Friday Encounter: The Sacrifice

This encounter's another one to subvert your players' expectations and present them with a moral quandry to solve. It works best on the road, since the PCs should ideally be unfamiliar with the local area. However, you may wish to plant some rumors in nearby settlements so that the players know what to expect - or at least they think they do.

While traveling, the party comes upon a small village where a strange ceremony is taking place. Four young men and women are parading through the streets bedecked in flowers and accompanied by guards, yet despite the festive scene, the townspeople are all watching silently with grim expressions. Even the youths on parade appear to be nervous, avoiding eye contact; some can even be heard sobbing. If the PCs decide to ask the villagers what's going on, they'll explain in hushed tones:

The village is in debt to a cult of demon worshipers, after an inhabitant of the town sold his soul generations ago. Now, the cult demands a sacrifice of four of the town's youths every spring, or the forces of Hell will be displeased and seek to collect their bargain by force. The sacrifice has happened every year for as long as anyone can remember, and no one has dared to defy the cult for fear of the consequences that may bring. Although the townsfolk regret having to sign away the lives of their children, they see it as their unfortunate duty to bear, and don't dare to question it. In particular, one girl, Katrin, is the beloved daughter of the town innkeeper, Rikerd Gerst. If the PCs stop at the inn, he will be visibly stricken with grief.

Naturally, this all sounds like a setup for the PCs to put a stop to the cult. If they ask around, the townspeople will give them directions to the site of the sacrifice a short distance away. If you like, you can spin this out into a full-fledged dungeon, or if you'd like to keep things simple, it could just be an altar in a grove.

Either way, if the PCs choose to pursue the sacrificial victims, they will find them gathered around a raised, stepped platform topped by an altar, with robed cultists watching silently. Enter Action Time at this point, and track the number of rounds that pass. The altar is a terrain feature with the Three-Quarters Cover, High Ground, Ledge, and Steep tags.

There are eight cultists gathered - six stand chanting in a circle, while one leads the victims, and an eighth waits by the altar with a curved sacrificial dagger. Each round, the cultist leading the victims will walk them higher up the steps to the altar. If the PCs show themselves, the six chanting cultists will attempt to hold them off, but the other two will not cease their duties.

Starting at the third round, if the cultist leading the victims and the dagger-bearer are still alive and not incapacitated, one of the victims will be laid on the altar, where the dagger-bearer slits their throat, killing them instantly. From then on, these two cultists will kill one victim per round as long as they are alive and not otherwise engaged in combat. If one of them dies or is incapacitated, and there is a cultist in the group that can fill the position, that cultist will attempt to disengage from combat and take up their role. This happens even if the PCs are an obvious threat. If this happens, the timer pauses for one round, but resumes from where it was left the next round. If all four victims are killed, the two cultists join in the fight.

If the PCs manage to defeat the cultists and return the youths to their families, the townspeople will be grateful, rewarding each PC with 100 GP per victim rescued safely. However, they will still wonder with noticeable anxiety what will happen now that the ritual has failed.

As a matter of fact, their fears are warranted. If the blood of less than four innocents was spilled on the altar that night, the pact is broken, and the sacrificial altar collapses into a hellmouth - a portal to the pits of Hell itself. The terrain around the altar warps, with the ground becoming parched and cracked and the trees gnarled, storms crackle overhead, and demons pour forth from the pit, laying waste to anything in their path. The PCs may well have traded one problem for a bigger one - and they might need to take greater measures to seal the portal they've created.

Friday Encounter: Deals at the Crossroads

For optimal folkloric resonance, the best place to use this encounter is at a crossroads, preferably at night. As everyone knows, the crossroads is a place where the boundaries between worlds are weak, and it's easier to contact the other side - or, for that matter, for the other side to contact you. However, it would also work in the wilderness, in a dungeon, or perhaps even in a town, after everyone else is asleep.

Background

In the Lunar Lands, there are numerous places where the fabric of reality thins, and it is easier for things from other worlds to slip through. Crossroads are particularly susceptible to this, as an already liminal space where multiple routes intersect. Alimuth, a demon, has taken advantage of this. Like all demons, he delights in using his magic to bring mortals to ruin and spread discord, and he has come into the possession of multiple mortal souls through offering fabulous powers in exchange for immortal servitude. Now, the PCs might well become his latest clients...

The Encounter

Alimuth will appear to the PCs at the crossroads when no one else is around. He takes the disguise of a wealthy merchant, wearing fine clothes embroidered with fur and brocades, but all in shades of red. Like all demons, Alimuth is physically incapable of invoking the names of any gods, and instead refers to them by epithets and titles whenever possible. Additionally, a DC 20 Perception check reveals that he has slit pupils like those of a cat.

The "merchant" is found sitting on a cart hitched to a donkey on the side of the road. The cart has lost a wheel and sunken into a ditch - Alimuth is particularly interested in corrupting good-hearted and generous souls, and wants to pose as someone in need of help as a way to lure the PCs closer. He calls to the PCs for aid as they pass.

It's a simple enough task to find the missing wheel and fix the cart - no rolling is necessary. Alimuth just wants to get the PCs close enough to make his pitch. He graciously thanks the PCs and commends them on their kindness - then offers to repay them in a way only he can.

At this point, Alimuth promises to impart each of the PCs with a special "blessing." He will teach any of the PCs one spell from the warlock spell list, regardless of whether or not they have any levels in warlock. This spell should be one suited to the character's class, playstyle, and strategies, and should be one spell level higher than the highest level of spell slot a warlock of the same level as the PC would have access to - this is a more powerful spell than what would otherwise be possible of the PC. If the PC is a spellcasting class, the spell is cast as they would normally cast any other spell and takes up one spell slot of their highest available level. If they are not a spellcasting class, they can cast it as a warlock would (ie. their spell save DC is 8 + proficiency bonus + CHA, and their spell attack modifier is proficiency bonus + CHA), once per long rest.

However, this comes at a cost. To teach the PC the spell, Alimuth will need ownership over their soul as payment. If the PC dies, their soul is immediately damned to Hell; they automatically fail all death saves, and they cannot be resurrected or communed with unless their soul is retrieved from Hell directly or Alimuth otherwise relinquishes control over their soul. Furthermore, they are to forfeit their life after a year and a day (you are keeping track of time, right?). If they are still alive at this time, Alimuth will send a pack of three hellhounds after the party to attack them. The hounds appear at nightfall every day until the affected PC dies, heralding their arrival with the sound of a loud howl, and will track them relentlessly. If the hounds are killed, they simply respawn the next night. If the affected PC dies, the hounds immediately vanish and do not attack the rest of the party. The hounds cannot enter holy ground, such as a temple or the burial ground of a saint.

