Far north of even frigid Orcheim, Beira makes her home.~~ Few have ever survived the tundral cold long enough to find ~~her~~ icy palace, but for those who do, the Strigamarche awaits. In this dread school, Biera teaches ~~petitioners~~ her greatest rituals of prophecy, divination and control. The cost of such knowledge is simple - each student must, at the end of one year of study, divine the time and nature of their own death. Few to begin with, fewer students still return to the world of men, either driven mad by the knowledge or finding that their life ends ~~with~~ there, with Mother Crow's cold hand on their warm hearts.		* '''DC 25''' - ''The School of Ice'' - Few have ever survived the tundral cold long enough to find Beira's icy palace, but for those who do the Strigamarche awaits. In this dread school, Biera teaches her greatest rituals of prophecy, divination and control. The cost of such knowledge is simple - each student must, at the end of one year of study, divine the time and nature of their own death. Few to begin with, fewer students still return to the world of men, either driven mad by the knowledge or finding that their life ends there, with Mother Crow's cold hand on their warm hearts.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Standing On Native Snow'' - Of the gods, Beira alone was born within Scalgard, and raised herself to godhood after Cerithwen traced her path to ~~the~~ world. Her history is sung in the howling of the winter wind and written in the patterns made by snow drifts. Learning the whole of this history would undoubtedly grant insights into the origins of her sorcerous power, and how possibly to usurp it - or to claim new godhood of one's own.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Standing On Native Snow'' - Of the five gods, Beira alone was born within Scalgard, and raised herself to godhood only after Cerithwen traced her path to this world. Her history is sung in the howling of the winter wind and written in the patterns made by snow drifts. Learning the whole of this history would undoubtedly grant insights into the origins of her sorcerous power, and how possibly to usurp it - or to claim new godhood of one's own.


	==Cerithwen - the Lady of the Moon==		==Cerithwen - the Lady of the Moon==
	Sister Hart is the mistress of the new. In other spheres, she dreamed of the world that Scalgard could be, and she longs to shape it to her dream. In her mind she sees crumbled towers not just made whole, but built up as spires of marble and silver, testaments to her glory. She will heal men of hurt and illness, or inspire inventors to new heights, all in the name of her dream. But a dream to some is a nightmare to others, and not all of the moon-beasts she makes have mankind's interests at heart. Her world is primal, and dangers would lurk there; worse, for her dream to become reality, the Scalgard we know today must fall, so its nations have much to fear from the Lady of the Moon.		Sister Hart is the mistress of the new. In other spheres, she dreamed of the world that Scalgard could be and she now longs to shape it to her dream. In her mind she sees crumbled towers not just made whole, but built up as spires of marble and silver, testaments to her glory. She will heal men of hurt and illness, or inspire inventors to new heights, all in the name of her dream. But a dream to some is a nightmare to others, and not all of the moon-beasts she makes have mankind's interests at heart. Her world is primal, and dangers would lurk there; worse, for her dream to become reality, the Scalgard men know today must fall, so its nations have much to fear from the Lady of the Moon.

	The gods' worst rivalry traces a regular path across the night sky, where Cerithwen makes her home. Month by month the moon waxes full and wanes, pursued, sometimes covered over, by storms. Mannanan chases Cerithwen through the night, and Stormlords make cruel jokes of their patron's lust for the comfort of her full breasts and his willingness to hold them by force. Annwyn's Cerements, a more scholarly lot (who nevertheless hold no love for the goddess who would unmake all of the lore they have collected), point out that a god so devoted to destruction would be naturally opposed to a goddess who sought to renew. Mannanan's chaos will never be complete so long as Cerithwen still lives.		The gods' worst rivalry traces a regular path across the night sky, where Cerithwen makes her home. Month by month the moon waxes full and wanes, pursued, sometimes covered over, by storms. Mannanan chases Cerithwen through the night, and Stormlords make cruel jokes of their patron's lust for the comfort of her full breasts and his willingness to hold them by force. Annwyn's Cerements, a more scholarly lot (who nevertheless hold no love for the goddess who would unmake all of the lore they have collected), point out that a god so devoted to destruction would be naturally opposed to a goddess who sought to renew. Mannanan's chaos will never be complete so long as Cerithwen still lives.
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	* '''DC 20'''		* '''DC 20'''
	* '''DC 25''' - ''Early Birds Better Late'' - Ever seeking the new, Cerithwen was the first of the gods to come to Scalgard. Though she did not mean for them to see, ~~the others~~ followed her light to find the way. A skilled astrologer might be able trace her courses through the sky and find a path to the land from which the gods arrived, but reaching that land once a path is found might prove... difficult.		* '''DC 25''' - ''Early Birds Better Late'' - Ever seeking the new, Cerithwen was the first of the gods to come to Scalgard. Though she did not mean for them to see, Annwyn and Mannanan followed her light to find the way. A skilled astrologer might be able trace her courses through the sky and find a path to the land from which the gods arrived, but reaching that land once a path is found might prove... difficult.
	* '''DC 30''' - ''Birthing the New Flesh'' - The magical beasts of the world (the bulette, the chimerae, the otyughs and more) are not natural. No, they are the creations of Cerithwen's priests, who receive visions of a new world from their goddess's mind and use a ritual of their order to turn that which was into that which is new. But the Lady of the Moon's mind waxes and wanes throughout the month, and while sometimes those visions are things of beauty, just as often they are aberrant terrors.		* '''DC 30''' - ''Birthing the New Flesh'' - The magical beasts of the world (the bulette, the chimerae, the otyughs and more) are not natural. No, they are the creations of Cerithwen's priests, who receive visions of a new world from their goddess's mind and use a ritual of their order to turn that which was into that which is new. But the Lady of the Moon's mind waxes and wanes throughout the month, and while sometimes those visions are things of beauty, just as often they are aberrant terrors.

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	==Nefain - the Maiden of Steel==		==Nefain - the Maiden of Steel==
	The Steady Blade is devoted to equity and justice ~~for all things~~. She is brave and honest, and expects those ~~who follow~~ her to be likewise. Nefain ~~is a young~~ god, ~~but an old soul, and~~ unlike the ~~other gods she~~ has never been human and fully mortal. Rather, she was sidhe-kin and raised in her father's ~~kingdom~~. Stories say that this fosterage, and the pacts she made from it, is the source of her power as a god; if her father's kingdom were ever to fall, so too would she. True or false, the armies her followers field are often peopled with soldiers of the Tuatha-Sidhe, and not always through summoning.		The Steady Blade is devoted to equity and justice. She is brave and honest, and expects those her followers to be likewise. Nefain the youngest god and, unlike the others, has never been human and fully mortal. Rather, she was one sidhe-kin and raised in her father's dreaming kindgom. Stories say that this fosterage, and the pacts she made from it, is the source of her power as a god; if her father's kingdom were ever to fall, so too would she. True or false, the armies her followers field are often peopled with soldiers of the Tuatha-Sidhe, and not always through summoning.

	True to her raising, Nefain dreams of fairy castles, and she would return the kingdoms of the Tuatha-Sidhe to Scalgard, where they will sit side by side with the new kingdoms of men and strive together for justice and glory. Already her dream touches on reality, for in the Low Countries she lives in a castle of illusion with her mortal knights, and the Strange Lords are her frequent guests.		True to her raising, Nefain dreams of fairy castles, and she would return the kingdoms of the Tuatha-Sidhe to Scalgard, where they will sit side by side with the new kingdoms of men and strive together for justice and glory. Already her dream touches on reality, for in the Low Countries she lives in a castle of illusion with her mortal knights, and the Strange Lords are her frequent guests.