The Shrine of the Most Holy Death

Founded as it was by Taldameeri exiles, the culture of Valossa has much in common with that of Taldameer, but influences from the natives of the islands have allowed it to develop into something all its own. The Taldameeri influence is strongest in Porto Libre, but even there, one will see some things unlike anything on the mainland. One particular way in which the two cultures differ is in their veneration of Morthanos.

On the mainland, the worship of Death is a grim and dour affair. Black is the color used in the overwhelming majority of his temples and icons, and his clergy is called upon to perform last rites for the departed to help them find passage to the Land of the Dead. The cult of Death is particularly strong in Taldameer, where his Grand Temple sits in the city of Olarra. In Porto Libre and its surrounding lands in southern Valossa, there are a number of temples and monasteries devoted to Morthanos that practice the quiet seclusion and mournful colors of the Olarran orthodoxy. But further afield, there can be found a cult of Death quite dissimilar, but no less powerful.

This cult is based out of the city of San Catrina, which sits above the deserts that characterize much of western Valossa, and the temple of Death there is almost as large and just as popular as that in Olarra. Rather than dressing in dark vestments and conducting rites in whispers, however, the Valossan cult of Death favors vivid colors, elaborate patterns, and an almost festive atmosphere. Their priesthood preaches that death is not something to be feared, but celebrated, as a natural part of the life cycle and as the moment the soul of the deceased reunites with their ancestors. Priests of Death can be seen walking the streets with masks and painted faces depicting many-colored skulls, and altars to placate wandering ghosts with offerings of fruits and liquor can be found on any street corner. But nowhere is San Catrina more festive than on the occasion of Samhain.

On this day, Valossans celebrate both the rightful guidance of Death, who keeps the workings of the world in motion, and their ancestors who have since made the passage to the Land of the Dead. At just about every dinner table, a seat is left for the spirits of the ancestors when they wander the Mortal Realm on this day, and the memories of the dead are celebrated with stories and toasts to their accomplishments. Candies in the shape of decorated skulls are often passed out by the cult, as offerings of good fortune and protection.

It has been argued that these traditions show a closer link to the ancestor worship of Sonderlund than to conventional Morthanos worship, leading some scholars to propose a syncretic origin tracing back to the beliefs and rituals of Old Faith believers that dwelled on the Valossan islands before the founding of Porto Libre. Even the veneration of the god themselves takes on a very different form - in Valossa, it is not uncommon for Morthanos to be perceived as a goddess, appearing as a skeletal woman draped in robes.

Relations between the Olarran and San Catrinian cults of Death have been shaky. The official statement of Morthanos's cult is that, although the rituals, practices, and perceptions of the Valossan heterodoxy may be unusual, they do not contradict the revelations of the patriarchs of Olarra, and the Valossan death goddess is merely Morthanos in another form. However, some traditionalists find the festive atmosphere surrounding the solemn occasion of death distasteful - and this has led to friction between San Catrina and Porto Libre, where the Olarran traditions are more common.

The cult of San Catrina has been gaining favor in the capital, however. Within the last decade, a shrine to the Lady of Death - the Shrine of the Most Holy Death - was erected in the Temple District of Porto Libre, tended to by a maiden, Teofilia Rosario, whose aunt was a devotee of the Valossan tradition before her, but who kept her worship to the privacy of her own home. Teofilia's shrine represents the most powerful presence the San Catrina cult has held in Porto Libre proper, and despite opposition from Olarran sects, it has grown a sizeable congregation of its own. Some clerics have attempted to stop this cult in its tracks before it grows to rival their own - but rumors speak of ill fortune following those who dishonor the Shrine, and few are willing to test them.

Furthermore, the cult of San Catrina has even begun to expand beyond the isles. Valossan pirates introduced the practices to the ports of Taldameer and the City-States, where they have taken a limited foothold. In these lands, the death goddess - dubbed the Thin Lady - is often perceived as an entity distinct from Morthanos. And this belief has led to her cult becoming popular among criminals and outlaws, who feel it unwise to pray to more conventional gods in conducting underhanded acts. But surely invoking a goddess not recognized by the Pantheonist cults would not bring such inauspicious fortunes...

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? 

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...