Although a demon, Alimuth is a man of his word and does not attempt to mislead or trick the people he deals with. He presents the PCs with a contract in which all the relevant information is laid out (albeit in circuitous language that is difficult to understand), and will not teach them the spell until the PCs sign the contract in their blood (he provides a quill with a pointy tip, if necessary). However, he will try his best to persuade them, describing how it's in their best interests to branch out with magic, and they surely won't be in any danger any time soon with such fabulous magic on their side.

If the PCs turn him down, Alimuth will disappear, but emphasizes that the PCs are welcome to change their mind at any time. He will also disappear if attacked. If they return to the crossroads with the express intent of visiting Alimuth, he will be right where they left him. He will not appear if they are just passing through.

Optionally, you might rule that a cleric or paladin who sells their soul to Alimuth will no longer be able to use class features that rely on divine favor, since their soul is no longer pledged to their patron god. However, this runs the risk of mechanically crippling a character and may necessitate multiclassing for them to remain viable, so it's best to talk this over with your players to make sure they're prepared for such measures. If you don't see a year and a day passing over the course of the campaign, another optional measure to speed things up would be to have Alimuth's contract specify it expires in a year and a day in Hell, and he comes from a domain of Hell where time passes faster than it does in the mortal realm - so he may come to collect the bargain sooner than expected!

Furthermore, even if Alimuth does collect a PC's soul, that might not be the end. A resourceful party might find a way to track the demon down and convince him to give up their ally's soul - or even free their companion from Hell itself.

Friday Encounter: Goblin Market

Dwiz over at Knight at the Opera has mentioned on more than one occasion the value of running a goblin market in RPG campaigns - a market staffed by the fair folk, where wondrous magical items can be bought for the prices only the fairies can trade in. As the enjoyer of obscure folklore I am, it should go without saying that I'm all for it. Many people find shopping for equipment in games tedious, and I'm inclined to agree - but when the items are unique and interesting and there's plenty of opportunity for roleplaying and problem-solving, even shopping can be made into an enjoyable experience. It's also one of the few times I find it acceptable to let PCs buy magic items. I've run goblin markets before, and I figured it was about time I documented my own spin on the concept.

Goblin Market

This encounter can be used anywhere. It probably makes the most sense in the wilderness or in a dungeon, but it could even be used in a town, perhaps at the end of some forgotten alley or in a boarded-up building at the edge of the city limits. Whatever the case, the party should find themselves in the midst of a goblin market. The boundaries of reality are weak here, and the realm of Faerie has spilled over into the mortal plane, giving the PCs a rare opportunity to sample the wares of fairy merchants.

The market is lively and bustling, with fey creatures of all shapes and sizes muscling their way through crowds and buzzing through the air overhead, while others cry out boasting of their merchandise. If the PCs stop to examine the wares, the merchants will be delighted to see that mortals would be interested in what they have to sell - after all, it isn't often that they have the opportunity to interact with visitors from the mortal world.

However, the fairies insist that the PCs follow the rules of the goblin market, and one of those is that the merchant sets the price of each item - which must be paid and cannot be negotiated over. This might seem reasonable enough, until you realize that the fair folk have no use for gold and silver. The fairies trade in more peculiar things - and some bargains may be steep indeed...

Roll 1d6+1 to determine the number of items on sale, then roll on the table below, or choose some from the list that you think would be interesting. You can also substitute other magic items if you wish. For each item, roll on the Fairy Prices table to find what the vendor is asking for it.

Items for Sale (1d20)

1. A flute that can charm others. Any creature that hears its music must make a Charisma saving throw opposed by a Performance check from the creature playing it or will be forced to perform the next action they command.

2. A human soul in a bottle. Useful for bargaining with demons.

3. A wise fish that can speak the tongues of men and knows the answers to many questions. Also tastes good, incidentally. Breathes water just like a regular fish, and must be kept in it.

4. Leprechaun ale. Strong enough to get a mortal drunk from just one pint. Has a 25% chance of causing the drinker's skin to turn green for 1d4 days.

5. A pair of shoes that dance on their own. If worn, they can guide the wearer's movements.

6. A horseshoe that will allow the horse that wears it to walk on top of water. Made of tin, as the fey are allergic to iron, which also means it will wear out faster.

7. A bag that produces three gold coins every night. The coins will turn to lead after five days. 

8. A candle that never goes out. Storing it without causing a fire will be difficult.

9. A bag of 1d10 seeds. If a creature consumes a seed, they must make a DC 12 Constitution save or fall asleep as though affected by a sleep spell.

10. A preserved eyeball in a jar. If attuned to, the user can see through whatever the eyeball sees, no matter the distance.

11. The skull of a long-dead king. It can still speak, but can't do much else. It complains about its situation incessantly. 

12. The cloak of a skin-changer. When worn, it causes the wearer to transform into a (1d4: 1. wolf; 2. bear; 3. hawk; 4. seal). Once purchased, the skin-changer will know who and where the new owner is, and may not be happy.

13. A talking bird in a cage that claims to be a princess cursed into the form of a bird. 50% chance she's telling the truth.

14. A severed hand that responds to any of its master's orders (stats as a crawling claw).

15. A coinpurse that complains loudly if someone tries to steal it.

16. A hat that, when worn, will cause no one to recognize you, even your own party members. 

17. A bomb that gives off a pungent odor when detonated, lingering for 1d6+1 hours.

18. The true name of a rival fairy. If one invokes the fairy's true name, that fairy will be forced to obey their commands.

19. A document proclaiming the owner to be a friend of the fair folk. Fey will not attack any creature who shows them this document, and they may be more inclined to assist them.

20. A key that can open a treasure vault in a fey castle somewhere.

Fairy Prices (1d20)

1. Your luck. If paid, you must reroll the next natural 20 you roll.

2. Your left eye. It has to be the left; the merchant won't explain why.

3. Your child, no older than one year. If you don't have a baby of your own, the fairies will accept someone else's. 

4. Your strength. If paid, your Strength stat decreases by 2. This effect is permanent.

5. Your speed. If paid, your Dexterity stat decreases by 2. This effect is permanent.

6. Your health. If paid, your Constitution stat decreases by 2. This effect is permanent. 

7. Your knowledge. If paid, your Intelligence stat decreases by 2. This effect is permanent. 

8. Your wits. If paid, your Wisdom stat decreases by 2. This effect is permanent. 

9. Your rhetoric. If paid, your Charisma stat decreases by 2. This effect is permanent.  

10. Your youth. If paid, you age 1d10 years on the spot.

11. Your voice. If paid, you become mute. This effect is permanent.

12. A lock of your hair. This may be used to scry on you later.

13. Exactly half of all the money you own, which will vanish into thin air upon agreeing to the deal.

14. In return for the item, you must return to the Land of Faerie after a year and a day.

15. In return for the item, you will be afflicted with a hunched back. This effect is permanent.

16. The ability to swim.

17. The memory of one of your friends.

18. In return for the item, you will fall ill and be bedridden for the next week.

19. Your courage. You must make a DC 10 Wisdom save when facing any creature with Hit Dice greater than yours or be stricken with the effects of a fear spell. This effect is permanent.

