[Hourglass of Zihaja] Chapter 1: Zihaja & His Universe

[Zeta Kai]

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[Zeta Kai]

The Hourglass of Zihaja

Never strike a stick of yew,
Against a staff of elder blue.
This is the thing you must not do,
At night when half moon is in view.

Two worlds, two realities. Two paths, originating from one guiding will.

The twin planes' balance drives the flow of power, of life, of magic.

This winter, begin a new adventure. Explore the lands of the Burdusq, where mighty empires have risen and fallen, where city-states vie for recognition, where one god has many names and many peoples have one god.

From high mountain cliffs hosting the nests of the great rocs, to far-off isles of wonder, where treacherous dao hole up in their fortresses of stone. From the shadowed cradle of a ghul-born infant to the joyous light of a fire sabi’s first sparks.

Meet cunning, worldly gnoll traders, sagacious lizardfolk alchemists & flamboyant, egotistical half-genies. Fear the lure of magic, the contract with the supernatural, the power of ancient bloodlines. Thrill on an enchanted flying carpet, or find a genie slave to do your bidding from the confines of an ensorcelled ring. Vie with imperious sphinxes, lethal succubi & vicious manticores as you travel from a seaside bazaar to a fantastic ruin to a perverse temple of snake cultists.

Enter a world of superstition, of seeking and avoiding the power of magic, of an uncaring god called lord by some & demon by others, of the walking dead, the scorching sun and the chance to slip between worlds around every corner!

As the ebb & flow of oil and water, as the endless swirling of the dawning clouds, find yourself drawn to explore the boundaries of one world & meet the inhabitants of the next.

Welcome to the Hourglass of Zihaja.

Features

• The first campaign setting designed by community vote on GitP forums!
• Play a human, sabi, half-genie, half-ghul, lizardfolk, gnoll, or kobold!
• Many new prestige classes, paragon paths & epic destinies to customize your character!
• New spells, new feats and new monsters!
• Compatible with both 3E & 4E Dungeons & Dragons!

[Zeta Kai]

Glossary of Terms

Aazlai (az-LIE)

• (singular or plural) A race of powerfully-built Monstrous Humanoids with a strong resemblance to bipedal lions. Also known as the Zimbalqani (singular Zimbalqanas, from an Admajai phrase, meaning “Lion-Folk”), most civilized people just call them the Lion-Men. These leonine creatures are savage, yet proud; simple, yet wise; plebian, yet lordly.

Adimas (ah-DEE-mus)

• The carefree, fickle deity of opportunity, gain, pleasure & fortune. Capricious & arbitrary, he teaches of searching for the advantage & the thrill of serendipity to enjoy the best in life.

Admaja (ahd-MAH-jah)

• The Central Continent, once widely known as Al-Marqaz, before the rise of the former kingdom-turned-empire of the same name. It is the home of many races, including gnolls, humans, kobolds, & lizardfolk. Most sabi, half-djinni, & half-ghuls are from here, as well. A large landmass, shaped roughly like an arrowhead & connected to the southern continent by a narrow isthmus called the Adjal Strip. Before the Pactspell ravaged the global environment, it used to be more hospitable, with fewer deserts & more arable savannas.
• The Empire of Admaja (1 IR – 829 IR). Known by many names, it was so vast, so powerful, & so influential that it lent its name to the Central Continent itself. Its founding marked the end of the Age of Kingdoms, a time when national concerns were superseded by a more global vision. The empire fancied itself to be benevolent & enlightened, seeking to unite the entire known world under its banner, bringing stability & knowledge to what it saw as barbarous savages & oppressed serfs. But they gained territory primarily through military conquest, occupation, & annexation. Eventually, a cabal of archmages in the capital of Asanam inadvertently destroyed the empire by triggering the Pactspell, which brought about the Ten Dark Years & the deaths of untold millions, mostly within the empire’s borders.
• The Kingdom of Admaja (1,878 AK – 3,135 AK). Before it became a true empire, Admaja was a small island kingdom off the eastern shore of the continent. This kingdom lasted for centuries, until an ambitious king named Zazir declared himself emperor of all that he saw. Under his rule, the nascent empire claimed lands all along the eastern coast, mostly those that were ruled by no other kingdom. After his death, the empire lived on under his son, Emperor Zazir II, who conquered the kingdom of Adabasha & who took his father’s dream of universal power & turned it into one of universal enlightenment.

Akasha (ah-KAH-shah)

• The passionate, glowing goddess of the sacred feminine. Warm but temperamental, Akasha urges freedom from patriarchy, shining light upon the darkness of tyranny, & the creation of the new through the destruction of the old.

Alchemist (AL-kem-ist)

• A profession defined by its practice of alchemy, the semi-magical science of chemical manipulation & craft. The art they practice is studious & ordered, with rules that change by the practitioner & by the second. Experimenters with mercury, sulfur, & salt of phosphorus, these dangerous academics cultivate an abstract, mystical science that produces wondrous results.

Bjardvif (bee-ARD-viff)

• The wife of Hagalvethr, & is the mother of all dvernin. Sjor & Isvel are her children (Torsottr may be one of hers, as well), & she is a nurturing deity who cares for each & every living thing. Dvernin pray to her when they are pregnant, are caring for a pregnant woman, are caring for a child, courting a mate, or getting married.

Daq (DAK)

• The unpredictable god of right & wrong, light & dark, good & evil. He guides his followers along the precipitous, narrow road in between, avoiding the perils of extremes & exulting in the sublime balance of destiny.

The Darshan (DAHR-shahn)

• The agents of Zihaja, who deliver divine will & divine guidance to the peoples of Siraaj & Najmah. The three divine spirits gather mystery cults around the secret of their actions & draw individual worship by virtue of being Zihaja’s hands upon the worlds.

Demon (DEE-mun)

• A race of evil beings that hail from Najmah. They are creatures of chaos, sowing destruction, slaughter, & ruin wherever they roam. Their countless hordes threaten to destroy both the realms of day & night, if left unchecked. A fragile pact between the devas, the devils, & the houris of Najmah keep them mostly isolated in the Najmai region of Sergala, but some of them still find ways to terrorize other lands.

Dervish (DUR-vish)

• A religious warrior, dedicated to a power, a cause, or a belief higher than themselves; they embody the power & fury of their deities. Devotees of the mighty gods, dervishes acquire divine privilege & protection as they forward their sacred cause.

Deva (DAY-vah)

• A race of celestial beings that hail from Najmah. Enlightened & pure, these winged creatures are paragons of divine order, virtue made flesh. They have a long-time alliance with the houris, & a fragile truce with the devils of Hima. They are primarily concerned with protecting the Kamala from various threats, such as the demons, the rakshasas, & mortal mages from Siraaj.

Devil (DEHV-ill)

• A race of evil beings that hail from Najmah. They are creatures of order, striving to spread tyranny, oppression, & corruption wherever they can. As de facto citizens of the Hima Sovereignty, they are held check by the demonic hordes of Sergala, as well as their fragile pact with the devas & the houris. Their ruler is the mighty Empress Tamaskama, who has ambitions to subvert the truce & conquer all of Najmah.

Djinn Lord (JIN-lord)

• An arcanist who has found a route to true power in the ancient ways, through the binding & controlling of a true genie. Ultimate foes of all genie-kind, they bind members of the mighty arcane races into relics forged of stolen sorcery, enslaving genies & stealing their essences in a mad grasp for power. Through practice, study, & habit, they pierce the veil of mortality & tap into the true essence of the genie races, becoming more like the beings they exploit.

Genie (JEE-nee)

• A race of magical beings that hail from Najmah. Suffused with elemental energy, they have deep inherent ties to nature & the natural world. Long ago, they had several kingdoms in the Realm of Night, but their entire civilization was shattered by the Great Calamity (also known as the Pactspell). Today the survivors of that apocalyptic even are mostly scattered across Siraaj, living in isolated enclaves & hiding from ghuls & mortal mages, for fear of death or capture.

Geomancer (JEE-oh-MAN-sir)

• A student of the mysteries of the land, who molds rock & stone through silent conference with the very foundations of the world. Able to divine the knowledge of the earth itself, the geomancer whispers to the world & is answered. This divine calling appeals to mortals who feel a fellowship with the land or are drawn to the unyielding beauty of stone.

Ghul (GOOL)

• A demon-like creature of great power & even greater evil. These vile fiends prey on sentient creatures, out of a deep, instinctual hatred for natural life. They seem to be at their happiest when they are rending other beings limb from limb, & they appear to be most content after feasting on the flesh of their slaughtered victims. They were relatively rare before the Pactspell, but after the Ten Dark Years their numbers have swelled.

Gnoll (NOLE)

• A strong & hardy race hailing from the eastern shores of the continent of Admaja. Tall & muscular, they resemble humanoid hyenas, with short black muzzles & hair covering their entire bodies. Also known as the Saraqanas (an Admajai word, meaning “Fur-People”), gnolls walk upright or with a slight hunch forward. Their arms are even longer & thinner than their lanky, digitigrade legs, often giving them a springy appearance & a loping gait.

Hagalvethr (HAH-gull-VETH-ur)

• The patron god of all dvernin. He is the lord of all other dvernin gods, even if some of the others do not accept his rule. He exemplifies many of the dvernins’ key virtues: hard work, perseverance, might, honor, & commitment. Dvernin pray to him when they want fair weather, when they are building above-ground shelter, or when they are beginning a laborious endeavor.

Half-Genie (haff-JEE-nee)

• The offspring of unions between the genies of Najmah & the mortal humanoids of Siraaj. Also known as Numar-Sim (from the Admajai, meaning “half-breed genie”), they are a conflicted people. On one hand, they have supernatural powers that set them above the more common races. However, by the same token, they are often compared to full-blooded genies, which are far more powerful than their hybrid offspring.

Half-Ghul (HAFF-gool)

• The offspring of unions between the nightmarish ghuls & mortal humanoids. They are now a race in their own right, able to create viable offspring of their own kind. Sometimes called Numar-Jalaq (“half-malign”), or simply Numar-Gul, they are a race in search of an identity. While some take after their ghul parents, indulging in wanton acts of villainy as a means of revenge upon the world that rejects them, many others of their kind strive to overcome their foul lineage & forge their own path through life.

Houri (HOO-ree)

• A race of ascended, perfected versions of mortal beings from Siraaj, which have been reincarnate on Najmah. They are not immortal, but they live in a magical world of wonders & delights, so they appear to be far removed from the concerns of other mortal races. They gather together in harmonious communities, largely untroubled by discord or strife. Mostly living on the continent of Kshayam, they have a long-standing alliance with the devas, & oppose the demons, the devils, & the rakshasas.

Human (HYU-mun)

• The predominant humanoid race on Siraaj, & the archetype for all humanoids. About half of the world’s sentient population is made up of humans, also known as the Alqanasi (singular Alaqanas, from the Admajai word for “people, group, or population”). This strength-in-numbers strategy has served them even better than the development of agriculture before it; they are better able to defend themselves & their territory from the bastion of these municipal centers than they were ever able to before. Many other races have followed their lead, founding larger & more concentrated settlements in a bid to remain competitive.

Isvel (ISS-vell)

• The daughter of Hagalvethr & Bjardvif, the younger sister of Sjor, & is the dvernin goddess of ice & snow. Her realm is the tundra, the permafrost, & anywhere that snow falls. She is a lonely deity, one who is feared more than she is loved, & she is only called to when someone wants a favor from her. Dvernin pray to her when they need guidance, insight, good fortune, or fair weather.

Johoum (juh-HOOM)

• The uncaring, oppressive deity of the pounding sun. He is emblematic of strict authority & hierarchy, & his dogma eschews mercy & forgiveness in favor of stricture, sanction & punishment.

Kamala (kah-MAH-lah)

• A microverse of only two finite planes, one bathed in light (Siraaj) & the other shrouded in darkness (Najmah). The twin realms are wrapped in a labyrinthine shell of nigh-impenetrable force, floating in a sea of astral nothingness. Inside the shell, the two brother-planes are coexistent with one another, overlapping each other’s physical space, each one a distorted reflection of the other. Also within this spiraling shell are Dhuqa (the sun of Siraaj), the Three Moons (Badra, Chandra, & Qamar), the Falaqi (the countless stars), Walu the Void, & the Nomad Stars (Utared, Nahid, Zurah, Qahira, Mushtari, & Zohal).

Kobold (KOE-bold)

• A small reptilian people with a nose for opportunity, a zest for living, & a heritage of tenacity. Though less numerous than other peoples, their long history & prolific spread has led to their traditional tongue becoming the common trade language. They are indigenous to the warm flatlands north of the Satha Laylanuha, although in modern times they can be found anywhere on the continent of Admaja, especially in urban areas. Also known as Araqurai (from an Admajai phrase, meaning “little lizard”), they have weathered all storms with an industrious & persevering attitude that has served them well over the ages.

Limalia (lee-MAH-lee-ah)

• The goddess of perseverance, hardship, loss, & travel. She leads her followers to new locations, new perils, & new challenges, abandoning them in their darkest hour to see them thrive & gain greater glory in her eyes.

Lizardfolk (LIZZ-ard-FOKE)

• A reserved & conservative race, deeply community-oriented & sensible to the world around them. Preferring a slower-paced lifestyle, lizardfolk have taken a corner of the world for their own, from which they may spread to sample or integrate with members of other cultures. Though more devoted to art than to science, lizardfolk have taken to the seas with aplomb, & are experts in the nascent art of sail. Also known as the Arqanasi (singular Araqanas; from an Admajai phrase, meaning “Lizard-Person”) or the Waranass, they have had a long, difficult time adjusting to the demands & routines of life in the civilized society, made harder by their natural territorial instincts.

Maqur (mah-CORE)

• The erratic, malicious goddess of crime, conceit, & falsehood. Arrogant & violent, the wicked flame of Maqur burns the hand that feeds her & consumes all in pursuit of personal gain.

Martuakh (MAR-too-AHK)

• The patron deity of the she-da-zhong, a loathsome god of serpents & venom. Once a vigorous, active god, one who drove his children to invade & conquer, he has now reverted to a languid, passive state. He is often depicted as an enormous coiled serpent, its eyes half-lidded & milky, its mouth toothless, & its scales dull & flaking.

Master of the Wastes (MASS-tur uhv thuh WAISTS)

• One who has transcended such simple concerns as hunger, thirst, heat, cold, & storm. Adapted to the harshest climes, the master of the wastes has acquired a mystical control over his environment & become one with the extremes of the wastes.

Najmah (NAHZH-mah)

• The Plane of Night, a finite plane entirely within the Kamala. It is coexistent with Siraaj, & they overlap each other’s physical space. The sun of Siraaj cannot be seen from any vantage point. The planet Najmah stays within its boundaries, as does Chandra the Steadfast Moon & Walu the Void. Most other celestial bodies in the Kamala orbit a point on the border of both planes, passing through both of them.
• A planet within the plane of the same name, a curious dichotomy of the mundane & the magical, the familiar & the bizarre. Like Siraaj, it is a round world, covered by lands & seas, with many different peoples living on it. But very much unlike Siraaj, however, Najmah has no sun to shine upon its face. The sky is always dark & filled with stars, with only its moons to pierce the endless night. The peoples of Najmah are a reflection of the plane itself, both common & fantastic; such conflicted peoples include demons, devas, devils, genies, & houris.
• One of a pair of unborn gods found by Zihaja in the primordial era, before the creation of the Kamala. Zihaja took the fetal gods & raised them as His own, forming the twin planes to host His new god-children. Najmah named his brother Siraaj, & was named by him in turn. At first, they collaborated & cooperated, but over the untold eons, their differing approaches led them to fight with one another, an epic clash known as the God-War. In order to preserve the Kamala, Zihaja bound the battling twins within their respective planets, sealing them away from one another & the rest of the pocket universe to sleep for all of eternity.

Nathar (nah-THAR)

• The patron deity of the demon-touched shaghali, a darkly pragmatic demon god who views life & happiness as petty resources. Nathar & his analogues are known & feared in many cultures.

Pahari (pah-HAR-ee)

• A strange-yet-amicable race of aquatic beings. Also known as the Nuzaqanasi, they are inquisitive creatures, always eager to learn & explore new things. Unlike some dry-land cultures, the pahari are avid users of magic; their cities are truly places of wonder, replete with arcane items, & many pahari are accomplished sorcerers or wizards. They are also fascinated by the lives of surface folk, to point where some brave & curious pahari risk their lives to travel above the waves in search of knowledge & adventure.

Pashati (pah-SHAH-tee)

• The benevolent, nurturing goddess of the rains, life & motherhood. She represents the endless, selfless bounty of the natural world, the simple beauty & wonder of life, & its power to purify the mind, body, & spirit.

Pharaoh (FAIR-oh)

• A person of inherent authority & force of personality, imbued with the greatness & charisma to lead others. Bearing an aura of exaltation that causes all to cower in awe of their majesty, pharaohs are among the world’s great rulers, generals, & academics. King-priests, potentates, & tyrants alike are noted as pharaohs.

Qirus (KEER-oos)

• The stern, vigilant deity of protection, structure, establishment & conquest. His dogma teaches that in the darkest hours, one must stand with pride brighter than the sun.

Rakshasa (rock-SHAH-sah)

• Zabul beqi dui aq-gazila hebaq mashaz idai geju aq-harash duaz falaj tal ua mal. Riqa zabul eq guadai faj, ludr zenul diu hizu ua genumel geju jujim aq-Qirusai qash. Equt teqar diai, Afru’Aquma. Ludrasad diu aq-timudai aq-tabariqad usham. Gabar qama shiur eqri taqma ruz aq-hazaqan qrai.

Sabi (SAH-bee)

• Mortal humanoids that possess genie bloodlines, thus feeling the allure of their sorcerous ancestry strongly. Though many choose to hide these traits, blending in to be merely ordinary citizens of their lands, some tap their racial power with great zeal. Descended from four disparate races, sabi have nonetheless come to know their own kind & have banded together in many areas. Most of these communities are clandestinely disguised as mortal neighborhoods, but some exist in the open, & others have been revealed over the years for what they truly are.

Shaghal (shah-GAHL)

• A race of arrogant & merciless beings, which have terrorized coastal settlements on both sides of Admaja for the past several years. Related to the common gnoll, & they share their sophistication but none of their potential for pleasantness. Originally from a far-off land, they have made the effort to sail across the seas & assault the peoples of Admaja at the behest of their deity, Nathar. Savvy & cunning, a shaghal is a tenacious foe by nature, made more so by their harsh, matriarchal culture.

She-Da-Zhong (SHAY-dah-JONG)

• Originally humans from Jual Jahari, they are descended from a decadent & murderous empire that was ruled by a religion of snake worshipers. Centuries ago, a powerful ritual was cast that destroyed their realm & transformed them into serpentine beings. They are natural schemers, ceaselessly plotting to advance their wicked agendas. Their culture is split into two factions: the Asps & the Cobras, who both worship Martuakh, & are primarily divided by religious dogma.

Sidaru (see-DAR-oo)

• The quiet, serene authority of death, the arbiter of final rendition in all things. He is the guide & the judge, holding court over all souls. He has sustained the peace of death & upheld the law of nature since the very beginning, & he shall await at the very end of all things.

Siraaj (seh-RAHZH)

• The Plane of Day, a finite plane entirely within the Kamala. It is coexistent with Najmah, & they overlap each other’s physical space. The sun of Siraaj can be seen from any vantage point. The planet Siraaj stays within its boundaries, as does Badra the Constant Moon & Dhuqa the Sun. Most other celestial bodies in the Kamala orbit a point on the border of both planes, passing through both of them.
• A planet within the plane of the same name, a sphere of sea & stone, like other terrestrial worlds. And like most of those material worlds, the face of Siraaj is lit by a bright sun for half its day. This harsh realm is the home of many hardy peoples, including gnolls, humans, kobolds, & lizardfolk, as well as people of mixed blood, such as half-djinni, half-ghuls, & the sabi. Like Najmah, this world is an oblate spheroid, 8,333.9 miles (13,409.4 km) in diameter; & its circumference is 26,182.0 miles (42,126.8 km).
• One of a pair of unborn gods found by Zihaja in the primordial era, before the creation of the Kamala. Zihaja took the fetal gods & raised them as His own, forming the twin planes to host His new god-children. Siraaj named his brother Najmah, & was named by him in turn. At first, they collaborated & cooperated, but over the untold eons, their differing approaches led them to fight with one another, an epic clash known as the God-War. In order to preserve the Kamala, Zihaja bound the battling twins within their respective planets, sealing them away from one another & the rest of the pocket universe to sleep for all of eternity.

Sjor (see-OAR)

• The eldest son of Hagalvethr & Bjardvif, the brother of Isvel, & is the dvernin god of war. He is a heroic figure, the very embodiment of bravery, honor, selflessness, practicality, & martial skill. Dvernin pray to him just before a battle, when hunting prey, when constructing a weapon, or prior to crossing a body of water.

Sunya (SOON-yah)

• The confident, authoritarian god of the sacred masculine. Cold yet dynamic, Sunya establishes patriarchal leadership through force & family structure, as well as devotion to tradition, foundation, & the establishment.

Umaj (oo-MAHJ)

• The pure, feral deity of instinct & life. She rules over the beasts & the land, & celebrates nature, the hunt & survival of the fittest. She requires that her followers be strong, wise, & independent.

Waharim (wah-HAR-eem)

• The god of lore, legends, theory & practice; the deity who reigns from on high in silent, meditative isolation. He demands of his followers learning, understanding, & growth by withdrawal from that which is mundane.

Zaia (ZAI-ah)

• The goddess of the natural & the supernatural, the mundane & divine systems, life & the afterlife. She presides over the universe, preserving the order of the spheres & maintaining the boundaries between space & time. Her followers work on her behalf to enforce this cosmic balance, so that they may take part in the natural ascension of souls to a higher realm of thought & existence.

Zihaja (zee-HAH-jah)

• The secret true creator god of the Kamala, & the maker of all within it. Once a God Among Gods from another world, He fled from a civil war within His pantheon & sought peace in solitude. He then made a great shell around himself, to seal away any who would look for Him. He then made the twin planes of Siraaj & Najmah to house a pair of nascent godlings that he found in the astral void. When the two young gods began to fight with one another, he sealed them with their respective worlds, to sleep forever, while he retired to his hidden palace. Rarely seen in modern times, his existence is disbelieved by all but a heretical few.

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Pictured: The cosmology of the Kamala. The Plane of Night takes up the left half of the image (BLUE), while the right half is devoted to the Plane of Day (ORANGE). This image is not to scale. Click on the image above for a view of the map at full size.

Cosmology

The Kamala is a microverse of only two finite planes, one bathed in light (Siraaj) & the other shrouded in darkness (Najmah). The twin realms are wrapped in a labyrinthine shell of nigh-impenetrable force, floating in a sea of astral nothingness. Inside the shell, the two brother-planes are coexistent with one another, overlapping each other’s physical space. They are entwined, each one a distorted reflection of the other. Where one world ends, the other begins, & vice versa.

