Black Agent of the Renounced Pearl

Civilian Name:  Peli Morore

Peli Morore is the daughter of two prominent marine biologists, Dali and Beli Morore.  They were researchers at an underwater laboratory, where Dali specialized in marine ecosystems while Beli pursued cetacean research.

It was while working here that they discovered that Beli was pregnant with their first child.  They learned almost simultaneously that the child would be a girl and and that she had a rare and fatal genetic disorder that would impair the growth of her lungs.  The fetus was otherwise developing normally, so they decided to try an experimental treatment that showed some promise for correcting the disorder.

The surgery was successful, but had surprising side effects, as did another pre-natal experience of Peli's: while in utero, both she and her mother were pulled into the extraplanar realm known only as the Room.  Beli's entire mental landscape was upturned, inverted, and rotated by the experience; she left the Room as a mercenary capitalist driven to her research (into how to create amphibious human beings) purely out of greed for profits instead of a love for knowledge, a lifelong curiosity, and an intense kinship with cetaceans.  Oddly, this pushed her into ever-greater dedication -- even obsession -- with her work and, perhaps less oddly, made her a poor mother figure for a little girl who could breathe underwater.  No one can say what really happened to Peli at that time.

Dali somehow convinced Beli to keep Peli's ability secret rather than sell her as a performer or do research upon her; he wanted his daughter to have as normal a childhood as possible.  Accordingly, she managed (somehow) to grow up to leave for university as a mostly-normal, well-adjusted young woman.  Until her parents were killed in an attack by industrial saboteurs on their laboratory, that is.  Saboteurs that were involved with some of Beli's more secretive dealings, no less!

Peli vowed to catch the criminals -- and succeeded, but only with the help and magnetic pull of the Room, into which she dragged the murderers, never to be seen again.  In the process, the IST noticed her abilities; she joined their ranks immediately after graduation and is now a highly-respected member of IST Otheyo, where she does marine biology research.

Peli is arrogant, aggressive, intelligent, ruthless, callous, and utterly selfless.  She takes the long view, often saying, "There are a dozen men sawing at the limbs of the tree of injustice for every one who is hacking at the roots."  She believes that people with the desire to do good are often too gutless to put the ends above the means.  She's determined not to make that mistake.  She believes the end of the world is nigh and wants to make sure the next universe is a better, fairer one than this one.  She believes the Room is a means to the end of achieving this goal, thinking it exists to make selfish bitches into practical saints (like herself).

Peli Morore wants the world to be a better place, a good, kind, decent world for people to live in.  If she has to lie to people, or murder them, or violate the very core of their identity to make that happen, she will.

Aftadon

Aftadon would be counted amongst the seven souls if he wasn't so closely associated with his lover, Adno'b. Being the pericardium, he is certainly recognized as a soul, but he is usually considered of a one with Adno'b when the souls are counted.

Where Adno'b is considered the cause of mortality, Aftadon is considered the source of life and the center of the conscious mind, which after all provides the stage on which Adno'b dances and the courtroom in which Adno'b testifies. This is why it is considered so essential that the pericardium survive death through physical embalming, because even if the physical Adno'b is "dead" the spirit still uses Aftadon as its home.

Metaphysically, Aftadon is the most private room within oneself, which is simultaneously the innermost center of the universe and the womb of the earth, not to mention Ra, the Sun.

Pantheon of the southern continent

Giqe Oi Ihi
Preservationist subject-object consciousness
Cnitigk (NE Desire – the desire to be alone; Animal, Fire, Plant)
Eojmegk (NE Separation – the awareness of and curiosity about the other; Evil, Knowledge, Protection, Water)
Jikpoti (NE Virtue – civilization; arcane illusion, arcane transmutation, Destruction, Magic)
Sfrj-s (CN* Desire – the desire to create; Animal, Earth, Forge, Plant)
Smeqeqf (LE Desire – the desire to avoid work; Destruction, Knowledge, Law)
Vil (CE Desire – the desire to perfect; Animal, Fire, Passion, Trickery)
Ylo-Nnwk (N* Desire – the desire to understand; Insight, Luck, Meditation, Travel)

Fmd Goj
Subject-subject consciousness
Avaqejjj (CN Desire – the desire to entertain; Chaos, Luck, Madness, Trickery)
Father Fadih (CN Virtue – devotion; Meditation, Water)
Ijje-Jl (NG* Virtue – honor; War, Water)
Komeipa (CN Desire – the desire to preserve; Air, Healing, Protection)
Mother Jmgli (N Desire – the desire to share contemplation; Meditation, Water)
Omfiheqf (N Separation – communication with the other; Destruction, Madness, Protection, Sun, Trickery)
Voi-Nojmil (LN Virtue – questing; arcane abjuration, arcane divination, Luck, Travel)

Krl Frf
Estranged subject-object consciousness
Chicqakqe (CE Desire – the desire to live forever; Death, Evil, Trickery)
Fifito (CE Desire – the desire to acquire; Destruction, Treachery, Trickery)
Jmfniqom (NE Separation – the separation from the other; Destruction, Evil, Madness, Trickery)
Morfikk (NE Desire – the desire to suffer; Death, Pestilence)
Nrflhr (NE Virtue – persistence; arcane enchantment, arcane necromancy, Animal, Strength)
Sesfij N'co (NE Desire – the desire to conquer; Earth, Evil, War)
Wfli-Lk (CE Virtue – risk; Animal, Chaos, Evil, Plant, Storm)



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* These deities have unusual alignments for their groupings and represent the ways that the consciousnesses represented by the groupings can blend and merge into each other.

Revised theogony from the southern continent

At first, there was only the Essential Self and, because the ordering of thoughts had not yet come into being, the Essential Self was chaotic and, in its chaos, creative, and because the separation between thoughts and matter had not yet occurred, the Essential Self's thoughts had being.

It was not the first thought of the Essential Self, because if it had been the first thought of the Essential Self, it would have had no meaning and quickly been forgotten, as so much was, but the Essential Self in time came to realize that so much had been forgotten and realized that it ought to take note of the thoughts which passed through it. This thought, like all of the Essential Self's thoughts, had being, and this thought's being was the book named as the Qijbrll, and with its creation, time came into being, and with time now existing, life was now possible, and the Essential Self's thoughts now had life as well as being. It is no coincidence that the title "Qijbrll" so closely resembles the word for "regrets."

In time, three thoughts came to the Essential Self and, because the Essential Self's thoughts had being and because the Essential Self's thoughts had life, these thoughts became the three Crowned Gods. There was Eojmegk (NE), the awareness of and curiosity about the other, Omfiheqf (N), communication with the other, and Jmfniqom (NE), the separation from the other. Universal subjectivity gave way to subject-object consciousness. Eojmegk, at this time, gains the Qijbrll. Thus was the first generation of the gods, known as the Separations, brought into being.

Filled with a new and seemingly inexplicable longing, these three gods reached out into the Essential Self and drew forth companions. Omfiheqf, manifestation of subject-subject consciousness, proved the most able to meet the Essential Self as co-creator and so was the first to succeed in bringing companions into being. She first brought forth Komeipa (CN), the desire to preserve, then she brought forth Jmgli (N) who will come to be called Mother, the desire to share contemplation, and finally she brought forth Avaqejjj (CN), the desire to entertain. Having learned how to do so from Omfiheqf's bringing forth of these three desires, Jmfniqom then brought forth desires of his own. He first brought forth Sesfij N'co (NE), the desire to conquer, then he brought forth Morfikk (NE), the desire to suffer, and also he rescued Chicqakqe (CE), the desire to live forever, from being forgotten by the Essential Self, and finally he brought forth Fifito (CE), the desire to acquire. Following all this, Eojmegk brought forth his desires. He first brought forth Sfrj-s (CN), the desire to create, and also he brought forth Ylo-Nnwk (N), the desire to understand, and finally he brought forth Vil (CE), the desire to perfect. Ylo-Nnwk herself then brought forth Cnitigk (NE), the desire to be alone, and finally Vil set himself to the task of creating and created Smeqeqf (LE), the desire to avoid work. Thus was the second generation of the gods, known collectively as the Desires, brought into being.

Then it was that the gods turned their attentions to each other, ignoring the Essential Self. Omfiheqf partnered with Komeipa to give birth to three gods: the twins Ijje-Jl (NG), who is honor, and Fadih (CN) who will come to be called Father, who is devotion, and also Voi-Nojmil (LN), who is questing. Once more following Omfiheqf's example, Jmfniqom partnered with Sesfij N'co to give birth to two gods: Wfli-Lk (CE), who is risk, and Nrflhr (NE), who is persistence. Rather than partner with another god, Eojmegk turned inward and brought forth from himself, as indeed the gods had before brought forth from the Essential Self, the god Jikpoti (NE), who is civilization. Thus was the third generation of gods, known collectively as the Virtues, brought into being.

