Samhain

I love Halloween. Does anyone not? It's this time of year where the celebration of the spooky spirit comes out in force. Between the changing of the leaves, the decorations going up, the crisp coolness in the air, and the flurry of horror-themed posts going around the blogging world, it's hard not to feel the atmosphere in your bones. I would be remiss, of course, to neglect making a Halloween post of my own. And there's no better time than the present to detail my setting's own take on the holiday of Samhain.

Samhain is one of the Cross-Quarter Days of the Wheel of the Year, taking place approximately halfway between the autumn equinox of Mabon and the winter solstice of Midwinter. It is at this point that the harvest season has passed, and the people must prepare for the winter ahead as the days keep growing shorter and shorter. But for many, the more mundane concerns of Samhain come second to what it represents in the movement of the celestial spheres, for it is on this day that the boundaries of the Mortal Realm and the Realms Beyond are at their weakest - particularly, the boundaries with the Land of the Dead.

On Samhain, it is easier than ever for the dead to cross over into the land of the living, and the living to cross into the land of the dead. For necromancers, Samhain is a favored date to perform rituals and to consult the spirits, who can most easily be reached - and controlled, if one is so inclined. But one must not forget that this phenomenon goes both ways. For many, the night of Samhain is one of fear, for it is when the dead may wander into the earthly world - and not all such spirits are friendly.

It is an important part of many folk customs that the spirits be placated - or, failing that, rebuffed - on Samhain to avoid garnering their wrath. Just about every settlement, from the smallest village to the grandest city, practices some sort of ritual on Samhain to protect its people from the dead, and to guide lost spirits home. These traditions vary from place to place, but many involve the use of lights to, alternately, scare away wrathful ghosts or lead them to where they may return to their eternal resting place. Some villages will set bonfires on hills to guide the spirits, or to mark out the boundaries of what lands will belong to the living and which are permitted to the dead on this day. Others will have townspeople symbolically take on the role of Morthanos, carrying lanterns along the roads, so that lost souls will follow them to their destination. On a smaller scale, many homes will set a light burning continuously through the night, be it a candle in their window or a lamp made from a root vegetable on their doorstep, to ensure the protection of their inhabitants.

Of course, such hoary traditions have also given rise to ones of merriment. In many areas, the processions of lantern-bearers have evolved into the tradition of guising, in which observers dress in masks and costumes imitating the spirits and go from house to house performing songs and dances. Traditionally, such an act must be rewarded with food and/or drink - if this is not provided, this grants the guisers free reign to inflict whatever mischief they choose.

With the dead being closer than ever to the living, for many, Samhain marks a time to remember ones' ancestors, and it is not uncommon for families to leave offerings to the dead, so that if their long-deceased relatives happen by their souls may go home happy. This is particularly popular in Valossa, in which Samhain and the days preceding and following it are a time of festivities honoring the dead, and paying homage to Death for guiding them to their eternal rest.

Owing to Samhain's connection to the Land of the Dead and the weakening of the boundaries between worlds, the gods most commonly invoked are Morthanos, in order to pray for protection of the dead, and Torvald, to make pleas for protection against spirits from the beyond. The cults of these gods often perform important services on this date in the hopes of maintaining the balance of life and death, and this reality and the next. That being said, many Samhain customs - particularly the more obscure and arcane local ones - have roots in the Old Faith, though for many this is somewhat of an open secret so as not to attract suspicion of witchcraft. But old habits die hard, and few are willing to abandon their traditions - especially when they need them to placate the dead...

Special Rules

Samhain takes place at sundown on the night before the First of Bloodmoon (analogous to October 31st, or the night before the eleventh new moon of the world's lunar calendar), and continues until the next sundown. On this occasion, all necromancy spells are made as though they were cast with a spell slot one level higher than what was actually used until the next sunrise (for example, a spell cast using a second-level spell slot behaves instead as if it was cast using a third-level spell slot).

