A Quasi-deity is less than a full member of the Counsil or a
Cult deity, but more powerful than the standard mortal. They actively
look to promote their areas of influence. They do this by living and
acting in the mortal somewhat like other mortals. They are, however,
bound by rules lain out for them by the Counsil of the Deities. Any
quasi-deity that breaks these laws is paid a visit by Han~Sui, which is a
visit they will most likely not survive.
·
Quasi-deities may not rule or control a nation, including
city-states and the like.
·
Quasi-deities may not kill clerics of the deities on the
Counsil.
·
Quasi-deities may not defile the holy sites of the deities
of the Counsil.
Should a Quasi-deity adhere to these rules, demonstrate that they have
found a niche in among the mortals, and portray the beliefs that they
represent to the fullest, that quasi-deity is considered by the Counsil to
be made a dull deity.
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MOUSER
(by Drew)
More lives than a man can count have
ended on those blades. Only the conscience that guides them has kept
the number from being higher than the gods can fathom.
Vilanstri
Fell, of Mouser
The man known only as
Mouser has lived among the people of Habololy for more than five hundred
years, existing somewhere between the realm of mortals and the powers.
Outside of the Kingdom of Icefia, he is more of a legend to the common
people than a deity. His name is rarely spoken except in connection with
the great deeds of his contemporaries: Stasis Gemblade, Falan Bladelord
and the other great heroes that lived and died in the third century A.C.
Most know that Mouser was among the group of men and women that founded
the Kingdom of Icefia and fought Amat during his return. Nearly every
intelligent being that has lived since those times believes, or knows,
that Mouser is among the deadliest men who have ever lived. Stories of
his battles against other powerful mortals, fiends, monsters and even
gods have been told so many times, in so many variations, that the truth
of those events has been lost in history. Those who know the truth
however, know that Mouser has not simply roamed the world over the past
four centuries seeking new challenges for his skill with his blades.
Mouser continues to work on behalf of his homeland and the Counsil. He
played a vital role in the Crusade against the Spider Queen, discovering
the secret location of her high temple. Later he led the infiltration of
the Grean naval base at Stash Melvoo that crippled the Grean fleet for
decades. He acts against the Cult of Arsenal with the Counsil’s approval
and has investigated many apparent threats to Habololy on the Counsil’s
behalf.
The people of the Kingdom of Icefia see Mouser in a different light. To
them he was not simply another of the heroes of his time who happened to
achieve something more that a noble death; they know the truth, that
Mouser was Stasis’ most loyal friend and that while it was Stasis’
vision that created their nation, it was as often as not Mouser’s quick
thinking and sharp blade that protected the nation in its early years.
In the decades that followed, Mouser played subtle, but vital, roles in
the Gem-Ice War and the War of Technology. While he has few actual
worshipers anywhere, the majority of Icefians think of him as a guardian
for their homeland, seeking evil wherever it hides. The children of the
Kingdom are taught the stories of his deeds just as they learn of Stasis’.
Today, Mouser is rarely seen. From time to time he will appear at the
Bardic College of Icefia, seeking information, taking counsel with the
deans or Allanda. He is known to speak with the Council of Ten at the
Guardian Temple whenever his journeys bring him in contact with servants
of the lower planes. He has not been seen in Castle Gemblade for many
years, though he has visited both the headquarters of the Knights of the
White Sword and the High Temple of Stasis many times during that same
time period. He is rarely seen outside of the Kingdom except on errands
for the Counsil, usually combating the cults, or building his own faith;
acting as his own prophet. In truth, Mouser spends all of his time
traveling the face of Habololy, rarely revealing his true face or
purpose. Disguise is a weapon that allows him to act without calling
attention to himself or his fragile cult. On those rare occasions when he
does reveal himself in unfriendly surroundings there are few left to
tell of his passing.
The cult of Mouser acts subtly and constantly to achieve their goal: of
elevating Mouser to demi-god status. His cult is popular among psychic
warriors, the Silverswords, bards, rogues and some warriors. They aren’t
usually persecuted, for their numbers are small, and the Counsil has
considered elevating Mouser for his accomplishments and service. His has
some strong supporters on the Counsil, namely Stasis and Falan. He also
has some who are definitely opposed to him, such as Lavash’Ki and
Dresta.
Mouser
appears in his true form as a-human man in his late thirties, with
weathered but pale skin, black hair and dark gray eyes. He never has
facial hair or wears extravagant clothing. His traveling clothes are
worn but in good condition. He is never with out his distinctive rapier
and dagger.
Alignment:
Lawful Neutral (good)
Symbol: Almost always represented as a three dimensional object,
two isosceles triangles, each bisecting the other at the base at a 90
degree angle.
Aspects:
Acrobatics, Subtlety, Swashbucklers, Skill
Domain:
Luck
Favored Weapon:
Rapier and Dagger
Number of Faithful:
2,500
Associated Groups:
Acrobats
Dogma:
A good plan and a sharp blade will get you far,
good luck and good friends will take care of the rest. Loyalty is honor.
Be confident in your decisions, strike swiftly without hesitation.
Knowledge is power; use it to a noble end. Be bold, for no matter how
great your skill or how often fortune smiles on you, someday death will
take you from your fellows. Lead a good life, face death well and you
will see them again.
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ARSENAL
[ar-sen-el]
The heir to the throne of
Highlander started his; or its as some believe, existence as a guardian
for the deities. After Amat slew Forsha, the Counsil had need of a new
guardian for their castle. It was decided that Arsenal would fill that
role.
Even his devout followers
debate what Arsenal was before he began to guard the castle. Some say he
was a mortal gnome that had impressed the Counsil. Others say that he is
merely a construct, made by the deities. Whatever the truth, Arsenal
guarded the castle for four centuries, never leaving, and barely known of
by the faithful of all deities.