The Separations then gathered the Desires and the Virtues around them, according to their lineages. Eojmegk ruled over the Giqe Oi Ihi, gods who studied and learned about and played with the things of the world, gods who valued the world's existence for what it could provide them, gods who understood and promoted a selfish but protective subject-object consciousness like a child trying not to break his toys. They are the stewards of the world. Omfiheqf came to rule over the Fmd Goj, gods with a fierce love for the things of the world, gods who fought to continue the world's existence with no thought of benefit or gain, gods who understood and promoted subject-subject consciousness like two friends who want to see each other live their lives by their own desires. They are the preservers of the world. Jmfniqom came to rule over the Krl Frf, gods who cared not for the things of the world, gods who treated the world's existence like a temporary thing, gods who understood and promoted a careless and destructive subject-object consciousness. They are the users of the world.

Theogony from the southern continent

At first, there was only the Essential Self and, because the ordering of thoughts had not yet come into being, the Essential Self was chaotic and, in its chaos, creative, and because the separation between thoughts and matter had not yet occurred, the Essential Self's thoughts had being and the Essential Self's thoughts had life.

In time, three thoughts came to the Essential Self and, because the Essential Self's thoughts had being and because the Essential Self's thoughts had life, these thoughts became the three Crowned Gods. There was Eojmegk (NE), the awareness of and curiosity about the other, Omfiheqf (N), the desire to communicate with the other, and Jmfniqom (NE), the longing to be one once more. Universal subjectivity gave way to subject-object consciousness.

In time, each would come to be crowned ruler of a different set of gods. Eojmegk came to rule over six other gods, gods who studied and learned about and played with the things of the world, gods who valued the world's existence for what it could provide them, gods who understood and promoted a selfish but protective subject-object consciousness like a child trying not to break his toys. They are the stewards of the world. Omfiheqf too came to rule over six other gods, gods with a fierce love for the things of the world, gods who fought to continue the world's existence with no thought of benefit or gain, gods who understood and promoted subject-subject consciousness like two friends who want to see each other live their lives by their own desires. They are the preservers of the world. Jmfniqom came to rule over six other gods, as well, gods who cared not for the things of the world, gods who treated the world's existence like a temporary thing, gods who understood and promoted a careless and destructive subject-object consciousness. They are the users of the world.

Adno'b

Adno'b is the heart-soul, most important of the seven souls: the one who will testify before the goddess Maat in the underworld Hall of Judgment after death. Like all of the souls, Adno'b is considered part of each individual person's spiritual anatomy, but is often discussed as a single being; similarly, stories about Adno'b often criss-cross back and forth between myths about an individual being and descriptions of the functioning of a person's heart-soul. Adno'b is pictured as a tiny dancer treading a constant rhythm in the midst of the body, the Essential and Universal Self keeping the rhythm of life in the midst of the cosmos. This is the image upon the Devil card of the Tarot. Eridu, reputedly the earliest city of Mersu, is said to be Adno'b for the whole of the empire, having been given that position, and the wisdom to go along with it, by Enki.

Adno'b is considered to be the cause of all mortality. Adno'b once seduced the south wind. In the course of their sadomasochistic coupling (described in great detail in the ancient epics,) Adno'b broke the south wind's wings. He was summoned for punishment by the supreme god An. Enki had told Adno'b that he would be offered the bread and water of death. Meanwhile, though, the two gatekeepers of heaven, Dumuzi and Ningiszida, had interceded with An on Adno'b's behalf, causing a change of heart. An instead offered the heart-soul the bread and water of eternal life. Adno'b refused, thus losing the chance of immortality.

Adno'b is known as "The Lord of the Gates of Matter," "The Sage (or Wise Man) of Eridu," "The Diamond in the Night," and "The Eye of Set." He is the Guardian of the 26th tunnel of the Tree of Death in magical teachings, where his particular magic is that of the "evil eye," or malediction and curses. An improper relationship with Adno'b is considered to be the cause of priapism.

See also: Heart.

Game Statistics

Besides various magics that interact with Adno'b -- banishing him from a person's body, communicating with him, healing his relationship with the rest of the person, and so forth -- Adno'b has no game statistics. Though he could be considered a deity, his place as part of a person's spiritual anatomy means that interaction with him comes not as part of the priest class, but rather as part of one of the incarnum-using classes. In those terms, Adno'b is the heart chakra, which interacts with the magic of vests, vestments, and shirts.

Inspirations: Adapa (Black & Green) + A'ano'nin (Rehmus) + Ab (Walker)

Aftadon

Aftadon (known in Elven as Aftayon and in Dwarven as Aftaon) is one of the seven souls, the pericardium. Lover of Adno'b, he is the source of life, the center of the conscious mind. It is considered essential that Aftadon survive death through physical embalming, because it is he who provides the spirit its post mortem home.

Metaphysically, Aftadon is the most private room, which is simultaneously the innermost sanctum of the universe and the womb of the earth, not to mention Ra, the Sun. Accordingly, Aftadon is considered to be a solar king in heaven during the day (as Apollo,) and a Lord of Death in the underworld at night. In this latter form, he is called "The Spirit of the Pit," and is the serpent deity in the Pit of the Sifled oracle, who inspires the seeress with mystic vapors from his nether world.

Like Abroa, Aftadon lends his name to an element of the temple. Aftadon is a pit in which worshipers incubate (sleep overnight in magical imitation of the incubatory sleep in the womb). While doing so, worshipers are visited by a subucni, a spirit who brings prophetic dreams. Novice priests go down into the pit for longer periods of incubation, pantomiming death, burial, and rebirth from the womb of Mother Earth. Once initiated in this way, they are thought to gain the skill of oneiromancy: the ability to interpret dreams.

The prophet Sefjo earned his oneiromantic talent by incubation in Aftadon. The "brothers" who put him there seem to have been fellow priests. He could interpret Pharaoh's dreams only after he had submitted to the ritual. He then assumed the priestly coat of many colors, signifying communion with Aftadon under his oneiromantic epithet of "Interpreter of Dreams," given to him by a "father" who was actually the high priest. It is also said of the Pythagorean philosopher Selath of Sutelim, accounted one of the Seven Wise Men, that he derived his intellectual skills from communion with the "God of Wisdom" in Aftadon.

Inspirations: Afterlife (Black and Green), Ab (Rehmus), Abaddon (Walker)

Abroa

The first letter in the Celestial alphabet (the equivalent letter in Elven is called Abrof, Abyia in Dwarven, and in Common it is called Abrop), Abroa, is considered to be the breath of a primeval creature known by that name. The first high priest and magician, Adept of Adepts, lover of Tiamat, brother of Moses, and wielder of Jehovah's power, Abroa was killed by Enki before the creation of mankind. Enki set up his home on the dead creature's body and harnessed its breath to create the alphabet, speech, and language. It is as a result of these prehuman events that Marduk, as Enki's son, is called "Firstborn Son of Abroa" and Enki's temple at Eridu is known as E-abzu, "Abroa temple."

This home, referred to as Abroa itself, is believed to be the source of springs, wells, streams, rivers, and lakes. It is envisioned as a giant freshwater ocean beneath the earth. Enki, his wife Damgalnuna, his mother Umman, and a number of creatures subordinate to him. In relation to the underworld, which is located even further beneath the earth, beneath Abroa, Abroa is envisioned as a river over which the dying must cross (and the reverse, as well: the reincarnating dead must cross it as well.) Birth and death thus merge in a circular continuum, as the river circles seven times through the earth's womb before emerging again as Abroa.

The term "abroa" is also used to designate a tank for holy water in a temple courtyard.

Abroa signifies the very earliest stages of birth and beginning, before any real action has taken place, and is often called "Abroa the Creatrix," "Abroa the Beginning," "the Mother of All Things," "the Mother of All Wisdom," and "the Mother of All Men of Genius." All bodhisattvas and buddhas are considered to have been produced by Abroa. These qualities are applied to every aspect of Abroa: letter, primal creature, realm, and even temple installation.

The rod of Abroa is an artifact credited in legend with magnetic powers, the transformation of water into blood, and rulership over oozes of all kinds.

Game Stats:

Deity:

Having been killed and inhabited by Enki, Abroa -- though technically a deity -- is not directly worshiped and cannot invest priests with divine power. Anyone wishing to access Abroa's divinity must do so through the agency of Enki.