20. In return for the item, you must undergo a quest to slay a suitably fearsome foe, and return to the merchant with proof of your deeds.

If the PCs have any outstanding debt to the fairies, the market will remain around as long as it takes them to pay the vendor in a timely fashion. Once the PCs leave the market, assuming they don't owe the fairies anything, attempting to return to it will reveal that the entire market has mysteriously disappeared.

Three Demons

If I'm going to use demons - especially big, important, named demons - in my games, they aren't going to be something as simple as bosses to be defeated, with lots of HP and powerful attacks. That's boring. Demons are far more interesting if you stop thinking of them as enemies and think of them more as patrons - forces that could grant the PCs great power if they so wish to seek out their attention, but at a great price. Drawing on their depictions in folklore and mysticism, they're unique beings with their own agendas, exploiting the foolishness and temptations of mortals to corrupt them into acts of cruelty and chaos, and no PC who consults them should do so without it coming back to bite them in the end.

Here are three demons inspired by Goetic traditions and The Book of Ebon Bindings. Their summoning rituals are intended to be handled through narrative tasks and requirements, as described in this post on ritual magic.

Sifunoth, the Great Black Goat of Nowaub

Sifunoth is a Mighty Great President of Hell with forty-four legions of demons under her command. She is known as a patron of witches and is called upon at sabbaths and black masses to teach the secrets of magic to those who beseech her. Her cult is believed to have arisen in the last days of the ancient Nuwapian empire, but the rituals to summon her, and the secrets she is said to teach, have been passed down for generations, and cults to her now exist throughout the known world.

Appearance: Sifunoth typically appears as a large black nanny goat, and can assume the form of a normal goat in order to disguise herself. However, she prefers to manifest as a goat with a thousand writhing, spindly legs like those of a centipede.

Personality: Sifunoth addresses her mortal followers in an perversely grandmotherly tone, showing them cloying displays of affection and offering personal investment in their concerns. However, she is not wont to give good advice, and will always suggest acts of violence and cruelty as the solution to problems.

Summoning Ritual: Sifunoth may only be summoned under a full moon, beneath a clear sky, and when the moon appears directly above the summoning site. A scaffold of wood, eight feet tall, must be constructed, and atop it, three braziers must be lit with six juniper twigs and six aspen twigs each, before an incantation is read in Ancient Nuwapian. Then, the summoner throws themselves backwards off the platform; they may not look behind them to make sure it is safe. If the ritual is performed correctly, they will land atop Sifunoth's back, as she has miraculously manifested just beneath them, and expresses concern for her disciple risking themselves in such a fashion. The ritual takes three days to prepare and twenty minutes to perform.

Blessing: When summoned, Sifunoth will teach her disciple the secrets of magic. She will offer to impart the secrets of a random first or second-level spell from the Warlock spell list; ideally, this should be a spell that would be of use to the summoner and fit their personality and tactics. If the summoner does not think this spell would be useful, she will propose another until they approve of her offer. Then, she will press her forehead against the summoner's chest, and the summoner will instinctively know how to cast the spell. They may cast it three times per day (if first level) or once per day (if second level), using Charisma as their spellcasting ability. They can cast the spell even if they are not ordinarily a spellcasting class.

Price: Those who learn magic from Sifunoth are marked by her favor. They grow coarse black hair like that of a goat all over their bodies over the course of the next week; if they attempt to shave this hair, it grows back the next day. Others will likely regard affected PCs with suspicion and fear if they do not hide this effect.

Ritzenfauer, the King of the Labyrinth

Ritzenfauer is a King of Hell with seven legions of demons under his command. He rules from the center of the Labyrinth of a Thousand Torments, a seemingly infinite maze of corridors, pits, and deathtraps. He is known for his power over life and death, and teaches the secrets of transcending the limits of bodily mortality. Previously, he was imprisoned by an order of Torvaldic monks in the Silver Chains Priory in Togarmah, but was released by a ritual gone awry. Though he will still respond to summoning rituals, he has taken to his freedom and wanders the Mortal Realm looking for those he can lead astray. As a result of his imprisonment, he is resentful of Torvald and his faithful.

Appearance: Ritzenfauer takes the form of a shriveled, withered figure wrapped in a blue or red shroud, his face always obscured by shadow save for a pair of piercing red eyes. When in the guise of a mortal, he always walks with a hunch.

Personality: Ritzenfauer conducts himself in a stuffy, formal fashion, speaking to mortals from a place of power and dignity. He is not afraid to use mortals as pawns to accomplish his goals, and often makes offers to them that he has no intentions of holding up his end of the bargain on.

Summoning Ritual: Ritzenfauer may only be summoned on the Tenth of Winemoon (equivalent to October 10th, or the tenth day of the tenth month in the world's lunar calendar). A sigil must be drawn in black chalk with five candles made from human fat placed equidistant to one another around its radius. Each candle must be lit in sequence after an incantation is spoken in Old Golniri, and the center of the sigil must then be anointed with the blood of three different people mixed in a brass bowl. The ritual takes half an hour to set up, an hour to perform from start to finish, and must end at the stroke of midnight. If the ritual is completed successfully, Ritzenfauer will appear at the center of the sigil and offer his blessing.

Blessing: Ritzenfauer's blessing will allow his disciple to defy the laws of mortality. If accepted, the next time the disciple dies, they do not start making death saves. Instead, they will begin slowly regenerating, their mortal wounds knitting themselves back together over a period of three days. This will work even if the disciple's body was completely destroyed, such as through a disintegrate spell; their body and all equipment will regenerate from nothing. The period of regeneration is painful and the disciple remains conscious throughout the entire process; they cannot do anything more than lying around and moaning in agony until the three days are up.

Price: Ritzenfauer is amused by the fact that mortals are so afraid of their own mortality that they would not consider the greater picture. Although his blessing will work once, should the disciple die for any reason after regenerating, they do not regenerate a second time, and their soul is condemned instantly to the Labyrinth of a Thousand Torments. They do not make death saves, may not cheat Death, and cannot be revived by any means short of retrieving their soul from the Labyrinth directly.

