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A Brother’s Love
Two figures hurried along a trail leading to the village as dusk closed
in. They had a similar look to them but while one wore the homespun
linen tunic of a farmer, the other wore the simple garments of a Priest
of Peoni. They were deep in conversation pausing only to listen to
the hoot of an owl, a sure sign that night would soon cover them in
darkness.
"I reckon it was a simple affair," said Mikelat. "I’ve
been toiling the fields and tending the animals with burden, and all
the time you been away learning and praying."
"Say what you will, brother," replied Relf, "but the
trials of entering the priesthood are filled with toil, humility,
and respect. I do not ask that you understand it, but it deserves
some respect."
"They even got you talking funny! Do they let you speak to the
Goddess?" asked Mikelat. "I mean do you know She’s
listening?"
"The Goddess is a patient and loving mother who answers her children,"
replied Relf somewhat evasively, "although not always in the
ways one expects."
"So the answer is no," grinned Mikelat.
"Your question is not a simple one to answer," replied Relf.
"My knowledge thus far has allowed me to feel Her presence. It
is for the more devout and experienced servants of the Lady of Truth
to know her will."
"Book learning and praying. Pah! Now you come back to the village
and everybody’s going to do the work so that you can eat. Well,
I sure hope you don’t get as round as the Reslava Patrek from
such bountiful sup!" joked his brother.
"It is hard work learning to be a vessel for the Guardian of
the Meek. The study and the lessons, combined with the physical toil.
Did you know we worked alongside the peasants whenever we could?"
"No. I thought you were just given books to read and prayers
to speak," said Mikelat.
"Solana Derak felt it was good for our teachings to toil alongside
the adherents to the word," said Relf. "Look at my hands.
Are these the hands of a scholar?" he asked. "My contributions
to the village will be well received, brother. I may not be able to
help every day in your fields but I will take time to dig in the earth
so that my hands don’t turn soft."
"Well now that you mention it you aren’t as pale I thought
you would be," replied Mikelat. The jealousy and envy that he
had anticipated feeling was replaced with respect and admiration for
the man, no the priest, that his brother had become.
Suddenly, Mikelat knelt down in front of his brother and bowed his
head.
"Forgive me Ebasethe! I was so filled with anger because I thought
I was bringing home a boy spoiled from the past four years of idle
life and little chore. Please, would you give me your blessing and
forgiveness?"
"Here?" Relf shrugged. "Why not!"
Slowly, the worry and care seemed to slip from Relf’s countenance
as he contemplated the Goddess and thought on the lessons hard learned
at the abbey. Gently, but firmly, he placed his hands on his brother’s
bowed head and asked the Lady of Industrious Labour for her favour
on the honourable yet blind follower who shared his blood.
Harn is home to worshippers of all the 10 deities, listed as: Agrik,
Halea, Ilvir, Larani, Morgath, Naveh, Peoni, Sarajin, Save K’nor,
and Siem.
Peoni, the goddess worshipped by peasants and farmers, has the most
followers. Larani is the Goddess of Nobility, while the Sindarin,
Khuzdul and some Jarin worship Siem. Followers of Agrik, Morgath and
Naveh are proscribed in most of the kingdoms on Harn, but they too
have clergy and temples in Rethem, the Thardic Republic and other
various areas. Ilvir is mainly worshipped by the Jarin, the first
humans to live on Harn, although his followers can be found in all
walks of life.
There are several clerical invocations common for all churches. Acolytes
and priests with promise are taught these ritual invocations by each
of their respective organized faiths. The invocation that Relf placed
upon his brother was a Blessing and he also explained how low ranking
clerics Commune with their deity while clerics of greater rank are
able to determine the will of their god through Divination. Blessing
and Commune are described below.
Every church has variations to the ritual, from language, to the order
of events in a ritual, to differences in sacrifices and offerings
that reflect the specific church theology.
| Cleric Invocations |
|
HarnMaster
Clerical Invocations are broken into Circles of Command. Priests
are typically admitted into Circle III upon ordination. They
have access to invocations of that circle and the ones under
it.
|
d20 (open gaming content shown
in italics below)
Since d20 is a level based system the clerical invocations shown
here have been given a level equivalent.
|
Blessing
Circle: II
Time: 25-RSI Seconds
Ritual: Prayer
Range: Touch/Sermon
Duration: One Blessing
A ritual to bestow piety on the subject. The piety is transferred
from the cleric to the subject. The cleric determines in advance
how much Piety will be bestowed. With a CS, bestowed piety is
deducted at half-cost from the cleric.
A cleric may convey an equal amount of Piety to a larger audience.
Blessing may (optionally) be used to neutralize the effects of
a Hex psionic talent, or a Curse invocation. |
Blessing
Enchantment
Level: (Cleric 1)
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 2 Rounds
Range: Touch/Sermon
Target: All allies within range
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: No
Spell Resistance: Yes (Harmless)
A ritual that, when successful, bestows the "favor of the
God" upon any willing adherent of the cleric’s faith.
The Blessing gives a one-time bonus of +2 to any skill that the
"blessed" person chooses. Alternatively, Blessing may
be used to reduce or negate the effect of a Curse already in place. |
| |
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Commune
Circle: II
Time: 15-RSI minutes
Ritual: Prayer/Meditation
Range: Self
Duration: Trance for 5 minutes
An attempt to establish a close spiritual relationship with the
deity. The cleric hopes to earn the deity’s favour, reflected
by receiving bonus Piety.
MS: 2d6 Piety
CS: 4d6 Piety
CF: The deity is annoyed by this intrusion and punishes the invoker
with –4d6 Piety (or worse). |
Commune
Enchantment
Level: (Cleric 1)
Components: None
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Self
Duration: 5 Minutes (trance)
Saving Throw: No
Spell Resistance: No
The cleric uses this ritual to establish a close spiritual relationship
with their chosen deity. The cleric hopes to earn the deity's
favour, reflected by receiving various temporary in-game rewards
(DM discretion). The cleric rolls Knowledge (Religion) vs. DC
of their chosen deity (listed right). If a cleric fails then
there is a designated percentage chance of punishment by the
deity due to the uninvited intrusion. The punishment should
be decided based on the deity’s general outlook (i.e. Peoni
may demand fasting for several days, while Agrik and Larani
might call for a dangerous quest to be performed, and Ilvir
would almost certainly force pilgrimage).
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| Deity |
DC
|
%
|
| Agrik |
17 |
19 |
| Halea |
16 |
19 |
| Ilvir |
18 |
24 |
| Larani |
17 |
14 |
| Morgath |
15 |
24 |
| Naveh |
17 |
19 |
| Peoni |
16 |
9 |
| Sarajin |
17 |
14 |
| Save K'nor |
18 |
14 |
| Siem |
17 |
9 |
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