Monster:

Being dead -- and not undead (yet) -- Abroa has no game statistics as a monster. Should a campaign involve its resurrection or undead return, its statistics are left to the individual DM.

Realm:

Abroa is divided into two parts: Upper Abroa (the river the dying and reincarnating must cross) and Lower Abroa (the watery realm of Enki).

Upper Abroa:

• Heavy Gravity.
• No Time. Time spent in Upper Abroa has no effect on the passage of time in other realms. No matter how long one spends there, if one leaves, one returns to the same moment one entered, however that translates into the time of the destination realm.
• Timeless. No effects of time occur in Upper Abroa. This means that hunger, thirst, aging, and natural healing do not occur in Upper Abroa. Furthermore, any spell cast with a noninstantaneous duration is permanent until dispelled.
• Infinite. Or, at least, effectively so. One comes to the end of one's journey when one comes to the end of one's journey; no measure of distance can encompass the travel between the river's shores.
• Alterable Morphic.
• Strongly Neutral-Aligned.
• Normal Magic.

Lower Abroa:

• No Gravity. Suspended in water, everything in Lower Abroa floats and must swim to move in the direction it desires.
• Erratic Time. Use the following table to determine how much time passes outside of Lower Abroa.
  INSERT TABLE HERE!!!!!
• Infinite. It is said that everything which Enki's mind can conceive which has not found its way into the other realms can be found in Lower Abroa. It is also said that Enki's mind can conceive of many things.
• Divinely Morphic. Enki and his family control Lower Abroa. If Abroa is somehow returned to life, it would, presumably, have supreme control over both Upper and Lower Abroa.
• Water-Dominant.
• Normal Magic.

Artifact:

Rod of Abroa

Inspirations: A (Walker), Aaron (Rehmus), abzu (Black & Green)

Joined Apostolic Brethren

The Joined Apostolic Brethren is a polygamous fundamentalist church among the Sulir. The sect is not affiliated with the mainstream Sulis Church. The Joined Apostolic Brethren has had a temple in New Diren in Maztica for 10 years, and an Initiation house in Greyhawk City for 784 years. The title “Joined Apostolic Brethren” is not generally used by members, who prefer to call it “The Work”, “The Priesthood”, or “The Group”. Those outside the faith sometimes refer to it as the “Alred Group” because its presidency was originally held for quite some time by House Alred. Members of the Joined Apostolic Brethren do not refer to their organization as a “church” and, unlike nearly all other Sulis fundamentalist groups, regard the Church as a legitimate, if wayward and diminished, divine institution. The sect does not have any ties to other Churches of the Brethren and associated groups.

There are between 450 and 700 members of the Joined Apostolic Brethren, most in Greyhawk and Maztica.  The headquarters of the Joined Apostolic Brethren is in Narwell in the Domain of Greyhawk, where it has a chapel, a school, and archives. The Joined Apostolic Brethren has members in Blackstone, Diamond Lake, Hardby, and Steaming Springs in the Domain of Greyhawk, as well as Molag in the Empire of Iuz, Critwall in the Shield Lands, Fax in the Pomarj, Innspa in the Great Kingdom, and New Diren in Maztica. It operates at least three schools. The Joined Apostolic Brethren's members tend to integrate into their surrounding communities, much more so than other Sulis fundamentalists, such as the Fundamentalist Church of Kord Christ of Truest Saints. This can largely be attributed to the Brethren's former prophet, Ong Alred, and his desire to be up front with the rulers of the areas in which the Group lived, especially when it came to ending rumors of sexual abuse and unethical marriage practices that many other Sulis fundamentalist groups were known for. Alred believed that transparency was key in helping the community see that the Joined Apostolic Brethren and its members were not a threat.

Organization

The Joined Apostolic Brethren is headed by a President of the Priesthood. Next in authority is a Priesthood Council (of which the President is a part). Below the Priesthood Council are Presidents of the Seventy, the Seventy quorum members, High Priests, Elders, Phytonic Priesthood members (which, game-mechanicswise, works as it does for the Sulis Church), the Women's Relief Society, Godsday School, Young Women's, Boy Scouts, and the children's Primary organizations (which vary according to region). On a local level there are Bishops, Priesthood Council representatives, and patriarchs.

Practices

General Sacrament Meeting (which is open to the public) and Godsday School meetings (as well as many private family Godsday Schools) take place on Godsdays, as do Priesthood meetings. Relief Society, Young Women's, Primary, and Scouting take place throughout the week. Dances, firesides, musical events, plays, and classes are often held at meetinghouses.

Doctrines

The Joined Apostolic Brethren revere the same scripture revered by the mainstream Sulis Church; indeed, unique among the Sulis fundamentalists, they believe the mainstream Church is still fulfilling a divine role in spreading the scriptures and other basic doctrines, and in doing genealogy. Perhaps the Joined Apostolic Brethren are best known for their belief in plural marriage. Other key beliefs include the Oneness Order, an adaptation of Baqluni teachings regarding the first person (known as is-Qadam amongst the Baqluni, and Dam among the Sulir), and what is commonly called the 2838 Meeting (it having occurred in 2858 _SD). While not all members take part in plural marriage, it is considered a crucial step in the quest for their place in the celestial kingdom of heaven. Child and spousal abuse, as well as incest, are considered serious sins, and those members who perpetrate such crimes are excommunicated and the victims are encouraged to do what is necessary to end the situation of abuse and to seek help in doing so, if necessary.

Members of the Joined Apostolic Brethren see their history as going back to Kord and to the beliefs he espoused and practices he established, as preserved in the duties given to House Wuli at the 2838 Meeting. They believe that the mainstream Sulis Church has made unacceptable changes to doctrines and ordinances.  The members of the Joined Apostolic Brethren see it as their responsibility to keep them alive in the form they were originally given and to live all the laws God has commanded. Each doctrine or practice changed or abandoned by the mainstream Sulis Church is in turn perpetuated by the Joined Apostolic Brethren.

The Scarlet Brotherhood

The Scarlet Brotherhood has turned to the worship of Perdition in oder to further their goals. However, they tend to downplay the role and importance of Perdition the Spirit in their teachings and practices. Beltar is all but invisible to them, as they focus their efforts particularly in the direction of Pyr the Father and Syr the Daughter.

The Sulis Church

The Phytonic Priesthood

Half of all adult members of the Sulis Church are members of the Phytonic Priesthood, a heavenly calling that establishes its holder as the divine pillar around which a household can form. The priesthood is named after an ancient prophet, Phyton the Woodshaper, who was a tall, slender, youthful-looking Sula. Given the power by God to take the form of any forest creature, he single-handedly cleared forests to make room for crops, cut tracks through mountains to make roads, and dammed rivers to form fishing ponds, preaching all the while that “Nothing in nature is so beautiful as what people can make of it. Marvel as much at a field of crops, a garden of herbs, and a swamp drained to form fertile soil as much as thou wouldst marvel at the forest and mountains, for thou shouldst know that all are equally reflective of God. Domesticate those animals that should be domesticated, according to the inspiration of Lendor the Spirit and the Law of Wejas the Mother, but equally shouldst thou slay those as are dangerous to thee or thy works.” When Phyton is referenced in art, he is either depicted as above or referenced by means of a scimitar in front of an oak tree.

As mentioned above, only Phytonic Priesthood members can serve as the head of a traditional Sulis family or household, and they have all of the duties thereof. They are also expected to act as protectors of their communities and to look for ways to make use of any nearby unused land. Many choose a region to patrol and protect, typically a circle one day's walk in circumference. Patrolling of this sort is expected to happen regularly, but not often enough to become an obstacle for the Priesthood holder's domestic duties. How that translates into a schedule is left to the discretion of the Priesthood holder; this is why overlapping domains is considered a blessing. However, there is a point in which one Priesthood holder's domain is so similar to another's that the latter takes it as a challenge. They might use their powers to redirect a river to suit a town's needs or to cull a forest of its uglier plants to leave a more pleasant locale. Phytonic Priesthood holders without a household often wander the unsettled parts of the world, looking for destructive creatures to kill, abandoned sites of old civilizations, or wild places that might be useful to mankind.

The ceremonial garb of a Phytonic Priesthood holder is much the same as that holder's everyday wear. However, it will be predominantly brown, green, or both, and lighter in the autumn.