Art by getsugadante

Lagaaz the Festering

Lagaaz is a Prince of Hell with two hundred legions of demons under his command. Like many demons, he is a bringer of pestilence and affliction, and his minions carry it forth unto the mortal realm. However, Lagaaz does not see disease as merely a way to inflict harm on mortals, but also as an incentive to further his own aims. He has the power to heal mortals of disease by taking it on himself, and he delights at inflicting mortals with plagues so that they will sell their souls to him for relief from their misery.

Appearance: In his true form, Lagaaz appears as a horrendously bloated decaying corpse covered in boils and weeping sores. His right leg is the foot of a crow, and his left leg is unnaturally short. He also sometimes appears riding a donkey. If disguised as a mortal, his face is always hideously disfigured with scars and boils.

Personality: Despite his grotesque appearance, Lagaaz does not behave as an afflicted person would - he is, in fact, incredibly spry and full of energy, and his lesions do not seem to bother him. He is a fast talker and a slick con artist, akin to a carnival barker or a used car salesman, attempting to dupe his disciples into selling their souls before they can realize the price of his offer.

Summoning Ritual: To summon Lagaaz, one must exhume four bodies that have died of the same plague after they have been buried in the ground for exactly three days. Their hearts must be cut out with a bronze knife and burned on a pyre with the four bodies arranged around it pointing in the four cardinal directions. As the fire burns, the summoner must walk in a continuous circle around the bodies, sprinkling their feet with water mixed with the dirt from the exhumed graves, until the flames begin to dim, at which point the summoner must stop at the feet of the closest body and hurl it into the fire. As smoke rises from the pyre, Lagaaz will appear inside and offer his disciple to come to him. This ritual takes five hours to prepare, and two hours to perform.

Blessing: When summoned, Lagaaz will invite his disciple to step forward and place their hands upon his corpulent, decaying body. If they do so, they will find themselves gripped by a surge of vigorous energy. They gain Inspiration, and any diseases or other conditions they are subject to are immediately removed as Lagaaz absorbs their affliction into his body. They permanently gain immunity to any diseases and poisons thereafter.

Price: Lagaaz has removed his disciple's afflictions and taken them into himself - however, the ritual must be continued in order to maintain that state. Once a month, Lagaaz's disciple must murder a person who is innocent of any crimes and who does not hold any antipathy toward them and hang their body from a tree as a sacrifice to the demon prince. In addition to compromising the moral fiber of the disciple, this often necessitates they keep moving, as the disappearance of the sacrificial victim will surely be noticed, particularly when their body must be displayed in so conspicuous a fashion. If a month goes by without such an offering, the disciple is stricken by every disease that Lagaaz has absorbed into his body; they have Disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability checks; automatically fail all saves (including death saves); and will die in three days. If they commit a murder within these three days, the effect is immediately revoked.

Minor Gods of the Lunar Lands

In a previous series of posts, I described the most prominent deities in my setting. But these are merely the most prominent deities. The Lunar Lands has innumerable gods, and just about every concept has its own patron. Though there may be a select few gods with relevant enough or broad enough portfolios to be worshipped just about anywhere, that is by no means an exclusive list.

In my opinion, pantheons do much more for the worldbuilding of a setting than they do for it mechanically. Gods are - or at least they should be - much more than just things that grant certain spells to clerics. The role of gods and religion in a setting influences its culture, its politics, its stories, even its metaphysics. Even if a god doesn't seem relevant for a PC to worship, it can still be useful for them to be detailed for the purposes of developing a setting. What are there cults like? What are their philosophies and their practices? What myths are they involved in? Did they shape any events in the setting? Answering these questions makes the gods a much deeper part of the world than something only interacted with for gameplay purposes, and it gives the world itself far more depth as a result. It can even be a source of some great drama and adventure hooks, and some interesting NPCs.

Here are three of the more obscure gods of my setting, ones that might not be worshiped by most PC clerics, but ones worth throwing into the background to liven things up regardless.

Camalos is the god of chivalry and knightly virtue. It is said that he devised the chivalric code to set out the rightful conduct and values of a noble warrior, and though all knights swear fealty to their liege, so too do they also swear an oath to Camalos, as the First Knight, to uphold his tenants. Usually, he is seen as the image of a perfect knight and the personification of chivalry, acknowledged by knights and paladins as a role model regardless of their patron deity; it is rarer for him to be worshiped in its own right - though the headquarters of every knightly order holds a shrine to Camalos, and he does have a small but devoted cult of his own.

The priests of Camalos take the chivalric virtues (such as valor in battle, honesty in all regards, respect for women, and deference to one's liege) as rules to live by, and often practice martial training. Curiously, although Camalos's monks and nuns are celibate, they are allowed (arguably encouraged) to pursue trysts with secret lovers, insofar as these feelings are not consummated, and insofar as no one else learns of such affairs - after all, chivalry holds that courtly love is the purest love of all.

• Camalos's holy symbol is a knight's helmet, sometimes displayed as a charge on a cleric's coat of arms.
• The leader of Camalos's cult is Patriarch Turias III, who presides over an abbey in the City-State of Lynnery. This monastery is built below a great cliff face, into which Camalos himself has carved the tenants of knighthood.
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Domains: Order
• Oaths: Crown, Glory, Devotion
• Sacrifices: Rewards of knightly quests (beasts slain, treasures won, lances broken in a joust, etc.)

Gwennert is the god of dogs. All dogs worship him as their king, and he is considered the master of stray dogs who do not have a master of their own. As such, many cities have cults of stray dogs that gather in alleyways to pay homage to their patron. His cult preaches the values of absolute loyalty to one's master, something more valuable than life itself; a loyal follower must obey their master regardless of if it makes sense to do so, as the dog who waits for his master even after the master has died. Although his teachings make more sense to dogs, he nevertheless has a contingent of followers among other races, who see the relationship of a dog and its master as a reflection of that of a vassal to their lord.

As legend has it, Gwennert was once a mortal hound belonging to a knight, who was tasked with guarding his newborn son. One day, Gwennert's master found the hound covered in blood, and aghast at the sight that the dog had seemingly killed his child, slew him - only to find that the baby was alive in his crib, with a dead wolf laying at its feet. Mourning his dog's loyalty, the knight constructed a shrine where he was buried, and the other gods, it is said, elevated Gwennert's soul to the heavens to watch over all canine-kind (one heresy claims that the cult was started by that knight in order to memorialize the dog. If you speak dog, never claim as much when a dog can hear you). Because of this, Gwennert is sometimes worshiped as a protector god, and prayed to for safety of children or good luck in childbirth.