Siraaj
Siraaj (seh-RAHJ), named after the Plane of Day in which it sits, is a sphere of sea & stone, like other terrestrial worlds. And like most of those material worlds, the face of Siraaj is lit by a bright sun for half its day. Most of its land is covered in desert terrain of some sort, with only a few places that are spared the scourge of sand or snow. This harsh realm is the home of many hardy peoples, including gnolls, humans, kobolds, & lizardfolk, as well as people of mixed blood, such as half-djinni, half-ghuls, & the sabi. Like Najmah, this world is an oblate spheroid, 8,333.9 miles (13,409.4 km) in diameter; & its circumference is 26,182.0 miles (42,126.8 km).

Najmah
Najmah (NAHJ-mah), named for the Plane of Night that it lies within, is a curious dichotomy of the mundane & the magical, the familiar & the bizarre. Like Siraaj, it is a round world, covered by lands & seas, with many different peoples living on it. But very much unlike Siraaj, however, Najmah has no sun to shine upon its face. The sky is always dark & filled with stars, with only its moons to pierce the endless night. Bright light is rare & usually artificial, so most places have shadowy illumination at best. Life still thrives here, however, with many plants & animals giving off their own light. And the strange multicolored mists that flow over the land & sea give off a shadowy light all their own. The peoples of Najmah are a reflection of the plane itself, both common & fantastic; such conflicted peoples include demons, devas, devils, genies, & houris.

Dhuqa
Dhuqa (DOO-kah) is the Sun of Siraaj, a fiery disc of light & heat. It shines upon the Plane of Day with a relentless intensity, sometimes scorching the desert world. Siraaj turns upon its axis, giving it around twelve hours of light & another twelve hours or so of nighttime each day. The light of mighty Dhuqa has never touched the world of Najmah directly, but legends say that it will shine upon the Plane of Night on the final day of the Kamala, heralding the end of both spheres. Some people know the sun by the name of Johoum, & believe it to be the face of a cruel & punitive deity, but most Sirajai recognize that the sun brings life as well as death, light as well as heat.

Badra
Badra (BAH-drah) is the Constant Moon of Siraaj, a bluish disc of pale light in the night sky. It travels through the sky, rising in the east & setting in the west, just like the sun. It takes 40 days for it to make a full cycle, during which it goes through a complete spectrum of phases. It starts as a waxing sliver of a crescent, growing through its first quarter to become a gibbous, then becoming full & bright. After the blue moon is full, it then begins to wane, diminishing until it becomes a crescent again, until it finally goes dark completely. The new moon then repeats the cycle, as it has faithfully done for countless ages. It is known by many names, with Bajra being the most common alternative, but the Constant Moon is always there, as sure as the sun & the stars.

Chandra
Chandra (CHAHN-drah) is the Steadfast Moon of Najmah, a greenish orb hanging in the ever-dark skies of Najmah like an impotent sun. Like the Constant Moon of Siraaj, Chandra slowly rides across the field of stars, taking a full day to complete its cycle. It never has phases, though, always remaining full & bright as it rises in the east & sets in the west. One myth says that Chandra’s waning would signal the end of the world. Also unlike Badra, the green moon slowly spins, doing a full rotation every 40 days. As the brightest light in the Najmai skies, Chandra is even more crucial to navigation on the Plane of Night than Badra is to Siraaj. The dim light of the Steadfast Moon is used by flora, fauna, & even people on Najmah to navigate, & even to simply see. Nearly all life on Najmah depends on the pale light of the green moon, & it always returns to mark the beginning of a new “day”. It is known by as many names as there are villages, but its most common alias is Shandra.

Qamar
Qamar (kah-MAR) is the Wandering Moon, the reddish moon known to both Siraaj & Najmah. For 20 days out of the month, it crosses the skies of Siraaj, appearing at the third quarter (which it shares with Badra), waning to a new moon, & then waxing again as a crescent. It disappears from the Sirajai skies during the first quarter (which coincides with Badra’s first quarter), appearing above Najmah for the next 20 days, where it is most commonly known as Mah. It then waxes to a full moon, only to wane again to its third quarter, when it repeats its endless cycle. Long-dead scholars assert that there is a brief time when the red moon is in neither sky, although where it goes during those periods is a mystery that no two sages can agree upon. As the Wandering Moon travels over one of the twin worlds, it appears to gather a shimmering cloud trailing behind it. This multicolored tail is at its brightest at the end of its arc, & is always gone once the red moon crosses over to the other plane.

The Falaqi
The Falaqi (FAH-lah-key) are the Stars in the sky, the myriad pinpoints of light that pepper the night skies of both worlds. There are several tales that attempt to explain what a Falaq is & what created them all. Some legends claim that they are merely holes in the Dark Veil that hides the light of creation. Others say that the Falaqi are actually tiny suns, with tiny worlds huddled around them for warmth. Still others state that they are each luminous souls, frozen in the sky as an eternal reward (or eternal punishment). Some are colorful, while others are pale. Some are bright as a distant torch, while others are so faint that they can only be seen with lenses on a clear night. Some even move against the backdrop of the other stars. They form many patterns, which are given fanciful names by the people below: the Hammer, the Southern Sword, Zazir’s Lamp, the Winged Warrior, Jathi’s Scepter, the Five Brothers, the Ghul’s Head, & countless others. Every culture seems to have their own pantheon of constellations, with their own explanations as to what they mean & why they’re there. On Najmah, they are known (both singularly & collectively) as Naksatra.

Walu
Walu (WAH-loo) is the Void in the night skies of Najmah, a seeming hole in the sea of stars. Just as the sun only shines upon Siraaj, Walu only appears in the Najmai sky, a pool of utter-black in the eternal midnight blue. No star shines through it, not even the Nomad Stars, but like the stars, it rises in the east & sets in the west. What it actually is remains a mystery, although many a sage has claimed to have the answer. Some say it is a nexus of darkness, a font of black, a source of evil things, & the reason why Najmah’s sky is always night. Others think that it is a counterpoint to Siraaj’s sun, a disc that absorbs light & heat, just as Dhuqa exudes energy. Still others believe that it is a shroud that hides some great (&/or terrible) secret. Regardless of its origin or purpose, the Void has never been proven to affect the world of Najmah or its inhabitants, as it is always just there, black & unchanging, silent & still as the night itself.

The Nomad Stars
The Nomad Stars are six strange star-like lights in the skies of both realms. Unlike the Falaqi, which are stationary in relation to one another & only move across the sky in an unchanging arc, these wanderers move in their own twisting patterns, traveling at different speeds. They all move across the sky of one plane for half their cycle, then vanish, appearing in the sky of the other plane & completing their arc, returning to the first plane once they’ve gone full circle. Most of the six nomads are also rather bright, among the brightest of all the stars, & they all have vibrant colors, as opposed to the mostly pale Falaqi. Each of the Nomad Stars has a name: Utared, Nahid, Zurah, Qahira, Mushtari, & Zohal.

Utared (oo-TAR-edd) is the Sun Star, the first of the Nomad Stars. It is called the Sun Star because it is usually seen near the sun, as its short cycle takes it close to the sun very often. It completes a full cycle in just a single month, with 20 days spent crossing the skies of Siraaj, & the other 20 days spent crossing the skies of Najmah. Telescopes reveal Utared to be a dull gray disc, marked with patches of lighter & darker hues. It is associated with Air, Luck, Sun, & Travel. It is commonly known as Ravi on Najmah.

Nahid (nah-HEED) is the Morning Star, the second of the Nomad Stars. Its nickname comes from the fact that it is most easily seen in the early morning, just before sunrise. It completes a full cycle once every two months, with one month in the Plane of Day, & the other month in the Plane of Night. A view through a telescope reveals Nahid to be a blurry orange disc, streaked with reddish stripes. It is associated with Good, Healing, Plant, & Protection. On Najmah, it is usually called Shukra or some variant (such as Sitara).

Zurah (ZOOR-ah) is the Evening Star, the third of the Nomad Stars. Its sobriquet came from the fact that it is most easily seen in the late evening, just after sunset. Every four months, it completes another cycle, with half that time spent over Siraaj, & the rest over Najmah. The unaided eye can only see a pinpoint of bright bluish light, but a telescope reveals Zurah to be a disc of pale sapphire, with streaks of white & dark blue mixed together. It is associated with Animal, Destruction, Evil, & Trickery. The most often-used name for it on Najmah is Charya.

Qahira (kah-HEAR-ah) is the Red Star, the fourth of the Nomad Stars. It got its title from its blood-red color. It completes a full cycle once every two years, spending one year over the Plane of Day, & the other year over the Plane of Night. Telescopes reveal Qahira to be a dark crimson disc, with jagged lines of bright red crisscrossing its face. It is associated with Chaos, Death, Fire, & War. It is commonly known as Mangal on Najmah.

Mushtari (moosh-TAH-ree) is the Star of Kings, the fifth of the Nomad Stars. It is called the Star of Kings because it is the brightest star in the sky of either plane, only outshined by the moons themselves. It takes four whole years for it to complete a cycle, with two years in the skies of Siraaj, & another two years in the skies of Najmah. A view through a telescope reveals Mushtari to be a swollen pink disc, streaked with lavender stripes. It is associated with Earth, Law, & Strength. On Najmah, it is usually called Brihaspati or some alternative.

Zohal (ZOE-hall) is the Winged Star, the last of the Nomad Stars. Once every eight years, it completes an entire cycle, with four years spent in the Plane of Day, & the other four years in the Plane of Night. The other nomads have been known since antiquity, but Zohal was actually discovered by an Admajai astronomer named Munira. The unaided eye can only see a faint pinpoint of pale purplish light, but a telescope reveals Zohal to be a winged disc of violet, with streaks of gray & soft blue mixed together. Munira noticed the strange shapes on either side of the star, & wrote that it “has wings, to better carry it through the heavens on its long journey.” It is associated with Knowledge, Magic, & Water. The most often-used name for it on Najmah is Shani.

The Great Shell
The shell that surrounds the Kamala has no name, for most of the inhabitants of Siraaj & Najmah have no knowledge of it. The shell lies beyond the Falaqi (IE the stars in the sky), so it is completely invisible from within. Its inner shape is a perfect sphere of unimaginable size, containing the hemispherical planes of Siraaj & Najmah. Its outer form is believed to be like a nautilus shell, a spiraling labyrinth of unfathomable scale & complexity.

The Great Shell is extremely far from any known planar landmarks, a cyclopean mote floating in a sea of astral nothingness. It is composed of a nigh-impenetrable magical force, a divinely-enhanced construct of pure solid arcana. From the outside, its surface appears to be a dull neutral gray, almost invisible against the cloudy silver expanse of the infinite Astral Plane. The exterior is marred by tiny cracks & pits, which upon closer inspection turn out to actually be roads & cities, built by long-dead gith colonists. As extensive as they are, these ancient ruins seem to only be superficial growths when compared to the enormity of the shell itself; they stop almost immediately at the place where the shell curves in upon itself, leading to an almost featureless mazelike interior.

Navigating through the shell’s inner labyrinth is virtually impossible, in either direction, for every true passage leads to two false ones, & every locale looks very much like any other. The shell has no food, no water, no air, no gravity, & no points of reference. There has never been a recorded instance of any creature entering or leaving the Kamala without the express assistance of a divine agent. While it is technically possible to enter or leave the shell via various magical or mundane means, without a detailed map (which is not known to exist) one would easily become hopelessly lost in the shell’s near-infinite fractal chambers.

The World Serpent
In the skies of both worlds, there is sometimes a ring that appears to encircle the entire sky. From the ground, it usually looks like a thin arch that stretches from north side of the horizon to the south end. This form has many names, such as the Arc of Heaven, the Sky-Ring, the Divine Circle, the Halo of the Stars, the Celestial Loop, & the World Serpent. It changes color often, appearing to be black, white, red, green, or even a motley of different hues. It can appear at any time of day, but it seldom stays in the sky for more than a few hours before disappearing again.

There are countless racial legends concerning the World Serpent, & these are just as diverse as the religious tales. The dvernin call it Jormungandr, a great & terrible being who opposes Hagalvethr & his family. The she-da-zhong call it the Coils of Martuakh, a symbol of their god’s malevolent power. And the aazlai see it as the Sky-Ring, a divine artifact that forces their many pagan gods to cooperate.

In fact, every religion has a different explanation for the World Serpent’s nature, & their stories are as likely to converge as they are to contradict each other. The Adimasai call it the Fortune Arch, & pray that it grants them good luck. Daqites know it as the Great Divider, the partition separating all that is good from all that is evil. Johoumites see it as the Shackles of the Sun, an enormous iron chain that binds Dhuqa to the world. Umajans think of it as the wild & unpredictable tail of their god. Followers of Waharim believe that the Arc of Heaven is a divine construct, a deliberate mystery for his adherents to contemplate during their meditations, so that they may achieve enlightenment. And the Zaians view it as the body of their mighty benevolent deity, protecting her disciples & maintaining the division between the realms of the living & the world of the dead.

Crossing Between Planes

The separation of Siraaj & Najmah is mediated by the world-naga Zaia, who holds the two planes in her coils & manages the distance between them. The ease & manner of passing between the planes depends upon their current metaphysical proximity, as shown on this table:

Table 1-1: Planar Crossing

{table=head]Distance|Fade|Rift|Portal|Autonomous|Divine
Close|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y
Separated|N|Y|Y|Y|Y
Distant|N|N|Y|N|Y
Removed|N|N|N|N|N[/table]

It takes Zaia approximately one hour to move the planes one stage closer together or farther apart.

Fades
When the planes are close, areas of crossover appear in the places where the border is thinnest. These areas see the essence of each plane permeate into the other, blending over like dyes to create a smooth transition, such that the exact point of crossing is impossible to determine. Fades range in size from 100 feet to 3 miles, & are some of the most fantastic & alien places in the Kamala. The sky ripples with spectral light & phantom stars, the grass is a strange turquoise shade, & the air is perfectly temperate though strangely humid. Fades are such large transition zones that wild creatures slip through them in numbers significant enough to be noticed. Zaia is always watching over fades to make sure they are not being exploited, especially by demons or rakshasas.

Rifts
Smaller than fades but just as notable, rifts form in areas of great magical influence. As such, they often appear in ancient Admajai ruins or important battle sites, & may be formed where powerful magic items have been destroyed or mighty spells were once worked. Rifts are the most numerous type of fixed crossing point, though their breakthrough nature & lack of transition effect means several punch through to a body of water or some point in midair, which make them less useful than other means of crossing the planar divide.

Portals
Unlike fades & rifts, portals are not natural phenomena. Many were crafted during the time of the Archmagi to facilitate diplomatic relations with the genies. Others date back still further, before the invasion of Johoum. Portals open into the points designated by their creators, rather than traveling straight through or to a random location. Though the art of portal-making was lost (along with a great many of those that existed), elements of the process are still used by the genies of Siraaj to conceal their hidden enclaves.

Divine Sending
Akasha, Sunya, & Zaia all have the power to create a temporary portal to the other plane, though even they cannot bridge the gap when the planes are at their most removed from one another.

Border Entities
Certain creatures reside within the planar boundary & can innately pass between worlds (or even back inside the border) as a standard action. Rakshasas & avorals are the most notable of such entities. When the planes are farthest removed, even these creatures cannot cross over. They may retreat back into the border, but if they do so they will be unable to leave the border until the planes come closer together.

The Seven Paths of Darkness
In the countless years before the simurghs, during the God-War, Sunya & Akasha spoke to one another as siblings. Though each born of a different realm (one of Day, while the other of Night), the twin demigods would debate with one another often, each trying to convince the other that their side was right. Back before Sunya and Akasha had their falling-out, Sunya used a power called the Bridge of Darkness, which allowed him to move across planes to be at Akasha’s side in an instant, no matter the distance between the worlds.

The manipulative schemes of the rakshasa lord Ahuma resulted in Sunya loaning him this power, which the fiend stole but could not control. Before it could be taken back by Sunya, Ahuma shattered the bridge. The resulting fragments formed the Seven Paths of Darkness, permanent roads through the border that connect the planes at fixed points regardless of planar separation. Control of these paths & their exit points is a major concern in the politics of Najmah (& to a far lesser extent, on Siraaj). It is known that Sunya retains one, while Ahuma’s palace is built upon another; most of the others are believed to be in the possession of Ahuma’s fellow rakshasas.

Below is the location for each of the paths on Siraaj:

• Mushah Lake has one on its banks (#1, N13)
• The Temple of Manas was built over another (#2, O15)
• Two are in the mysterious far-off land of Shemun, in the northeastern corner of Admaja (#3, E18 & #4, B22)
• One is about 100 miles northwest of the city of Alaqur (#5, K14)
• Another is in the dark & strange forests of the Adjal Strip, the isthmus that connects the continent to the Yan region (#6, U9)
• And the last is in the rocky wasteland north of the Sea of Fiery Knives (#7, F10)

Najmah has seven corresponding portals:

• One is in the middle of a small nameless grove, deep in the center of the Bhangah Jungle (#1, W14); this is the one that is still held by Ahuma
• Another is within the Canyon of Light (#2, Y16)
• There is one underneath the great stone arch known as Death’s Gate (#3, U21)
• Another lies within an isolated wooded valley, north of Agniparvata (#4, O23)
• One is just north of the city of Ayus (#5, K14), in control of the church of Sidaru
• Yet another is on the island of Dviipah, in a small forest between the towns of Gharyana & Kemii (#6, U9); this is the only one that leads to the precisely corresponding spot on Siraaj, & is therefore the largest & most stable
• And the final one is on a lonely hill near the tip of the Udiichii Peninsula (#7, L6); this is the one that Johoum used to invade Siraaj

[Zeta Kai]

Divinities

Table 1-2: Divinities

Spoiler

Show

{table=head]Aspect|Pronunciation|Alignment|Follower|Symbol Shape|Granted Domains|Favored Weapon|Druid|Monk|Paladin|Divinity Type
Adimas|ah-DEE-muss|Chaotic Good|Adimasai|trapezoid|Chaos, Cunning, Luck, Magic|longbow|No|No|CG|Aspect
Akasha|ah-KAH-shah|Chaotic Good|Akashan|semicircle|Good, Heroism, Presence, Protection, Sun|heavy mace|No|No|CG|Servant
Bjardvif|bee-ARD-viff|Chaotic Good|Bjardite|woman|Earth, Good, Healing|light mace|No|No|CG|Racial
Daq|DAK|True Neutral|Daqite|triangle|Destiny, Evil, Good|spear|Yes|Yes|No|Aspect
The Darshan|dahr-SHAHN|True Neutral|Darshanite|rings|Knowledge, Prophecy, Travel|spear/warhammer/scimitar|Yes|Yes|No|Servant
Hagalvethr|HAH-gull-VETH-ur|Lawful Good|Hagalite|fist|Air, Cold, Storm, Strength|battle axe|No|Yes|LG|Racial
Isvel|ISS-vell|Lawful Neutral|Isvelite|crystal|Cold, Knowledge, Law, Luck|heavy pick|Yes|Yes|LG/LE|Racial
Johoum|juh-HOOM|Lawful Evil|Johoumite|diamond|Destruction, Punishment, Strength, Sun|morning star|No|Yes|LE|Aspect
Limalia|lee-MAH-lee-ah|Neutral Evil|Limalite|rectangles|Hardship, Travel, Water|greatclub|Yes|Yes|LE/CE|Aspect
Maqur|mah-CORE|Chaotic Evil|Maqurite|crescent|Betrayal, Fire, Trickery|dagger|No|No|CE|Aspect
Martuakh|MAR-too-AHK|Neutral Evil|Martuakhai|loop & eye|Death, Poison, Serpent, Trickery|katar|Yes|Yes|LE/CE|Racial
Nathar|nah-THAR|Chaotic Evil|Natharite|maze|Curse, Evil, Murder, Night|longsword|No|No|CE|Racial
Pashati|pah-SHAH-tee|Neutral Good|Pashatai|vertical lines|Cleansing, Healing, Plant|trident|Yes|Yes|LG/CG|Aspect
Qirus|KEER-oos|Lawful Neutral|Qirusai|circle/disk|Law, Protection, Resolve, War|falchion|Yes|Yes|LG/LE|Aspect
Sidaru|see-DAR-oo|Lawful Good|Sidarite|square|Death, Law, Peace|warhammer|No|Yes|LG|Aspect
Sjor|see-ORR|Chaotic Neutral|Sjorite|cross|Heroism, Strength, War, Water|longsword/warhammer|Yes|No|CG/CE|Racial
Sunya|SOON-yah|Lawful Evil|Sunyan|sword|Evil, Heroism, Night, Power, War|scimitar|No|Yes|LE|Servant
Umaj|oo-MAHJ|Chaotic Neutral|Umajan|arrowhead/chevron|Animal, Earth, Wild|unarmed strike|Yes|No|CG/CE|Aspect
Waharim|wah-HAR-eem|Lawful Neutral|Waharimai|arches|Air, Contemplation, Knowledge|quarterstaff|Yes|Yes|LG/LE|Aspect
Zaia|Z’EYE-ah|Lawful Good|Zaian|hourglass|Luck, Protection, Travel, World|chakram|No|Yes|LG|Servant[/table]

[Zeta Kai]

Adimas
The Falling Feather, the Gilded Eye, the Lord of Finery

Symbol: A deep blue feather in a brass trapezoid.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Chance, good fortune, pleasure, magic, reward of study
Granted Domains: Chaos, Cunning, Luck, Magic
Favored Weapon: “Realization” (longbow)
Aliases: Al’Sihr, Bhagya, Rafiq, Ras Naranj

Adimas (ah-DEE-muss) is the carefree, fickle deity of opportunity, gain, pleasure & fortune. Capricious & arbitrary, he teaches of searching for the advantage & the thrill of serendipity to enjoy the best in life.

Region
The church of Adimas is widespread & decentralized, with many different people devoted to him under many different names. His church is most prevalent in the Northern Wastes region under the names of Al’Sihr & Rafiq, with strong centers of worship in Alaqur & Maisan, but he is also greatly revered in Naranj & Fandaq, where he is known as Ras Naranj. He has churches & shrines spread all across the southern regions, such as Ilud & the Sahra Basit, as well. Pockets of his faith can even be found as far east as Nahraldikh, & as far west as Luardo. On Najmah, the Gilded Eye is predominantly known as Bhagya, & his faith is mostly concentrated in Ahimsa, although he is venerated in several far-flung places, such as Angaros, Gita, Puranah, & Vatingana. His most famous place of worship on Najmah is Divan Temple, although that was originally dedicated to long-forgotten marid gods.

Worshipers
Though followed among humans & lizardfolk, Adimas is a draw primarily to kobolds & sabi, with a sizeable following among gnolls. Genies despise him as the Traitor God, for they tell legends of the Gilded Eye stealing the secrets of their caged kindred. Even among informal worshipers or the casually superstitious, Chimes of Gold are often kept as personal totems in the home.