As a Phytonic Priesthood holder, one can find training in Ceremony, Climb, Heal, Hide, Knowledge (any–human, any–Sulir, any–world, nature), Move Silently, Perform (singing), Ride, Spot, and Survival; they can also gain Martial Weapon Proficiency (scimitar). Most Phytonic Priesthood holders have medium-high scores in Virtues such as Calm, Conservative, Loyal, and Spiritual. By taking the feat Phytonic Priesthood Holder, one can gain access to the following spirits: befuddle, countermagic, extinguish, mobility, protection, shimmer, and vigor. By taking the feat Elder in the Phytonic Priesthood (prerequisite: Phytonic Priesthood Holder), one can gain access to the following ceremonies: accelerate growth, bless crops, chameleon, cloud clear, comfort song, command (gnome), command (woodland creatures), restore health (Constitution), and tanglethicket.

The vast majority of people, the Church teaches, will receive a kingdom of glory after the Final Judgment, and enter into one of three degrees of glory after the resurrection: Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial Kingdoms. However, the sons of perdition will be cast into the Outer Darkness, where Scripture states that they “shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels.” The Sulir believe that free will is one of the greatest gifts to come out of Kord's sacrifice of himself, and that there are some who will completely reject Kord Christ and the Law. God will not force someone, including Perdition, to be saved if they do not desire to be saved. Therefore, the sons of perdition are allowed to remove themselves from the presence of God and live in whatever degree of darkness they desire. The Sulir refer to this as “denying Lendor the Spirit” and generally interpret it specifically as rejecting and denying Kord the Son after receiving a personal witness of him from Lendor the Spirit. It is frequently – though not universally – added that a son of perdition must have a “perfect knowledge” of Kord and that mere faith or belief in him is not enough. The term is also used to refer to those angels who followed Perdition into outlawry and rebellion against the Law set down by Wejas the Mother and were thus cast out of heaven.

Perdition

Perdition is the embodiment of evil to the Sulir, the Original Outlaw. She so desires to usurp God's divine place in and power over the world that she herself exists in a Trinity, being composed of Beltar (Perdition the Spirit), Pyr (Perdition the Father), and Syr (Perdition the Daughter). Her worshipers, should they exist, would be unlikely to find contentment in anything other than positions of leadership; those who can't find such would likely leave to seek out heathen tribes to infiltrate and convert to the worship of Perdition or to find new enemies to fight. They would also tend towards in-fighting and backbiting, preying upon each other, with the smarter members leaving to found a new cult around them. Despite this and the communication troubles inherent in a group dedicated to lies, legends say that these groups get along surprisingly well. It is said that most worshipers of Perdition (called deathseekers or forktongues in the stories) sell their services as assassins or are hired by leaders to confuse and misdirect spies and unwarranted foreign dignitaries; turnover among the clergy is high because of these internal feuds. Hot, dry days that cause fires are considered Perdition's, so many Sulir either refuse to go out on those days or spend all day in church, praying. The eleventh day of each month is also considered Perdition's, and it is said that her sons are not allowed to tell any truths on this day, though they must craft true-sounding lies and get others to believe them. The stories say that any forktongue speaking a truth on this day has his legs broken and reset askew as a warning.

The stories of worship services to Perdition include many sensationalist references to sacrifices conducted in caves or points of low ground. These sacrifices are said to ensure that devoted worshipers rise as undead within a year of their deaths to return and aid their cult or tribe and show proof of evil's true power. It is said that Perdition demands sacrifices most strongly at the beginning of winter, spring, and low summer; prisoners and slaves are poisoned with corrosive substances, stabbed in the back, and burned alive on great pyres. These stories also tell of worshipers exposing themselves to great heat to test their strength, plotting against those who hold things they want, building superior forges, exploring exotic locations to find rare plants and other substances from which poisons can be made, traveling to avoid persecution, traveling to find rumors to escalate, and exploiting the trust of greedy and foolish explorers. If these stories can be believed, worshipers are on constant vigilance, watching other people for weaknesses or openings in their defenses and using their ability to lie effectively in situations where they can cause the most trouble: markets, courtrooms, embassies, and fortunetellers' booths. Many, rumor says, are skilled actors, habitually performing in self-written plays that slander authority figures. They are said to engage in debate.

Black or dark grey cloaks embroidered with actual gold thread are said to be favored by the worshipers of Perdition; the inner lining of these cloaks ranges from medium-brown to near-black. They are worn over orange silk trousers and jerkins, with another layer of red silk between them, slitted to reveal the inner orange layer; one wearing such a costume appears to ripple with flame, hidden by shadow and adorned with wealth.  A forked-tongue symbol is often displayed somewhere on their cloak or clothing, Heavy bracers made of brass adorn the wrists, and male and female alike shave their head. A forked-tongue amulet of red metal, preferably red gold or lacquered rusted iron, is worn over the robe. Ceremonial tools include a small sword made of brass, a fine leather whip braided with red gold, and an elaborate wooden staff that cleverly conceals an ornate dagger, and these are usually well-hidden by worshipers. Alternating colors of red and orange are the norm for adventuring followers of Perdition. This is normally accomplished with patches of one color sewn into clothes of the other color, strips of both colors tied into elaborate knots (clothing of loose nets of these strips can sometimes be a very easily hidden adventuring costume), or with vivid body paints. Over these they tend to wear golden-yellow robes with a red forked-tongue symbol; even when these robes become ragged or dirty, the tongue-symbol must remain recognizable.

Buildings of mortared stone (especially volcanic), with red and orange shapes enameled into the walls and covered in a glaze to catch the light are said to bear the touch of Perdition's twisted followers, and are often avoided by the Sulir if they should come across such a building. The Sulir also never set a fire burning near the center of a public room (the fire is always in a fireplace/hearth or otherwise to the side), because this too is seen as a sign of Perdition's influence. For this same reason, they avoid buildings with a large number of alcoves and blind corners, places where Perdition or his followers are said to lurk. According to the stories and rumors, if Perdition's influence grows strong on a building or on a builder or architect's mind, gnarled wood and tortured-looking stone joins the previous qualities, making the building a strange affair. Unusual paintings, according to the stories, would hang from the walls, such as two dark figures standing between a pair of trees which – if observed long enough – resolves into the image of a skull. Spinning wooden disks with pleasant and ugly images on either side hang from the ceiling.

Beltar, Perdition the Spirit, is often represented in Sulis iconography as an ugly old woman, a beholder, a red dragon, a marilith demon, or even just a set of monstrous fangs, closing to bite. Many nonhuman slaves in the ancient days of the Sulis Empire turned to the worship of Perdition through her Spirit, who is said to lurk in mines and other underground areas looking for mates. The stories always take a gory glee in describing how Beltar eats her mates after having her way with them. This Beltar-centric worship of Perdition is often rumored to continue among evil nonhumans and savage humans. Beltar is Perdition the Spirit, that which unites the Outlaw Trinity, both with itself and with its followers should they exist; she is that in the world which inspires hatred and which seeks to make examples of traitors or the weak-willed. The malice that is Perdition the Spirit is said to push the sons of Perdition to band together into armies and to ally with more powerful creatures, such as red dragons, beholders, demons, or greater undead. These armies are then driven by Beltar the Spirit to wage war on all of God's works and all of God's world.

Pyr, Perdition the Father, the Blazing Killer, the Hideous Assassin, is often depicted as a demonic face with ears like bat wings. When a more humanoid appearance is desired than a mere head, he is drawn as a worshiper of Perdition, carrying a longsword called Red Light in the legends and a whip called Viper. It is said that the biggest success of Perdition's revolt against God belonged to Pyr, who corrupted fire from the life-giving power it was meant to be into a destructive and hurtful element. He is the patron of assassins, and is worshiped, shockingly openly, outside of the direct Sulis sphere by the jermlaine and some nonhuman tribes.

Syr, Perdition the Daughter, the Forked Tongue, Night Hag, Oathbreaker, often appears in religious art as a dirty, smelly old hag in tattered clothing who is never without Small Lie (a dagger of venom made from an evil unicorn's horn) and Harsh Truth (a rod of withering made from a gold dragon's crystallized soul). She is often depicted riding a great nightmare called Flamedevil. Despite this, a forked tongue is enough to reference her in a piece of art.

From the Sulis Holy Writ

“Heed this warning: You will find those criminal angels who followed Perdition into outlawry exploring and mining caves. They seek foes and riches; be not like them. They accept not fear; be not like them. They allow only hatred into their hearts for everyone they meet; be not like them.”

“And I saw the world perishing in fire at Perdition's hands, for all that existed upon its surface that threatens her hatred of our God must be burned. Though her followers may kill you, do not let this happen! And then a great realization drew heavy sadness over my eyes, for even the greatest of us must sleep sometime. And I myself grew wroth with God and cried out in pain: 'Because we fall to such tactics, do we deserve our fate? Have You given this world unto Perdition and her sons, most crafty for exploiting our weaknesses?'”