• Gwennert's holy symbol is the paw or nose of a dog, worn as an amulet.
• Gwennert's cult is led by a hound named Nosewise I. He resides at the shrine where the dog-god's body was buried, located in Vardessy outside the village of Harlesburg, and a shrine maiden named Reika acts as his interpreter. However, followers of the cult insist on the fact that the dog is the Patriarch, not the maiden, and she only delivers his revelations to the people.
• Alignment: Lawful Good
• Domains: Life, Peace, Nature. Or just play a Really Good Dog.
• Oaths: Redemption, Devotion
• Sacrifices: Bones

Usalia is the goddess of wrestling. She oversees all contests of grappling and is said to guide champions to victory, and it is common to open a wrestling match with a prayer to her. She favors those who have honest faith in their strength and show good sportsmanship to others. Most Pantheonists on the mainland consider Usalia to be the daughter of Kord, the god of strength, and she is largely revered within his cult. However, there is a particular mystery cult in Valossa that worships Usalia directly.

According to this cult, Usalia was actually born to a mortal family in the hills of northern Valossa, where she grew to become a champion wrestler, undefeated by any opponents. However, she would die suddenly of illness. Feeling her glory was yet unfinished, Usalia challenged Morthanos himself to a wrestling match for her soul; although he ultimately won, it was an epic battle, and one where she broke the reaper's leg. In response, she was granted a seat among the gods instead of being sent to the Land of the Dead. Valossan depictions often show Morthanos as walking with a limp for this reason.

The Valossan cult of Usalia is known for their practice of ritual combat, incorporating grand theatrics into mock bouts during rituals. Members of the cult wear elaborate masks and assume anonymous identities in public, only revealing their true face if bested in a match where they have wagered their mask; to unmask a follower in any other circumstance is one of the cult's gravest sins. Though these matches are largely staged, the members of the cult train in the arts of grappling, and it would be a mistake to underestimate one in battle. In fact, one of Usalia's most celebrated saints was a silver-masked paladin who performed many heroic deeds with his bare hands, including overcoming a coven of vampiresses and forcing a ferocious blue demon to do his bidding.

• Usalia's holy symbol is a laurel wreath, as would be given to a victorious wrestler (either an actual one or a depiction thereof). In Valossa, a wrestling mask is often used instead.
• Usalia's Patriarch is a masked half-orc known only by the name of Tiburon, who oversees a temple in the village believed to be her home as a mortal. He is revered as the strongest wrestler in Valossa and the champion of the cult. If one was to best him in the ring, he would grant his position to them.
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Domains: Strength, or use a Monk or a Tavern Brawler Fighter to represent a cleric of Usalia.
• Oaths: Glory, Conquest
• Sacrifices: A portion of the winnings of a wrestling match, or the mask of a defeated opponent (these are hung in the temple).

Friday Encounter: The Fairy Feast

This encounter will suit any environment suitably isolated from civilization - a clearing in the woods, a cave in a mountainside, or even in a dungeon. It will perhaps have the most impact if used at a time the PCs are low on resources.

In the middle of nowhere, the PCs come upon some sort of relatively enclosed space - a cave, a room in a dungeon, or a cover of trees, for instance - in the shade of which is set a large banquet table laden with all sorts of fine foods, attended to by beautiful maidens and youths who are laughing and drinking merrily from jeweled cups. The smell of roasting meat, expertly seasoned with herbs and spices, and the sounds of laughter can be noticed from a distance leading up to the site of the banquet. Upon the arrival of the PCs, if none of them are obviously wearing or carrying weapons or armor made of iron, the banquet guests will invite them to join in the festivities - and, conveniently, there just so happens to be enough free space at the table to fit the entire party.

Many PCs may be wary of such an encounter, and not without reason. These revelers are of the fair folk, and the banquet is actually a pocket in which the realm of Faerie bleeds into reality. If any PCs sit at the banquet table, they may notice (DC 12 Perception check, made with Disadvantage if they have eaten, drank, or engaged in more than fleeting conversation while seated) that the area outside of the enclosure seems superficially different than it did before they sat down, but never in a way that couldn't potentially be explained as them overlooking certain details - for instance, there may be flowers sprouting from the branches of the trees, regardless of the season, or the cave walls may suddenly be covered in moss.

The fair folk are not liars, and they will answer truthfully any questions asked of them; although they will try to answer circuitously as much as they can get away with it to hide their true nature, they will not say anything that is not in some way a true statement. For instance, if asked if they have any intention of harming the party, they adamantly deny it and insist they only want to have a bit of fun. This is true, but the fairies have very different ideas of fun than mortals.

It is well known that mortals who eat the fairy food are subject to their magic, and this is no exception. If any PCs join in the feast, they will find the food, drink, and company to be among the best they've ever had, but the time is fleeting, and before they know it, the food has been eaten and the table is being cleared. The fairies thank any participating PCs for their company, and bid them their best wishes, but as soon as they leave the PCs' sight, they disappear without a trace; only the table, now bare of any plates, dishes, or cutlery, remains.

Furthermore, a random enchantment will be placed over any PCs who partook in the feast. Based on the results of some of these, you may wish to have the same effect apply to all participating PCs.

Fairy Food Enchantments (d20 or choose from the list):

1. Time passes differently in the fey realms, and what seemed like only a few moments to mortal eyes was years to the fairies. In that time, the affected PCs had many adventures that they have no memories of. They have all aged 1d10 years.

2. Any PCs that partook in the feast are transformed into woodland animals as soon as they return to the Mortal Realm. Roll 1d8 for all affected PCs: 1. rabbit; 2. deer; 3. squirrel; 4. boar; 5. bird; 6. hedgehog; 7. toad; 8. fox. A remove curse or similar spell, or convincing a fey being to lift the spell, is required to change them back.

3. Any PC that partook in the feast has their head transformed into that of an ass as soon as they return to the Mortal Realm. A remove curse or similar spell, or convincing a fey being to lift the spell, is required to change them back.

4. Leaving the table didn't return the affected PCs to the Mortal Realm at all. For each bite of food they consumed (roll 2d20), they are trapped for one day in the lands of Faerie. When the duration ends, they find themselves at the site of the table in the Mortal Realm at sunrise the next day.

5. For every PC who partook in the feast, a sprite has decided to tag along with the party to the Mortal Realm. The creature will sing loud songs (regardless of if it's safe to do so), pull pranks on its new "friends" when they aren't looking, hide their items in inconvenient places, and generally be a nuisance. If killed, the sprite will reappear perfectly healthy 1d12 hours later. An offering of food or clothing, or invoking the fairy's true name (which it will do anything in its power to not reveal) is needed to rid the party of their uninvited guest.

6. All food or other perishable items carried by the affected PCs has suddenly spoiled as soon as they return to the Mortal Realm.

