Gregorson- God of War An ancient Ruler by the name of King Gregor was forced to fight a war against an infidel invader. His forces were heavily outnumbered, and he feared that he would be defeated. He was correct in that he lost his life early in the fighting. However, his youngest son, who was acting as squire to one of the lesser lords was present. Although only a squire, Gregor's son was the ranking noble on the field. It was therefor his duty to decide a course of action. Gregorson burned his fathers body on the field of battle, sent a courier carrying the crown to his eldest brother and waded into the thick of battle. Somehow he managed to lead Gregor's warriors to victory after victory. The admiration of the soldiers and warriors led Gregorson to believe more and more in his abilities, but it also led him to become more and more distant from his people. As he pushed harder and harder to defend his homeland, his warriors became tired and injured, until almost none were able to continue the fight. Gregorson, however, knew that reinforcements were no more than half a day away, and he decided to defend the entrance to his homeland at all cost. Those of his people that could still watch saw Gregorson do the impossible. As he fought, he began to glow, until finally he burst, spraying a flash of light across the field. Gregorsons' body was never found. Gregorsons warriors prayed that he would return to them, and he did, as a God. Gregorson had grown in stature, and his body glowed with a white light, but it was obviously the same person. Gregorson, who had even gained the admiration of his enemies knew that both sides had been devastated, and ordered both sides to withdraw, then he disappeared. Gregorsons' goals are to fight the good fight and to vanquish the enemy. However, he also knows that totally destroying the enemy would leave no-one to fight, so he demands that honorable enemies be allowed to live. Gregorson has been known to support both sides of certain conflicts, including members of Gregorson's Elite among the combatants on both sides. Gregorsons' Elite are the priests of this religion, telling tales of conquest and battle, praying for the proper outcome, helping to heal the wounded, and dispatching the terminal cases. The Elite are renowned warriors, who live to do battle. These battles do not have to end in death, but usually do end in bloodshed. Certain members of the Elite have even been known to heal vanquished enemies who fought bravely and honorably. The symbol of Gregorsons warriors is a starburst placed somewhere conspicuous. Often this can be incorporated into a soldiers coat of arms. Gregorsons warriors can be leading nobles or mercenary fighters, but must be at least part-time warriors. No matter what their background, the warriors must follow a gentleman's code of honor, or quest for atonement. There are no real churches to which donations must be made, but members of the warriors guild tend to donate a fair amount of money to the guild and to local taverns. SwishaSwishaSlippa- The Great Green Sea Serpent Swisha was once a normal sea serpent like many others still found in the seas today. As Swisha grew older, she became more and more intelligent, and fought for supremacy of the sea. These battles would end with Swisha devouring her enemy. Eventually, Swisha eliminated all others of her race and was the preeminent serpent. However, with no other serpents to battle, she looked for other ways in which to test her mettle. She quickly noticed the wooden vessels sailing above her and began to attack them. Only rarely were any of the ships able to harm her, and never in any lasting way. Swisha quickly tired of the attacks, and began to play with the vessels before destroying them. Long leisurely pursuits, and half-hearted attacks before the final crushing blow were the norm. Swisha began to feel a great rush during these attacks, and would sometimes break off and let the vessels pass unmolested for a while before resuming the attacks. Eventually, all ships on the sea were giving off this rush, even without being attacked!! Swisha enjoyed this feeling, and began to leave the ships alone. Then came a great storm, and Swisha felt the need to help a vessel which was beginning to founder. Swisha brought her great coils up beneath the ship, and it floated calmly upon them. Swisha had never felt such a rush before!! Someone on the ship was able to communicate with Swisha, and Swisha enjoyed it! From this encounter rose the God SwishaSwishaSlippa. Swisha is basically a neutral god. Seafaring people, and those who depend on the sea, pray to Swisha for success, safety and a profitable journey. Of course, Swisha is more likely to answer the prayers of those who take an active part in their own success and safety. Many sailors and seamen believe that a tattoo of The Great Serpent encircling an ankle discourages drowning and shark