Samhain Adventure Seeds (d20)

1. A troupe of thieves plan to sneak into the site planned for a heist by passing themselves off as guisers, allowing them to hide their faces while having a convenient excuse to be let in at the same time. Will the PCs stop them - or join them?

2. A village has sent out a lantern-bearer to lead the souls of the dead to their resting place, but it's been hours and they haven't returned. Did something happen to them? And if so, what can be done to appease the spirits, who now have no guide?

3. With the spirits of the dead closer than ever, a friend of the party invites them to participate in a seance to contact their ancestors. But the ancestors have greater secrets to share than anyone bargained for...

4. An overzealous priest has set out to a secluded village in an attempt to put a stop to their "foul and perverse" Samhain rituals. Turns out, though, those rituals served a very good purpose. Can the PCs intervene before the balance of life and death is disturbed?

5. The ghost of a long-dead ally or family member of one of the PCs seeks them out on Samhain, in search of one final favor from beyond the grave.

6. It turns out this town was built over an ancient burial mound - so when the spirits of the dead rise on Samhain, they do so right in the middle of the town square, and panic ensues!

7. Everyone knows that vampires can't enter a house without an invitation. But when one goes guising, they'll have the perfect opportunity to be let inside. And who will suspect that deathly pallor isn't just makeup?

8. Samhain is a perfect occasion for a masquerade ball, and this year, the party has been invited. But one when of the noble guests is murdered in the night, how can the culprit be brought to justice - especially when everyone's wearing masks?

9. They say that an old stone circle or a cave near town is located at an intersection between the Mortal Realm and the Land of the Dead. On Samhain, when this boundary is especially porous, a mortal just might be able to cross through to the other side. If the PCs need to bring back an ally from the grasp of Death, they'll only have until the sun rises - or they'll be trapped!

10. With necromantic energy thick in the air, many such rituals that manipulate the forces of life and death are especially potent - and a coven of necromancers is planning just such a ritual tonight. Are the PCs going to stop it - or perhaps join in?

11. The whole town is going guising tonight, and that means that the alchemists and magicians in town might have something useful to share. But will the PCs be able to get their hands on it before supplies run dry?

12. Rumors speak of a madman dwelling in a nearby squash field, awaiting the arrival of a strange deity prophesized to manifest on this date to reward its faithful with great riches. Can anyone talk some sense into him - or is he on to something?

13. The dead aren't the only ones who can cross the boundaries of reality on Samhain. When nearby farms are stricken with curdled milk and disobedient animals, it seems like the fair folk are restless. But now that babies are starting to go missing, it's growing clear that something must be done!

14. Samhain is supposed to be a time for celebrating one's ancestors, but as generations go by, some things can be lost and forgotten over the years. When one restless spirit decides it's tired of its descendants giving the wrong offerings and attributing its deeds to someone else, can the PCs figure out what's going on?

15. Someone was foolish enough to task the town drunk with setting the Samhain bonfires this year - and he lit them on the wrong hill, drawing the paths of the dead through town instead of around it!

16. An oracle warned a local lord that he would see great misfortune on Samhain this year, and he doesn't want to take any chances. He promises a handsome reward to anyone willing to ensure that such a fate doesn't come to pass. But fate has a habit of finding a way...

17. Many fear the wrath of the wandering dead on Samhain, but the dead have their own concerns to worry about. With the souls of the deceased lost and vulnerable in the Mortal Realm, opportunistic demons have decided this is their chance to snare the souls of the faithful and carry them to Hell by force. They must be stopped!

18. There's an emergency in the next town over that the PCs must attend to - they're the only ones around who might be able to help. But to get there, they'll have to pass through the route the dead are said to walk on Samhain - and it's growing closer and closer to sundown!

19. Only a fool would delve into a dungeon without a source of light. But what are the PCs to do when all the candles and lanterns around have been bought up by townspeople preparing to light the paths of the dead on Samhain?

20. On the road, the PCs encounter a cloaked figure bearing a lantern and carrying a scythe - but it's no mere impersonator, but Death himself. Is this an ill omen? Or does the reaper need their aid in retrieving lost souls? 