7. Half of the treasure carried by the affected PCs, according to GP value rounded up, has suddenly vanished as soon as they return to the Mortal Realm. In its place, their coin purses contain seeds and pebbles.

8. The next time they take a long rest, each affected PC has a strange vision in which the fairies from the banquet appear to give them a quest. Until this quest is completed, they obtain the benefits of a short rest from any long rests they take.

9. Eating the fairy food signed over the affected PCs' souls, and the fairies have already promised them to Death for a hefty bargain. The next time any affected PC hits 0 HP, they have Disadvantage on all their death saves.

10. The affected PCs lose all their memories and don't remember who they or their companions are. A remove curse or similar spell, or convincing a fey being to lift the spell, is required to restore their memories.

11. Nothing seems to be amiss when the PCs return to the Mortal Realm, but take any players whose characters took part in the feast aside and tell them that their characters have been trapped in the Lands of Faerie and replaced with changelings. They are not allowed to share this information with the rest of the party, but they should be encouraged to have their characters betray the rest of the party when an opportunity presents itself. A journey into the Fey Realm, or bargaining with the fair folk, is required to free the trapped PCs.

12. The affected PCs' weapons have been replaced with sticks and branches (count as improvised weapons). Weapons made of iron will not be tampered with.

13. The affected PCs are stricken by a plague of bad luck. They have Disadvantage on all rolls until their next long rest.

14. The affected PCs are incapable of lying as soon as they return to the Mortal Realm. A remove curse or similar spell, or convincing a fey being to lift the spell, is required to lift this ailment.

15. Any footwear worn by the affected PCs has been switched around to sit on the wrong feet. Until this is fixed, they have Disadvantage on any rolls that require balance (such as crossing a rickety bridge) and must make a DC 9 Dexterity saving throw when moving in combat or fall prone.

16. The affected PCs experience a profound sense of longing for the Lands of Faerie as soon as they return to the Mortal Realm and will make any attempt to return. This effect wears off in 1d4 weeks.

17. Each PC that partook in the feast learn the languages of a different class of animals (roll 1d4: 1. birds; 2. mammals; 3. fish; 4. reptiles and amphibians) and can communicate with them at will. This effect is permanent.

18. Each of the affected PCs has befriended a fey spirit who will intervene on their behalf the next time they are threatened by the Fair Folk.

19. The affected PCs are granted good fortune. They have Advantage on all rolls until their next long rest.

20. The affected PCs have been granted the gift of prophecy. They can cast the divination spell without requiring a ritual once per day. This effect is permanent.

If the PCs refuse to join the feast, the fairies bid them on their way and wish them luck. The next time the party returns to this location, the table and all the revelers have vanished, with no sign they were ever there to begin with.

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...

More Gods of the Lunar Lands

Following on my previous post, here are some more of the important deities in my setting. Refer to that post for general details.

Olmo is the god of the sea, and all that dwells within it. In keeping with the tempermental nature of seas and storms, he is the most tempestuous of the gods, and the quickest to anger, as well as being more likely than many to seek violent retribution for perceived wrongs. Many temples offer to Olmo in the hopes of keeping him appeased in order to ensure safe journeys by sea. His children are the merfolk, who he tends to show favor to over the earthbound.

• Olmo's symbol is that of a crashing wave, and his associated colors are blue and green.
• The center of Olmo's cult is a fabled city beneath the waves somewhere in the Great South Sea, which has never been glimpsed by human eyes. However, the Water-Witches of the City-State of Ziggara are said to commune with Olmo's children and impart their teachings to mortal man.
• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
• Domains: Tempest, Nature
• Oaths: Open Sea, Ancients
• Sacrifices: Gold, libations

Seidra is the goddess of magic and prophecy. It is she who guards the secrets of magic, sharing them only to her most trusted of mortal agents. Her orders tend to be quite esoteric and secretive and are hesitant to welcome outsiders, but for those who can secure entrance to their vaults, they possess some of the greatest archives of scrolls and spellbooks in the known world. Seidra's chosen are often granted the knowledge of the future, and many of these oracles have been sought out for guidance, though their advice is often imparted in riddles and vague warnings that one may misunderstand until it is too late.

• Seidra's symbol is a pentacle, and her associated colors are green, white, and gold.
• The center of Seidra's cult is Kveshenholm in Kvesland, and is tended to by an all-female order of mystics. It is led by Matriarch Dagny III.
• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
• Domains: Arcana, Knowledge, Twilight, or use a Diviner to represent a cleric of Seidra.
• Oaths: Ancients, Watchers
• Sacrifices: Incense, candles, goats

Mimir is the god of knowledge - if Seidra represents knowledge over the arcane and what cannot be understood, Mimir presides over the rational world that can be understood, including history and the physical sciences. His temples often contain great libraries, and many philosophers have been trained in their halls. Those who have heard his commands describe him as being incredibly precise in his matter of speaking and using loquatious verbiage with many references to recorded facts.

• Mimir's symbol is an equilateral triangle with an eye in the center, and his associated colors are blue and purple.
• The center of Mimir's cult is Maltherios in Golnir. It is led by Patriarch Ourias XIV.
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Domains: Knowledge, Order
• Oaths: Crown, Devotion
• Sacrifices: Gold, candles, incense

Weyland is the god of craftsmen and artisans, and all trades that produce objects. Valuing hard work, dedication, and artistry, he is revered as the greatest of all smiths, and there are many magical artifacts attributed to him or his saints. He is one of the most popular deities among the dwarven holds, and many craftsman guilds pay homage to him either officially or in their titles or coats of arms; in some guilds, an item cannot be considered a masterpiece until it has been inspected by a priest of Weyland to decide it lives up to the god's standards.

• Weyland's symbol is a hammer upon an anvil. His associated colors are grey, black, and bronze.
• The center of Weyland's cult is Mezurdim, the largest of the dwarven cities, located in Kvesland. It is led by Patriarch Ral VI, a dwarf who claims to be old enough to have seen emperors rise and fall.
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Domains: Forge, Order
• Oaths: Crown
• Sacrifices: Coals and embers, which Weyland is said to use for his forge. Those that were used when forging a masterwork are preferred.

Nehalennia is the goddess of trade and commerce - Weyland oversees the production of goods, but Nehalennia governs how they are bought and sold, protecting merchants, dealers, and moneylenders either at sea or on the road from both thieves and dishonest traders. She is the patron of many trading guilds, including the Merchant Company of Karkossen, which includes the Patriarch on its council to bless their endeavors.