attacks. Priest/esses of Swisha tend to be active sailors and fishermen, but they also tend to be active in their local communities. Priest/esses of Swisha use offerings to help the poor, and to support those orphaned by the sea. These Priest/esses tend to be self-sacrificing, hardworking individuals who rarely marry and have children. Churches of Swisha are always located in sight of the ocean. There are many lay priests of this religion who tell stories of brave exploits and the honor of the high seas. These lay priests are ordained by other priests in ceremonies involving baptism in the ocean. In fact, almost all investitures (marriage, baptism and ordaining) involve baptism in the sea. The active priests are better educated than the lay priests, and most can read and write at least the local language. Each local church is it's own power, and is led by a Head Priest/ess. Each of the churches sends a representative (invariably by sea) to a biannual congress where religion wide topics are discussed. Each congress is fun by a Captain-Priest, elected at the beginning of each congress. This Captain-Priest runs the present Congress, and hosts the following congress. Menecimen- God of Law and Neutrality Menecimen was a kindly old wizard of long ago who taught neutrality, honesty, and the rule of law. Like several other gods, peoples belief in Menecimen slowly elevated him to Godhood. This was fine with Menecimen, since as a god he was better able to continue his good works. Priest/esses of Menecimen preach neutrality and the belief that no-one should judge another. Of course, since priest/esses of Menecimen are often judges and lawyers due to their neutrality, they do often judge others. Ranking Priest/esses must be trained in local law, as well as moral law. They must strive to remain honest, upstanding citizens who strive for balance in their lives. Priest/esses of Menecimen are able to cast Truthtelling spells, and are also often able to detect lies. Few people are willing to lie to a Menecimen priest/ess, since they are always found out. The Church of Menecimen is active anywhere that they are allowed to practice. If an area serviced by Menecimen suddenly becomes unfriendly towards the Church, the Church will protest, and if the situation is not redressed, the Church will leave. Since the Church maintains it's own moral code, and does not follow the Might is Right doctrine, it will not remain in an area where this code of law is maintained. The Church will issue a stern warning to the local rulers and will then attempt to leave with any valuables and people who wish to travel with them. These escapes rarely work. Menecimen has been known to curse those who abuse his Priest/esses with a continual Truthsayer spell. The subjects cannot immediately tell that they have been the recipient of this, "gift", but their compatriots soon inform them. Fulcindare- The God of Metalworking The miners, blacksmiths and armourers who pray to Fulcindare hope to gain insight into how to improve their abilities. However, since this god has few followers, he is relatively weak, and still does not have a distinct personality. Fulcindare does try to protect his followers from accidents related to their jobs, but requires that all followers are marked. This mark is the shape of a blacksmiths hammer which is branded into the right forearm. The metal hammer is then worn as jewelry, and is held during prayers. Fulcindare is only able to grant the simple spells Create Fire, Purify Air and Light. Any follower of Fulcindare may pray for and cast these spells, and those able to communicate the beliefs of Fulcindare (and produce the hammers) can create new Followers of the Hammer. It is important to Fulcindare that he gain new followers, although many people are not interested in what this god has to offer. Hammerites seek to convert others to their Faith, but are not forceful about it. Fulcindare is a hard god, and his followers know that not all people are strong enough to accept his teachings. Fulcindare does not tolerate laziness, and punishes those who displease him. At the same time, however, those Hammerites who are hardworking and diligent are rewarded. These rewards can be as simple as holding off a cave-in until the followers are clear, or as wondrous as producing an extra-special weapon at the forge. The ability to produce the special weapons is what often brings armourers and blacksmiths to the faith. This ability is not without cost however, in that each special weapon which is produced costs two brands. The first brand must be imprinted onto the follower making the weapon. The second brand must be imprinted onto a new follower of Fulcindare. Treat these special items as if they had been the recipient of an Enchantment spell. Any of the various enchantments may be cast onto the special item, at a rate of one per day, as long as their is a new follower branded each day.