Lunar Lands Cosmology

In a previous post, I mentioned that in keeping with my reluctance to slavishly abide by "canon" D&D lore, I don't presume that the cosmology of my setting follows the Great Wheel model of Planescape. I don't have a problem with Planescape or the Great Wheel - god only knows it's produced some of the most beloved and evocative settings in the history of the game - but it doesn't really fit with the more folkloric feel my setting has evolved to take on. To that end, I might as well elaborate on the details.

Although the precise shape of the universe - and even if such a thing can even be defined - is a subject that has been of much debate among scholars, philosophers, and theologists, the most popular model envisions the cosmos as an incomprehensibly massive sphere, inside which float four other spheres, each of which is a plane of existence unto itself. A common depiction shows this sphere as being balanced on the head of a vast cosmic goat, which stands upon an infinite pillar of rock. No one can speak of laying eyes upon such a creature except in the wildest of visions, and there have been arguments that it must only be a metaphorical statement, or that this being - if it exists - can scarcely be called a goat at all.

The four inner spheres consist of:

• The Mortal Realm, where men, beasts, and other such creatures dwell and the laws of reality govern day-to-day life. This is the reality that the common people inhabit and concern themselves with, though they may know the vague outline of other planes from folklore and religion. It contains the planet on which the Lunar Lands sits as well as its three moons, as well as the stars, planets, and all other celestial bodies.

• The Land of the Dead is the final destination for the vast majority of mortal souls. When a living thing dies, its spirit is guided by Morthanos, the god of death, across the Black Gates, where it joins the rest of those who have died for the rest of eternity. The Land of the Dead resembles an endless expanse, with its own geographic features - it too has forests, hills, mountains, and seas, though the vegetation is grey and withered and all is shrouded in mist. However, the shades of the dead largely live out the same existences they did in life (albeit usually more decayed and without the need for food or water) and form their own communities and cities, recognizing Morthanos as their king.

• The Heavens are the domains of the gods, from where they rule and cast their designs upon the Mortal Realm, and their celestial servants. If perceived by mortals, the Heavens resemble an impossibly perfect mirror of the Mortal Realm - the sun is always shining, the fields are continually in bloom, and the robust landscape is dotted with the massive golden palaces where the gods make their abodes. However, the gods are not ones to share such pleasures freely, and of the three afterlives, this is the rarest and most difficult for mortals to obtain. Generally, it is only those who become saints who are granted the company of the gods, and they live beside and serve their masters, though not without luxuries that far surpass any conceivable by mortals.

• Hell is the domain of demons - enemies of the gods in an age-old conflict, attested to stem from when the demons took the secrets of magic the gods held to themselves and shared them with mortals. There is no distinction between demons and devils in the Lunar Lands. One cannot be sent to Hell merely through a sinful life, and the only mortals who find themselves here after dying are those whose souls are the property of demons, usually through deceitful deals. However, the folly of man and the lust for power means that there are more mortals in Hell than in the Heavens, though not as many as in the Land of the Dead. All manner of nightmarish scenes can be found in Hell, as demons have no care for the plight of mortal souls and enjoy tormenting them eternally - one may burn forever in a lake of fire, or be eternally devoured and excreted by a bloated bird-faced creature, or be chased around labyrinthene trap-laden corridors by a headless axe-wielding ogre clad in the still-screaming skins of the damned, only to be resurrected every time they die. Demons, too, are vastly diverse in their shape and demeanor, and they have their own hierarchy - and scheme against each other as much as mortals do, if not more, given their predisposition toward malice.

Bound within the outer sphere, but outside of the inner spheres, are the lands of Faerie, the home of the fey folk. Though without the malice of the demons, the fey are capricious and free-wheeling beings who regard mortals with amusement if not indifference, and many are less willing to honor the service of mortals as the gods are - though they may still be bound by custom and taboo, such as respecting earnestly-given gifts. The lands of Faerie typically appear a vibrant, untamed wilderness, though there are cities and castles of the fey as well. These lands do not, however, have anything resembling a consistent geography, and locations and scenery are known to move around, disappear, and reappear to confound those unlucky enough to find themselves in this domain. Furthermore, time passes very differently than it does in the Mortal Realm, and one may enter the realm of Faerie for what seems like minutes only to find years have passed on the outside.