“It is said, is it not, that the best way to protect what thou know is to shield it in a lie. I tell thee, this in itself is a lie spread by Perdition and all her sons. Speech is deadlier than any weapon; when Perdition whispers this in your ear, know that it is true, yet incomplete. The greatest and the smallest have fallen with a well-spoken untruth, but the masses have lived and have died on the stroke of a rumor uncontrolled. Be a fool, this is the message I bring thee, for Perdition will give her word to advance her cause and then break it when it is no longer of use. Trust, then, is for fools, but if this is so, then so shall bread and water be said to be for fools. Surrender not this foolishness when Perdition doth betray thee, for it is a gift and a lesson when they do so. Learn its secrets well and be not the dull-wit they believe thou to be for thy honesty and straightforwardness.”

“All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against Lendor the Spirit; for Kord will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive Lendor the Spirit, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. After a man has sinned against Lendor, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Kord Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it.”

“And the sons of perdition inhabit and shall inhabit a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.”

Game Mechanics

Worshipers of Perdition must be of chaotic good, chaotic neutral, neutral, chaotic evil, neutral evil, or lawful evil alignment. They may choose an unarmed strike, the spiked gauntlet, the longsword, the whip, or the dagger as their favored weapon, and summon either a +1 improved unarmed strike, a mighty cleaving spiked gauntlet, a longsword of venom, or a dagger of venom with their weapon of the deity spell. They may choose two domains from the following: Chaos, Destruction, Domination (Complete Divine), Earth, Evil, Fire, Knowledge, Madness (Complete Divine), Mind (Complete Divine), Mysticism (Complete Divine), Summoner (Complete Divine), Trickery, and War. They cannot cast spells with the cold descriptor; they are not restricted, however, from casting a spell that has been modified by an item or feat (like Energy Substitution) so that its cold descriptor is completely changed to another descriptor.

A Scriptural Concordance

son of perdition: This is a phrase used in the New Testament to refer to Judas Iscariot. It is also used in an early epistle of the church, where it is equated with the Man of Sin. The followers of the Adversary are often also referred to as sons of perdition. Its final, and most important, usage is to describe someone who will not take part in the glory of God in the afterlife.

Timeline

4998 years ago, Elonsric Narseb, Prince of the House of Rola (worshipers of Jascar and other Sulis deities of weal) is proclaimed the First Emperor of the Sulis Empire.

4939 years ago, Kord is born.

4907 years ago, Kord begins his ministry.

4904 years ago, Kord is killed.

4340 years ago, many nomad families of the northern plains first encounter the Sulis Empire. They begin to rely on trade with the Sulir. Herd animals, horses, cloth, and pottery are exchanged for superior weapons and adornments of “civilization”.

4332 years ago, the theologian Sablic is excommunicated from the Sulis Church for his opposition to the emerging idea of the Trinity. His teachings concerning the different “modes” or “faces” of the Godhead are accompanied by glossolalia and prophecy. His chief critic, the theologian Tulic, had written of his teachings (which he identified as the teachings of Pragsic): “By this Pragsic did a twofold service for the devil amongst the Sulir: he drove away prophecy, and brought in heresy; he put to flight the Paraclete, and he crucified the Father.”

4048 years ago, at the First Council of Nicea, the bishop Thanar argues that God the Mother and God the Son are “con-substantial”, a term reportedly put forth by the heretic Sablic. Many of his followers became uneasy at this, feeling it to be un-Scriptural, suspicious, and of a heretic tendency, for Sablic had also considered Wejas and Kord to be “one substance”, or one essential person.

3942 years ago, the Pentarchal President states, “I doubt whether it can be found, from the revelations that are given and the facts as they exist, that there is a female in all the regions of hell.”

3916 years ago, the Pentarchal President states, “Woman must atone for sins committed by the volition of her own choice, but she will never become an angel to the devil, and sin so far as to place herself beyond the reach of mercy." In the same discourse he explained his reasoning: "She is not accountable for the sins that are in the world. God requires obedience from man, he is lord of creation, and at his hands the sins of the world will be required.”

3912 years ago, Pifa notes that adherents of Sablic's teachings are still to be found in great numbers, both among the proto-Baqluni and among the Sulir.

3897 years ago, the first general council at Constantinople in canon VII declares the baptism of Sablic to be invalid.

3276 years ago, the holy man is-Baqlun suden Gash begins receiving visions from the One God, whom he names is-Toos. These visions include one of a holy monument near the lake is-Druqan. He begins traveling, preaching, and gathering followers.

3263 years ago, according to the accounts of Jan Wikr sam Wuli, Lorn Kal vin Wuli, and others, a meeting takes place between Sulis Church President Jan Telr, the two afore-mentioned members of House Wuli, and others. Prior to the meeting, Telr is said to have met with Kord Christ, and to have received a revelation commanding that plural marriage should not cease, but be kept alive by a group separate from the Sulis Church. The following day, House Wuli, as well as Telr's counselor, Gorgi Kan, and others, were said to have been set apart to keep "the principle" alive.

3245 years ago, is-Baqlun suden Gash and his followers find or construct a strange circle of stone and name it is-Tofag Baragi (“the Navel of the Earth”).

3080 years ago, after meeting with a group of Apostles, the Sulis Pope declares, “That there will also be daughters of Perdition there is no doubt in the minds of the brethren.”

2975 years ago, the third general council of the Sulis Church at Constantinople in canon XCV again declares the baptism of Sablic invalid, most likely in reaction to the rise of Islam.

2819 years ago, the Sulis Pope affirms “that there would be no daughters of perdition.”

1567 years ago, with the ordination of Rulin Alred by Jos Musr, who presides over the Sulis fundamentalists, the fundamentalists in Dry Creek, became more distant. Until this time, the Sulis fundamentalists had largely been one group. Within a few years, they form their own group, which is now called the Fundamentalist Church of Kord Christ of Truest Saints.

888 years ago, the foul murder of Rulin Alred IX by Rina kin Weth (under the direction of Vil Bron) brings the Joined Apostolic Brethren to the attention of Flanea as a whole. By the present time, dozens, if not hundreds, of highly popular ballads have been written about the event.

784 years ago, the Joined Apostolic Brethren opens an Initiation house in Greyhawk City.

53 years ago, the Joined Apostolic Brethren furnishes a detailed description of their beliefs and practices to the Greyhawk City Watch's “Treatise on Polygamy”.

10 years ago, the Joined Apostolic Brethren opens a temple in New Diren in Maztica.

Baqluni Vocabulary

ala: v., hear {as spoken to God}

is-Enshigo is-Dosh: n., the morning and evening star

geshta:

gonhorra: n., bee

gumu:

is: definite article

issha:

laya: n., word

mon: v., firmly establish

mor: n., love

muqol:

ñe:

paya: prep., from my {any organ: heart, mind, mouth}

qadam:

is-Qolob: n., a world nigh onto the residence of gods; the first creation which is nearest to the celestial, or the residence of God

qoram:

senum: n., a measure of dry grain equal to 2 shiblon and 12 shiblum

shiblon: n., a measure of dry grain equal to ½ senum and 6 shiblum

shiblum: n., a measure of dry grain equal to ¹/₆ shiblon and ¹/₁₂ senum

suden: prep., son of

tan:

toos:

The Reformers

One sect of Reformers has formed around a young minister named Skapi. They believe that the Mother (a spirit) is united with Kord (a man) as the Son of the One God. Unlike the Baqluni, they don't believe that these two faces of the One God appear in the interaction between believer and the Godhead and, unlike the followers of Sablic, who taught something similar 43 centuries ago, they don't believe in the sequence of the Godhead's “exhibition” into different modes. Furthermore, they differ from previously-known religious movements by fully accepting the begotten humanity of Kord, not eternally begotten, who was the man Kord and was born, killed, and risen, and not the deity. These Reformers believe that Kord was “Son” only when he became flesh on Oerth, but was the Mother prior to his being made human. They refer to Wejas as the “Spirit” and Kord as the “Flesh”. They believe that Kord and Wejas are one essential Person, though operating in different “modes”. The Trinity doctrine is rejected by them as pagan and un-Scriptural. Baptisms performed by these Reformers are performed in accordance with the Name of Kord doctrine.