The death of Highlander
changed that. A spark arose in the guardian. On the Day of Life in 589
AC, the deities realized that Arsenal had left his post for the first time
ever. He returned a short time later and announced that his long years of
service were over and that he would go and live among his people on the
Plateau.
Fearing the power Arsenal
could rally to him, and wanting Highlander’s death to take hold before a
new deity stepped in, the Counsil informed Arsenal that he must wait 25
years before they would condone what he desired. Bowing to the will of
the Counsil, Arsenal relented, and went into exile for 25 years.
While in exile, Arsenal
learned of the world that was much different when one actually lived in
it. He traveled in disguise, rarely giving away the depths of his power.
He was not uncovered until 20 years into his exile while in Icefia.
Mouser found out the gnome’s identity, and soon, word spread of that an
heir to Highlander roamed the world. On the heels of the Tinkocracy, this
was poor news for the hopeful Counsil member.
Five long years passed, and
Arsenal could do little to stem the tide of hatred and fear that
overwhelmed the small amounts of faithful that began to revere him. When
the exile ended, and Arsenal came to the Plateau, the Counsil would not
allow him to join them. The usually mild gnome for the first time had
hatred in his heart. The target of that hatred from then on was and is
Mouser.
Outside of his one vice,
Arsenal is almost devoid of emotion. He tinkers away in whichever city of
the Plateau he is. His body is its own temple to clickers, with over a
dozen woven into it. His sermons are more lessons than anything else, and
his dogma is simple:
All things
through technology.
For every tinker that rejoices
at the appearance of Arsenal, there are three others that plot his
demise. The memory of the Tinkocracy remains vivid, and for most, Arsenal
is just a lingering possibility that it could happen again. Off of the
plateau, there are few shrines or temples that survive more than a year in
public and the clicker-filled lives of his faithful are not ones that can
be discreet in their existence.
Alignment:
True Neutral
Symbol:
Semi-circle Fan of Firearms and Epbuls
Aspects:
Technology, Tinkers
Domain:
Earth, Knowledge, War
Favored Weapon:
Epbul
Number of Faithful:
30,000
Associated Groups:
Machineheads
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MELODI
[mel-o-dee] (Musicbringer, Knowledgekeeper)
The most well-known of the quasi-deities is also the most
unique. The mortal that was Alanda Melodi never had aspirations so high
as becoming a deity. To the present day, she is uncomfortable with the
notion. Melodi neither dismisses nor encourages those that worship her.
For the first one and a half centuries of her life, Melodi
lived as a bard in the cities of southern Icefia. She garnered quite a
reputation as entertainer and loremaster. She made few enemies, and
many friends. When Stasis founded his kingdom in the early 3rd
century AC, he was quick to make Melodi a member of his court. The bard
had only one condition, the foundation of a bardic college of which she
would be the dean.
Her fame as dean grew for centuries. Melodi educated some
of the greatest thinkers on Habololy as the Bardic College of Icefia
became the premier school in the world. She saw the passing of nations,
kings, and even deities from her office. Meoldi assumed it would come
to an end; one of the few assertions she made that has been proven
wrong.
It was during the reign of the Tinkocracy that Melodi first
felt it. The strange feeling that hundreds were calling her name from
distant places was a common occurrence. People began to arrive at the
college asking for help, but in a much different manner than before.
Pilgrims and petitioners became common place at the college in the
horrible years of the Tinkocracy. Melodi did all she could to help
them.
When the Tinkocracy fell, Melodi made another assertion that
would be proven wrong. She said that the people would stop coming to
her, and although their desperation was gone, they were not. Fearful of
what was happening, and one of the few beings alive that truly
understood the consequences, Melodi stepped down as dean. Since that
time, she has rarely left the college campus.
To her dismay, that did not stop the worship. At every
college in the world, there is a shrine to the loremaster. Whenever
bards perform a concert, a short prayer is said to the musicbringer.
Every Relic Hunter, Arcane Singer and Weathersinger pays her homage. It
is only her reluctance that has kept her form the Counsil of the
Deities, which has conveyed to her in no uncertain terms that she has a
seat awaiting her when she so chooses.
Of course, this is far from common knowledge. Only the
highest clerics of the religions are aware of her stature. Some would
have her killed if that were at all possible, other petition her yearly
to join the Counsil. She avoids them all.
What is known is that Melodi does answer the prayers of the
most devout of her faithful. Her good heart and caring occasionally out
way her desire not to ascend and she ventures out of the college. Those
that meet her are awed by her presence and enlightened by her knowledge.
Although she has never given the faithful specific rules to
obey or a path to follow, her few clerics have composed a prayer that
combined many of her known lessons from when she taught at the college.
They say it represents the most important ideal of the faith of Melodi:
The most
important parts of life are joy and understanding. You must enjoy the
time that is given, for it will never come again. Through knowledge and
understanding, not only can life be enjoyed, but others can be helped to
enjoy their lives as well. Song is one of the greatest joys that can be
had. Look to aide those who cannot find joy in their life, and stop
those who would look to end another’s happiness. Death is best met with
a knowing smile.
Strangely enough, those that are the most devout followers
of Melodi are also those that displease her the most. Those devout
followers look to do the very thing that she strives against: ascension.
Alignment:
Neutral Good
Symbol:
A flute in an open book.
Aspects:
Music, Bards, Lore, Teachers
Domain:
Knowledge
Favored Weapon:
none
Faithful:
15,000
Associated Groups:
The Bardic College of Icefia, Relic Hunters
Melodine –
“A dirty minstrel never gathers a crowd.”