Because it is the substance in which the four realms sit, it is easiest to travel to Faerie from any other realm than it is to move between one inner sphere and another. However, every realm has points in which the fabric of reality is weaker, and beings can travel more easily from one plane of existence to another - these are your hellmouths, your fairy rings, your holy mountains, and your passages to the underworld. These places may be sought out for ritual purposes, as the proximity to realms beyond lends strength to magic - and brave souls may, for whatever reasons, wish to traverse the cosmos.

In addition to space, the strength of reality waxes and wanes with time. The inner spheres are thought to travel around the outer sphere on their own paths, much like the wandering stars (some attest this to the movement of the celestial goat), and there are certain times of the year where their orbits overlap, allowing for them to be contacted or traveled to more easily. The two points at which the boundaries of reality are at their weakest are Beltane and Samhain - the nights before the fifth and eleventh new moons - but there are other times when some realms can be accessed more easily than others, or when certain points in space are "softer" than others. An aspiring magician would be wise to keep a calendar handy.

As for what's outside the outer sphere? That is anyone's guess...

Gods of the Lunar Lands

We've talked enough about theory in the last few posts. It's time for another setting post - and today, I'm going to be talking about the pantheon of my setting. Before we begin, a few notes about how I handle religion in my games.

• The way religion works is generally in the Roman model. There are innumerable gods out there, representing just about every concept imaginable, but the popular cults tend to revolve around a select few with commonly applicable or useful domains. The gods are in effect personifications of the driving forces behind reality, embodying all aspects of creation.
• Beyond the popular cults, however, there are many examples of petty gods dedicated to trivial things, local deities, deified ancestor figures taken from Old Faith traditions, saints venerated within the cults of the gods, and the like. These things are not mutually exclusive.
• I try to portray a religion that is truly polytheistic, rather than henotheistic. There are temples and cults that are dedicated to a singular patron god, but the majority of people will venerate all of them. Even a cleric of Kerne will understand that an offering to Olmo is a good idea when preparing for a sea voyage.
• The way religion is practiced takes influence from Roman and Germanic paganism. Sacrifices of crops and livestock are common, and most people have a small household shrine to offer to the gods watching over their families. The most common sacrifices for each god are listed below.
• Aesthetically, I like to imagine clerics and temples taking inspiration from the Eastern Orthodox Church, if for no reason other than that it's so much lesser-used compared to Catholicism (and I say this as a Catholic). Besides, onion domes are cool.

You also can't convince me these monks don't look like fucking wizards.

• There aren't such things as racial deities in my setting, nor are there pantheons unique to certain regions. While traditions will obviously differ from place to place, and while certain gods may be more popular in different areas than others, the prayers of the faithful are all generally going to the same beings regardless of what or where they are. Dwarves, for instance, largely worship Weyland, and orcs worship Kerne and Morthanos, but they do so with their own rituals and their own names. This is more akin to how ancient polytheists viewed religion - there are records of correspondence between two Roman theologicians arguing other whether or not the God of the Jews was Jupiter or Saturn. I feel like this is a fun concept that makes pantheons seem more cohesive, like they belong in the world, rather than being made up for a game. That's something that's important to me.

Now, keep in mind, Pantheonism is only one religion in the Lunar Lands. Other traditions exist too, most notably Elementalism (the faith of Quel'Ahma that reveres the four elements as cosmic forces), the Old Faith (a mix of animism, ancestor worship, and a few cults of ancient gods mostly practiced by elves, druids, and hillfolk), and the mystic traditions of the Covered Path and its dervishes. I will discuss those at a later date, but the subject of this post will be on some of the most widespread cults to the Divine Forces.