The Baqluni Heresy of suden Boorgh

The heretical mystic suden Boorgh argued that, in his visions, he had realized that Baqluni orthodoxy placed the worshiper indecently above is-Toos in power, for it was the worshiper who dictated the role, the personality, and the qualities the Heavenly Mother would adopt in their interaction. Instead, he claimed to reveal from divine inspiration that is-Toos was truly one and unchanging, regardless of to whom She appeared and in what context. This, he said, could be the only possible truth if one considered how much more powerful and worthy of honor is-Toos is than we. The masks of is-Toos still had a place in suden Boorgh's system, however, as he described is-Toos as being composed of several parts, just as we are. Just as we may have a head and arms and legs and still be considered one being, just so does is-Toos have a Divine Soul of Generosity (is-Geshta), a Divine Mind of Temperance (Issha Ñe), a Divine Body of Stillness (is-Qoram), and a Divine Movement of Desire (is-Muqol).

Suden Boorgh also claimed that the mystical practices within mainstream Baqluni religion stopped before they reached a critical point. He claimed that, through a process of uniting one's body, one's soul, one's mind, and one's movement to the Divine, one could become entirely one with is-Toos, to the point of having no distinction of personality.

Baqluni Religion

The Baqluni name the Godhead is-Toos, and refer to it as a goddess, calling Her by such titles as Lady of Our Fate, the Heavenly Mother, and the Colorless All-Colored One. In their system, fate and destiny are supreme and the Future is called by the same word as Paradise. Accordingly, is-Toos is said to rule and embody these things, a domain that extends to dominion over divination and honesty, as well.

The Lady of Our Fate is often depicted as a Baqluni woman of any age or stature, always carrying her mystical gold spindle with which she creates the strands of fate and occasionally alongside a cloudlike being named only as the Prince of Time in Baqluni liturgy and texts. She is said to often be a bit aloof from the doings of her worshipers, concerned as she is with the fate of this word, all other worlds, and all of their inhabitants. For this reason, the Baqluni say that you must work to come into communion with the Colorless All-Colored One, in opposition to many of the other religions they meet, in which communion is assumed as a birthright of all thinking beings.

According to Baqluni myth, before this world was inhabited the first man, is-Qadam, existed in an eternal and pre-material existence with is-Toos. As time passed, the Lady of Our Fate decreed that fate, laying out a plan through which all beings could find salvation through a test. Part of this plan was that people would be given agency or will, the ability to exert some force upon the strands she spun for them and determine for themselves the course their life would take. Based on their exercise of this will or agency, they would then be able to achieve that profound state known as exaltation. One of his angels, known as Issha Tan, learned of this plan and his heart went out to the as-yet-unborn people who would be subject to this test. In his reasoning, this quality of agency or will not only allowed for but ensured that some would fail the test, would be unable to achieve exaltation. Thus, out of compassion, he sought to overthrow is-Toos and instate a plan which would not involve this quality of agency or will. This plan, he argued, would allow all people to return to the glory of the Godhead in the fullness of time. It must be remembered in order to understand the Baqluni that Issha Tan acted out of compassion, that he was and is a virtuous, if wrong, being. Is-Qadam, the first man, heard of this revolt before it occurred and saw, rightly, that his assassination was an integral part of the rebels' plan. Upon discovering this, he was struck by a cowardly fear which drove him to flee from that pre-material existence to our world, where he fathered all the races that walk its surface.

In addition, the Baqluni believe in four different modes or aspects of the One God, as perceived by the believer, rather than the distinct persons in God Himself described by the other religions. They name these four modes or aspects is-Toos is-Geshta, is-Toos is-Qoram, is-Toos is-Muqol, and is-Toos Issha Ñe. These aspects are usually termed “faces” or “masks” by the Baqluni. A Baqluni in a theological debate with members of another religion is usually quick to point out that the only number applied to the Godhead in scripture is “One” and that there is no inherent multiplicity ascribed to the Godhead in scripture. In fact, their point is correct; any scripture inarguably ascribing a multiplicity to the Godhead was either written after the various schisms occurred or has a controversial provenance.

This belief in the faces of the One God is believed to have originated in ideas preached by the heretical theologian Sablic slightly more than a millennium before is-Baqlun far Gash began his own preaching. These teachings are said to have come to Sablic himself from the earlier theologians Noti and Pragsic. Hippli of the Forgotten City (as he is now known), the most important theologian of the time, knew Sablic personally and mentioned him in his writing; though he knew Sablic disliked Trinitarian theology, he referred to his teachings as the heresy of Noti. Patriarch Metr is known to have written letters to the Sulir's new trading partners at the time of Sablic's teachings (these being the tribal ancestors of the Baqluni) arguing against said teachings, indicating that they had already begun to take root among the tribes. Modern Baqluni, however, differ from the teachings of Sablic in that he taught that God the Mother (known to the Sulir as Wejas) was the only true existence of the Godhead, and that God the Son and God the Spirit (Kord and Lendor, respectively) were “exhibitions and developments which the divine Being has made of Herself to Her creatures.”

Is-Toos is-Geshta is called the Daughter of the Oasis, and is the mask of is-Toos sought by the desperate, by the thirsty, by the prisoner in the oubliette, and by the traveler lost in the desert with an empty waterskin. She is fate intervening to save that which is lost. She is depicted as a young Baqluni woman standing in a pool of water, often holding a clay water jug. Her pet fish, is-Gumu, summons water creatures to fill her. When she is not primary in the depiction or where the artist has a lack of space or tools, she is often represented simply by a stylized waterspout. Her temperate is moderate, and she treats all with care and patience.

Often called the husband of is-Toos, is-Toos is-Qoram is the very foundation of all things Baqluni. He is the mask that appears when a Baqluni looks backward, to the past, and is thus revered for both his inestimable wisdom and his uncompromising devotion to tradition. This mask has also gained a seemingly odd association with geometry; this came about as philosophers turned to diagrams and pictures to explain the importance of is-Toos is-Qoram in finding the Future, even though he seems to turn his back on it.

The Merchant, is-Toos is-Muqol is the mask of is-Toos who receives the most prayers, for where is-Toos is-Geshta appears out of the interface of need and the Godhead, is-Toos is-Muqol appears out of the interface between desire and the Godhead. Among the Baqluni, desire isn't considered evil or wrong; in fact, it is often celebrated and revered. Even the desire for wealth, it is said among them, is sister to the passionate yearning that leads to communion with is-Toos. Thus, while is-Toos is-Geshta might be the archetype of the beloved (and thus ultimately with is-Toos Herself), is-Toos is-Muqol governs love and all prayer, as well as the more mundane aspects of trade, negotiation, ventures, appraisal, and reciprocity. It is important to remember that one of is-Toos's purviews is honesty. Nonetheless, is-Toos is-Muqol rules over the art of negotiation, for hard bargaining is near to a sacrament for the Baqluni. It is said that while most of is-Toos Herself was battling against Issha Tan before the world was inhabited, is-Toos is-Muqol aided both sides of the struggle, for both were compelled to action by strong (and virtuous) desires. Other tales describe is-Toos's travels among djinn-kind as the travels of is-Toos is-Muqol, focusing on his skill at bargaining with even these most difficult clients. In these stories, the Merchant's greatest gifts are the ability to discern the true desire of his customers, and the talent of finding and delivering the rarest of treasures to their predestined owners. He can be referenced visually by a simple, sometimes even crude, depiction of a set of scales and weights.

It is said that is-Toos Issha Ñe, the Lady of Perfection, is no face of is-Toos at all, but is rather Her shadow.  Often depicted by means of a black lotus blossom, this mask of is-Toos uses stealth and mental power and the protection of twilit places to maintain harmony and balance in the world, working against the extremes of both good and evil and both order and chaos. Perhaps surprisingly, worship of is-Toos Issha Ñe is the only aspect of Baqluni culture to have spread beyond the Baqluni themselves and their djinn and merfolk allies; Issha Ñe has become incorporated into various cults and new religious movements across Flanea and tiny mosques dedicated to her are scattered in hidden places across the land. Whereas the other masks of is-Toos will often lend their help in matters of dispute or argument, it is said, is-Toos Issha Ñe has no patience for petty rivalries and will only manifest herself to a group in perfect harmony. She is often depicted as a Baqluni and, though the age or sex of the depiction might vary wildly, she is always slender and graceful, wielding a pair of magic falchions that, in the stories, can shrink to the size of table knives.

From the Baqluni Holy Writ

“Between everything and every other stretches invisible strands. The spirits of time push and pull upon these strands. Thou art a spirit of time, but these strands, pulling, can pull thee as well, and thou canst not escape. Look hard and look long, and thou wilt understand the forces upon this web. Look hard and look long, and thou wilt see Paradise. Serve thyself by knowing and submitting to what is-Toos has woven for thee. Struggle against the pull of the strands and thou wilt tear apart the web of the Colorless All-Colored One.”

