Morda the "Dark One" may have begun as an elven heresy, but his
cult has spread far throughout Elandar in the Age of Strife. Much
to the surprise of even the Mordari elves, various incarnations
of Morda have been adopted by tribes of orcs, ogres, kobolds, and other
such creatures across the land, mixing the Morda legend with their own
native totem worship. Periodically, a worshipper from one of these
tribes capable of casting divine magic appears, and this priest quickly
becomes a feared leader.
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| Irdari | any Good | Good
Protection Sun War |
longbow | Turn | golden sun |
| Dimimiri | any Neutral | Healing
Knowledge Luck Magic |
quarterstaff | Turn | silver star |
| Mordari | any Evil | Death
Evil Strength Trickery |
short sword | Rebuke | black half-moon |
Urdu is the dwarven name for the Creator Deity. They view
him as the Great Craftsman, a god of order who reflects all alignments
like a good smithy mixes metals. Each alignment represents a different
"essence" of Urdu—Good is the "Flame of Urdu", Evil is the "Hammer of Urdu",
and Neutral is the "Anvil of Urdu". Despite strong philosophical
differences between the priests, this is a unified priesthood. Depending
on the current state of affairs, however, one faction is usually in ascendance
over the others. Although the dwarves recognize that Urdu has created
lesser divine beings to serve him, unlike the elves they do not offer any
particular veneration to any such entities as the Simmhi.
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| Flame of Urdu | Lawful Good
Neutral Good |
Fire
Good Law Protection |
battleaxe | Turn | silver flame |
| Anvil of Urdu | Lawful Neutral
Neutral |
Earth
Healing Knowledge Law |
throwing axe | Turn or Rebuke
(player's choice) |
iron disk |
| Hammer of Urdu | Lawful Evil
Neutral Evil |
Destruction
Evil Law War |
war hammer | Rebuke | obsidian hammer |
The One is what the Hycarean-speaking humans call the Creator
Deity, a literal translation of the elven name. Like the dwarves,
the Hycareans do not venerate the Simmhi. Instead, they believe
that "The One" encompasses many different philosophies ("aspects").
The Priesthood is divided into four separate "Houses", each devoted to
one specific aspect. Each House maintains a temple of some sort in
nearly every human city or citadel, except the House of the White Crown;
this elite order (based in Gamoria) is made up entirely of Paladins, the
"warrior-priests" who are devoted to the ideal of Justice. Most paladins
are human, but a handful of individuals of other races have journeyed to
Gamoria and proved themselves worthy of joining the order. The House
of the Silver Shield is an order of "soldier-priests" devoted to the
ideal of Loyalty. The House of the White Hand is an order
of "healer-priests" devoted to the ideal of Virtue. The House
of the Silver Eye is an order of "scholar-priests" devoted to the ideal
of Wisdom. All Houses are hierarchical to some extent, with Initiates
and Novices at the bottom, Adepts in the middle, Masters at the top, and
one Grand Master presiding over all. The House of the Silver Eye
has only Novice and Adept ranks and is led by the "Council of All Adepts"
(a conclave that meets periodically in Miradorn).
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| House of the Silver Shield | Lawful Neutral
Lawful Good |
Law
Strength War Water |
longsword | * (see below) | silver oval-shield |
| House of the White Hand | any Good | Good
Healing Plant Protection |
unarmed strike | Turn | white hand |
| House of the Silver Eye | Chaotic Neutral
Chaotic Good |
Air
Chaos Knowledge Travel |
quarterstaff | ** (see below) | silver open-eye |
* This sect cannot turn or rebuke the undead. Instead, the clerics get a bonus feat at 1st Level in addition to any others (a Metamagic feat can be chosen, but not an Item Creation or Special feat); another bonus feat is gained whenever the cleric gains an additional attack per round (at 8th level and 15th level).
** This sect cannot turn or rebuke the undead. Instead, the clerics begin with (4 + Int modifier) x 4 skill points at 1st Level and earn (4 + Int modifier) skill points at each additional level. Additionally, Decipher Script, Speak Language, and Use Magic Device are considered Class skills.
Druids are priests devoted exclusively to the veneration of the
spirits of nature (usually referred to by their elven name, Simmhi).
Among humans, they are the religious leaders of the Plainsmen. The
druids are few in number, and their hierarchy is unclear (both to outsiders
and themselves). Still, as a group they hold considerable political
power in Plainsmen society. Even the tribal chieftains must respect
the druids and heed their advice. The druids among the elves consider
themselves part of a "greater brotherhood" with the human druids, although
there is no political connection. A handful of individuals of other
races (namely halflings and gnomes) are also part of the greater druidic
brotherhood. However, non-humans rarely ever hold any political influence
in Plainsman society. Perhaps closest of all to the Simmhi
are the "faerie elves" (Wood Elves) of the Unseelie Court, who are always
Neutral Good and are among the most potent druids in the entire continent.