Game stats here are given for 5e, but the lore should be system-neutral. Note that these are simply guidelines on how to represent members of each cult in games. It is not impossible, for instance, to play as a Voltanite paladin with the Oath of Conquest, but this may be rarer than paladins of other oaths.

Voltan is the God of Kings and King of Gods - the chief deity of the pantheon, and also the god of law, honor, and governance. He is invoked in trials and ordeals, with courts often held at his temples, and it is believed that he should guide each king and noble to act in accordance with his code of just rulership, giving back to those who honor their leader in return.

• Voltan's symbol is a crown, sometimes crossed by a sword with the balance of a scale as its crossguard. His associated color, used on the vestments of his priests and the domes of his temples, is gold.
• The center of Voltan's cult is the Holy City of Lescatie, and it is for this reason it is considered the most important cult center of all. It is led by Matriarch Wilmarina I, whose political clout rivals that of the Emperor.
• Alignment: Lawful Good
• Domains: Order, Unity
• Oaths: Crown, Heroism, Vengeance
• Sacrifices: Gold, incense, cattle, wine

Marseah is the Goddess of Mercy, Healing, and Hospitality. The teachings of her cult stress kindness and generosity to others, and her faithful train in the arts of healing both mundane and magical. One of the most popular deities, she is the wife of Voltan.

• Marseah's symbol is a pair of hands clasped in a gesture of prayer. Her associated color is white.
• The center of Marseah's cult is the city of Heidenheim in Vardessy. It is led by Matriarch Hildegarde III.
• Alignment: Neutral Good
• Domains: Life, Peace
• Oaths: Devotion, Redemption
• Sacrifices: Incense, candles

Torvald is the God of Protection and Boundaries. A liminal deity, he stands in defense of the borders between this world and those beyond, and is thus associated with the banishment of evil and lifting curses, though he also is the patron of those who build walls and guard castles and cities.

• Torvald's symbol is a key fashioned of silver, as it is believed that he blessed silver as his holy metal and imparted it with the ability to repel the unnatural. His associated color is also silver.
• The center of Torvald's cult is the city of Torvaldshaupt in Vardessy. It is led by Patriarch Ulrich II.
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Domains: Protection
• Oaths: Watchers, Devotion
• Sacrifices: Silver, sheep

Solenna is the Goddess of the Sun, worshipped for blessing the fields with life and lifting the darkness of night. She is also venerated as a goddess of hope and happiness, and her clerics joyfully honor her by facing the path of the sun with their arms spread and raised above their heads. Her husband, Mondi, is the God of the Moons, though they are doomed to always be apart, except on the rare occasion of an eclipse.

• Solenna's symbol is that of a sun disk. Her associated colors are yellow and red.
• The center of Solenna's cult is the capital city of Venec in Togarmah. It is led by Patriarch Otho VI.
• Alignment: Neutral Good
• Domains: Light
• Oaths: Devotion, Redemption, Heroism
• Sacrifices: Wheat, chickens, candles, cattle

Morthanos is the God of Death and the Dead. Unlike the other gods, who dwell in the Heavens, he reigns from a palace in the Land of the Dead, where he rules over the shades of the deceased. However, he rarely returns to his throne, for he is busy collecting the souls of the fallen. Though many fear him (and usually refer to him simply as Death, lest he take the invocation of his name as an invitation), he tries to comfort the dead and dying, as his role is only a natural part in the cycle of being.

• Morthanos's symbol is a scythe crossed by a lantern, representing the two items he carries as he walks the roads of the mortal realm. His associated color is black.
• The center of Morthanos's cult is the city of Olarra in Taldameer. It is led by Matriarch Marisela III.
• Alignment: True Neutral
• Domains: Death, Grave
• Oaths: Watchers, Redemption
• Sacrifices: Incense, coins, candles, libations

Kerne is the God of War and the Hunt, governing both the pursuit of beasts and those of man. He traditionally takes the form of a musclebound man with the head of a stag (sometimes, particularly in southern lands, a bull), clutching a weapon in both hands, and he prizes valor and courage in battle. His priests often train in the fighting arts as much as they do in prayer, and his cult produces many paladins.