Adimas accepts any non-lawful worshiper; none of his clergy are evil, however. He supports paladins of freedom (CG).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Adimas must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a lawful manner. This means that you cannot follow local, national, or other laws for their own sake, & you cannot honor traditions simply because they are traditional. You may obey laws & traditions if it makes sense to do so, or if it is convenient, but if a law or tradition stands between you & your goals, then you are obligated to violate it.
• While you may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, you cannot knowingly associate with evil characters, nor can you continue an association with someone who consistently offends your moral code. You may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are chaotic good.
• You should not show respect to authority figures, simply because of their title. You may respect them if you like them, admire them, or agree with them, but their position is not enough to automatically earn your esteem.
• You should acquire as much magic as possible, & hide it from others if necessary. You ought to collect scrolls, wands, & other magic items whenever possible, including magically enhanced weapons & armor. You should also seek means of raising your caster level, gaining more spell slots, & adding spells to your spell list. If others seek to destroy sources of magic, than you must intervene & preserve the magic.
• You cannot use antimagic, & you must deactivate zones of antimagic if possible. If someone is creating zones of antimagic in your presence, then you are obligated to stop them.

Churches
Adimas has many followings, although most of them are merely isolated cults operating independently of one another. There are, however, three organized sects of notable size:

The Society of Serendipity
Also known as Chance’s Path, the Society is a loose-knit yet well-connected order, dedicated to a meritocratic philosophy of self-improvement & “making one’s own luck”. Known for their carefree lifestyle & pursuit of knowledge, member of the Society are constantly on the move. They wander from place to place, righting wrongs & learning lore, all while sewing chaos & change in their wake.

Widely rumored to harbor spellcasters of various sorts, the members of Chance’s Path are rarely trusted by the citizens of most settled lands. Therefore, they must earn trust wherever they go with good deeds & helpful gestures, lest they be swiftly run out of town. The more responsible members will help the locals maintain the ubiquitous small shrines dedicated to Adimas, while trying to keep a low profile. Less scrupulous members will simply roll into town, foment disorder, take what they need, & move on before local authorities can respond to their disruptive actions.

The Society of Serendipity makes use of the Feather Quill as their chief symbol. They tend to be witty & adaptable, sharing information amongst themselves to help each other survive & further their agendas, both individually & collectively. Clerics of the Society tend to favor the Cunning & Luck domains.

The Church of Seals
The most devoted sect to the symbolism of Adimas, the Church of Seals is dedicated to the discovery, analysis, unlocking, & exploitation of ancient mysteries. More insular than most of Adimas’ followers, the Church of Seals works alternately for the betterment of their societies & themselves. Members of the church seek out old documents, archive magical scrolls & generally seek out magical artifacts & items to catalogue, store, seal away &, of course, unseal themselves, as needed. Some church members are actually wizards or sorcerers in disguise, & even those who are not are often nearly indistinct from such, though overt arcane magic activity needs to be concealed from their peers.

The Church of Seals is also the sect most likely to practice tantric dancing, a frenzy of meditative motion that is often performed by dervishes. They use the Watching Eye as their primary symbol. Their clerics often choose the Cunning & Magic domains.

The Golden Hand
The smallest of the major Adimasai factions, the Golden Hand is also the most organized. It is probably also the best known sect, as its members often staff the major temples dedicated to Adimas. Priests of the Golden Hand sing the praises of the Gilded Eye, & tell anyone who will listen that he can help them, if only they will make a small donation. This proselytizing has greatly helped fund the maintenance & spread of Adimas’ faith, but it has also earned them the enmity of some more ascetic, lawful religions, such as those of Qirus & Waharim.

Followers of the Golden Hand teach that Adimas is a benevolent deity, one who created the world out of the random cosmic energies & blessed it with his own arcane power. While most ministers are too cautious to say so aloud, they believe that magic is a divine gift that should be used to exalt their creator. Many members of the Golden Hand have some mastery of both arcane & divine forms of magic, & some have even become mystic theurges, despite the prevailing attitudes against magic.

Members of the Golden Hand often wear golden or yellow robes, or blue robes that starkly contrast with their gold-colored gloves. They favor the Golden Trapezoid as their main symbol, as it resembles the pyramidal profile of the average Admisai temple. Their clerics usually opt for the Luck & Magic domains.

Faith Structure
The shrines of Adimas can be found everywhere: in almost every major city, in many smaller settlements, along roadsides, near prominent landmarks, & sometimes just in the middle of nowhere. They are usually rather small, with barely enough room for a few people to crowd around an idol on a pedestal. The larger temples, the ones that are multiple stories & can hold a sizable congregation, tend to only be within the larger cities. It is only in these major temples that the sacred Fortune of Adimas ritual is performed.

Regardless of size, a building dedicated to Adimas is almost invariably shaped like a trapezoidal pyramid, with slanted columns or walls sloping up to a flat roof. The interior is often mostly empty, with few (if any) interior walls & sparse decorations, giving the entire building an austere, almost-ominous mood. In contrast, the priests attending the average temple are typically a disarming, agreeable lot (so long as you have a coin to donate). They are often quite adept at diffusing non-believers who see the church as a front for arcanists or followers who have become upset by the temple’s take on official doctrine.

Members of the Adimasai clergy actually have a fairly strict hierarchy, which is based on one’s mastery over magical forces. Behind closed doors, far from the public eye, priests of Adimas compete with each other in meritocratic tournaments to decide who is more powerful than whom. Both arcane & divine casters vie for dominance, & the two types face each other as often as not. The winners of these duels rise through the ranks of the church, while those who lose fail to advance, & can even be demoted. These contests are usually no-spells-barred, free-for-all battles that can result in death… or worse.

Disciples of Adimas who are not attached to a specific temple usually live a transient life, moving from place to place as the mood strikes them. They maintain existing shrines, build new ones, sermonize to non-believers, or pray at magically-potent sites, all in a seemingly-haphazard manner. These unaffiliated devotees often live by their wits, allowing random chance to provide for them & guide their actions. Of all of Adimas’ followers, these adherents (who sometimes call themselves the True Believers) are the most likely to choose the Chaos domain, which is fairly rare among the larger sects.

Clerics of Adimas can pray for their spells at any time of day or night, & it can even vary from day to day. Members of Adimas do not attempt to actively convert others to their religion, but they extol his virtues at any chance they get. Therefore, non-Adimasai see his followers as passionate, fickle, boisterous, & impulsive.

Dogma
The followers of Adimas are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Take risks when they present themselves, for the Falling Feather blesses those who make their own luck.
• There is no truth so true that all must know. Make practice of illusion & deception, for that which lies unseen has all the more power when revealed.
• Keep an open eye for the workings of sorcery, & for the ways of the lamp-bound. Those who were born with the Secret Art are no enemy to Adimas, but the proud wizard may be no friend.
• Give in fairness to the less fortunate, that their lot may be cast once more. None should live bound to a final roll of the die.
• Treasure not what you have, & covet not your lot in life, but strive always for that which is better, for you shall find it.
• Appreciate that which is random & in disarray, do not impose order upon it. Luck can only thrive in chaos.
• A dull mind is a wasted gift, so keep your wits sharp, & endeavor to enlighten the ignorant.
• Preserve all the knowledge that you can, for lost lore is a grave misfortune.
• The Secret Art is the essence of change, the purest source of creation & destruction. It must be understood, & wielded wisely, for the wisest know when not to wield it at all.
• Seek pleasure in all things, for joy is the fruit of all fortune.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Adimas believe that, after they die, they will ride a great pleasure craft across the waters of the sky towards the grand monument of Adimas (an immense cap-less pyramid, made of gold like his symbol), where exists the Wondrous Bazaar & the maze of staircases down to the living world for watching the people & wandering the lands. They can return to the boats to meet those soon to cross over, & join Adimas in his Gallery of Dreams. On the boat, the faithless are as fish that jump up from the water over the boat as they pass on, & are reincarnated to try again when they splash back into the water. The foes of the faith are as birds that hunt fruitlessly, & after years of hunger dive into the waters of the sky to try to catch a fish & are mercifully granted another chance by Adimas.

Origin
The original Adimas was a kobold from Haz-Hurad, a civilization that cohabited with the Admajai Empire. Long a secret student of their ways, he seized many of the trapped & bound genies cast down by Zihaja & gained power from their study, using his knowledge to make himself a living god to his people, in a city built to rally the dispersed kobolds to Adimas’ vision of a prosperous life without the Admajai. His peaceful passing went unnoticed by his subjects for months as his illusions & conjurations sustained the city he had created. When it all vanished, neighboring areas believed that the god-potentate had brought his city into Paradise to serve as his new domain. The aspect of Zihaja recreates the mirage city from time to time to reinforce the myth.

By Other Names
Adimas is known under other names by different cultures:

Bhagya
On Najmah, Adimas is best known as Bhagya, the genie god of the gentle winds, a deity of life, magic, & music. He possesses the Breath of Life, a magical exhalation than can heal the wounded, or even raise the dead. He is seen as a benevolent deity, albeit an erratic one, whose kindness comes in gales or doldrums. Worship of Bhagya is concentrated in the djinn-dominated land of Atma (especially in the city of Ahimsa), but his faith is an old one, & he has pockets of devotion in many far-flung lands. Clerics of Bhagya can choose from the Air, Chaos, Healing, & Magic domains.

Rafiq
The kobolds had a profound effect on the nomadic aazlai tribes during the rule of the Admajai & afterwards. The cheerful camaraderie & cooperation between the two races is reflected in aazlai folk tales, with the spirit Rafiq (meaning “friend”), a mischievous, clever trickster who gets into, & pulls himself out of, tricky situations. Especially appreciated by aazlai cubs, Rafiq is the patron spirit of guides, adventurers & shamans, who revere his learning-by-experience mythology. Though most of Rafiq’s dedicated are adepts, he does have shamans, who can choose from the Cunning, Knowledge, Luck, & Trickery domains.

Ras Naranj
In the southern lands, especially where staid Qirus & stern Johoum rule all, worship of other gods may be frowned upon or sternly punished. In these places, the traditions of Adimas may be passed down behind the pseudonym of Ras Naranj, a sort of uncle figure folk tale. Ras Naranj is the bringer of providence & prosperity, whose parables teach the virtues of Adimas in a form suitable for life under the aegis of an oppressive religious regime. Though in several states Ras Naranj has effectively supplanted true Adimas tradition, in the city of Naranj he is known & celebrated as their favorite image of Admias & as a cultural icon. Clerics of Ras Naranj can choose from the Luck, Magic, Protection, & Strength domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Akasha
Lady of Light, Dawn-Mother, the Shining One, Aurora, the Saintly Joy

Symbol: The Sunray, a yellow semicircle inside of a larger blue semicircle, with thin rays of yellow beaming outward.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Accord, good, hope, light, love, the sacred feminine
Granted Domains: Good, Heroism, Presence, Protection, Sun
Favored Weapon: “Daybreak” (heavy mace)
Aliases: Al-Hanan, Kira, Nur, Satkriyaa, Ushas

Akasha (ah-KAH-shah) is the passionate, glowing goddess of the sacred feminine. Warm but temperamental, Akasha urges freedom from patriarchy, shining light upon the darkness of tyranny, & the creation of the new through the destruction of the old.

Region
There is no part of either world that has never heard of Akasha. She is largely a figure of folklore in most regions; only a few places actually worship her as a goddess in her own right. Her symbol, the Sunray, is a basic icon of womanhood, & is depicted in jewelry & on keepsakes for little girls the world over. To many women, she is simply Dawn-Mother, while one church of Johoum insists she is his daughter, & myths of Limalia accuse her of being the vain, rich beauty to Lady Pain’s hard-working, laborer crone.

She was one of the most central deities of the Admajai Empire, along with her brother, Sunya. Today, her sole remaining seat of worship is the city of Rizaj, which only recently converted from venerating Adimas. On Najmah, she is mostly revered by the houris on the continent of Kshaya.

Worshipers
Akasha’s faith, such as it is, is notable for transcending most racial & cultural boundaries; members of all races adore the Saintly Joy. In the Admajai Empire, she was an honored deity, already ancient in the Imperial Reckoning, & her memory has been passed down ever since. As a personified spirit of gender, she is effectively a historical & cultural icon, while of late her legends are a rallying point for female empowerment in some circles. The Fatima worship & swear by Akasha, loving her above all others.

Akasha allows worshipers of any non-evil alignment, but most of her clergy are chaotic. She supports paladins of freedom (CG).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Akasha must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in an evil manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit an evil act, even if that act furthers a greater agenda of good in some meaningful way. For example, you cannot kill an assassin when capturing them is a viable option, even if preventing their murderous actions is in keeping with your good agenda. Also, while borrowing things that are needed to promote a good agenda is acceptable, outright stealing is not. In addition, lying is fine if the telling the truth would get in the way of a greater good, but cheating someone should be avoided, if at all possible, even if the cheated party is evil.
• While you may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, you cannot knowingly associate with evil characters, nor can you continue an association with someone who consistently offends your moral code. You may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are chaotic good.
• You must not show respect to authority figures, simply because of their title. You may respect them if you like them, admire them, or agree with them, but their position is not enough to automatically earn your esteem.
• You must not hurt a woman, or through inaction allow a woman to be harmed. A lady is a woman from the moment she is born, & deserves the respect due the fairer sex. Non-sentient creatures are not women, nor are beings without life or soul. A woman guilty of a crime may be bound to her sentence, but the innocent female is sacrosanct.
• You should spread light & illumination wherever you go. If you travel by night, you must bear a torch or a lamp, & share your light with whomever you meet. You may not hide in shadows, nor can you abide a room untouched by the light of day; if you enter such a place, you should bring the daylight with you, if at all possible.

Churches
Akasha’s devotees are thinly spread, & are organized into many small sects:

The Sublime Radiance
Many of the semi-independent cabals devoted to Akasha consider themselves a part of the Sublime Radiance, a loose network of factions that promotes harmony, love, & mutual aid. The sect is focused on spreading illumination (of both the literal & metaphorical kind) to all who wish to bask in the light of creation. Members of this faction are the most likely of all Akashans to staff & maintain the temples dedicated to the Shining One. The history of the Sublime Radiance can be traced back to the formal church of Akasha in the Old Empire, but its origins were much earlier than that, predating the Age of Kingdoms. During the anarchy that followed the Fall of the Simurghs, Akasha came to Siraaj & broke the Light of Order into 114 fragments. These portions were bequeathed to various women, so that their children would found the first kingdoms. Thus began the era of autonomy for the humanoids & their kin on Siraaj, as did the church as it exists in its current decentralized form. Clerics of the Sublime Radiance usually choose the Good & Sun domains.

The Glorious Sisterhood
Founded by the legendary Sister Amira Bibi al-Mara, the Glorious Sisterhood has endured for over nine centuries. It is a network of aligned temples & cabals, dedicated to the veneration of the feminine form & the advancement of womankind. They believe that Akasha made all females in her image, & therefore that women everywhere are a pure reflection of the divine structure. Their feminist agenda has put them at odds with many groups over the years, & they are persecuted or even outright banned in many settlements. While the vast majority of their adherents are in like-minded communities, where gender equality or even female-dominance is the cultural norm, they are most active & most visible in patriarchal lands. It is for this reason that the sorority has so many martyrs to its cause, more than any other faction of its size. Clerics of the Glorious Sisterhood generally choose the Heroism & Protection domains.

The Followers of Light
For the last 14 years, the Followers of Light have been as well-known as they are controversial. They are more of a large cult than a splinter faction, & other Akashans are quick to renounce them as nothing more than a group of heretics. Originally founded by a man known today as Qunavi, the Lord of Light, they believe that he is the bodily incarnation of Akasha, & that he personifies the sun & its life-granting power. They worship anything that emits light, holding such objects as sacred idols. Unlike most other Akashans (who are embarrassed to be associated with the sacrilegious Followers), they typically wear yellow robes. They believe that when they die, their souls will join with Qunavi, becoming one with the Light-Bringer & granting him even greater power to illuminate the ignorant masses. More men belong to the Followers than to any other sect of Akasha’s church, even more than to the Dawn-Heralds, much to other Akashans’ dismay. Clerics of the Followers of Light often choose the Presence & Sun domains.

The Heralds of the Dawn
The most militant wing of the Akashan churches, the Heralds of the Dawn are valiant & pious, champions of virtue & the bane of the wicked. They are a highly-evangelical sect, proselytizing & recruiting wherever they travel. Their cabals are usually quite small, with only a half-dozen or so members. They wear polished silver-plated armor under their scant white robes, so as to reflect the glory of the sunlight (& to evoke old tales of knights in shining armor). They journey on horseback, riding where their instincts lead them, hoping to find wrongs to make right & evildoers to rout. This simplistic, binary view of the world has led to several incidents in which they forced to make reparations to parties that they had harmed in their misplaced zeal. Other Akashans have a conflicted view of them; some appreciate the visibility, vitality, & new membership that they bring to the church, while others disapprove of their brash methods, naïve outlook, & inept fanaticism. Clerics of the Dawn-Heralds typically choose the Good & Heroism domains.

Faith Structure
The church of Akasha prefers to build small shrines over larger temples, a reflection of their widespread-yet-loose organization. While these shrines (which rarely have walls) can appear to be simple affairs, they are actually carved in intricate detail with geometric patterns, which an expert of the Akashan records (or one of astronomy) can tell are charts & graphs tracking the sun’s movement through the sky. The full temples usually have a portal on the roof that can be opened to let in the sunlight, & many of them feature hanging prisms that catch & refract the natural light onto the white interior walls.

The priests of Akasha (or, more likely, her priestesses) always wear pristine white robes, with the notable (& heretical) exception of the Followers of Light. An initiate of the church is called a Candle, after the lit candle that they carry from dusk until dawn; these entry-level acolytes perform menial duties for their cabal or temple. Above them are the Lanterns, who likewise bear a namesake lamp & keep it lit all night long, & they often serve the church by spreading the gospel & recruiting new converts. Even higher in the ranks are the Torches, who have everburning torches on hand at all times; these celebrants usually deliver a temple’s sermons or build new shrines. The highest echelon of the church is the Enlightened, who need not carry any light-emitting devices; they are considered so holy as to brighten the souls of those around them by their mere presence.

All of Akasha’s clergy wear her symbol, the Sunray, at all times, usually as a pendant on a chain around their neck. Some cabals require that their priests tattoo the Sunray onto their bodies, to signify the darkness within each mortal soul which must be expunged by the light of Aurora, but this is an uncommon practice. Girls & women of all ages wear the Sunray as well, & it has become a nearly-universal icon of the feminine spirit. Akashan men wear it as sign of their faith, but many non-Akashan males dislike the mark, preferring the masculine StarBlade icon of Sunya.

Dogma
The followers of Akasha are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• End all conflict & discord, for harmony is the only path to the Saintly Joy.
• Hold goodness in your heart, & share it with others. A smile may sheathe the sword.
• Never despair, even in the deepest darkness, for the Dawn-Mother shall always build a brighter tomorrow.
• Spread the light of Aurora to all places, & cast out all shadows.
• Affection & adoration are the bonds that hold us all together. To truly love the Shining One is to love all her children.
• Respect all women, for they are made in Akasha’s sacred image. All her children are of woman born.
• Always show valor in the face of peril, for bravery is a light that shines long after the candle is extinguished.
• The Lady of Light blesses her children with charm & allure. If you are faithful, you shall be the bearer of her glory.
• Offer safety & refuge to those who need it, & you shall bask in Akasha’s light.
• Act only in the light of day. The night is a time for dark souls & darker deeds.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Akasha believe that, after they die, they will be guided by a hafaza to a dark tunnel. They must walk through the cavernous passage, where they will pass beneath the Three Gates (Desire, Worth, & Fate). Those who do not truly follow the Shining One cannot cross all the gates, for one of the three will bar their passing. If the dead make it through the gates without incident, they will emerge from the tunnel onto the surface of Qamar, the Wandering Moon. They will ride upon the Wandering Moon until it completes its journey across the sky, when it will disappear into the Other Realm. After Qamar has crossed over, the dead will go through another tunnel & another Three Gates (Sapphire, Opal, & Ruby), after which they will appear upon the marble floor of a grand temple. From there they will be shown the wonders & hazards of the next life by spirits of light & joy.

Origin
The truth of Akasha is unlike that of many other deities worshiped in the Kamala, for Akasha does exist & is in fact a demigoddess. In the ancient Godwar between Siraaj & Najmah, each sent an agent to seduce the other. Najmah’s servant, a female deva of surpassing beauty, laid with Siraaj, & in the starlit realm gave birth to his daughter. Though the brothers may have intended the products of any such union to be hostages, Zihaja removed the divine children to his palace & taught them of his plan for the Kamala, how the enlightenment of mortal souls would teach the brothers & restore the peace between them. The children were united in their efforts to end the war, & by the time of the simurghs, had become lovers.

Their affair was doomed by their opposed natures, however, & despite their love, they could not help but to quarrel with one another. Each thought that their way was right, though they cannot convince the other. Akasha & Sunya continue to attempt to mend their differences, & once each year, they love again from dusk until dawn. Akasha now lives on a small paradise island somewhere off the coast of Shemun. She leads her followers in fighting against authority & imperialism, & challenges the causes of Sunya wherever his darkness threatens the light of day. In her passion, she sees herself as a virtuous champion of freedom whose despotic husband tries to oppress her. It is her greatest burden that, as the child of Siraaj, a force of destruction, she is barren, & as such, her clerics are the greatest foes of the almasti.

By Other Names
As an ancient deity known across both worlds, Akasha is venerated under many different names.

Al-Hanan
To the nomadic tribes of the Northern Wastes, the Lady of Light is known as Al-Hanan. She is a love goddess, a beguiling embodiment of joy & affection. She binds young couples together with her imperceptible strings, trying them up in unbreakable knots on the dawn of their nuptials. She is a fickle & unknowable goddesses, who advocates harmony & caring, but can also promote (or at least excuse) jealousy & fanaticism. This personification of passion & desire is worshipped by people of all races in the Three Rivers area, from the foothills of the Satha Laylanuha to the shores of Alhurus Lake. Clerics of Al-Hanan may choose from the Destiny, Good, Luck, & Peace domains.

Kira
A figure in the later tales of the aazlai, Kira is a daughter to Shimha. Kira was not in favor with storytellers generally, mostly being relegated to a supporting role. Most myths associate her with Rafiq, Yaani, & Saso, mirroring in many ways early tales of her father. Kira figures most prominently in the tales surrounding Kuzira’s final battle with the Spirit Tribe & her marriage to the Night Prince. The few clerics of Kira may choose from the Chaos, Heroism, Protection, & War domains.

Nur
The people of the Red Sands don’t think of the Shining One as a purely benevolent deity. Descended from the survivors of the Admajai Empire’s violent demise, these rural folk (mostly Mamlaqai humans) believe that the Akasha that their ancestors worshipped was deeply offended by the decadence & sin of the Admajai. They say that on the day of the Pactspell, she finally allied with her brother, Sunya, to raze the Old Empire to the ground, purifying the land of the wicked taint of the Admajai. She shed her former kindness, becoming the more neutrally-aligned goddess Nur. Today, many of those now living in the Ral Zadi pay her respect & burn offerings to her, hoping that by living a simple honorable life they will be spared her wrath a second time. Clerics of Nur may choose from the Fire, Cleansing, Presence, & Sun domains.

