DM
posted... Bank of Abadar
on Fri 29 Aug 2008 @ 5:57 PM (PBW Time)
ABADARMaster of the First Vault
God of cities, wealth, merchants and law
Alignment: LN
Domains: Earth, Law, Nobility, Protection, Travel
Favored Weapon: Light crosssbow
Abadar dwells in the perfect city of Aktun, where he watches over the First Vault. Its vast halls hold a perfect copy of every object ever made, from the flawless longsword to the faultless law. Abadar is a patient, calculating, far-seeing deity who wishes to bring civilization to the frontiers, order to the wilds, and wealth to all who support the progression of law. He expects his followers to abide by the laws (although not foolish, contradictory, toothless or purposeless laws) and work to promote order and peace.
Abadar is shown as a clean, well dressed man bearing the markings of riches and civilization. From his gold breastplate to his richly embroidered cloak, everything about him is refined and cultured, and he always carries an ornate gold key.
Clerics of Abadar are an organized lot, spending much of their time helping the community thrive and grow. They care less about morals and more about helping the culture itself to continue expanding. Despite this, their efforts generally trend toward the advancement of all, such as taming the wilderness, passing laws, and eliminating disease — as all of these are helpful toward the growth of civilization. Formal garb for religious ceremonies includes white silk cloth trimmed with gold thread, a belt or necklace of gold links bearing a golden key, and a half-cloak of deep yellow or golden color. Temples are elaborate buildings with rich decorations and high, thick stained-glass windows. These windows have small frames (to restrict access from thieves) and usually feature vivid yellow glass that casts a golden hue on everything within the church. Their holy book is Abadar’s Order of Numbers.
Abadar is sometimes viewed as a father figure, particularly to other Taldan deities like Shelyn and Zon-Kuthon (although Zon-Kuthon no longer exhibits his true Taldan traits). He makes his will known to the faithful via sudden windfalls of cash, while those who have angered him find the opposite to be true — sudden mounting expenses leading to destitution.
Within Korvosa, Abadar's faith is the most influential. The Bank of Abadar, presided over by Archbanker Darb Tuttle, is one of the more potent moderating factors in the city, although it's more concerned with the just enactment of the law and the continued flow of trade than charitable acts.
The Grand Vault of Abadar, a meticulously well-kept structure of white marble and gleaming bronze friezes standing in the North Point district, serves several purposes. While the first floor holds a few small side shrines and counseling chambers, the majority of its airy halls are given over to the business of banking, with acolytes of Abadar eager to serve any with coin they would bestow in the god’s trust, while armored clerics keep watch for ne’er-do-wells. The floor above holds the god’s sanctuary and the quarters of a small number of resident priests, although most are encouraged to maintain their own addresses away from the temple. Finally, beneath the temple lies the physical vault, its heavily guarded, lead-lined chambers rumoured to house the Korvosan Mint.
Archbanker Darb Tuttle and the clerics of Abadar work closely with the ministers of City Hall, the arbiters of the Longacre Building, and the Field Marshal of the Korvosan Guard. The church assists and supports the churches of Pharasma and Sarenrae on occasion, but frequently (though nonviolently) clashes with that of Asmodeus, as the two faiths share many of the same interests but differ both in the execution and intensity of those beliefs.
DM
posted... Worship of Desna
on Sun 14 Sep 2008 @ 1:21 AM (PBW Time)
DESNASong of the Spheres
Goddess of dreams, stars, travellers and luck
Alignment: CG
Domains: Chaos, Good, Liberation, Luck, Travel
Favored Weapon: Starknife
Desna is one of Golarion’s oldest deities, yet she has changed little since the dawn of civilization. Legend holds that while the other gods created the world, Desna was busy placing stars in the heavens above, content to allow the other deities to create a world full of wonders for her and her faithful to explore. Since that day, all those who look up to the stars find themselves wandering in the endless mysteries of the sky. Desna herself is said to dwell in a palace called Cynosure, visible in the northern night sky as the star around which all other stars dance. Trailblazers, scouts, adventurers, caravaneers and sailors praise her name, and her luck makes her a favorite of gamblers and thieves.
Desna often appears as a comely elven woman, clad in billowing gowns with brightly colored butterfly wings on her back. Delicate clouds of butterflies frequently accompany her image.
Desna keeps few temples, preferring unattended shrines at crossroads and places of secluded beauty, like hilltops or peninsula points. Her temples, usually light, open affairs, often double as celestial observatories or at least have one room partially open to the sky. In rural areas they often have services for travelers. Her holy text is called The Eight Scrolls.
Despite the fact that Desna herself does not generally appear as a Varisian, she seems to identify most strongly with these folk, perhaps as a result of their love of travel and respect for the world. Desna often shows her favor through the manifestation of butterflies, particularly bright blue swallowtails.