• Nehalennia's symbol is a basket of loaves, and her associated colors are blue and white.
• The center of Nehalennia's cult is the city-state of Karkossen. It is led by Patriarch Roeland I.
• Alignment: True Neutral
• Domains: Forge, Peace, Order
• Oaths: Devotion, Open Sea
• Sacrifices: Gold, silver, bread

Eostre is the goddess of fertility and the harvest. She makes plants grow and animals reproduce, and heralds the coming of spring and the rebirth that follows; the spring equinox is celebrated as Eostrefest with many processions, fairs, and ceremonies to mark the start of the growing season. Her monasteries often serve as working farms, where the faithful toil over the land to show their devotion to the bounties she gives them in return.

• Eostre's symbol is a cornucopia filled with the fruits of harvest. Her associated colors are white and green, along with pastel blue and pink.
• The center of Eostre's cult is the city of Meyhen in Vardessy. It is led by Patriarch Irnerius V.
• Alignment: Neutral Good
• Domains: Life, Nature, Peace
• Oaths: Redemption, Devotion
• Sacrifices: The first fruits of a harvest

Lady Fate is the goddess of fate and destiny. According to legend, she was once a mortal woman who, when she was supposed to die of illness at a young age, was visited by Morthanos, but the god of death was so charmed by her beauty that he refused to collect her soul. Eventually, he married her, granting her eternal life as the weaver of all things that shall happen. Her clerics interpret her warnings and advise on what must be done, but she is reckoned to be spiteful and tempestuous, and can wreak misfortune on those she scorns - often for reasons known only to her. Yes, we blame her for bad rolls.

• Fate's symbol is a loom, strung with threads in her sacred colors of red, green, and gold.
• The center of Fate's cult is Kobuz in Kvesland. It is led by Patriarch Daumantus II. However, there are many covens of witches, sometimes with their members sharing a single eye or tooth between them, who claim to know Fate's whims directly and can forsee the future.
• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
• Domains: Knowledge, Order, Arcana, Grave
• Oaths: Watchers, Vengeance
• Sacrifices: Wheat, cattle, sheep

And lastly, one god unlike the others but worthy of mention all the same...

Reynard, the trickster god, is seen as a patron of jesters, bards, gamblers, and thieves. He is appealed to for luck, and represents chance where Fate represents what is predestined. Often, he is depicted with the head, legs, or tail of a fox, or as a fox wearing a jester's cap, but he is said to take many guises in the mortal world, working mischief against mortals and other gods for the sake of his own amusement.

• Reynard has no established cult, no teachings, and no formal clergy (where's the fun in that?), though he has been prayed to by gamblers and the desperate. However, gambling dens are often euphemistically referred to as the temples of Reynard, and in many communities, the term "Patriarch (or Matriarch) of the Cult of Reynard" is used for a person who conducts business between a town and the Caravan People - or more surreptitiously, with thieves' guilds and criminal elements.

I'm Not Familiar

It's October, which means that spooky season is here! Alas, Hexennacht is long behind us - but it's still a fine time to talk about all things witchy, including familiars.

If my familiar can't be an elongated
cow-headed dog, why bother?

Much has been said about familiars, and their usefulness (or lack thereof) in games. It's almost a running joke that most players even forget they have familiars. There have been a few great posts out there proposing solutions to make familiars more interesting, such as this one from Goblin Punch. But overall, they're a concept that really doesn't get done justice, by most DMs or by rules as written.

One way to address this is to make familiars distinct NPCs. After all, these aren't just pets for wizards, these are demons (or other spirits) that in many stories are responsible for teaching their master magic in the first place. A good DM can lean into this concept and treat the familiar as a character, interacting with their master and hopefully having some memorable traits that make summoning them enjoyable opportunities for roleplaying and storytelling - it's much easier to get invested in a familiar that has a personality and ties to a PC's backstory than just a random statblock. Treating the familiar as an NPC could even be a way to give out quests for its master - perhaps the familar decides it won't offer any further service until a ritual is completed, for example, and that ritual requires a particular resource or location to be performed.

Also, if you know anything about witch folklore, you'll know that D&D familiars are not nearly as wild as they should be.

In order to help you make interesting familiars, here's a set of tables to generate a magical spirit your table won't soon forget. Use it as a player when generating a character to create their familiar alongside them, or as a DM to create familiars for NPC casters! Though I'm working with 5e in mind, the content here should be system-neutral enough to work for any game.

Step 1. Base Form

Familiars most often take an animal shape, but this isn't the only option possible; after all, demons are creatures of infinite variety and strangeness. Roll 1d20 to determine what form the familiar takes. It uses the statblock of this creature (or the closest equivalent if no official stats exist).

Common Familiars

1. Bat

2. Bird (1d6: 1-2. owl; 3. hawk; 4. raven; 5. chicken; 6. goose) 

3. Cat

4. Dog (1d6: 1. greyhound; 2. spaniel; 3. terrier; 4. poodle; 5. beagle; 6. mongrel) 

5. Fox 

6. Frog

7. Goat

8. Lizard

9. Monkey 

10. Pig 

11. Rabbit 

12. Rat

13. Snail  

14. Snake 

15. Spider

16. Squirrel

17. Weasel

18-20. Roll 1d8 on Exotic Familiars table.

Exotic Familiars

1. Imp

2. Quasit 

3. Pseudodragon

4. Tiny Animate Object (1d6: 1. mannequin; 2. book; 3. skull; 4. helmet; 5. scarecrow; 6. chest)

5. Walking Fish (as Quipper but with a walk speed of 30 feet)

6. Tiny man (or woman) in the garb of a (1d6: 1. noble; 2. wild man; 3. knight; 4. monk/nun; 5. jester; 6. wizard). Use the stats of a Sprite, but without the fly speed and with a walk speed of 20 feet.

7. Ooze (use the stats of a Crab, but with the Amorphous trait from a Gray Ooze.)

8. Crawling Claw 

Regardless of their statblock, all familiars can turn invisible at will until they attack or their concentration ends. They can also shapeshift at will between their true form and the guise of a mundane animal (use the base form without any unusual colors or features, or roll on the Common Familiar table for an Exotic Familiar), and they are capable of speaking and understanding the languages of their master.

Step 2. Color

Roll 1d6 to determine the color of the familiar:

1-3. As the base form's natural colors (roll 1d8 on the Familiar Colors table below if not applicable).

4-5. Roll 1d8 on the Familiar Colors table below.

6. The familiar is marked by patterns (stripes, spots, etc.). Roll 1d8 on the Familiar Colors table below twice.

Familiar Colors 

1. Black

2. White

3. Red

4. Blue

5. Green

6. Yellow

7. Purple

8. Orange

Step 3. Unusual Features

In their true forms, familiars may have unusual, otherworldly features unlike those of a common animal. Roll 1d20 on this table 1d4-1 times.