Satkriyaa
On Najmah, the Dawn-Mother is rarely worshipped, as there is no dawn in the Realm of Night. The only people to revere her are the houris, who know her as Satkriyaa. On the houri-dominated continent of Kshaya, she is beloved as a caring, nurturing goddess, a shining example of all that is virtuous & just. She shows the way to enlightenment, leading her followers to abandon the attachments that bind them to the endless cycle, so that they may transcend their current form & attain a luminous perfection. A few devas pray to her, but more of them are staunch Sidarites, & prefer his orderly path to ascension to her freeform, unstructured methods. Before the Great Calamity, some genies followed her guidance, but hers was always a somewhat marginal faith. Clerics of Satkriyaa may choose from the Good, Healing, Presence, & Protection domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Daq
The True Path, the God of Destiny, the Third Way

Symbol: A triangle whose white & black extremes mix to a gray center.
Alignment: True Neutral
Portfolio: Good, evil, balance, destiny, commitment, extremes
Granted Domains: Destiny, Evil, Good
Favored Weapon: “Narrow Road” (spear)
Aliases: Al-Muqadar, Dakhiel, the Foreseer, the Hand of Doom, Ruh Thariq

Daq (DAK) is the unpredictable god of right & wrong, light & dark, good & evil. He guides his followers along the precipitous, narrow road in between, avoiding the perils of extremes & exulting in the sublime balance of destiny.

Region
As perhaps expected from a deity of balance & moderation, worship of Daq is concentrated in the center of the Admajai continent, between the three great rivers (the Narrow, the Elzim, & the Saqiyah). There are traces of worship as far north as Rasalhague, & there are Daqite power bases in Babalarud & Darb. Mushayar is the heart of Daqite tradition, which is fitting for a City of Bridges. On Najmah, he is worshipped as Dakhiel, primarily in Kshaya & Prana.

Worshipers
Daq’s followers are mainly from human, sabi, & half-genie stock. Gnolls mostly live far from Daqite strongholds, & kobold culture is not fond of Daq’s dogma, preaching that escape from the beaten path is better than a mundane following. Lizardfolk may be drawn to the more neutral sects of Daq, & some half-ghuls have formed splinter cults around the dark paths of life.

Worship of Daq is a polarizing issue in some circles, due to various controversies associated with either the church or its founder. Daqites are all but banned in Meraya & Raqam, & those of marid blood do not venerate him since the destruction of the Central Padishate of Ruquz Aruj. And Johoumites oppose the church of Daq on several grounds, so religious strife abounds wherever the two faiths meet.

Daq allows worshipers of any alignment. Most of his clergy are neutral in some regard. He supports druids & monks, but not paladins of any type.

Churches
Daq’s adherents have united into two major churches, although there are tales of a hidden third faction:

The Path of Providence
This is Daq’s most prominent & populous church, & many non-Daqites see this faction as synonymous with the faith as a whole. Members promote an agenda of personal enlightenment, material detachment, & denial of self. They maintain small shrines along all the major roads in the continent’s interior, & are primarily concentrated along the northern banks of Lake Alhurus. Their ceremonies are simple, usually involving the joining of hands between two people, or the ritualized exchange of symbolic objects. Their focus on natural balance & what they call “harmonious fortune” has made them popular among agrarian tribes & other rural peoples. The Path Walkers, as they are most commonly known, consider the zebra a sacred animal & the karir a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Destiny & Good domains.

The Gray Order
Something of a counterpoint to the Path of Providence, the Gray Order sees itself as the true followers of Daq’s teachings. They adhere to a schema of personal ascension, material addiction, & indulgence of the self. The order’s members claim to do these things not for the pleasures of the acts themselves, but for the revelatory insights that these acts are said to create. They populate only a few larger churches, mostly in the Northern Wastes. The Path Walkers view them as aimless hedonists that speak heresy, & the order’s members view them in turn as austere conformists without vision. Their egocentrism & “fate-dreams” have not curried favor with mainstream society, so they are mainly a small-yet-vocal fringe movement within the Daqite faith. The Gray Order considers the vesper bat a sacred animal & the nightshade flower a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Destiny & Evil domains.

The Tulai Zalim
This isn’t a major church, or even a church at all, really. The Tulai Zalim is a secret cult that is little more than a myth in the modern day. Legends tell of a cabal of Daqite priests who grew dissatisfied with the moral schism within their faith, viewing it as a distraction from the balanced philosophy that they should be exemplifying in Daq’s name. Calling themselves the Blade’s Edge (or the Tulai Zalim in Admajai), this sect came to reject the tenets concerning destiny, or at least to marginalize them in favor of an all-important equilibrium. They supposedly went into hiding, spreading throughout the continent (&, some say, beyond) to engineer events in such a way as to achieve greater stability & balance. Whether they really exist or not is difficult to say, & just what they have supposedly done varies by the teller, but they are often said to have had a hand in the major events of regional history, & are blamed for many misfortunes. Their clerics are said to choose the Evil & Good domains.

Faith Structure
Daq’s shrines are mostly small constructions, usually only a trio of columns surrounding a statue on a dais, capped by a simple triangular roof. The few real Daqite temples are also triangular in shape, with an altar in the middle a large central chamber, which is often circular in shape & at least partially open to the sky. They also consider crossroads to be sacred places, as are any sharp divisions between one place & the next, such as doorways, city limits, or the water’s edge.

The priests of Daq’s faith almost always wear gray robes, which tends to make non-Daqites assume that they all belong to the Gray Order; they also often carry a gray wooden staff with a white tip & a black tip, in addition to their holy symbol. These ministers are all ostensibly of equal rank, & they each share in the duties of the temple in equal measure. The most important duty in a temple for the priests is officiating over the daily ritual, such as the popular Fate of Daq rite, or the lesser-known Doom Sacrament or Destined Road rituals.

Priests who do not belong to a temple will instead wander the roads, preaching to passersby, maintaining the Daqite shrines, & meditating in natural places of peace & tranquility. They meditate most intently during sunrise & sunset; Daqite clerics can choose to pray for their spells at either dawn or dusk. Members of Daq’s faith tend not to proselytize or actively convert people to their religion. They prefer to lead others to enlightenment by example, teaching only those who are willing to learn. For this reason, non-Daqites view them as passive, serene, aloof, & reserved.

Dogma
The followers of Daq are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• In all cases, there exists a third option. You must find it & walk the path between extremes.
• Daq has chosen your fate. Now it is up to you to explore that destiny.
• Without good, there can be no evil. Without evil, there can be no good. And without both in equal measure, there can be no balance.
• In balance, there is harmony. Pledge yourself to balance in all things, & a great destiny will be yours.
• Avoid all extremes, for they lead away from the True Path.
• Shun not the holy or the wicked, but embrace them both, & invite them to be more like one another.
• Suffer not those who would disrupt the harmony of good & evil.
• To relinquish your commitments is to deny your destiny.
• Greed, indulgence, & vice are the three paths to imbalance. Harmony cannot thrive in the barren plains of excess.
• Life is in balance with death, for all who live must surely die.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Daq believe that, after they die, they will be flown to a paradise called the Third Realm on the Wings of Providence. There, their individual destiny will be revealed by a representative of the True Path. From this glorious land of balance & harmony, the Daqites will watch the non-believers struggle below. Those who do not follow the Third Way will have their soul painted either black or white (both of which are distasteful extremes), & then they will be pitted against each other, to battle on another until they are spent & broken. Those blessed believers who cannot bear to watch the pointless destruction below can join Daq & be one with his sublime fate. Or they can take a third option, the most secret & holy of paths, the Way of Renewal, which leads to another incarnation in a form similar to, but not entirely like, their previous embodiment.

Origin
The true Daq was a formerly-administrative solar dispatched by Zihaja to slay the marid Shah of Al Huruz, who had captured the greatest city of the Admajai & stolen water from across the continent to spread his lake empire. The resultant destruction brought water to many but scoured dry the seabeds of Meraya & Raqam (where Daq is never spoken of to this day) in the process, creating the belief in the capricious deity who loves or hates & must not be brought to extremes. The resultant praise & loathing of Daq so intrigued Zihaja that he subsumed Daq’s following, making Daq an aspect of his divinity. The original Daq, known as Dakhiel on Najmah, lived on for a time in Prana, but was slain centuries ago in battle against a legion of invading devils during the Great Calamity.

By Other Names
Daq is revered under other names by different cultures.

Al-Muqadar
On the Nizal Peninsula, along the eastern coast, Daq is known as Al-Muqadar, which means “the Destiny”. He is a dispassionate, aloof god, one who has a plan for every creature & executes their fate without mercy or remorse. His disciples tend to be nihilistic, acting in any matter that pleases them due to their conviction about the fate of themselves & everything else. Unlike most religions, the followers of Al-Muqadar regard prayer as heresy, as praying to a deity to intercede on your behalf is tantamount to changing fate, which is a mortal sin. Their clerics often choose the Chaos, Destiny, & Law domains.

Dakhiel
On Najmah, Daq is known by the name of Dakhiel, which is the original long-form designation of the solar that inspired the Daqite faith. He is known as a placid, temperate deity, but one capable of righteous fury when the situation demands it. It is this judicious use of force that endears him to both pacifist & military followers. He is primarily worshipped in Kshaya & Prana by houris & devas, respectively; demons & devils hate him & his worshippers with a particular zeal. Their clerics often choose the Good, Healing, & Protection domains.

Ruh Thariq
In Ilud, there is an increasingly-popular Daqite faith that teaches that life is a journey along a narrow & treacherous path. On one side of the Spirit Road, one’s desires threaten to trap & consume the unwary within their own envy & greed. On the other side, one’s ideals attempt to ensnare & devour the naïve within the own strictures & inflexibility. This religion instructs its followers that one must walk the fine line between these two extremes if one is to find enlightenment & ultimate salvation. Their clerics often choose the Destiny, Luck, & Travel domains.

[Zeta Kai]

The Darshan
The Vision, The Hierophants, Those of Mystery, Secret Ones

Symbol: Three interlocking rings with an eye at the center
Alignment: True Neutral
Portfolio: Omniscience, awareness, divinity, prophecy, divination, forethought, guidance
Granted Domains: Knowledge, Prophecy, Travel
Favored Weapon: Awakening (spear, warhammer, or scimitar)
Aliases: Aspiration, Fact, & Legend, the Angel, the Light of Fact

The Darshan (dahr-SHAHN) are the agents of Zihaja, who deliver divine will & divine guidance to the peoples of Siraaj & Najmah. The three divine spirits gather mystery cults around the secret of their actions & draw individual worship by virtue of being Zihaja’s hands upon the worlds.

Region
The Darshan have no defined region; their mystery cults are everywhere, & individual worshipers appear in their wake. Many formal churches perceive the appearances of the Darshan to be the hand of their own divinity at work.

Worshipers
There are few racial patterns to the Darhsan’s faithful. On Najmah, they are followed in large numbers by the houris who aspire to enlightenment, & are often labeled with the individual names of Aspiration, Fact, & Legend. Demons ignore them, while devils & devas fear them. The Darshan rarely appear to genies or half-genies, & never to ghuls. The Darshan do not filter worshipers by alignment; however, few of their clergy are evil. The Darshan support druids & monks, but not paladins of any type.

Churches
The Darshan have two loose traditions & one notable individual practice.

The Order of the Eye
A mystery religion based around individual encounters with the Darshan & the Universe Eye symbol, the Order of the Eye gathers in insular cloisters to archive & document the will of their masters & the divine instruction passed to them through mortal paths. Their leaders, called Prophets, spend much of their day in oracular trances, & it is the second tier, the Interpreters, that gauge the words of their deities & instruct the small congregation as to their meaning. The Order also traces the route of the Universe Eye sigil through history, believing (correctly) that it is the symbol of all things & the sign of the path of wisdom, & once had a deeper meaning now lost to time. Their clerics often choose the Knowledge & Prophecy domains.

The Awakened
The Awakened are small groups of sages & initiates who have received direct instruction from an encounter with a Darshan. Understanding that they serve a higher power, they quest for learning & travel far in their mission to order the world’s happenings according to the divine decree. These traveling bands may settle briefly around a location, a people or a single individual, acting passively to manipulate events in accordance with their instructions. The Awakened are thus often sought for guidance, but many larger religions or traditions resent the interloping presence of external authority figures, & clash with them, driving them out of various territories where to this day they are unwelcome. Their clerics often choose the Knowledge & Travel domains.

Ruyah
Ruyah is the name given to the Sacred Dream that inspires its individual practitioners to abdicate the trappings of their current life & go forth as mortal agents of the mysterious, hooded divinities. Those who experience the Ruyah spend their lives seeking & sharing, delivering augury & aid before continuing in their ceaseless journey towards the answer to their enigmatic dream. The Darshan appear to these individuals in dreams & visions, but will never be encountered by followers of the Ruyah, as theirs is a quest without an answer. Monks of the Darshan are always followers of the Ruyah. Ruyah clerics often choose the Prophecy & Travel domains.

Faith Structure
The followers of the Darshan build no temples or great works. Small shrines for speakers of prophecy are all they can afford themselves for religious luxury. The Order of the Eye may acquire hidden caches, caverns or rooms wherein they may cloister themselves & conceal a Prophet, but the Awakened are always on the move, as are followers of the Ruyah.

The Darshan largely acquire followers either through direct contact or as individual initiates to the esoteric gatherings of the main groups. Their clerics are almost always hooded, & bear water & a knotted rope with them. Some clerics keep spices to serve as a focus for their trances. Priests tend to bear a weapon with a shape reminiscent of the light of the Darshan that they met: a spear for Aspiration, a hammer for Fact or a scimitar for Legend.

Dogma
The followers of the Darshan are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• To know all is to best serve the Heirophants, so learn all that can be learned.
• The wakeful eye sees the road ahead & the road behind. The lidded eye sees only itself.
• Respect the power of the spirit, for it gives purpose to the body & meaning to the mind.
• Listen to the whispers of the Secret Ones, for they shall always guide your hand.
• Open your eyes, see the world in its entirety, & look to the future, & you shall gaze upon the glory of the Darshan.
• Consider what you have learned, & anticipate the paths not yet walked, for the prudent shall triumph over the reckless.
• Lead others to wisdom, & give them knowledge, so that they may join the Vision.
• Knowledge without understanding is a bird without wings.
• Many predictions are false, but the true prophet is blessed by Those of Mystery.
• Wisdom can only be found somewhere other than where you are, so go there, & go there often.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of the Darshan believe that, after they die, they will be found by a spirit of guidance called a hafaza. This hafaza will lead the soul on a journey to the Pit of Fate, where it will linger for ten to twenty days before it is time for it to enter the Gate of Culmination. The gate takes the soul to an ascending staircase in a dark void. Alone, the dead soul can climb the stairs (or not) to reach several terraces. The First Terrace has a trio of devils, who will offer a soul of vice & villainy the chance to join them, while the Third Terrace has a trio of devas making the same offer to soul of virtue & value (the Second Terrace has been empty & broken for centuries). If a soul refuses these offers, they can proceed upward to the Final Terrace, where a great ammut waits to judge the soul’s inherent worth. The worthy may go through the final gate into the Great Hereafter, the unworthy are devoured by the ammut, & those too cowardly to face judgment hurl themselves into the Lake of the Damned.

Origin
The Darshan are spirit creations of Zihaja from the early days of the world, when many matters pressed him & dealing with the races of the two worlds was of low priority. The trio was formed to act on the over-deity’s behalf, going among the peoples of the worlds to serve Zihaja’s will. When Zihaja removed himself from the worlds permanently, the Darshan saw their roles change to become his full-time agents & representatives, not merely via the church but for the entirety of the worlds, as Zihaja’s record was erased from history.

By Other Names
The Darshan are revered under other names by different cultures:

Aspiration, Fact, & Legend
The Darshan are given individual names in certain myths & traditions, & even some of their conventional worshipers identify them by these instead of the collective noun. Aspiration is the Darshan of future events & action, & is the youngest, radiating long, sharp beams of light. Fact is middle-aged, solid & stern, with an ice-gray nimbus of imposition & weight; it represents the present time & what is & is not possible. Legend is the oldest, in a cloak of shifting colors, surrounded by swirling curves of light that dance & clash. It represents the past, magic, lore, & conjecture; living in uncertainty with available knowledge.

The Angel
From time to time, an individual Darshan manifests as a celestial presence to do some great work, as per Zihaja’s command. This incarnation, called by people the Angel, may impose on lesser beings to accomplish its task. Those who work alongside the Angel can choose from the Good, Heroism, Protection, & Law domains, & must not be of an evil alignment.

The Light of Fact
In some far-flung cultures, such as the matriarchal island of Sa’hsan or among the desert centaur tribes, the trio of the Darshan are seen as an abstract figure, a force of light in humanoid form. This light is said to speak truth & to convey the true order of things. Some of these cultures accept prophecy from the Light of Truth, though in shaghal culture such oracles are hidden & reserved for only the elite, who deeply reconsider any decision that would conflict with the knowledge of the Light. The few who worship the Light of Fact choose from the Knowledge, Luck, & Prophecy domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Hagalvethr
Sky-Father, the Stormbringer, Lord of Thunder, the Grim Smith

Symbol: A fist wielding lightning bolts over a cloudy circle.
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Dvernin, forging, mining, stormy weather, harvest, autumn
Granted Domains: Air, Cold, Storm, Strength
Favored Weapon: “Blizzard” (battle axe)
Aliases: Adya, Al’Fezr, Jamadab

Hagalvethr (HAH-gull-VETH-ur) is the patron god of all dvernin. He is the lord of all other dvernin gods, even if some of the others do not accept his rule. He exemplifies many of the dvernins’ key virtues: hard work, perseverance, might, honor, & commitment. Dvernin pray to him when they want fair weather, when they are building above-ground shelter, or when they are beginning a laborious endeavor.

Hagalvethr is most commonly portrayed as a very large & brawny dvernin (nearly six feet tall) with a gray braided beard that reaches down past his knees. His skin is nearly as pale as snow, & he always wears a full suit of armor. He often wears a scowl on his face, & his flinty eyes can pierce one’s heart like a frigid wind.

Region
Hagalvethr & the rest of the dvernin pantheon are worshiped throughout the Southern Continent (known to the natives as Gatheilar), wherever the dvernin can be found. They are mostly concentrated in the areas of Yan & Bhul, the two northernmost peninsulas of the southlands. On Najmah, where dvernin are largely unknown, worship of Hagalvethr & his kin is restricted to some houri cults in the Chitraka region, where he is known as Adya.

Worshipers
Hagalvethr & the rest of the dvernin pantheon are racial deities, & as such, they are exclusively worshiped by the dvernin. People of other races have a hard time relating to his ideals, even if they have lived in dvernin lands for a long time. Some rare folk (mostly humans from the southern reaches of Ilud) have adopted the dvernin gods as their own, but most other people would see them as foreign & strange. Members of other races usually see polytheism as blasphemous, & those who believe otherwise are often deemed heretics, viewpoints which only reinforce the deep cultural & geographic divides. He supports monks & paladins of honor (LG), who follow the standard code of conduct.

Churches
The church of Hagalvethr (& his family) is called the Assembly of the Divine, & while it is ostensibly a unified faith that administers all religious issues of the entire dvernin race, several factions exist beneath the surface. The main church is concerned with maintaining the dvernin way of life: teaching the masses, healing the sick & wounded, building shelters, tracking prey migrations, etc. Most of the clerics that do not affiliate with a specific faction choose the Storm & Strength domains, although many exceptions exist, & in a church this broad, many variants are accepted.

The Hammer & the Anvil
This party reveres the art of forging weapons & armor, martial prowess, & physical might. They worship both Hagalvethr & his son, Sjor, in equal measure. Their clerics often choose the Heroism & Strength domains.

The Gale Brotherhood
This fraternity is focused on the more chaotic & violent aspects of the dvernin spirit. They are closely tied to nature, & the Brothers spend as much time outside as the harsh weather will permit. Their few clerics (most of the brotherhood are druids) usually choose the Chaos & Storm domains.

The Ice Walkers
The Ice Walkers have tasked themselves with the duty of exploring the frozen wilderness of the Southern Continent, charting the desolate landscape, noting good hunting grounds, & marking potential shelters for future camps & communities. They are a hardy group of intrepid loners, who have a deep dedication to their people but a need to remain secluded from them. Their clerics often choose the Cold & Protection domains.

The Order of the Beating Heart
The order specializes in the curative arts, & they have the unrivaled skill in restoring life & vitality to the ill & infirm. They are somehow able to grow medicinal herbs, & they know how to use them to good effect. Their clerics often choose the Healing & Strength domains.

The Great Way
A relatively new cult within the church, this small cabal seeks to improve relations between the Admajai peoples of the north & the insular dvernin. They believe that the best way to improve the lot of their kind & others is to cooperate, & to that end they strive to forge trade deals & spread positive stories of dvernin folklore. Their clerics often choose the Good & Travel domains.

The Prime Edict
This conservative sect is concerned with the preservation of the dvernin culture, & to that end, they rigidly enforce the traditions & values that have served the dvernin people for generations. A deeply conservative group, they staunchly resist any attempt to deviate from the Olde Ways. Their clerics often choose the Law & Strength domains.

The Delvers
This union is dedicated to the task of excavating mines & digging tunnels for new underground settlements. They have many rituals & prayers for the building & maintenance of mines, & they are diligent in their efforts to ensure that all dvernin works are properly consecrated. Their clerics often choose the Cold & Earth domains.

The Wind Riders
This loose grouping of free-spirited rangers, druids, & clerics is committed to the thankless job of divining the weather. To accomplish this, they spend a great deal of time outside, braving the elements to experience the wind, snow, & sleet firsthand. They usually meet only to share their knowledge, attempting to compile their pooled lore into a cohesive understanding of the weather & its ever-changing patterns. Their clerics often choose the Air & Storm domains.

Faith Structure
A dvernin temple (known as a kirkja) is either on the surface or underground, but either way certain conventions are almost always followed. The temples are usually very small, usually no more than 20’ at its widest point. They often have eight walls, which curve up to a point at the apex of a dome, as the number eight is sacred to Hagalvethr & his pantheon. The above-ground temples have one tiny window in each of the walls, so as to see the sky from any direction, while the below-ground ones emulate this with paintings on each wall depicting a stormy sky as seen through a tiny window.

The dvernin are a pragmatic, austere people, used to hardship & willing to do what is necessary to survive. Therefore, after a public funeral, any dead body is cremated, so as to provide heat for the community. Each dvernin settlement has at least one priest, called a halrass, even if the village is too small to have a formal temple. This priest (which is always male) is in charge of any & all public ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, births, etc., & can be identified by the fact that they are the only adult males to be clean-shaven. Each halrass guides his flock according to his own wisdom & judgment.