“Blessed be the tranquil with fortitude, for only the extremes of actions will disrupt their meditations for more than the space of a sand-grain's breath. Blessed be the tranquil with strength, for they will turn disruptive force back upon its source. In this, they shall be like the stone that breaks the surface of a lake only to be covered and lost. Water, like tranquility, is hard to find but necessary to vitality. Water is more precious than gold, for a thirsty man gets no sustenance from his wealth.”

“If thou dost not risk, thou canst not gain. Satisfy both necessity and desire in each bargain. The wise know the worth of a thing as well as its cost. If the wealthiest among thee wouldst wish to be a debtor and a beggar made, greed shall be their maker, for all life is a matter of exchange.”

“Three columns upon which the sand-cloth of this world is draped: the Universal Mind is one, the Perpetual Harmony another, and finally Internal Peace. All that does not rest on these three columns is illusion and not real. The Universal Mind of is-Toos for which we all long creates and maintains the world in each moment; without it, what could exist? Look upon the glory of is-Toos's plan: all life is balanced and all things live in symmetry. Seek a similar state and thou wilt find the object of thy longing draws close, for truly does is-Toos love this world in its entirety. Master thy body and master thy mind and thou shalt find that thou art drawn closer to the object of thy longing, for truly do we love is-Toos. Banish flamboyance from thy life, waste no energy, and thou wilt find a place with the Heavenly Mother. Seek out all extremes and temper them with harmony.”

Clergy

Mosques dot the Baqluni lands. In addition, the bazaar, or marketplace, is holy ground. Some markets in the larger cities are set up around actual mosque-buildings, but most simply contain a tent-covered altar or shrine. There is no standard tithe, but a variable set of fees is levied on the traders who utilize the bazaar. These monies are used to cover various local religious expenses, but any excess is dedicated to charitable works, for the accumulation of large amounts of wealth (not the desire, but the actual accumulation) is foreign to Baqluni values.

Priests are actually quite common among the Baqluni, perhaps moreso than among the other cultures. Baqluni religious concepts also show up in djinn and merfolk cultures. Many of these priests have seen the extremes of fate, from innocents dying horrible deaths and sadists controlling kingdoms to children recovering from mortal illness and despots felled by simple accidents. Because of this, many may be cynical or stoic, but some kinder individuals are called to this path because they feel they were rewarded by fate.

Priests of is-Toos are often called upon to make predictions and divinations for important personages all over the world, serving as their personal advisors and viziers; they also often serve as legal counsels, judges, and civil administrators, using their powers to deter theft, fraud, and magical deception. They also often act as guardians of valuable waters, whether lakes, streams, oases, or hidden wells, making sure that they are available to all and not claimed or destroyed by any one group of people. They patrol parched areas of land where travelers often become lost and guide them to safety and water. Some explore the length of a river or stream, learning the unique traits of the entire flow. They will often see out those who use destructive magic upon natural reserves of water, as well as those who would harm people by contaminating water with disease or poison. They are sometimes called Moralists, for it can be their duty to watch over their neighbors and see that no evil influences are allowed to rise unchecked. Many will choose a particular knowledge or lore in which to become immensely knowledgeable and become Sage-Priests. Others work as appraisers of common goods, with certain members specializing in more exotic items. Most travel during at least part of their career, particularly as part of merchant caravans. In all things, however, priests of is-Toos are agents of harmony and discipline. They seek out radical factions, organizations, and politics and bend them toward balance. They train others in the simple arts of war, hone the minds of those open to mental challenges, scour the world to find evidence of the Universal Mind, and seek gurus of advanced physical and mental abilities for knowledge of self-elevation. They are not passive beings, but actively seek change to ensure the stability of the universe.

During ritual, Baqluni priests wear richly brocaded abas of yellow silk, with keffiyeh of pure white. Agal are worn intertwined with chains of gold or silver. Ritual prayers are said each morning, prior to opening for business or beginning the day's travel, and more ritual prayers are said at dusk.

Holidays

An entire month in the Baqluni calendar is dedicated to remembering is-Qadam's cowardly flight from Issha Tan's attack against is-Toos. The celebration lasts 26 days, the amount of time legend says it took is-Qadam to arrive at our world.

Game Mechanics

Those priests who attempt communion with is-Toos must have a neutral component to to their alignment (and high scores in Virtues such as Calm, Conservative, Honorable, Spiritual, and Stubborn) and are able to draw upon one of the following domains: Celerity (Complete Divine), Chaos, Destiny (Races of Destiny), Knowledge, Law, Luck, Mind (Complete Divine), and Oracle (Complete Divine). Their other domain may be chosen from among either this list or that of any of the four masks of is-Toos. Furthermore, they can take a full-round action at any time to make a Will roll (DC ???) to change their domain selections. At least one selection must always be from the list of is-Toos; the other may be from that list or that of any of the four masks of is-Toos (this second selection must come from a different list than had the previous choice). The priest may do this as often as they like during the day, but only once during any period of downtime, travel, or otherwise “offscreen” activity. Finally, this ability only applies to their original two domain selections; any additional domains to which they acquire access remain fixed.

The Daughter of the Oasis, is-Geshta grants access to the following domains: Plant, Travel, Water, and Weather (Complete Divine). The bedrock upon which Baqluni culture is built, is-Qoram gives magic to his people in a different way, one that can be accessed at all times. The Merchant, is-Muqol, grants access to the following domains: Knowledge, Pact (Complete Divine), Travel, and Trickery. The Lady of Perfection, is-Toos Issha Ñe, grants access to the following domains: Knowledge, Mind (Complete Divine), Trickery, and War.

Priests of is-Toos treat the net, symbolic of the web of fate spun by is-Toos, as their favored weapon, usually channel their spells through a blessed golden spindle, and can summon a +1 distance net with their weapon of the deity spell. However, this can change as the priest works with different masks of is-Toos. If a priest has as a current domain selection one from the list of is-Toos is-Geshta, they may choose to treat the spear, an unusual weapon used only rarely among the Baqluni to catch oasis fish and occasionally small reptiles, as their favored weapon and summon a +1 frost spear with weapon of the deity, whereas a domain choice from the list of is-Toos is-Muqol would allow them (if they chose) to treat the more civilized weapons of the dagger or light crossbow as their favored weapon and summon a +1 defending dagger. A selection from amongst the domains of is-Toos Issha Ñe, on the other hand, allows the priest to choose to treat the falchion or any monk weapon as a favored weapon and summon a +1 defending falchion with eir weapon of the deity spell.

Among the priests of is-Toos, one can find training in Ceremony, Knowledge (any–Baqluni, any–djinn), Listen, Perform (oratory), Read/Write Language (several), Search, and Speak Language (several). By taking the feat Initiate of is-Toos, one can gain access to the following spirits: admonish, compel respect, detect foreigner, thunder of is-Toos is-Qoram (improve oratory), and second sight. By taking the feat Acolyte of is-Toos (prerequisite: Initiate of is-Toos), one can gain access to the following ceremonies: avoid fate, command audience, command subjects, command worshipers, force, require truth, shield, undetectable to humans, undetectable to djinn, and weaponmight. All of these are the gifts of is-Toos is-Qoram.

Home & Yard, Inc.: Introduction

Working at Home & Yard, Inc. -- fine purveyors of any and every gadget you could ever want for your home and yard -- sucks. When you aren't staying at the office until 8:30 making copies of your boss's son's book report, you're setting pressing projects aside to spend all day searching for this organic dim sum place she vaguely remembers hearing about on the radio. You know, the only place Jennifer Anniston eats when she's in town? Yeah, that one; shouldn't take a moment, thanks. Employees end up with pathetic excuses for social lives, as the hard work and long hours take their toll, keeping them too busy to keep up with the hot spots and happening events in their city. The bosses here at Home & Yard, Inc., aren't cruel or mean -- they're actually quite friendly and likeable -- but the company seems designed to eat away at your life, leaving employees in an interminable tedium as they wait for promotions that seem to be awarded rarely and randomly.

Actually, that's a pretty good summary of the company.