1. The familiar has the wings of a (1d6: 1. bat; 2. bird; 3. butterfly/moth; 4. housefly; 5. dragonfly; 6. no wings but can levitate). If it already has wings, these may replace those of the base form or be in addition to them. It gains a fly speed of 30 feet if it does not already have one.

2. The familiar has the tail of a (1d8: 1. cat; 2. wolf; 3. fox; 4. lizard; 5. snake, including the head, a la the Chimera; 6. cow; 7. devil (thin with a spade at the end); 8. scorpion). If it already has a tail, this may replace that of the base form or be in addition to it. 

3. 1d4 of the familiar's legs (1d8 if the familiar had a spider as its base form) are replaced by those of a (1d12: 1. dog; 2. goat; 3. horse; 4. lizard; 5. chicken; 6. goose; 7. spider; 8. frog; 9. human leg; 10. human arm; 11. the legs are missing; 12. roll again, but the leg is skeletal). If the result is higher than the number of legs for the familiar's base form, it has that many extra legs.

4. The familiar has 1d4 extra legs. Roll 1d6: on a 1-4, the extra legs are identical to those of the familiar's base form; on a 5-6 roll as for number 3 on this table.

5. The familiar's head is replaced by that of a (1d6: 1-4. roll on the Common Familiars table, rerolling on an 18-20; 5-6. roll 1d12: 1. ox; 2. horse; 3. donkey; 4. human; 5. dragon; 6. lion; 7. goblin; 8. wolf; 9. bear; 10. Man in the Moon; 11. missing; 12. skull, roll again to determine what kind). If you get this result twice, the head resembles a combination of the two creatures; for example, a snake's neck with an ox's head, or a cat's head with a spaniel's ears.

6. The familiar has 1d4-1 (minimum 1) extra heads. Roll 1d6: on a 1-4, the extra heads are identical to the familiar's main head; on a 5-6 roll as for number 5 on this table.

7. The familiar's eyes resemble those of a (1d4: 1. human; 2. goat; 3. cat; 4. pupilless). Roll 1d4: on a 1-3, roll 1d8 on the Familiar Colors table to determine their color. On a 4, the eyes are heterochromic; roll 1d8 twice on the Familiar Colors table.

8. The familiar has 1d4-1 (minimum 1) extra eyes.

9. The familiar is covered in coarse wool, like that of a sheep.

10. The familiar is covered in scales.

11. The familiar is covered in feathers.

12. The familiar is covered in thick slime; grapple checks made against it are made at disadvantage.

13. The familiar resembles an animated skeleton.

14. The familiar is wreathed in (harmless) fire. Roll 1d6: on a 1-4, the flames appear as typical flames; on a 5-6, roll 1d8 on the Familiar Colors table to determine the color of the flames.

15. The familiar appears to be made of stone. 

16. The familiar has the horns of a (1d6: 1. ox; 2. sheep; 3. goat; 4. stag; 5. unicorn; 6. two sets; roll again).

17. The familiar has a mouth in its stomach or chest (or equivalent).

18. The familiar's (1d4: 1. neck; 2. body; 3. tail; 4. legs), if applicable, is unnaturally long.

19. The familiar wears a tiny crown on its head(s).

20. The familiar has a strange marking in the shape of a (1d6: 1. circle; 2. triangle; 3. star; 4. pentacle; 5. spiral; 6. runic inscription) on its (1d4: 1. forehead; 2. flank; 3. belly; 4. back). Roll 1d8 on the Familiar Colors table to determine its color.

Step 4. Personality

Roll 1d8 to determine the personality of the familiar.

1. Sarcastic, snide, likes to talk back. Prone to making passive-aggressive jabs at its master, but ultimately loyal always does as asked - it just won't always (or often) enjoy it.

2. Overly affectionate and enthusiastic, akin to a magical Golden Retriever.

3. Short-tempered, frustrates often, prone to outbursts of violence or profanity.

4. Emotionless and distant, with no sense of empathy for others. Often mistaken for malice, but it's more accurate to say that the familiar regards mortals the same way humans would regard an ant, with no attempt at understanding the thoughts
of something so far beneath it.

Wouldst thou live deliciously?

5. Smug, egotistical, easily taken by flattery. Knows that it's an immortal all-powerful demon and likes to rub this in peoples' faces. Very particular about how it's treated, and demands respect.

6. Trickster, speaks entirely in riddles and never gives a straight answer. May lead its master on odd errands to teach them lessons, the nature of which are never explained until afterward.

7. Bad influence, irresponsible, attempts to tempt its master into sin. It's already got the contract locked down and it might as well make the most of it.

8. Kind, soft-spoken, grandfatherly. Wise and sagacious, imparting its lessons to its master.

Step 5. Name

Choose a name for the familiar, or roll 1d20 each on the Familiar Name Prefixes and Familiar Name Suffixes tables.

Familiar Name Prefixes 

1. [the color of the familiar]

2. Ache

3. Cod

4. Curdle

5. Greedy

6. Grizzle

7. Guzzle

8. Hack

9. Hog

10. Jar

11. Kip

12. Knock

13. Lick

14. Louse

15. Old

16. Peck

17. Pye

18. Sugar

19. Vinegar

20. [none]

Familiar Name Suffixes

1. Bay

2. Belly 

3. Bones

4. Eye

5. Face

6. Gut

7. Head

8. Holt

9. Jenkin

10. Newes

11. Phillip

12. Sack

13. Scratch

14. Snout

15. Spittle

16. Tom

17. Wacket

18. Wallop 

19. Wart

20. [none]

Example Familiars

• Blackwacket is a familiar who takes the form of an imp. As his name implies, he appears to be carved of pitch black onyx, and often disguises himself as a harmless statue when not needed; other times, he disguises himself as a snake. He shows no emotion, believing the affairs of mortals beneath his concern.
• Kipbelly is a familiar who looks like a book bound in red leather; the cover and pages appear to ripple with faint tongues of flame, flaring up when she speaks through the mouth in her front cover. She is sarcastic and enjoys making backhanded insults to her master, or anyone else who irritates her thin patience. When not in her guise as a book, she takes the form of a monkey.
• Curdle-Newes is a familiar resembling a bright red poison dart frog. He has a sharp temper and a sharper tongue, and is quick to anger, with a booming voice that dwarfs his tiny size.
• Old Eyes is a familar who takes the shape of a fox, only distinguishable from the common animal by her seven legs. She is a manipulator, attempting to lead her foolish master into damning their soul through seducing them with sinful desires.

These tables might give you some strange results - but then, that's part of the fun! Feel free to let your imagination run wild in determining how the pieces fit together. Either way, you should hopefully come up with familiars that stand out, rather than fading into the background.