Dogma
The followers of Hagalvethr (&/or other deities in the dvernin pantheon) are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• All dvernin are your brothers, & you may not strike a brother.
• Learn the ways of the forge & the hammer, as all things were forged & hammered into their present form by the hands of the gods.
• Dig deep into the earth, where it is warm & safe. Never build above when you can build below.
• Love the majesty of the storm, & respect its strength. The thunder heats the forge, while the rain cools the steel.
• All bountiful harvest is the proof of one’s labor. Work, & you shall be rewarded. Rest, & you shall go hungry. You cannot reap what has not been sown.
• There is a time for all things. In spring, till the soil & sow the seed. In summer, mine the earth & tend the crop. In autumn, reap the harvest & fill the store. In winter, forge the steel & clean the hearth.
• Heed the whispers of the wind, for the gods speak in gusts & gales.
• The faithful must never grow too warm, as the forge must never grow too cool. The ice & snow hardens the spirit, making it worthy of the Sky-Father.
• Hold in your heart the passion of the storm cloud, the fury of the lightning, & the roar of the thunder. Keep these deep within your spirit, but above all, hold the wisdom to unleash them wisely.
• That which is strong can be made stronger. That which is weak can be made stronger. That which is stronger will endure.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of the dvernin pantheon believe that, after they die, they will heed the comforting call of Dautha, the god of peaceful death, to make the long journey to the uttermost south. There, beyond the icy wastes of Bhul, they will join him in his great hall, where he trains the followers to one day fight in a great battle (Síðastr Vættfang), which is foretold to remake the world. In this final battle, Hagalvethr shall face Kvelja, Bvardvif shall face Flar, Jormungandr shall face Sjor, & Isvel shall face Torsottr, all for a final decisive time. Those who do not worship one of the dvernin gods cannot hear the call, & will become lost in the wastes of the world, their spirit freezing & blowing away on the stormy winds of oblivion. The next world will be a paradise, ruled by new gods, & will lack the suffering & sin of the current world.

Origin
Hagalvethr is the son of Clanggedin Silverbeard, the dwarven god of battle who resides on Arcadia. During the God-War of eons past, Zihaja called for aid from the worlds beyond the Kamala. Clanggedin replied to the call by sending his son to assist the great Zihaja. After the war ended, Hagalvethr opted to stay, leading his chosen people, the dvernin, into the frozen southern lands. Zihaja has granted him & his family the right to give divine power to their worshippers.

Bjardvif
Matron of Stone, the Ever-Birthing, Midwife of the Gods, the All-Mother

Symbol: A stone orb with a fertile female figure carved into one side.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Dvernin, birth, mothers & parenting, poetry, love, spring
Granted Domains: Earth, Good, Healing
Favored Weapon: “Spark of Life” (light mace)
Aliases: Lykka

Bjardvif (bee-ARD-viff) is the wife of Hagalvethr, & is the mother of all dvernin. Sjor & Isvel are her children (Torsottr may be one of hers, as well), & she is a nurturing deity who cares for each & every living thing. Dvernin pray to her when they are pregnant, are caring for a pregnant woman, are caring for a child, courting a mate, or getting married. She supports paladins of freedom (CG).

Bjardvif usually appears as a stout matronly woman with wide hips, dark grayish skin, & a kind smile. She is portrayed as much more cheerful & personable than her dour & gruff husband. She is always shown as being pregnant, with the full breasts & distended stomach of a woman who is near giving birth.

Sjor
Watcher of All Battles, the Trumpet & the Drum, War-Galley, the Crossed Arms

Symbol: A warhammer & a longsword laid across one another.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Dvernin, battle, martial prowess, hunting, oaths & vows, the sea
Granted Domains: Heroism, Strength, War, Water
Favored Weapon: “Honor & Glory” (longsword or warhammer)
Aliases: None

Sjor (see-ORR) is the eldest son of Hagalvethr & Bjardvif, the brother of Isvel, & is the dvernin god of war. He is a heroic figure, the very embodiment of bravery, honor, selflessness, practicality, & martial skill. Dvernin pray to him just before a battle, when hunting prey, when constructing a weapon, or prior to crossing a body of water. He supports druids, paladins of freedom (CG), & paladins of slaughter (CE).

He is most often seen a wild-haired young dvernin man, with ruddy skin, rippling muscles, & tearing eyes. He wears only a loincloth, crossed baldrics (to which his weapons are strapped), & fur-lined leather boots. He sheds a tear for every creature that he kills, a condition placed upon him by his mother, who loves all life & is greatly saddened by his role as a warrior god.

Isvel
Iceheart, the Prophet of the Final Fate, Snow-Queen, the Sister to Dragons

Symbol: A hexagonal ice crystal with a robed woman carved into it.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Dvernin, tradition, rituals, runes, shelter, winter
Granted Domains: Cold, Knowledge, Law, Luck
Favored Weapon: “Icebreaker” (heavy pick)
Aliases: None

Isvel (ISS-vell) is the daughter of Hagalvethr & Bjardvif, the younger sister of Sjor, & is the dvernin goddess of ice & snow. Her realm is the tundra, the permafrost, & anywhere that snow falls. She is a lonely deity, one who is feared more than she is loved, & she is only called to when someone wants a favor from her. Dvernin pray to her when they need guidance, insight, good fortune, or fair weather. She supports druids, monks, paladins of honor (LG), & paladins of tyranny (LE).

She is generally depicted as a tall, thin dvernin woman, with bluish skin & white, pupil-less eyes, clad in a frost-rimed robe that hides most of her form from view. When she appears, snow falls all around her, & everything she touches is frozen solid. She speaks little, but when she does, her breath is always foggy, & her words are as cryptic as they are prophetic.

Other Divinities

Kvelja (Johoum, Lawful Evil)
Dvernin who have traveled beyond the glaciers tell of the burning lands under the merciless sun. It is here, say their tales, that Kvelja holds sway. This deity is said to be the cursed brother of Hagalvethr, cast from his graces long ago for a treacherous crime, & has been consumed with a scorching hate ever since. Fire giants sometimes become clerics of almighty Kvelja; such clerics may choose from the Fire, Strength & Sun domains.

Torsottr (Limalia, Neutral Evil)
The dvernin of the southern reaches fear Limalia as an icy weather goddess, a dreadful queen of suffering & misery known as Torsottr. She appears as a starving frost giant, a withered, skeletal figure whose eyes reveal a wrathful envy that wrenches the soul & drains the will of all who gaze into them. Sometimes referred to as Isvel’s dark twin, her voice is sharp & bitter, like an icy wind that stings as it cuts through all shelter & succor. Some dvernin seek to curry favor from her, making offerings in the hopes that she will grant them mercy from her malevolence, but her cruelty is as insatiable as her hunger. Clerics of Torsottr can choose from the Evil, Hardship, & Water domains.

Flar (Maqur, Chaotic Evil)
Even the dvernin know the wickedness of Maqur, under the name of Flar. In this form, he is a colossal white dragon, whose eyes are inky black & whose mouth is always dripping blood. Some would say that his gory maw comes from his constant slaughter, but legends tell of a vicious battle between the great wyrm & Sjor, in which the mighty War-Galley struck the beast in its belly, causing it to forever after vomit its lifeblood upon the frozen ground. Flar craves revenge, & delights in tormenting the followers of Sjor above all others. He is a capricious, deceitful creature, often disguising himself as a trusted ally of his victims, the better to lure them to their doom. Worshipers of Flar can choose from the Betrayal, Destruction, Evil, & Trickery domains.

Dautha (Sidaru, Lawful Good)
The dvernin do not fear death overly much, as it is a constant presence in their harsh lives. They know the gentle face of Sidaru all too well. Hailing from beyond the icy wastes of Bhul, the god of death in their culture is named Dautha, & he is an albino remorhaz with a calm, soothing voice. He calls to each dvernin in his or her proper time, beckoning their spirit to make the long journey to the uttermost south, to join him in his great hall, where he trains them to one day fight in a great battle, which is foretold to remake the world. Clerics of Dautha may choose from the Cold, Death, Magic, & Peace domains.

Yuma (Umaj, Chaotic Neutral)
Umaj is almost unknown in the wilderness of Yan, except as an earth spirit named Yuma. She is seen as a short stone giant (merely 10’ tall) with mossy hair & a wide grin. Yuma is said to protect from harm those who bury their dead within her realm, she is thought to combat the harsh cold winds that come from the south. She is worshipped by humans, half-djinn, & sabi, but is deeply disliked by the dvernin. Believers of Yuma can choose from the Earth, Protection, & Wild domains.

Harkunna (Waharim, Lawful Neutral)
The dvernin & giants of the southern regions are familiar with Waharim’s legends from out of Yan. Though few dvernin revere him, he receives considerably more respect from giants. As Harkunna, he is the god of the clear sky, the brother of Hagalvethr who lives on the tallest mountain & calms the ire of the dvernin patron. Believers of Harkunna can choose from the Air, Cold, Knowledge, & Sun domains.

Jormungandr (Zaia, Lawful Neutral)
The dvernin of Siraaj see Zaia as Jormungandr, a great & terrible being who opposes Hagalvethr & his divine family. She is a mighty & honorable enemy, one who works constantly to preserve order & balance in the world. Unfortunately, she is thought to oppose Hagalvethr & his efforts to lead his chosen people, the Dvernin, to supremacy. It is said that one day Hagalvethr’s son, Sjor, is destined to slay the World Serpent, an event that presages the end of both worlds. Believers of Jormungandr can choose from the Destiny, Serpent, & World domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Johoum
The Iron Sun, the Lord Above, the Punisher

Symbol: An iron disk with sharp, angular rays
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: The sun, authority, consequence, self-reliance, empires
Granted Domains: Destruction, Punishment, Strength, Sun
Favored Weapon: Subjugation (morning star)
Aliases: Algol, Al’Qahhar, Kuzira, Kvelja, Mahasari

Johoum (joh-HOOM) is the uncaring, oppressive deity of the pounding sun. He is emblematic of strict authority & hierarchy, & his dogma eschews mercy & forgiveness in favor of stricture, sanction & punishment.

Region
Johoum is a major regional deity across the Red Sands & in the Sahra Basit. Most major city-states in these areas pay worship to the Iron Sun, & the faith is slowly extending outwards. Johoum is the deity worshiped in the religion of Imperial Taj, the state religion of the Ostaz Empire.

Worshipers
Johoum is venerated publicly by most of the populace of the southlands. The strength of his churches compels even those who do not keep faith with the Iron Sun to attend their local mastaba. Johoum is worshiped both by those who live by day & those who would avoid the sun, the latter praying that his eye be cast away from their deeds. The Taj, especially Ayat Sa’if & Imperial Taj, are quite notably racist, biased heavily towards humans above all other sentient beings. Kobolds experience the most religious intolerance from the Taj, & those who are forced to pay lip service to Johoum are often barred from the mastaba & made to attend outside.

Almost all of Johoum’s devout are lawful, & much of the clerical hierarchy is either evil or neutral. Johoum is served by monks & paladins of tyranny (LE). He also supports assassins & blackguards; dervishes & rangers of the Iron Sun are comparatively few in number.

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Johoum must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a good manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit a good act, unless that act furthers a greater agenda of evil in some meaningful way. For example, healing a person is normally a good act, but healing an assassin so that he can commit his killing is in keeping with your evil agenda. Also, capturing a criminal is usually a good act, but apprehending an assassin so that you can kill them before they implicate you in a murder is part of an evil agenda.
• You must follow laws & honor traditions, at least while in public. You should not attempt to violate laws, but subvert them to your advantage. The letter of the law is important, but you should find loopholes & clauses that serve your goals. Any violation of the law (such as hiring an assassin) must be kept absolutely secret.
• While you may adventure with characters of any evil or neutral alignment, you cannot knowingly associate with good characters unless it serves your needs, nor can you continue an association with someone who consistently offends your moral code. You may accept henchmen & followers of any alignment, but may only accept cohorts who are lawful evil.
• You must respect authority figures as long as they have the strength to rule over the weak, act with discipline (not engaging in random slaughter, keeping firm control over those beneath your station, & so forth), help only those who help you maintain or improve your status, & punish those who challenge authority (unless, of course, such challengers prove more worthy to hold that authority).
• You must punish anyone who violates the law, without mercy or compassion. Punishment should be delivered swiftly & decisively, so that the offender knows their place, & regrets their transgression. Death is an acceptable punishment, but pain is preferable, as it leaves the offender alive to endure their punishment & accept it.

Churches
Johoum has four currently active churches after a series of schisms from the ancient Taj al-Wahhaaj foundation, which was the original mega-cult that grew in the south. Cultists of the lost traditions also work within the cracks to seek out the ancient Temple of the Throne (now the Shrine of the Imprisonment).

Ayat
The second established religion of Johoum, Ayat took over from the foundations of Taj al-Wahhaaj & spread west into what is now the Sahra Basit, away from the Admajai. Ayat maintained the old mastaba & guarded the Temple of the Throne. Ayat is the oldest surviving Johoumite faith &, after the major schisms, is often referred to, both internally & by theologians, as Orthodox Taj (the full title of the church being al-Taj al-Ayat). Clerics of Ayat often choose the Sun & Punishment domains.

Taj Sunnah
With the sealing of Johoum & the fall of the Taj al-Wahhaaj faith, the remnant known as Ayat took the foundations of the religion & swelled in power. Without the anti-wizard opposition, Admajai were able to join the faith of Johoum. The power demonstrated by the faith, coupled with the iconography of a great god of the sun descended upon the world, drew in a great many Admajai. Johoum’s position as a sun god bred associations with the Admajai deities Akasha & Sunya, & eastern syncretism forged the trio into a family under the aegis of Admajai Taj, known as Taj Sunnah, in which Akasha is the beloved daughter of the fearsome sun god, & Sunya her scorned & heathen brother, cast out into the darkness. As the Admajai Empire grew, the faithful of Taj Sunnah began seeking to make pilgrimage to the Temple of the Throne, & thus clashed with the older Orthodox faithful. The clergy of Taj Sunnah are often identifiable by the second holy symbol worn with the first. They typically choose the Sun & Destruction domains.

Ayat Sa’if
With the fall of the Admajai Empire, Ayat & Taj Sunnah became geographically remote. Both religions reestablished themselves gradually, but a splinter sect emerged promoting Johoum’s message of authority as a call for the Taj to establish a militant theocracy. Ayat Sa’if was born of a religious debate within the Ayat faithful, & severely wounded the older religion as it split off in conquest. Though cleaving to most of the principles of earlier Ayat & shunning the syncretist heresies of Taj Sunnah, Ayat Sa’if is considered blasphemous under Orthodox Taj for presuming to inheritance of authority under Johoum’s name & symbol. Ayat Sa’if fields paladins & dervishes to lead its military ambitions. Their clergy often choose the Strength & Destruction domains.

Taj al-Caliph (Imperial Taj)
When territories under Ayat Sa’if began quarreling with one another, liberal elements within that faith looked to possible leaders to resolve the strife through the establishment of a newer, stronger authority. What they found was the future Emperor of Ostaz, who convinced these clerics to break away & form a new sect of Johoumite Taj consolidating leadership under his aegis. Taj al-Caliph, otherwise known as Taj al-Ostaz or Imperial Taj, holds that Johoum confers the rights of authority to the emperor, firstly by acclamation of the clergy & then through self-acclaim. The Emperor is the formal leader of this religion & enjoys its support. However, it is antithetical to the other Taj faiths, particularly Ayat Sa’if (with which it formed a schism). The clergy of Imperial Taj are a notably weaker force politically than those in other Taj territories, a fact which has not escaped them. Into this void steps their subordinate organization, the Light of the Taj. These are Imperial police & assassins, most of who come from a monastic background. Clerics of Taj al-Caliph favor the Strength & Punishment domains.

Faith Structure
Each of Johoum’s faiths plays a strong & central role in the communities it serves. The priesthood takes on leadership roles where they are not already rulers by title (as is the case with Ayat Sa’if) & are usually accepted in these positions by the local authorities. Worship of Johoum takes place either at a small faith site, the mastaba, or in a cathedral in major cities. Mastaba are blocky or round & kept out of the shadow of taller structures. Each has a hole in its roof to let in sunlight; these holes are covered at night & in times of poor weather. Cathedrals typically feature courtyards as well as large, bold windows & a podium before an East-facing aperture, such that the high priest at a ceremony is backed by the sun. Both structures frequently are designed to allow rooftop access, & punitive rites may take place on special areas on the roof.

As the god of authority, Johoum’s faiths tend to drive out (actively or otherwise) competing beliefs in their regions, as well as opposing one another. While most areas under Johoum simply ignore or marginalize adherents of other deities, particularly ardent congregations (or those under a particularly tyrannical priesthood) have been known to make participation mandatory.

Johoum’s churches involve a hierarchy of support organizations as well as specialized adherents such as paladins, monks & druids. Johoum’s priesthood is largely intolerant of magic, but is a key under-the-table supporter of alchemy, especially for the simpler “miracles” they execute as demonstrations to the faithful. Paladins serve as elite religious police & peacekeepers, druids maintain the faith through desert regions, & even those who have become jaded by the sadistic cruelty of the upper echelons may continue to serve as blackguards.

Johoum’s clergy often go clean-shaven, anointing their heads with alchemical oils to prevent sunburn & heat stroke. Red & yellow are common colors, with white being the sacred color of Imperial Taj. They consider the desert to be a sacred place, due to its harsh climate & the lack of significant shade from the sun.

Dogma
The followers of Johoum are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Law is above all things, & law depends on authority. Live in respect of the structures of authority. Rule those below you in the way that is proper, & serve those above you as a slave would his master.
• There is no law without sanction, no sanction without penalty, no penalty without punishment. As an instrument of right authority & order, it is your task to deal punishment as appropriate.
• All authority is good, for it honors order. Live in accord with all legitimate rule, save when to do so would countermand the One True Authority.
• It is not yours to decide mercies. Those who suffer & those who have lost do so by the will of the Iron Sun. Render no aid & give no healing hand to those who crawl under the stinging yoke of the Lord Above.
• Spread always the true faith. The rule of the Taj is the One True Authority beneath the Iron Sun.
• Rely upon no other, for only the Lord Above can grant you strength.
• There are no gods but Johoum, & serve none but He. Abide not the practice of heresy, blasphemy, or false worship, & destroy the symbols of the pagan idols.
• Pray not & act not in the darkness. If the duties demanded by just rule require action in the night, bear always a light or have it borne by one who serves you.
• To defy your masters is to defy the One True Authority. Obey in life, or the Punisher shall enforce his will upon you in death.
• Respect the Lord Above, & make all others respect him, as well.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Johoum believe that, after they die, they will rise up over the world, eventually entering the sun itself. There they will find themselves enslaved to build up Johoum’s grand Palace of Iron, the construction of which shall know no end. The term of slavery depends on the degree that the deceased has been unfaithful or strayed from Johoum’s will in life, but all must serve him in the end, for no one can measure up to his exacting standards. Those of great faith, or who have suffered their due punishment in other ways, are soon unbound from the chains of labor to rise higher in the hierarchy. These exalted servants perform less laborious duties, all hoping to reach the throne room & witness the implacable face of their god. Johoum’s enemies (as well as the non-believers) are doomed to slave forever under the whip & the yoke, serving in death when they would not serve in life.

Origin
Johoum was summoned into Kamala by the belligerent Siraaj during his struggle with Najmah. A fearsome demon prince from the Abyss, Johoum led armies of nightmarish demons, including his lieutenant Nathar, to terrorize the sunlit realm & threaten Najmah’s people. Zihaja’s retaliatory invitation to the devils checked Johoum’s rampage long enough for the over-deity to seal away his adoptive sons, also trapping the demons with the other outsider races away from Siraaj’s world. Johoum would spend the next millennium observing the evolution of the Kamala’s structure, staging a horrific attack in an attempt to oust Sih Daroga & gain control over Prana & the Pit of Fate during the Long Bleak Darkness. Though eventually repulsed to Sergala, the momentum Johoum had gained from this act was immeasurable, allowing him to capture one of the rakshasas’ Seven Paths & stage his long-desired invasion of the mortal world.

Cutting a bloody, destructive swath southeast across the Admajai continent, Johoum formed an apocalyptic cult around himself that eventually clashed directly with the Admaja Empire. When Johoum began to acquire divine power from the worshipers at the Temple of the Throne, he went there to gather it, only to be seized by an Admajai trap & bound in the Shrine of the Imprisonment. Zihaja concealed the Shrine by pushing it into the barrier between Siraaj & Najmah, & made Johoum one of the earliest Aspects to keep the demon away from power that might set him free.

By Other Names
As a major historical figure on both worlds, Johoum has had a cultural impact more broad than perhaps any other single being. As a self-proclaimed & demonstrated enemy of all living beings, Johoum appears in numerous guises as an adversarial figure.

Algol
On Najmah, the burning glow that lights the mists is a source of mystery, uncertainty & fear for most of the populace. Rare travelers, strange beings from a world unknown, tell tales of this light in the sky, a burning power that is unstoppable & unyielding, save that it chooses to rest from time to time. Combined with the historical attack on the three gates at Prana, a sacred site for genies, devas & devils alike, these tales & the cultural connotations they echo have given rise to the belief in Algol the Burning, a figure of destruction & apocalypse. Algol is treated as a popular myth, but some efreeti & devils of Najmah see him as a power to venerate. The rare clerics of Algol may choose from the Destruction, Evil & Fire domains.

Kuzira
Among the aazlai of the northern plains, the echoes of Johoum’s swath of devastation have persisted in myth. The demon prince was viewed as the ultimate foe of the divine Shah, his son & the spirit tribe, & in some stories the source of all evil (a role shared in myth with the Scarred One). In the present day, this mythical adversary exists as Kuzira, ally & consort of the Scarred One, who spreads dissent, conflict & jealousy among the clans. Though the Scarred One & his horrid minions are dreaded adversaries of the aazlai, legend states that it is Kuzira (a female figure in the aazlai mythology) who will incite the final conflict between clans. Those who would ally with hatred against the divine hero Shimha may choose from the Curse, Death, Evil & Punishment domains.

Kvelja
Dvernin who have traveled beyond the glaciers tell of the burning lands under the merciless sun. It is here, say their tales, that Kvelja holds sway. This deity is said to be the cursed brother of Hagalvethr, cast from his graces long ago for a treacherous crime, & has been consumed with a scorching hate ever since. Fire giants sometimes become clerics of almighty Kvelja; such clerics may choose from the Fire, Strength & Sun domains.

Mahasari
An old term meaning “His Majesty,” the cult of Mahasari Johoum is small & invidious, working within & between the major faiths of Johoum to restore their deity to his place at the Temple of the Throne, as absolute ruler over the world. Essentially the truest remnant of the ancient Taj al-Wahhaaj cult from the days of Johoum’s war with Admaja, the believers of Mahasari Johoum seek out the relics of that time to locate the Shrine of the Imprisonment, unlock its secrets, defeat its guardians & release their lord from the bindings of magic that trapped him long ago.

[Zeta Kai]

Limalia
Sultana of the Waves, the Tide of Fates, Queen of Trials

Symbol: A stone of lapis bearing a weathered tile of wood.
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Travel, tribulation, experience
Granted Domains: Hardship, Travel, Water
Favored Weapon: “Burden” (greatclub)
Aliases: Al’Amal, Lady Pain, Lammali, Shenzi, Torsottr

Limalia (lee-MAH-lee-ah) is the goddess of perseverance, hardship, loss, & travel. She leads her followers to new locations, new perils, & new challenges, abandoning them in their darkest hour to see them thrive & gain greater glory in her eyes.

Region
Though a hard mistress to follow, Limalia has a broad base of worship through the southern & eastern deserts. Albaluri is her great city, & the central regions south of the Satha Laylanuha pay homage to her as well. On Najmah, she is venerated as Lammali around the coasts of Chitraka & in the deepest wilds & wastes.