• Kerne's symbol is four weapons (swords, maces, spears, axes, etc.) placed on one another to form an eight-pointed star. His associated color is red, and he is also associated with bronze and iron.
• The center of Kerne's cult is the town of Keldrholt in the North. It is led by Patriarch Vidar I.
• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
• Domains: War, Zeal, Blood
• Oaths: Conquest, Glory, Ancients
• Sacrifices: Iron, weapons, the first kill of a hunt, ale, mead

This is but a few of the major gods of the Lunar Lands. More to follow in a later post!

Cheating Death

 

Talisman

Before the release of 5e, I ran a few games in my setting to introduce new players to roleplaying using the Dungeon World system. For those of you who haven't played Dungeon World, or any of the other games using the Powered by the Apocalypse system, the basic mechanic is that for any sort of conflict resolution, the player rolls 2d6 and adds the appropriate modifiers for their character's stats or situational bonuses or penalties. A 10 or more is a success (for example, you successfully pick a lock and open the door); a 7-9 is a success with complications (you pick the lock, but you hear the footsteps of guards coming around the corner); and a 6 or less is a failure (your lockpick breaks).

When a PC dies, there's a move called Last Breath that applies, and it's quite interesting. You have a vision of Death arriving for you, and you roll a flat 2d6 with no bonuses (as the rulebook puts it, Death doesn't care how cool you are). On a 6 or less, you die. On a 10 or more, you survive. On a 7-9, Death lets you go, but with a quest or another special condition you must fulfill if you want to live.

The death save mechanic used in 4e and 5e is similar to this - when a PC dies, they must make three successful rolls on a flat d20 with a DC of 10 before they make three failed rolls in order to survive. Most people run this as a simple near-death experience, but I enjoy carrying over the conversations with Death from Dungeon World, reskinning the death saves as Death (in my setting, the god Morthanos, but feel free to substitue your favorite psychopomp) deciding whether or not to let the deceased go.

And, more to the point of today's post, that gives wily players the option of cheating Death. If you want to restrict access to resurrection magic but want PCs to be more durable, while giving your games a more mythic flavor, read on.

The Seventh Seal

While making a death save, a PC may choose to challenge Death to a game over the fate of their soul. Chess is traditional, but Death is well-versed in all manner of games. This doesn't change the DC of the death save, and you cannot add your proficiency bonus even if you have proficiency in the appropriate gaming set - even the greatest chess player in the world can't outwit Death on a level playing field. Where this comes in is if one wishes to cheat Death.

If a PC wishes to cheat at Death's game (rearranging the chessboard when he isn't looking, or switching to a set of weighted dice, or slipping a trump card out of their sleeve, for example), they may make a Deception or Sleight of Hand check, or another appropriate skill - work with the DM to figure out which fits the most. The starting DC is 15 - see below.

If this is successful, the PC automatically passes the rest of their death saves until they next drop to 0 HP. 

If this is not successful, Death notices he is being cheated, and he will consider this when weighing their soul. The PC has disadvantage on the rest of their death saves until they next drop to 0 HP.

Even if one successfully cheats Death, however, it won't be too long before he realizes he has been had. DMs should consider this when going forward - perhaps the PC will be hounded by messengers of Death, or be stricken with ill fortune, until they manage to complete a quest to put them back in Death's favor. It is up to the DM to figure out an appropriate punishment; ideally, it should be one that will provide a special challenge to the PC in question.

For that matter, Death will remember he's been cheated before, and he will be especially vigilant the next time it happens. Each time a PC successfully cheats Death, the DC to cheat him increases by 5 the next time anyone (not just the PC who did it before) attempts to cheat him during that campaign. A party that has had many of its members cheat Death may want to think twice before attempting it again.

And if all else fails, those who find their way to the Land of the Dead can attempt to make a case with Death for the release of a fallen friend's soul. I have the Dungeon Crawl Classics module Blades Against Death saved up for such an occasion...