Within Korvosa, Desna does not have a dedicated temple. She, and Cayden Cailean, did not originally have a shrine in the Pantheon of Many even; but days after it opened, followers of the two deities gathered such a large crowd of protest that clerics of the pantheon could not leave the building until they acquiesced to the protestors' demands.
DM
posted... Worship of Cayden Cailean
on Tue 16 Sep 2008 @ 9:37 PM (PBW Time)
CAYDEN CAILEANThe Drunken Hero
God of freedom, ale, wine and bravery
Alignment: CG
Domains: Chaos, Charm, Good, Strength, Travel
Favored Weapon: Rapier
The legends say that Cayden Cailean never meant to become a god. As a hired sword working out of Absalom, Cayden was renowned for taking on any job, so long as the cause was just and the coin was plentiful. One night, in an intoxicated stupor, a fellow drunk dared him to take on the Test of the Starstone. He accepted, and somehow, 3 days later Cayden Cailean emerged from the Starstone’s sacred cathedral as a living god. Amazed that he passed the tests and unable to remember how he did it, he continued in his godly life much as he did when a mortal — fighting for just causes, enjoying various alcohols, and not doing anything he didn’t want to do. This simple philosophy appeals to many mortals both high and low, and he is the patron god of adventurers, philanthropists, revelers and freedom fighters.
In art, Cayden Cailean appears as he did in life, as a bronze-skinned man with a short beard, carrying a tankard of ale in one hand. Some depictions of the Drunken Hero display broken shackles about his wrists, representing Cayden’s escape from the concerns of mortal life. In more heroic art he is shown defeating swarming devils, all the while grinning happily and hoisting his tankard high.
Cayden's festive temples resemble common ale halls and attract members of all social classes. He has few buildings that function only as temples; most are actual alehouses bearing a shrine to him above the bar. His simple holy text is the Placard of Wisdom, condensing his divine philosophy into a few short phrases suitable for hanging on the wall.
The faithful of Cayden Cailean make excellent guides and explorers, quick to smile at danger and always willing to have fun even in the direst of circumstances. They often carry tankards with them for luck, or pause before a particularly dangerous or stressful task to pour a splash of ale upon the ground. Cayden often shows his approval through the discovery of a fresh bottle of wine, but in cases where a mortal has instead drawn his ire, such found bottles invariably taste of vinegar or sewage.
Within Korvosa, Cayden Cailean does not have a dedicated temple. Like Desna, he almost did not have a shrine in the Pantheon of Many even.
DM
posted... Castle Korvosa Grounds
on Fri 30 Jan 2009 @ 11:51 PM (PBW Time)
1 - Castle proper
2 - Grand Mastaba, ancient pyramid foundation
3 - Public Courtyard
4 - Great Ramp
5 - Gardened Terraces
DM
posted... The Pallid Princess
on Thu 25 Mar 2010 @ 1:35 AM (PBW Time)
URGATHOAThe Pallid Princess
Goddess of gluttony, disease and undeath
Alignment: NE
Domains: Death, Evil, Magic, Strength, War
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Some claim that Urgathoa was a mortal once, but when she died, her thirst for life turned her into the Great Beyond’s first undead creature. She fled from Pharasma’s endless line of souls back to Golarion, bringing disease with her to the world. She appears as a beautiful, raven-haired woman from the waist up, but below that her form begins to rot and wither, until only blood-covered bones remain at her feet.
Urgathoa is amoral and utterly lacks ethics, as she was willing to throw off the natural order to suit her own desires despite the consequences to others. A hedonist in life, her undead state and startling lack of flesh means she can sense less now than she could as a mortal, so she makes up for it in excess and depravity. If she wishes to taste the brain of an infant or see what patterns leprosy would make on the flesh of a young prince, she does it, and she expects no less from her followers, living and undead.
Undead and dark necromancers are Urgathoa's primary worshipers, though those who hope to become undead seek her favor as well. As such, her priests must often keep their activities a secret. Some who are sick with the plague make offerings to the Pallid Princess in hopes of alleviating their illness, but most turn to Sarenrae for healing. In lands suffering from plague, priests may pass themselves off as knowledgeable healers, treating some of the sick and leaving others to die, or perhaps curing uncomfortable but harmless illnesses while infecting patients with quiet but deadly diseases instead.
Urgathoa's temples are built like feasthalls, with a large central table serving as an altar and numerous chairs surrounding it. Most temples are adjacent to a private graveyard or built over a crypt and often inhabited by ghouls (which embody all three of the goddess’ interests). It is not unusual to find daemon servants and guardians in her most powerful temples as a result of her alliance with the Horsemen.
DM
posted... Reaper Ward
on Thu 12 Aug 2010 @ 7:46 AM (PBW Time)