Worshipers
Limalia’s disciples are mostly humans & gnolls. Kobolds simply do not connect well with the teachings of Limalia, & most lizardfolk do not live in areas where she is venerated. Some half-marids may venerate her as a genie goddess; sabi & many other half-genies object to the faith of hardship & turn their spirits elsewhere. She is popular with the pahari, but in their hearts, the Tide of Fates is only one great spirit among many. Limalia is popular among half-ghuls as well, due to a mutual understanding of tribulation & determination.

Limalia allows worshipers of any alignment, & many of her clergy are in fact non-evil. She supports druids, monks, paladins of tyranny (LE), & paladins of slaughter (CE).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Limalia must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a good manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit a good act, unless that act furthers a greater agenda of evil in some meaningful way. For example, healing a person is normally a good act, but healing an assassin so that he can commit his killing is in keeping with your evil agenda. Also, capturing a criminal is usually a good act, but apprehending an assassin so that you can kill them before they implicate you in a murder is part of an evil agenda.
• You may adventure with characters of any alignment, but you may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are evil.
• You must not assist others in need, for any reason. Others must fend for themselves & overcome their own adversities; otherwise, they will never know their own inner strength.
• You must heal your wounds naturally as often as possible, foregoing magical healing whenever you can. You may accept magical healing on occasion, but habitual use is prohibited.
• You should be ready to move on short notice; therefore, you must pack lightly, & never settle into a place permanently. You must move to a new place at least one per year, although the new location need not be very far from the previous one.

Churches
Limalia’s followers have coalesced into three major churches:

The Khaziima
This is Limalia’s largest church, with major sites of worship throughout the east. They consider themselves responsible for maintaining trade & commerce through the wastes on behalf of their goddess. Their ceremonies involve thirst, deprivation & pain, but the Khaziima is not a cruel organization. Their integration into agriculture & commerce gives the Khaziima fair political power, which they have not yet exploited overtly. However, they do have de facto jurisdiction over many areas, & a broad public following. Recently, the Khaziima are said to have been infiltrated by followers of Maqur. The Khaziima consider the camel a sacred animal & the cactus a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Hardship & Travel domains.

The Wayfarers
A looser organization of Limalia’s followers, the Wayfarers comprise clerics, adepts & druids in the wastelands & afar, such as the deep south & the distant west. Wayfarers often go with trade caravans or bring their religion to nomadic groups, or host easterners in western lands where they may be personally established. Though the Khaziima & the Wayfarers acknowledge each other to be sister organizations, there is not often formal collaboration between the two, though Khaziima paladins & other personnel are received by Wayfarers as if they were kindred. To be called “Wayfarer” by a member of this devotion is considered an honor. Wayfarers consider the wolf a sacred animal & the reed a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Hardship & Water domains.

The Taqwa
This is a marine cult of Limalia that has only come into existence within the past century. Obsessed with seeking out the Realm of the Goddess, which they believe to be beyond her “Great Realm” the ocean (as opposed to her Low Realm, the desert), they have driven the development of boats & sail, & are widely rumored (correctly) to have made trade with the pahari & even dealt with marids. A diverse & optimistic group, they have faith in the fruits of the sea & in exploration, & may be found all along the Merchant Coast, especially in Naranj. The Taqwa, being less consolidated, may view their faith in a pantheonic sense, worshiping Al’Amal as the son of the Queen of Trials & often adding Hub or Houm (a sun god) & Al’Fezr (a storm deity) to this group. This church fears a being they call Nesha, a sort of dark god that causes ships to fail in their goals. The Taqwa consider the dolphin & the whale to be sacred animals & seaweed a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Travel & Water domains.

Faith Structure
A temple of Limalia is usually an open-air plaza raised from ground level, shaped in a square with a single tall column in each corner. Low, flat altars are dispersed around this plaza, leaving open the center, which may be demarcated by a path lined with pointed rocks or made of sand. At the far end of the temple is the tabernacle, a low bunker that one must stoop to enter, which descends below ground to the storerooms, the priests’ chambers, the meeting room & the archive. Separate from even these is the Nadir, one floor below, wherein are treated those who suffer from maladies beyond mortal endurance. To be brought to the Nadir is a symbol of necessity & shame, & redemption in the eyes of Limalia will be expected after recovery.

Limalia’s clergy normally have fixed ranks that ascend in a set hierarchy. A cleric of Limalia carries a coiled whip & a solid rod alongside his or her holy symbol, & may also carry a container of crushed salt. The make of this rod & its symbols are marks of rank. The highest office of the Khaziima is the Persevering, while the highest office of the Wayfarers is the Waymaker.

Followers of the Tide of Fates consider the oceans & the deserts of the world to be sacred places. Prayers to Limalia tend to come in the form of requests for mercy, although the more pious may instead ask simply for the strength to withstand her endless trials. Most of her disciples seem to fear her, & nearly all respect her malevolent power; only the wisest & most understanding love her as such, for they know that those who pass her tests receive her rare blessings.

Dogma
The followers of Limalia are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Endure always in all tasks. Seek always a fair challenge.
• Do not weaken or debase yourself to survive or endure. That which is within your power to do in order to succeed, you shall do. Act with righteous certainty in all things, & do not lower yourself to cowardice or deceit to abate that which tries you.
• Do not request healing, treatment or mercy; this is shameful & weak. If you are strong, the grace of Limalia will provide in time.
• Stand not in place; do not fortify & entrench yourself. Move always to new experiences & challenges. The greater the struggle, the greater the victory. Leave behind the safe & familiar.
• Strive always to new heights & new experiences. Self-improvement is the heart of your connection with the divine.
• The suffering should endure on their own, or not at all. If aid is deserved, lend it not directly but instead face the obstacles of another, so that you may endure in their place.
• You have been given the gift of healing, to provide to those who have struggled & triumphed. Give not balm to yourself, for it is an affront, nor to those who surrender, save that you do so to shame them.
• The failed struggle is still virtuous & worthy of respect. Shame not those who could not stand, only those who would not stand. Those who cannot stand are those to whom your greatest love must be given, for only with your aid can they honor the Tide of Fates.
• Give peace, succor, & honor to those who should not stand, for Limalia no longer asks them to endure.
• If the foe is worthy, cast her in chains & bind her in walls, for there is no struggle in death.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Limalia believe that, after they die, they will be brought to Limalia’s court for judgment by the aloof goddess, where a great stone of burden is presented to them. They must lift this stone with the struggles of their life, & the height they raise their stone determines how much more struggle & challenge is required in their next life. Those who can raise the stone all the way (a prodigious task) are admitted into Limalia’s court. The place of judgment is a deep & hidden place at the end of a long journey full of peril, such that those who can pass the guardians & reach the foot of Limalia’s dais may automatically earn admission to the court. The non-believers are sent back to their next incarnation without the chance to lift a stone, while enemies of the Queen of Trials are cast into stone themselves, awake but immobile, to serve as weight for others to lift or support for Limalia’s court, so that they may suffer & lament their opposition.

Origin
The true Limalia was the Khatun of the unbound dao who crossed over during the Pactspell. Robbed of her greatest followers, she became lost among the displaced mortals & enslaved them, driving them harshly until she found a site where she could build a new stronghold. Out of an uncharacteristic sense of mercy, she drew power from their devotion to shape the foundations of Albaluri. Zihaja appropriated much of her power to foster those who now venerated her, but she lives on in a great palace under the earth of Shemun.

By Other Names
Limalia’s faith is fairly widespread, & she is revered under other names by different cultures.

Al’Amal
Long ago, before the rise of the Admajai, there was a pagan river god that had a small following around the Hasini River. This deity was called Al Amal, meaning “the Hope”. The original culture that worshipped this god is now long gone, but many of his attributes have been conflated with Limalia, to the point where, in this part of the continent, the two are viewed as one & the same. The modern Al’Amal is a much more benevolent divinity than most other depictions of Limalia, & many people worship him out of genuine adoration, instead of the usual fear that Limalia normally engenders. The two largest centers of worship for this version of the deity are Fandaq & Naranj; the name is virtually unknown outside of a few neighboring settlements along the Hasini. Clerics of the river god usually pick from the Water, Plant, & Travel domains.

Lammali
On Najmah, the Sultana of the Waves is known as a primal ocean goddess named Lammali (sometimes called Lampata). She is seen as a beautiful, fearsome woman, with sea-foam hair & wide, feral eyes. She is a passionate, violent deity, whose temper must be calmed with sacrifices. Oarsmen on rowing ships pray for mercy from her fury, but she is not known for her kindness. She is most commonly worshipped around the coasts of Chitraka & in the deepest wilderness of Najmah, like the jungles of Bhangah. In the rainforest, she is seen as a less destructive river goddess, one whose floods can wash away villages, but also deliver vital nutrients to the soil. Her clerics can choose from the Storm, Water, & Wild domains.

Torsottr
The dvernin of the southern reaches fear Limalia as an icy weather goddess, a dreadful queen of suffering & misery known as Torsottr. She appears as a starving frost giant, a withered, skeletal figure whose eyes reveal a wrathful envy that wrenches the soul & drains the will of all who gaze into them. Sometimes referred to as Isvel’s dark twin, her voice is sharp & bitter, like an icy wind that stings as it cuts through all shelter & succor. Some dvernin seek to curry favor from her, making offerings in the hopes that she will grant them mercy from her malevolence, but her cruelty is as insatiable as her hunger. Clerics of Torsottr can choose from the Evil, Hardship, & Water domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Maqur
The Red Poison, the Scarlet Shahbanu, the Fangs of Falsehood

Symbol: A red crescent suspended from an agate, garnet, or ruby.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolio: Self-interest, disorder, mischief, betrayal, exploitation
Granted Domains: Betrayal, Fire, Trickery
Favored Weapon: “Scandal’s Sting” (dagger)
Aliases: Al-Khawan, Ahmar Sum, Flar, Kazab, Pak Shahara, Shetani

Maqur (mah-CORE) is the erratic, malicious goddess of crime, conceit, & falsehood. Arrogant & violent, the wicked flame of Maqur burns the hand that feeds her & consumes all in pursuit of personal gain.

Region
Wherever there is vice, sin, inequity, & duplicity, there is Maqur. Her religion is everywhere & nowhere at once. Almost every major city on Siraaj has a small cell of Maqurites operating within it, although most people are unaware of their presence. There are no large temples in her honor, & her shrines are often hidden away from the public eyes, or disguised as other buildings. She is most popular on the west coast of Admaja, especially near her former city, Fashul, which is nothing more than scorched ruins. It is here that the largest gatherings of Maqur’s faithful take place, although she has strong followings in Mamluk, Ostaz, & Rizzadobo, as well.

On Najmah, she is virtually unknown, except in the demon-lands of Sergala. Even there, her followers are scattered & hidden, a few faithful among the unbelieving masses. A few tiny pockets exist in Hima, but the devils consider devotion to the Red Poison to be a foul heresy.

Worshipers
The worship of Maqur is almost always secretive; her devotees include assassins, arsonists, anarchists, terrorists, saboteurs, slavers, & some particularly hedonistic genies (efreeti especially). Most of her devotees disguise themselves as followers of other religions, whichever seem to be the most acceptable or prevalent in the area. Almost no one venerates her openly, but she has secret cults in almost any large community, which are (often rightly) blamed for various misdeeds & misfortunes.

Maqur’s following resides chiefly among the young, especially children of wealth, who in their idleness enjoy the schadenfreude of advancement by the failure of their peers. Unscrupulous merchants sometimes pray in secret to the Red Poison, & when inequity enters a community, the Fangs of Falsehood are often not far behind. Her popularity is growing among the she-da-zhong, some of whom have grown disillusioned with Martuakh & his idleness.

Maqur is not a selective goddess, so she permits disciples of any non-good alignment. Her clergy are typically evil in some way. She supports paladins of slaughter (CE).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Maqur must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a good manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit a good act, unless that act furthers a greater agenda of evil in some meaningful way. For example, healing a person is normally a good act, but healing an assassin so that he can commit his killing is in keeping with your evil agenda. Also, capturing a criminal is usually a good act, but apprehending an assassin so that you can kill them before they implicate you in a murder is part of an evil agenda.
• You must ignore any laws or traditions that get in your way. You may obey rules that do not conflict with your needs, but you cannot let them constrain your behavior. You know what is best for you & your god, & that is all that should matter to you. If it is expedient, you may, for a time, pay lip service to the law in order to further your goals, but only for a while.
• You may adventure with characters of any alignment, but you may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are chaotic evil.
• You must disrespect all authority figures that have not proven their physical superiority to you, refuse help to those in need, & sow destruction & death at all opportunities, preferably by setting fires.
• You should betray your allies periodically. No less than once per year, you are obligated to cause one of your allies great misfortune or grievous injury through deceit. This can be a cohort, a follower, a party member, or any other close companion, such as a lover, a family member, a close companion, or a good friend. If you don’t have any allies to betray, then you should acquire some whenever possible.

Churches
There are countless factions of Maqur’s church, as no one knows for sure how many followers she actually has. Here are just a few of the largest & most well-known sects:

The Red Moon Lounge
On the edge of Ostaz’s decadent Old Town district, near the slum quarter, there is a crescent-shaped tavern with a blood-red roof. Inside, the wine is cheap, the music is loud, & the hookah smoke is so thick that you can’t see one end from the other. This is the Red Moon Lounge, a popular hangout for the city’s wealthy elite, & for those who are unwelcome here, it is the last place they will ever see.

The fact that this popular café is essentially the largest church dedicated to Maqur (under the name of Al-Khawan) on Siraaj is something of an open secret. The Maqurite cultists that run the tavern also rent out rooms on the second floor to the occasional guests, but these visitors are rarely ever seen again. There are only a few dozen true cult members, but many of the city’s nobles are sympathetic to their cause, mostly because they chafe under the emperor & his Johoumite dictatorship. Clerics of the lounge usually choose the Betrayal & Trickery domains.

Al Haraqin
Fifteen years ago, a military junta took control of the city of Darb in a coup. The regime killed or exiled several nobles with ties to a Maqurite cell known as the Crimson Heart, crippling the cabal & seemingly scattering its members. Having lost their base of power, it was thought that they were destroyed, but the cult’s leaders reorganized, licked their wounds, & resurged. Calling themselves Al Haraqin (which loosely translates as “the burning”), they now work from the shadows of the city to overthrow the military government. They have insinuated themselves into many parts of the junta, infiltrating its highest levels, & they hope to bring down the regime from the inside, supplanting it with one in their own image. Their clerics often choose the Betrayal & Fire domains.

The Fist of Fire
South of Shemun, in northeast Admaja, rests a lonely mountain, possibly the most active shield volcano on the continent. Known as Fire Hand Mountain (among other names), it often belches smoke & ash, choking all life for miles around. The only permanent inhabitants of the area are members of a Maqurite sect calling itself the Fist of Fire. They consider the volcano a closely-guarded secret, so they will readily kill anyone who connects the church to the site. Their main occupation seems to be deterring visitors, which primarily consist of efreeti-blooded pilgrims, who also see the mountain as a holy site. Their clerics are said to choose the Fire & Trickery domains.

Faith Structure
The religion of Maqur is a secretive one, & most people have no idea how its adherents operate. It is not a publicly-organized faith, like those of Johoum, Qirus, or Sidaru. Rather, the church exists as an innumerable assortment of tiny cells, each with no more than 100 members. These cults are (almost) completely independent from one another, & many of them are unaware of the others’ existence.

Each cabal consists of mostly initiate members, who know little of the “official” doctrine, & are largely expendable. These foot-soldiers are directed by a few acolytes (typically low-level clerics & paladins), who in turn take orders from a couple of higher-level priests. At the head of each cell is a single leader (usually called a bishop, an imam, or a ras) who preaches to the faithful, gives them commands, & keeps them in line through fear, intimidation, & violence.

Maqur promises rapid advancement at the expense of all others, leading to this pyramid-scheme worship structure, where the weakest are betrayed to further the strong, who are in turn deceived by those who are even stronger. No matter how many Maqurites are killed or captured, there always seems to be someone more powerful that was secretly giving them orders, or was conspiring with them in the shadows. It is suspected that there may even be a central network of masterminds directing the cells according to a single agenda, in which case the entire “church” is much more organized than anyone had previously thought.

Each cult maintains a secret shrine to Maqur, usually no more than a small chamber with an ash-covered altar in the middle & a fire motif, hidden within an acolyte’s house. Members do not identify themselves openly as such, so they have a number of subtle ways of identifying each other. Most wear the crescent moon of Qamar, often as a necklace or a tattoo, while other cabals use special handshakes or salutes that are unknown to the public.

Dogma
The followers of Maqur are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Those who oppose Maqur must burn.
• Hide behind a mask of kindness, for all treachery is born of trust.
• Though you may feign affection, you may only be true to yourself.
• Never break what you can burn, for the flames of disorder are ever-hungry.
• Those in power are your enemies, though they should see you as their friend.
• Take advantage of every situation, of every foe, & every ally, for all will serve you if you serve the Fangs of Falsehood.
• A lie is just a truth that happens to be false.
• Never allow yourself to suffer when another could suffer in your stead.
• Fire will burn you if it can, so you must be like the flame & scorch others when the opportunity presents itself.
• Never reveal your true self to those who shall live to speak of it.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Maqur believe that, after they die, they will simply cease to be. There is no afterlife for the followers of the Red Poison, & according to them, there is no hereafter for non-believers, either. The Fangs of Falsehood give only oblivion to those who fail to earn or steal new life. For this reason, Maqur’s religion is particularly popular with intelligent undead, who cling to their lifeless state rather than face the Great Nothing beyond.

Origin
The original Maqur was a duplicitous half-fiend sorceress, the daughter of a marilith & a powerful lizardfolk leader. She used her sorcery & demonic heritage to bind or enthrall thousands of devotees, eventually forming a cult of personality in northern Sheqari. She subsequently betrayed her original tribe to a half-efreet king, & became an idol to the people of his tiny nation of Khassaro, on the western coast of Sheqari. When war broke out over who would possess her, she rained hellish flames down on both sides until they were forced to submit to her decision. Maqur’s devotees rebuilt the capital as a dark temple city in her honor. But less than a year later, she vanished in a towering column of flame that razed her nation to the ground, scattering her devotees to the winds, & leaving a power vacuum to be filled by Martuakh & his she-da-zhong followers.

By Other Names
Maqur is loved & feared under several different names.

Al-Khawan
Along the Mamlaqah Coast, in the eastern reaches of Admaja, Maqur’s vile influence has just begun to spread over the past decade or so. Here, she is primarily known under the alias of Al-Khawan, & she has been gaining popularity among the urban underworld. She is a goddess of secrets & lies, advocating greed & power-lust at the expense of others. Devotees of Al-Khawan tend to be involved in Byzantine politics (or Asanamai politics, as it is known on Admaja), constantly forming alliances & backstabbing one another. They will commit any offense, violate any taboo, & sink to any depth for even a small advantage. Her clergy preach that a person’s soul is judged according to one’s station in life, so it is to one’s benefit to acquire as much wealth & power in life as one can, no matter what the cost. Their clerics often choose the Betrayal, Evil, Poison, & Trickery domains.

Flar
Even the dvernin know the wickedness of Maqur, under the name of Flar. In this form, he is a colossal white dragon, whose eyes are inky black & whose mouth is always dripping blood. Some would say that his gory maw comes from his constant slaughter, but legends tell of a vicious battle between the great wyrm & Sjor, in which the mighty War-Galley struck the beast in its belly, causing it to forever after vomit its lifeblood upon the frozen ground. Flar craves revenge, & delights in tormenting the followers of Sjor above all others. He is a capricious, deceitful creature, often disguising himself as a trusted ally of his victims, the better to lure them to their doom. Worshipers of Flar can choose from the Betrayal, Destruction, Evil, & Trickery domains.

Pak Shahara
In the hellish wastes of Sergala, on Najmah, the demons exist in a form of barely contained anarchy. They fight amongst themselves for trivial reasons, in part because of their godless nihilism. The rare demons who do have a religion worship a dark deity named Pak Shahara, a bloodthirsty goddess of pain & misery. She demands that her followers rape, burn, & torture others as much as possible, so as to give her the psychic energy needed to end the world & remake it into a paradise. There are some aberrant devils who revere Pak Shahara, but they are despised & persecuted as heretics by the other citizens of the Hima Sovereignty, who mostly venerate Rajani (Sunya). Their clerics often choose the Betrayal, Chaos, Destruction, & Night domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Martuakh
The Eternal Hunger, Master of the Pit, the Serpent Lord, the Sleeping Serpent, the Maker of Venom

Symbol: A serpent wrapped around a green eye with a slit pupil.
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Portfolio: She-da-zhong, snakes, lies, poison, sleep
Granted Domains: Death, Poison, Serpent, Trickery
Favored Weapon: “Somnolence” (katar)
Aliases: Glycon, Kaliya, Murshalk, Sseth, Yig

Martuakh (MAR-too-AHK) is the patron deity of the she-da-zhong, a loathsome god of serpents & venom. Once a vigorous, active god, one who drove his children to invade & conquer, he has now reverted to a languid, passive state. He is often depicted as an enormous coiled serpent, its eyes half-lidded & milky, its mouth toothless, & its scales dull & flaking.

Region
Wherever the she-da-zhong may slither, Martuakh goes as well, like a slinking shadow of vice & venom. Their homeland is on the Western Continent, which they call either Jiayuan (its asp name) or Gu Xiang (the cobra name). Since the Ten Dark Years ended, the few freshwater lakes in the Westlands have dried up, forcing the she-da-zhong to seek water from elsewhere. While they were already infiltrating the western coast of Admaja, this water crisis has given them an urgency born of desperation, which overcomes their god’s recent slothfulness. His followers can now be found hidden away in secret places all over the Lisan Coast, from the northern reaches of Sheqari to the Adjal Strip south of Ilud.

Worshipers
Martuakh is revered almost exclusively by the she-da-zhong; while there are some human cults devoted to the Serpent Lord on both the Western Continent & on Admaja, most non-zhong view Martuakh’s faith as a foul, loathsome religion. This is not terribly surprising, considering that he is a racial deity, one that is primarily concerned with the advancement of his chosen people, the she-da-zhong. Lizardfolk are suspected by some members of other races to have an affinity for him, but in truth, they generally find him & his faith even more repulsive & abhorrent than most. Like with anything else, the she-da-zhong often lie about their religion to others, publicly claiming to reject Martuakh while worshiping him in private. He supports druids, monks, paladins of tyranny (LE), & paladins of slaughter (CE).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Martuakh must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a good manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit a good act, unless that act furthers a greater agenda of evil in some meaningful way. For example, healing a person is normally a good act, but healing an assassin so that he can commit his killing is in keeping with your evil agenda. Also, capturing a criminal is usually a good act, but apprehending an assassin so that you can kill them before they implicate you in a murder is part of an evil agenda.
• You may adventure with characters of any alignment, but you may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are evil.
• You should use poison to slay your enemies whenever possible. You need not kill every foe with poison, but your weapons should be as venomous as your tongue.
• You must protect serpents at all times, defending them with your life if need be. If a serpent is in danger within your sight, you must act to save them.
• You should lie whenever you can, telling the truth only when it serves a greater treachery. You may speak the truth with conspirators, or when it is particularly expedient, but you should find ways to further your goals through deception & misdirection.