Have you ever noticed that the universe seems to take a perverse delight in destroying your life whenever you get into a rut, comfortable or confined as it may be? So have the occultists who founded Home & Yard, Inc. Their mystical investigations into this phenomenon have brought them to believe that the universe can be seen as a possibility-generator, a wondrous perpetual motion machine that churns out possibilities at an incredible pace. Furthermore, they have concluded that the universe takes action to protect these possibilities' birth into actualities. Thus, when someone's life seems to have become barren ground, resistant to the seeds of possibilities taking root, just before it becomes perfectly predictable, the universe breaks that life open in order to make space to allow its possibility-children to enter that life fully.

Home & Yard, Inc., was founded in an attempt to explore and harness this phenomenon, attempting to construct a drudgery that dares the universe to take this sort of action. That's why promotions seem so rare and random: they're only given to those employees who have gone through a "Nabri Event", as they are termed by the company in honor of the founder of the company who pioneered their investigation of the phenomenon. The company has gone so far as to assign people to ensure that their employees' favorite and typical stores never have the clothes they fall in love with in their size, and it usually plants numerous bugs and various other pieces of surveillance equipment in their employees' homes, in order to catch the very beginnings of the Nabri Event. These effects include things like alarms not going off when they are set and all the water in one's apartment building being boiling hot.

Home & Yard, Inc., even works with a race of spiritual beings they either discovered or created (interestingly, no one is sure which) who are attracted to and who intensify the effects of the Nabri Event. Invisible until you have gone (or are going) through a Nabri Event, these draconic or dinosaurian beings have a long, scaly brown tail, huge brown haunches, and a row of blue triangular-shaped flaps of skin that run the length of their back. These beings also play a key role in Home & Yard, Inc.'s plan to take advantage of the Nabri Effect, helping to harvest the energies of the Effect and forming an integral part of the company's embryonic magickal engine. The heroic possibilities unlocked and actualized by people who have gone through an Event amplified by one of these beings is merely a side effect.

What's Inside

In this book, many of the secret teachings of Home & Yard, Inc., are revealed for use in your ???? game. Everything in this book requires training by that company to acquire, and Home & Yard, Inc., is unlikely to provide that training to anyone who hasn't passed through an Amplified Nabri Event, and your typical hero who didn't become one through that process is unlikely to be eligible for the Effect. Of course, your typical hero should find that last sentence a welcome challenge.

A full chapter of this book is devoted to skills and feats, beginning with an extensive discussion of new applications for existing skills. The chapter also includes a long list of new feats used by the activated employees of Home & Yard, Inc. Three new standard character classes (that is, classes without any prerequisites required to enter, unlike advanced and prestige classes) are presented: the deadly niniopë, the masterful scoper, and the versatile jothief. These classes provide players with new ways to approach characters in the modern, mundane, and melodramatic world of ????, and each class has a unique approach to combat as well.

The large number of prestige classes in the book is an effect of Home & Yard, Inc.'s attempts to take full advantage of the Nabri Event, as they throw every resource they have -- financial, human, magickal -- into exploring the limits and types of its effects. Nearly every character concept can find refinement and amplification in the varied training programs offered by Home & Yard, Inc.

Many of the spells found in the grimoires and traditions of Home & Yard, Inc., interact with skills -- opening up new uses, providing special bonuses, or producing powerful effects for characters with the right skills. In addition, many of their spells focus on using existing abilities in unusual and interesting ways. Experiencing a Nabri Event defamiliarizes you from everything you knew before; it forges a powerful tie between you and the universe's constant birthing of new possibilities. As an art and a science predicated on manipulating the interface and boundaries between self and world, this new way of looking at things is reflected in the spells taught by Home & Yard, Inc.

The last chapter of this book provides information on several divisions and subsidiaries of Home & Yard, Inc., as well as various organizations and secret societies the company has absorbed or fostered. Some are related to the prestige classes introduced earlier, while others stand on their own. Each group has guidelines for membership, benefits for joining, and realistic reasons for characters to belong. Any one of these groups could become the focus of a campaign, since each admits members from a diverse selection of character types.

What's NOT Inside

Not included anywhere in this book is a general description of the Nabri Event or how it works. This is intentional; the Nabri Event, by its very nature, evades description. This is occasionally even true of an individual's own unique Nabri Event! By avoiding description of this sort, I hope to push GMs to surprise and challenge their players.

What You Need to Play

????, the game of which this book is a part, is based upon the rules and information found in the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game Corebook and the d20 Modern Standard Reference Document, as modified and described in ????. In addition to these rules, Home & Yard, Inc. includes references to material in the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook, Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide, Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, Epic Level Handbook, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Complete Warrior, and Complete Arcane. Although possession of any or all of these additional supplements will enhance your enjoyment of this book, they are not strictly necessary.

Sources
The two seeds of Home & Yard, Inc. are Complete Adventurer and Death's Daughter by Amber Benson.

Home & Yard, Inc., Chapter One: Classes I: The Niniopë

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 13px;"><br /><br /><table border="1"><tbody>
<tr><th>Level</th><th>Base Attack Bonus</th><th>Fort Save</th><th>Ref Save</th><th>Will Save</th><th>Underground AC Bonus</th><th>Special</th></tr>
<tr><td>1st</td><td>+0</td><td>+0</td><td>+2</td><td>+0</td><td>+0</td><td>Crowded AC bonus, blessings of the poor, latte strike +1d6, vegan chocolate eyes</td></tr>
<tr><td>2nd</td><td>+1</td><td>+0</td><td>+3</td><td>+0</td><td>+0</td><td>Homeless step (invisible), -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>3rd</td><td>+2</td><td>+1</td><td>+3</td><td>+1</td><td>+0</td><td>Latte strike +2d6, poison cooking, +2 Listen</td></tr>
<tr><td>4th</td><td>+3</td><td>+1</td><td>+4</td><td>+1</td><td>+0</td><td>When the voices say jump, +10 feet speed, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>5th</td><td>+3</td><td>+1</td><td>+4</td><td>+1</td><td>+1</td><td>Latte strike +3d6, low-light vision</td></tr>
<tr><td>6th</td><td>+4</td><td>+2</td><td>+5</td><td>+2</td><td>+1</td><td>Nauseating acrobatics +2, homeless dodge, +2 Spot, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>7th</td><td>+5</td><td>+2</td><td>+5</td><td>+2</td><td>+1</td><td>Latte strike +4d6, masonry blessing of the porcelain god, +2 Listen</td></tr>
<tr><td>8th</td><td>+6/+1</td><td>+2</td><td>+6</td><td>+2</td><td>+1</td><td>Homeless strike, +2 Spot, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>9th</td><td>+6/+1</td><td>+3</td><td>+6</td><td>+3</td><td>+1</td><td>Latte strike +5d6, improved poison cooking, +1 natural armor</td></tr>
<tr><td>10th</td><td>+7/+2</td><td>+3</td><td>+7</td><td>+3</td><td>+2</td><td>Homeless step (ethereal), gore 1d6, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>11th</td><td>+8/+3</td><td>+3</td><td>+7</td><td>+3</td><td>+2</td><td>Latte strike +6d6, +1 natural armor</td></tr>
<tr><td>12th</td><td>+9/+4</td><td>+4</td><td>+8</td><td>+4</td><td>+2</td><td>Nauseating acrobatics +4, the Remembering the Future Charm, +2 Perform, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>13th</td><td>+9/+4</td><td>+4</td><td>+8</td><td>+4</td><td>+2</td><td>Latte strike +7d6, +2 Perform</td></tr>
<tr><td>14th</td><td>+10/+5</td><td>+4</td><td>+9</td><td>+4</td><td>+2</td><td>The invisibility of terror, +2 Hide, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>15th</td><td>+11/+6/+1</td><td>+5</td><td>+9</td><td>+5</td><td>+3</td><td>Latte strike +8d6, +2 Hide</td></tr>
<tr><td>16th</td><td>+12/+7/+2</td><td>+5</td><td>+10</td><td>+5</td><td>+3</td><td>Kidnap death, +2 Move Silently, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>17th</td><td>+12/+7/+2</td><td>+5</td><td>+10</td><td>+5</td><td>+3</td><td>Latte strike +9d6, +2 Move Silently</td></tr>
<tr><td>18th</td><td>+13/+8/+3</td><td>+6</td><td>+11</td><td>+6</td><td>+3</td><td>Nauseating acrobatics +6, greater homeless dodge, attune pipes, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
<tr><td>19th</td><td>+14/+9/+4</td><td>+6</td><td>+11</td><td>+6</td><td>+3</td><td>Latte strike +10d6, +1 natural armor</td></tr>
<tr><td>20th</td><td>+15/+10/+5</td><td>+6</td><td>+12</td><td>+6</td><td>+4</td><td>Homeless walk, +1 natural armor, -1" height, -2d4 pounds weight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>