Churches
Martuakh’s followers are deeply divided by a dogmatic schism, which grows ever wider as time passes. While they will work together to corrupt, destabilize, & subvert other races, the two sects are otherwise hostile to one another, with only the barest pretense of civility. The gulf between the two sects has reached the point of being something like a civil war, albeit a simmering one.

The Asp Party
The Asps, known amongst themselves as the Azbi Yura, are simultaneously a religious faction & a sub-race, one that is more independent & free-minded than the Cobra sect. The Asps believe that Martuakh is an approachable deity, one that will answer prayers & offer support to anyone who makes the proper living sacrifices. They see him as a champion of the zhong cause, one whose eye beholds a vision of zhong supremacy, & he needs only to be roused from his slumber to bring about a wave of destruction that will leave only the she-da-zhong alive to rule the world. Because of this philosophy, their version of Martuakh’s symbol has only a small, thin serpent wrapped around a large swollen eye. The Asps prefer to infiltrate the settlements of other races, undermining them from within as sleeper agents, who await their chance to strike openly. Due to these social tactics, they are more familiar with non-zhong than the Cobras, & vice versa. Their clerics often choose the Death & Trickery domains.

The Cobra Party
The Cobras, on the other hand, are more strict & authoritarian than the Asp sect. Calling themselves the Naja Xian, the Cobras deem that Martuakh’s favor can only be gained within the walls of a temple, where all sacrifices are administered by the priests. They see him as an aloof patron of their kind, one who is content to sleep away the eons, & must be roused with blood & flesh if he is to to bring about a wave of destruction that will leave only the she-da-zhong alive to rule the world. Because of this philosophy, their version of Martuakh’s symbol has a large, thick-bodied serpent wrapped around a small lidded eye. The Cobras (who are simultaneously a religious faction & a sub-race) prefer to remain in their lairs, sending out dominated agents to foment discord & corruption among the other races, paving the way for the day that they leave their nests to strike openly. Due to these social tactics, they are less familiar with non-zhong than the Asps, & vice versa. Their clerics often choose the Poison & Serpent domains.

Faith Structure
Temples of Martuakh are mostly on the Western Continent, although a few have recently been found in remote parts of the western coast of Admaja, far from civilization. They are typically made of dark stone, or carved out of caverns beneath the earth. They are lined with columns depicting serpents devouring humanoids, or of humans transforming into serpents. In the center of each temple is a pit full of writhing snakes. They tend to have ramps instead of stairs, & curving surfaces instead of angled rooms. For protection, they often have very narrow entrances that only serpents can slither through.

Only the elder she-da-zhong, the Chungwa/Xanghua, may become priests, although members of the other castes may join a temple as acolytes. In addition, priests of Martuakh are exclusively male, & they must be skillful ambushers & defenders of lairs. The holiest time of year for the children of Martuakh is a month-long period of hibernation in the middle of winter known as the Long Slumber. This is preceded by a gluttonous feast, & followed by an annual molting in which the she-da-zhong shed their skins, beginning their lives again with renewed vigor.

Martuakh encourages competition within each caste in order to ensure that only the most qualified leaders come to the fore. Every act of gratuitous cruelty & suffering committed by the she-da-zhong brings the Sleeping Serpent closer to awakening. Therefore, the atrocities committed by the she-da-zhong are not selfish in nature; they murder, desecrate, & undermine governments to bring about a resurgence of their bloodthirsty god. The fact that they actually enjoy doing these things is incidental.

The she-da-zhong believe that after Martuakh awakes & devours everything, they will be left as the rulers of the world. However, they do not believe much will be left of the world for them to rule. They accept this because of their devotion to their deity & because of the visceral pleasure they get out of the atrocities that they commit in his name.

Dogma
The followers of Martuakh are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Serve your enemy above your ally, yourself above your enemy, your master above yourself, your sect above your master, the Zhong above your sect, & Martuakh above all.
• Give respect to all serpents, & give death to those fail in this.
• A forked tongue can speak a lie that sounds like truth, & a truth that sounds like lies.
• A drop of poison in the night is worth more than a drop of blood in the daytime.
• Never forgo a chance to rest, for the Sleeping Serpent must bide its time.
• Strike from the shadows, & never let light be shed upon your deeds.
• Your words should be even more venomous than your fangs.
• The snake that bites you is the snake you didn’t see.
• You must sleep when others wake, & wake when others sleep. Only this way may you sow the seeds of death.
• Spread the will of the Zhong to more quickly awaken the Serpent Lord.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Martuakh believe that, after they die, they will be reborn as snakes surrounding the Master of the Pit in his hidden underground den, deep below the Western Continent. The size & intelligence of their serpent form will be a reflection of their fidelity to Martuakh & their actions taken in his name. Within this cavernous den, the reborn followers will writhe & slither over Martuakh’s slumbering body, trying to rouse him & gain his favor. There is no escape from the pit, as only the Serpent Lord can pierce the den rocky walls, & there is no food to be found here, so the snakes must eat each other to survive. Those that survive & consume their brethren will grow large & strong, to better attempt the awakening of the Sleeping Serpent. It is said that the largest & most powerful servant will one day stir Martuakh from his sleep, & this blessed follower will become his mate, spawning a new & holy brood to conquer the world. The skeptics & enemies of Martuakh shall become stillborn eggs & snakes without fang or venom, mere victuals for the true believers.

Origin
Martuakh is actually the snake-god Merrshaulk, who once slumbered in the 74th layer of the Abyss, Smaragd. He was once a deity in decline, a god who had grown weary from the long ages of conflict with other divinities. During the God-War of eons past, Zihaja called for aid from the worlds beyond the Kamala. Merrshaulk replied to the call, seizing an opportunity to leave his troubles behind him & start fresh on a new world.

After the war ended, Merrshaulk was able to hide away on the Western Continent, renaming himself in a bid to forget his waning past. There, he was able to sponsor a decadent & murderous empire of humans, who worshipped him as their patron god. Invigorated by the free reign he enjoyed, he gave his chosen people, the Empire of She, a powerful ritual that would transform them into serpentine beings, much like his children from the old world. The ritual worked, & though it destroyed the empire, it gave his new children outer forms to match their ruthless inner selves.

But recently, Martuakh has begun to fade into his old lethargic ways. His former vitality is all but spent, & he has yet again taken to sleeping away years at a time. Some of the zhong say that this was caused by the Pactspell, while others believe that it started long before, perhaps even beginning with the fall of the Empire of She. The she-da-zhong are largely undeterred by their god’s lassitude, however, & more than one cabal is attempting to find a way to bolster him via some means. Some have openly rejected the Sleeping Serpent as weak & ineffectual, turning to other gods, such as the more dynamic Maqur.

By Other Names
While Martuakh is the Serpent Lord’s preferred name, he is a god of lies & deceit; consequently, he is known by several other aliases.

Kaliya
On Najmah, Martuakh is known as Kaliya, a much-hated serpent god who poisons rivers & terrorizes innocents. Thought by some to be a personification of the destruction wrought by the mists of Najmah, Kaliya is worshipped by relatively-pious demons, as well as death cults from other races. He is said to vomit poison from his wide mouth, & any creature that survives his venom is wrapped within his scaly coils & crushed. He is commonly viewed as an enemy of Zaia, & in some circles is considered to be a twisted reflection of her. His clerics often choose the Poison & Serpent domains.

Murshalk
Even the dvernin of the frozen south have heard of Martuakh, & they despise his people, the she-da-zhong, despite have seldom met them face-to-face. Calling him Murshalk, their knowledge of him derives from their patron god Hagalvethr, who has known of the Sleeping Serpent for countless ages. There are no people, dvernin or otherwise that worship him under this name; it seems to exist only to identify an enemy of Hagalvethr’s children. For their part, the zhong hate this name & the dvernin along with it, having long ago declared them a worthless people unfit for anything less than torture & slaughter.

Sseth
An old name for the Maker of Venom, one that dates back to the early Age of Kingdoms, this moniker was used in the Dominion of Alaqanas over 4,000 years ago. Sseth was integrated into the Alaqanasai pantheon as a serpent god, one who represented death, immortality, & rebirth. In a never-ending cycle, he would grow old, only to shed his skin & reveal a young & healthy version of himself underneath. His name was sometimes rendered as Satha, Seth, or simply Set. His temple was a popular one, & worship of him spread to other kingdoms that were heavily influenced by the dominion, such as Ilud. His peak was actually in the kingdom of Adabasha, where he came to signify the entire afterlife, particularly the underworld of the dead. Their clerics often choose the Death & Trickery domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Nathar
The Lord of Loss, King of the Thousand Deaths, the Judge of Fates

Symbol: A gold-&-black maze whose paths form a T-shape in the center
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolio: Murder, fear, loss, shaghali, torment, caution, deprivation
Granted Domains: Curse, Evil, Murder, Night
Favored Weapon: Disaster (longsword)
Aliases: Bashra, Kehlek, the King of Ghuls, Mahat, Rava the Hunter, the Scarred One

Nathar (nah-THAHR) is the patron deity of the demon-touched shaghali, a darkly pragmatic demon god who views life & happiness as petty resources. Nathar & his analogues are known & feared in many cultures.

Region
Nathar’s worship rests almost entirely with his people, the shaghali. Where they go, so too does his all-devouring dogma. Their homeland is in the east, across the Ramul Sea in a land called Nefer-Ta. There, in the capital city of Neb-Niwet, the lady Nesubet rules over the shaghali as the Queenpriest of Blood & the self-proclaimed “Living Will of Nathar.”

Worshipers
All shaghali save a reckless few pay lip service to Nathar during their everyday business, as well as to his aspects within the shaghal pantheon. The Natharite priesthood is powerful in shaghal culture, & has turned some humans & kobolds to its side in secret. No gnoll, no matter how debased or vile, will ever worship Nathar. Of late, ghuls in the eastern lands have learned of the Lord of Loss & have come to his side, & his faith is seeing a surge among assassins, rogues, & wizards. In the main, however, Nathar & his other identities are only worshiped by the mad, the vengeful or the nihilistic.

Nathar does not care at all for the alignment of his followers. However, few of his clergy are lawful, & almost none are good. He supports paladins of slaughter (CE).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Nathar must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a good manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit a good act, unless that act furthers a greater agenda of evil in some meaningful way. For example, healing a person is normally a good act, but healing an assassin so that he can commit his killing is in keeping with your evil agenda. Also, capturing a criminal is usually a good act, but apprehending an assassin so that you can kill them before they implicate you in a murder is part of an evil agenda.
• You must ignore any laws or traditions that get in your way. You may obey rules that do not conflict with your needs, but you cannot let them constrain your behavior. You know what is best for you & your god, & that is all that should matter to you. If it is expedient, you may, for a time, pay lip service to the law in order to further your goals, but only for a while.
• While you may adventure with characters of any evil or neutral alignment, you cannot knowingly associate with good characters unless it serves your needs, nor can you continue an association with someone who consistently offends your moral code. You may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are chaotic evil.
• You must disrespect all authority figures that have not proven their physical superiority to you, refuse help to those in need, & sow destruction & death at all opportunities, preferably by magically cursing others.
• You must commit murder as often as you are able to get away with it. The murders must take place at nighttime, under the open sky; while you may kill during the day or indoors, any slaughter that you may do under those conditions does not count toward this commitment. You must kill in this manner no less than once per year, & your victims should feel fear & loss prior to their deaths.

Churches
Nathar has only one church, though four notable factions have emerged within it.

The Exalted
This is the largest & strongest faction, referred to as “Darklords” in colloquial terms. The Exalted are the elite clergy who support the Queenpriest of Blood’s proclamation of herself as the living will of Nathar. In this fashion, they believe that they too are of the spiritually promoted of the Lord of Loss, & frequently unleash their divine power to assert their assumed superiority. The rather overt, central nature of the Exalted inspires fear among other factions, & largely keeps them in check. Darklord clerics often choose the Curse & Evil domains.

The Council of Nocturne
A high-ranking body within the church, the Council (or “Goldcloaks”) & their following resent the Queenpriest’s consolidation of personal power & chafe at the dictates she is making unilaterally. In times past, the Council nominated the church’s leader from within their own ranks, & held power of admission, doctrine & dogma alongside the Kingpriest or Queenpriest. Though the Goldcloaks still hold regional & sectarian authority, they fear that the established order is being consumed from within, & are fighting back quietly by waging an internal war of silence, tightening their grip on their respective dominions through fear. Goldcloak clerics often choose the Curse & Night domains.

The Children of the Maze
In the most secret bowels of the Church of Nathar, a secret project was forged to train the most devout to serve as the dark hand of Nathar. The keepers of this project, which of old acted under the direction of Council leaders, began to defer to the Queenpriest’s new dictates, & it is uncertain to all sides at present where the loyalties of the Children lie. What is very clear is that the most dangerous assassins & dervishes of Nathar are under the control of less than five people, none of whose identities are known to any outside party. Thus, when there is a noteworthy death in any faction, eyes flick to the Children, but no accusation can be spoken aloud lest the speaker wish to become a target. Those Children with cleric levels often choose the Murder & Night domains.

The Youngblood
With the quiet strife of the religious cold war between the upper echelons taking place all around them, the lower ranks have escaped notice for long enough to begin considering their own place in events to come. The most concealed faction thus far, the Youngblood must work in utmost secrecy, as they lack the sheer power of their competitors. However, joining with disaffected segments of shaghal society, they plot to incite open war between the Darklords & the Goldcloaks, forcing the hand of the Children & taking over in the aftermath. The Youngblood play this hand at great risk. Their clerics often choose the Evil & Murder domains.

Faith Structure
The Church of Nathar operates in a secretive, cult-like fashion, but maintains a prominent standing in shaghal society. Cathedrals are built in the most prominent locations in communities, & always feature a hidden maze beneath for the cult to conceal their secrets. Natharite architecture favors large, empty spaces, thin towers & square columns. Where it is expedient, they will construct ziggurats rather than build churches.

The Church maintains a position of authority through their divine power & fear of the Lord of Loss. For as many fanatics as can be found in the populace, there are as many if not more who would be quite pleased to ignore the church in their day to day lives. However, all shaghali believe in Nathar even if they do not venerate him, & understand that it is an honor to be admitted to his dark service.

The Church is ostensibly a highly regimented, authoritarian body, though in truth its members are well-versed in treachery & murder. In this fashion, the Church also acts as a sort of secret police among the populace, & many of its most devout adherents are disguised & sent as assassins. Advancement is at least partially murder-driven, though at the highest levels this becomes less pragmatic.

Major religious rites involve sacrifice, with the most prominent being the creation of a nightmarish nemesis, an unknowing being filled with the killing drive of Nathar. Whenever possible, high priests choose a subject close to their target. Nathar’s clerics cannot pray on the night of the full moon.

Any cathedral, temple or ziggurat that is destroyed in any fashion is abandoned, guarded & marked as taboo ground. None are ever reclaimed, for such would be heresy to the Lord of Loss.

Dogma
The followers of Nathar are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• All who oppose the Judge of Fates deserve fear, pain, & a slow death.
• Fear can succeed where a thousand swords would fail.
• That which is lost shall never be reclaimed. To rebuild the broken is to insult the Lord of Loss.
• All shaghali must revere Nathar, & serve his cause. To do otherwise is to court the foulest curse.
• Prudence, discretion, & patience are the threefold path to victory. Recklessness & haste shall only purchase an ignoble death.
• Curse your adversaries with abandon, for misfortune is the price for defying Nathar.
• To break a captain is to break his army, so spread fear & pain in precise measure.
• Never kill one who has not suffered or felt despair, for death must be always be a mercy.
• Act not in the daylight, for the night is your master’s realm. The dawn ushers in the time to rest & plot, while the gates of dusk signal the time for death & anguish.
• A murder is an offering to Nathar, but a torture is a full ceremony unto itself.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Nathar believe that, after they die, they will find themselves alone in the middle of a vast high-walled labyrinth made of thick, tangled vines. The plants are impenetrable, & dimly glow under the cloudy black sky. This place is known as the Maze of Thorns, named for the tiny sharp hooks covering every inch of the glowing flora. Every spirit, whether they were a fervent supporter or a heretical non-believer, must navigate the narrow maze, where everything that they had in life shall be taken away. All things are stripped from the dead by the thorns: strength, vitality, wisdom, memories, sanity, & more. The only things that can be retained are those which the dead took from others during their lifetime, & anything that they can take from other spirits on the way to the exit. At the end of the harrowing labyrinth, what remains of the dead are weighed by Nathar’s servants on a scale against a golden box. If they are worthy, they will become one of Nathar’s chosen & serve at his side; to fail is to forfeit the last of their spirit, becoming nothing.

Origin
Nathar is one of the greatest demon commanders summoned by Siraaj during the earliest days. When the arch-demon Johoum led his forces against the mortal lands, Nathar led a horrific campaign to the far east, corrupting the shaghal tribes by offering them power in exchange for their aid in the wholesale slaughter of their neighbors. The success of this venture allowed Nathar to proceed with minimal forces, permitting the delegation of the bulk of his army back into Najmah to restrain the deva from aiding the mortals’ cause, & causing the Admajai to turn to genie aid to rid themselves of Johoum. With the arch-demon bound, Nathar hid among his mortal minions as a living god, & eventually gained true divine power from their worship.

By Other Names
Nathar maintains multiple identities both within shaghal culture & among others.

Bashra
Bashra is the shaghal totem of death, depicted as a jackal’s head on a vulture’s body. Icons of Bashra with his wings unfurled like menacing hands over archways mark courts, gladiatorial arenas, tombs & other areas associated with judgment & death. Bashra is written to hide “howling beasts of gluttony” beneath his wings, which wait for a signal from the Judge of Dooms to tear the damned to shreds. The death clergy of the shaghali hold a nigh-unassailable position in society. They may choose from the Curse, Death, & Night domains.

The King of Ghuls
The cruelty of Nathar has drawn the attention of ghuls in the eastern lands, & their curiosity has not gone unanswered. Nathar has begun appearing to certain prominent ghuls as the King of Ghuls, a large, terrifying figure whose objective is to rally the powers of darkness to rip the world’s spoils from the weak hands of mortals. Great danger awaits Siraaj should Nathar’s gambit succeed. The ghul clerics who follow the King may choose from the Chaos, Curse, Destruction, & Evil domains.

The Scarred One
Nathar attempted a similar tactic among the aazlai clans, only to be soundly rejected. However, a few members of the race, vengeful or ambitious, turned away to seek out the demon in the night. These servants of Nathar’s & their own evil spread great damage among the clans in their gambit to seize power, & were eventually found out, marked as traitors & exiled, only for a vision of Nathar, bearing the same mark, to appear & spread famine & plague over the aazlai. This display of power still lures a rare few aazlai to follow the demonic teachings of the legendary terror known to this day as the Scarred One. Those who betray sept & clan to take the Scarred One’s killing paw choose from the Destruction, Murder, Strength, & War domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Pashati
Mother of Rains, the Riverqueen, Samandar of the Dawn

Symbol: Three strands of hanging rain beads.
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolio: Renewal, cleansing, birth, growth, healing
Granted Domains: Cleansing, Healing, Plant
Favored Weapon: “Purifying Rains” (trident)
Aliases: Al’Mathar, Bhishaj, Nala, the Purity, Tahira, Zalimah

Pashati (pah-SHAH-tee) is the benevolent, nurturing goddess of the rains, life & motherhood. She represents the endless, selfless bounty of the natural world, the simple beauty & wonder of life, & its power to purify the mind, body, & spirit.

Region
The church of Pashati began in the city of Rasalhague, in Sheqari, & spread outward from there, eventually gaining acceptance all over the western half of Admaja. While her faith is strongest in Sheqari, she has widespread support in Burdusq & Ilud, as well as burgeoning pockets of followers (known as Pashatai) in eastern Admaja. She had a congregation of believers in Maziraluq, but the Johoumites of Ostaz seized the city, renamed it Mamluk, & supplanted the Pashatai church there about 10 years ago. She is almost unknown in the more parched regions of the continent, such as the Sahra Basit, the Red Sands, & the Northern Wastes (with the exception of the settlements along the Elzim River, which is sacred to her). On Najmah, where she is known as Bhishaj, she is worshipped all over Vaatavaari, the southern continent, & also enjoys some support in Padam & southern Kshaya, especially in the city of Angaros.

Worshipers
Most devotees of the Riverqueen are lizardfolk; she is the chief goddess of Rasalhague, & her faith has spread across the Sheqari region. Of the other races, she is worshiped mainly by the humans & kobolds of the western coast, the savannah aazlai, & the steppe centaurs of the south. Gnolls do not know her well, & she is considered an enemy to devils, demons, rakshasas, ghuls, & the undead. Her worship is uncommon among numari, although she has a following among half-marids & masabi. Half-ghuls who seek to escape the darkness of their sires may devote themselves to Pashati in order to wash away the taint of their birth.

Pashati only allows worshipers of a non-evil alignment, & most of her clergy are good in some way. She supports druids, monks, paladins of honor (LG), & paladins of freedom (CG).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Pashati must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in an evil manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit an evil act, even if that act furthers a greater agenda of good in some meaningful way. For example, you cannot kill an assassin when capturing them is a viable option, even if preventing their murderous actions is in keeping with your good agenda. Also, while borrowing things that are needed to promote a good agenda is acceptable, outright stealing is not. In addition, lying is fine if the telling the truth would get in the way of a greater good, but cheating someone should be avoided, if at all possible, even if the cheated party is evil.
• While you may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, you cannot knowingly associate with evil characters (except on some sort of undercover mission), nor can you continue an association with someone who consistently offends your moral code. You may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are good.
• You should heal others whenever possible, especially those who cannot heal themselves. This includes enemies that are not attempting to harm you at the moment. You should attempt to treat injuries, stabilize the dying, neutralize poisons, & remove diseases. This can be done via magical or mundane means, so long as doing so does not interfere with the greater good.
• You cannot use poisons, diseases, or any means of inflicting ability damage/drain.
• You must destroy oozes, vermin, & the undead on sight. You cannot suffer an ally who keeps such foul beings, nor can you associate with intelligent undead, even if they are non-evil.

Churches
The disciples of Pashati are organized into three main churches, although they are all rather close to one another, their ideological divides being fairly narrow & easily crossed.

The Tears of Love
This sect is the most prominent of Pashati’s followings, with members all across Sheqari & Burdusq. They tend to keep to the cities, towns, & villages, preferring the urban areas more than other Pashatai factions. Its members, who are called Teardrops (among more pejorative names), run the hospitals, tend the gardens, & clean the roads in the lands that they serve, which earns the respect of the common people. Their priests call the citizens to pray in their towering temples, & to gather around their many fountains to perform the Prayer of Pashati ritual. They are an evangelical party, eager to teach non-believers the many virtues of the Samandar of the Dawn, & for this reason they are sometimes met with opposition to their steady expansion. They do not fully understand why others would not wish to bask in the cleansing waters of Pashati’s bounty, so they continue attempting conversions, even in places where they are not welcome. The Teardrops consider the gerboa a sacred animal & the hyacinth a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Cleansing & Healing domains.

The Tree of Purity
While this faction is less visible than the Tears of Love, they are actually the largest church of Pashati, with significantly more members over a wider area. They operate in the rural parts of the western regions (with a particularly strong contingent in Ilud), rarely entering a settlement larger than a village. Their members, known as Puretrees, advocate the benefits of a natural lifestyle & promote the expansion of forests & grasslands, in addition to combating the causes of desertification. Members can usually be identified by their distinctive green-&-brown robes, which appear to be covered in leaves & blend in well with the woodlands of southern Ilud. They tend to get along well with Teardrops on the occasions when the two groups meet (although the Puretrees disapprove of their proselytizing), but the two sects are often uncomfortable in each other’s chosen territory, so they only collaborate sporadically. The Tree of Purity considers the jungle cat a sacred animal & the baobab tree a sacred plant. Their clerics typically choose the Cleansing & Plant domains.

Al Aqdar Qanisa
Smaller & less well-known than the Teardrops & the Puretrees, the church calling itself Al Aqdar Qanisa (literally “the Green Temple”) mostly keeps to itself, conducting its affairs without consultation or interference from the rest of the greater church. Its members, which are sometimes (erroneously) called Templars, are commonly mistaken for followers of the two larger sects, an error that they do little to correct. They primarily concern themselves with fighting threats to the environment, such as wildfires, storms, & destructive monsters. They are committed to keeping people safe from the dangers of the wilderness, & vice versa. Templars are often seen as humorless extremists by other Pashatai, an opinion which they do not seem to really mind; they are also known as the most proficient & effective healers in the world, able to bestow amazing restorative benefits upon the ill & dying. While they hold all flora to be sacred, they hold the garlic plant as the holiest above all others. Their clerics almost always choose the Healing & Plant domains.

Faith Structure
More than with any other religion, the faith of Pashati is concerned with the perfection of the spirit. Pashatai seek to purify themselves (& their fellow disciples), so that they may achieve a state of spiritual transcendence. They believe that a creature’s soul becomes tainted as they commit sins, act selfishly, & harm others. Their soul must be cleansed if they are to gain enlightenment, which can only be reached by committing good deeds, act selflessly, & healing others. Once a creature’s soul has been fully cleansed, then they will become one with Pashati, adding to her magnificence for all time.

According to Pashatai doctrine, all souls are equal in the Riverqueen’s eyes, & all have an equal chance to achieve perfection. Therefore, at least officially, no member of the church is any higher in rank than any other, as they are all Pashati’s children. As a practical matter, however, there is a loose hierarchy based on seniority, personal accomplishment, & (above all) spiritual enlightenment.

Priests of Pashati often wield a wooden staff with a crystalline orb at the top, from which dangle several chains of beads. The church does not require the clergy to wear a specific uniform, deeming that the message is more important than the messenger, but many priests choose to wear long flowing robes. The only common element of Pashati’s appearance will be their hair, which is almost always worn long with multiple beads braided into it.

Pashati’s worship is fairly casual & freeform, with simple benedictions that sound more like (& are used as) conversational phrases. Her followers act in a direct, straightforward manner, & prayer is often done among family or in small neighborhoods before a large morning meal. Prayers in her honor are conducted every morning at dawn, as well as during any rain-shower; prayers are almost always performed outside, even during a thunderstorm. Her followers consider rivers, springs, & oases to be sacred places.

Temples built in Pashati’s honor are nearly always in the form of multi-story towers, the top story of which is usually open to the sky. Most of her temples have a fountain on the grounds, & many of them have several. The temples are usually sparsely decorated, with little furniture & a simple design scheme based no vertical lines.

Dogma
The followers of Pashati are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Heal all who require aid, even if they oppose you. The Riverqueen blesses without bias.
• Suffer not the desert, for its spread is repugnant, & must be reversed.
• To purify another is to purify one’s self.
• Help all that live to multiply & grow, so that they may exalt Pashati’s bounty.
• The dying should be pulled back from the river of the dead, if possible. While death is a natural part of life, it is an irrevocable change that diminishes life as it defines it.
• Poison, disease, filth, taint, & destruction are all a part of the same evil. It must all be washed away by the Mother of Rains.
• Those who destroy must be stopped, & while you should always offer an opportunity for redemption, to destroy a destroyer is to aid Pashati’s creation.
• While you may harvest from nature’s bounty, you must never kill a plant.
• Offer succor to those giving birth, for all new life is hallowed.
• Cultivate vegetation whenever possible, & plant a seed every day that you can.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Pashati believe that, after they die, they will ride upon the River of Starlight, washing away all their imperfections in the purifying waters. After some time, they will wash ashore on the banks of a river in front of a grand waterfall, the sheen of which reflects an image of the deceased as they were truly viewed by others. Belief in Pashati does not matter in this place, only ones’ inner self & the impact that the dead had upon the living. Those who can accept their impact upon those who knew them in life may step through the waterfall into a verdant paradise, called the Garden of Plenty. Those who find the image dreadful or hideous are compelled to dive into the rushing river, which cascades back into the living realm once more. The fleeing spirits are washed downward, to be incarnated once more & have another chance at a caring, benevolent life.

Origin
The true Pashati was a great & powerful couatl, a feathered serpent from Najmah, who brought healing & water to the parched lizardfolk tribes of Sheqari, whose lands were scorched in the war against Johoum. She went to them in the guise of one of their own, teaching the arts of healing magic & of fostering the crops along the banks of the Provider’s Oasis. After many decades of selfless service to the lizardfolk, she eventually died, & as her body faded into pristine light, the people believed her to be their tutelary goddess, venerating her wisdom, benevolence, & guidance ever since.

By Other Names
Pashati, like other deities, goes by many different aliases, although her intrinsic good is always present, regardless of her name.

Al-Mathar
In the deserts of Siraaj, such as the Sahra Basit & the Red Sands, it rarely (if ever) rains, & only the hardiest of plants can survive. In these places, Pashati is known as a distant, fickle goddess called Al-Mathar (literally “the Rain”). While she may be benevolent, she displays her kindness only once in a great while, the rest of the time staying high up in the heavens, away from the desperate cries of those in need. Her purifying rain makes flowers bloom spontaneously from the parched sands, as all is green in her wake. Her disciples preach patience, perseverance, & hope. Clerics of Al-Mathar often choose from the Cleansing, Good, Hardship, & Water domains.

Bhishaj
On Najmah, Pashati is goes exclusively by the name of Bhishaj, a Houri title which means Healer. She is a benevolent goddess, even more giving & selfless than her Sirajai persona, & she is more closely tied to the trees & other flora. Followers of Bhishaj frequently embark on altruistic pilgrimages where they travel to far-away lands, healing everyone along their route that needs it; it is for this reason, above all others, that the people of Najmah are so long-lived, & that Bhishaj is so popular. Her church is extremely pacifist, & the fact that Najmah has had much less warfare than Siraaj is a testament to the continued efforts of her followers, along with those of Sidaru. She is worshiped all over Vaatavaari, & also enjoys some support in Padam & southern Kshaya. Her clerics often choose from among the Good, Healing, Peace, & Plant domains.

Zalimah
In Ilud, where the fields are green with life & the trees bask in the rain, the Mother of Rains is known as Zalimah. This name is taken from a half-forgotten goddess of the ancient pagan pantheon of Ilud, who was a zealous defender of nature. Today, Zalimah retains her role as guardian of the wilderness, & her supporters take that role very seriously. They oppose new settlements, as well as the expansion of existing ones, & they are the most active in the cause to reverse the desertification of the world. While other Pashatai agree with them, most non-believers find her followers to be sanctimonious & unsociable. Zalimah’s clerics often choose the Healing, Luck, Protection, & Strength domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Qirus
The Lion God, the Stoic Watcher, the True Beacon, the King of Pride & Power

Symbol: A lion’s head over a solar eclipse.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Achievement, protection, stamina, warfare, greatness
Granted Domains: Law, Protection, Resolve, War
Favored Weapon: “Dominion” (falchion)
Aliases: Al-Asas, Khairi Mlinzi, the Lord of Lions, Shimha, Tahaqum, Udyama

Qirus (KEER-oos) is the stern, vigilant deity of protection, structure, establishment & conquest. His dogma teaches that in the darkest hours, one must stand with pride brighter than the sun.

Region
Qirus ascended to divinity from the City of God, & it is there that his religion is the strongest. From there, it has spread to the other settlements on the Hasini River, as well as along the Lisan Coast. Nowadays, the Stoic Watcher is known & respected throughout most of Ilud, as well as southern Burdusq. On Najmah, Qirus is known as Udyama, & is mostly worshiped in the three Sister Cities: Dharma, Namaste, & Vanija.

Worshipers
While there are devotees of Qirus to be found among nearly all races, his following is mostly among the humans. There is a minority of Qirusai that are half-genie or sabi, but few other races venerate the Lion God as humans do. The aazlai love him & tell stories of his mortal exploits to this day, but to them, he is the equivalent of a folk hero or a demigod, & not a true deity. However, gnoll traders & kobold merchants are slowly spreading the faith of the Stoic Watcher to their kin beyond the City of God, & some lizardfolk sailors are recent converts.

Qirus tolerates worshipers of any non-chaotic alignment. Most of his clergy are lawful in some regard. He supports druids, monks, paladins of honor (LG), & paladins of tyranny (LE).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Qirus must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a chaotic manner. This means that you must follow all local, national, & other laws, & you must honor traditions whenever possible, even if it is inconvenient. You may only violate laws or ignore traditions if they are contradictory, so if they stand between you & your goals, then you must find a way to accomplish your objectives while obeying the letter of the law. Ignorance of the law is not an acceptable excuse for acting in an illegal manner, but being ignorant of a tradition is fine, so long as you innocently lacked the knowledge.
• You may adventure with characters of any alignment, but you may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful.
• You should show respect to authority figures, even if you disagree with their policies. If a legitimate authority figures is acting illegally, you must follow the proper procedures for reporting their actions to their superiors, leaving the matter of discipline to those responsible to meting out justice.
• If you witness the commission of a crime, or the planning of a crime, then you are obligated to prevent it &/or capture the criminals. If apprehending the perpetrators is itself illegal, then you must report the crime immediately, & assist the authorities in any way possible, so long as it does not interfere with you doing what needs to be done.
• You must protect the innocent whenever possible, even if doing so is inconvenient or harmful to yourself. Defending the innocent from harm is of paramount importance, & must be done unless doing so gets in the way of more pressing duties.

Churches
Qirus has only one official church, which is ostensibly unified; but beneath the surface, there are several allied factions, with interconnected politics.

The Great House of God
This “sect” has no official name, as it is equivalent to the entire Qirusai religion in the eyes of most people. The unofficial title, however, is the Great House of God, given to it by priests from Naranj, who were attempting to describe the City of God to potential converts. Members of the church espouse a philosophy of personal achievement, mutual defense, & communal responsibility. The Great House rarely builds small shrines like some other churches do, even in places where the Lion God is a minority faith. Instead, they tend to construct large temples wherever they go, on the principle that the True Beacon will call the people to him, if only he has a large enough torch. Only within a sanctioned temple will they perform their holiest ritual, the Sacrament of Qirus. As could probably be guessed, its members consider the lion a sacred animal, & they consider the nepeta flower a sacred plant. Their clerics commonly choose the Protection & Resolve domains.

The Order of the Eclipse
According to legend, Shimha Qirus was foretold in a prophecy to found a great temple-city dedicated to his god, Sidaru. The divination told him to build his city wherever he stood during the next solar eclipse. As it so happened, he was leading an army in a march towards the Quis Sea, along the Hasini River, when a total eclipse blocked the sun. At the time, he was standing in the middle of a tiny fishing village, whose name has been lost to history. And so it was there, at that very spot, that he laid the foundation for the City of God. Ever since, an eclipse has been a good omen for the followers of Qirus. (This legend has been deemed apocryphal at best by scholars, who have pointed out that the sun would not have been visible during the Ten Dark Years; nevertheless, the myth has become an important part of the religion, & is said to contain a truth beyond the facts.)

Within the main church, a monastic sect was formed early in the church’s history, one devoted to defending the faith from outside threats. In their zeal, they have expanded greatly, allowing clerics, paladins, & rangers to join their never-ending crusade to make the world safe for the Qirusai. Certain members of the Great House have expressed concern regarding the order militaristic nature, but they depend on the order’s members for defense & expansion. Some non-believers have also grown distrustful of the entire religion, due to the fact that the order appears to be indistinguishable from the church as a whole. Clerics of the order usually choose the Protection & War domains.

Libda al-Asad
The most radical faction within the church of Qirus started as one of the most quietest & conservative. Calling themselves Libda al-Asad (literally “The Lion’s Mane”), this sect was originally created as an order of Qirusai scholars dedicated to compiling & preserving religious texts. For decades, they preformed their appointed task in obscurity, until a fanatical priest named Abdul Alim al-Sultha revolutionized the order. He believed that Qirus became a divine figure because of the times in which he lived, namely the war-torn strife of the Ten Dark Years. Abdul thus reasoned that there should be more wars for the church to take advantage of, so that the church can gain more converts & expand more rapidly. This led to a violent schism within the Great House, & Abdul was eventually arrested for his heresies.

The Lion’s Mane lived on, though, still secretly dedicated to their cause of fomenting armed conflicts, while on the surface appearing to have reformed into their original role. They believe that they are serving a higher purpose than the leadership of the church, & that their actions will ultimately be vindicated by history, once the church has become the dominant faith on the continent. They operate in the shadows, manipulating people from the shadows, ever-fearful of discovery, especially from the Justicars, who would be obligated to destroy them. The clerics within the Lion’s Mane typically choose the Law & War domains.

Justicars
Possibly the most active & visible arm of the church, the Justicars are responsible for upholding the laws of the land, no matter what the cost. This sect was created by the Great House about 100 years ago to focus on the execution (sometimes literally) of the law, thereby freeing up the rest of the church to work on other pursuits. They have been given the responsibility of apprehending law-breakers & meting out justice upon them, dealing out harsh punishments so as to discourage future violations. This judge/jury/executioner role is often welcome in the lawless wilderness, but can cause problems in urban areas, where local guards & militias usually have jurisdiction. They are granted a great deal of autonomy by the church, & are thus typically found working alone. They usually wear heavy armor when out in public, the symbol of Qirus displayed proudly on their chest-plates & cloaks. They are almost never seen without their face-concealing helmets, which often bear an imposing leonine appearance. Clerics among the Justicars generally choose the Law & Resolve domains.

Faith Structure
The worship of Qirus is highly structured, with a strict hierarchy & narrowly-defined roles & duties. At the bottom of the pecking order are the Anchorites, the common initiates who are just learning the official doctrine, often through meditation & labor exercises. Next up on the ladder are the Acolytes, the priests who run the temples, lead the community prayer services, & perform the bulk of the church’s clerical work. The next step up the chain of command are the Prophets, seers & tacticians who have specialized in divination, providing the church’s leaders with valued advice.

Next are Justicars, the enforcers of the local, state, & religious law, who travel the land, searching for transgressors to punish & wrongs to make right. Then there are the Ministers, evangelists who travel to places where Qirus-worship is not the dominant religion, so as to spread the word of the Lion God. Next up in the hierarchy are the Solons, the regional leaders of the Great House, who direct the temples, implement church policies, & coordinate the faithful. They answer directly to a small cabal of four arch-clerics known as the Maraji (singular Marja), who convene periodically to illuminate the canon of Qirusai laws & settle disputes concerning religious matters.

In theory, the Maraji are subordinate to sultan of the City of God, who is nominally the highest authority of the church of Qirus. As a practical matter, though, the sultan does not directly get involved in the church’s affairs, a tradition that has dated back over a century. This leaves the Marjas as the effective leaders of the church, the sultan being nothing more than a figurehead. Thus it is they who issue the religious handbooks known as the Resalah.

The holy book of the Qirusai is the Ilah Qitab (literally “Book of God”), which was compiled from Shimha Qirus’s own journals & teachings. On occasion, the Maraji issue a Resalah, which is a small booklet that supplements, clarifies, & (in some cases) amends the official doctrine contained within the sacred texts of the Ilah Qitab. These revisions are later incorporated into the main tome, but the rulings contained within the Resalahs are considered dogma as soon as they are published.

The archetypical Qirusai temple is a relatively austere structure, with thick columns & hard angles. Temples dedicated to the Stoic Watcher are usually designed to convey a sense of power & stability; as such, they are often built using large stone blocks. The only wall decorations are sculptures & frescoes with a strong leonine motif. Other than seats for the worshipers & a pulpit for the preacher, the only invariable item in the temples is a replica of the Light of Hope.

Most of the clergy of Qirus wear yellow, orange, or tan robes, with the higher echelons wearing preserved lion hides. Their holy symbol is a black disc, rimmed with golden light, which represents a solar eclipse; this icon usually has a lion’s head depicted within the disc. Clerics dedicated to the True Beacon pray for their spells in the morning at dawn, which symbolizes the end of the Ten Dark Years.

Dogma
The followers of Qirus are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Succeed, & all shall sing your name. Fail, & be forgotten.
• The righteous must defend those who cannot defend themselves.
• To persevere in spite of adversity is to be one with the True Beacon.
• War is where one finds the depths of tragedy, but also the heights of glory.
• Achieve greatness, & the King of Pride & Power shall always bless your path.
• Obey your superiors, & never waver in your allegiance, as perfection is only attained in order.
• The duty of the strong is to shield the weak.
• Be ever vigilant, & never cease in a task which you have undertaken, for only then do you truly fail.
• The elaborate dance of the battlefield is the heart of all glory.
• To betray the trust bestowed upon you is to bring dishonor on yourself, your peers, & your god.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Qirus believe that, after they die, they will be ushered into the Halls of the Resolute, within the Citadel of the Lion God. There, the followers of Qirus will prepare for a glorious battle of epic proportions against the forces of Chaos, which will one day decide the fate of the Kamala. This is often depicted as a bloody struggle between devas & demons, with mortal warriors backing both sides. If the agents of disorder were to win, the living world would become overrun by demon hordes, which would destroy everything that has ever been built & end all life. The armies of Qirus will be commanded by the Stoic Watcher himself, who will lead from the front, charging at the hordes & challenging the largest & strongest demons to face him in single combat. The non-believers are commonly seen as cowardly abstaining from the conflict, hoping to avoid getting their hands dirty by participating.

Origin
The original Qirus was named Shimha Qirus (born Khairi Nia Mlinzi), & was an aazlai devoted to Sidaru. During the Ten Dark Years, he became a general & led an alliance of his people & the refugees of the destroyed Admaja nation into the midnight realms of the houris, where they were given sanctuary & the blessings of the devas. When Qirus decided to return to the battle, he brought with him deva & archon allies & the divine Light of Power, with which the aazlai, humans & celestial host drove back & obstructed their dark foes. Qirus hid the way into Najmah, & used the Light of Power to found a city devoted to his deity. The people had already given him a spiritual apotheosis, however, & they venerated Qirus in the city he had built for Sidaru, forgetting the faith of the other entirely.

By Other Names
Qirus is venerated under several different names, although his church would prefer it if all his disciples knew him by his official name.

Khairi Mlinzi
Among the aazlai, Qirus is known by his birth name, Khairi Nia Mlinzi. He is loved as a figure of legend & myth, but he is rarely worshiped by them. They generally consider him to be like a demigod or a folk hero. But there exists a small minority of aazlai who venerate him as their sole god, perhaps encouraged by the human-dominated church of Qirus. Most other aazlai would deem this devotion to be a perverse sacrilege, as they have had a pantheon of gods since time immemorial, so his followers pray to him clandestinely. The Spirit Tribe is the only pride that worships him openly, under his adopted Admajai name, Shimha. Their few clerics mostly choose from the Protection, Sun, War, & Wild domains.

The Lord of Lions
Not long ago, the religion of Qirus was almost exclusive to the settlements on the Hasini River, having spread only slowly along the Lisan coast & inland throughout Ilud. In the past few decades, however, gnoll & kobold merchants traveling to the City of God & elsewhere have converted to the Lion God, taking their faith back home with them. To the people of the eastern half of Admaja, Qirus is known as the Lord of Lions, a proud deity who represents the power, majesty, & danger of the natural world. His is still a fringe faith among the kobolds & the gnolls, who are more likely to worship a nature god like Umaj or Limalia, but he is gaining traction with the druids of the eastern coasts, especially in the Sahra Basit. Their clerics often choose from the Animal, Law, Power, & Resolve domains.

Udyama
On Najmah, the name of Qirus is virtually unknown. Instead, the Stoic Watcher is known as Udyama, the Resolute. In this persona, he is a more dynamic, passionate figure, one who is more apt to act directly to accomplish his objectives (at least, according to the myths told about his exploits). Despite his forceful, fervent demeanor, his followers are as disciplined as an army regiment, thoroughly dedicated to the principles & spirit of the law. He is mostly worshiped in the three Sister Cities: Dharma, Namaste, & Vanija; outside of those three settlements, disciples of Udyama are only found at Sattva Temple. Their clerics normally choose from the Heroism, Law, Resolve, & Strength domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Sidaru
Chronicler of Doom, the Obelisk, Questioner of Souls, the Sultan of Night

Symbol: A beveled square black marble slate with white veining.
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Death, guidance of the dead, justice, peace, stability
Granted Domains: Death, Law, Peace
Favored Weapon: “Foundation” (warhammer)
Aliases: Al’Sakin, Dautha, the Great King of the Far, the Peacemaker, Sih Daroga, Shaanti

Sidaru (see-DAR-oo) is the quiet, serene authority of death, the arbiter of final rendition in all things. He is the guide & the judge, holding court over all souls. He has sustained the peace of death & upheld the law of nature since the very beginning, & he shall await at the very end of all things.

Region
As the oldest of Zihaja’s aspects, worship of Sidaru is very widespread, with a great number of permutations. While his following is strongest in Sheqari & its neighboring regions (Burdusq & the Sea of Fiery Knives), he has support in many other lands, as well. Unlike most aspects, whose religions are usually opposed by other faiths, Sidarites are often welcomed by most non-believers. The unofficial epicenter of his creed on Siraaj is the city of Rasaljathi, which receives thousands of pilgrims every year.

On Najmah, Sidaru is perhaps even more popular than he is on Siraaj, & he is known by several names. His faith is strongest on the island of Prana, especially in the city of Ayus, but he has pockets of faithful sprinkled all over the southern coasts of the Speckled Sea. He is popular in the Sister Cities, as well as Ahimsa, Ghantikal, Madanas, Puram, & Samadhi. He is not terribly popular in Kshaya, but the former genie-lands respected him greatly, even if they didn’t worship him outright.

Worshipers
It seems as though no other religion is as widely accepted as that of Sidaru, for death touches all that truly live. Humans & lizardfolk make up the bulk of Sidaru’s congregation, though races living among them will likely adapt to the faith as well, especially kobolds & gnolls. The genie-kin have a long Sidarite tradition, & even those half-genies & sabi who worship other gods adopt some trappings of the Obelisk’s religion. Some ghuls & half-ghuls maintain an ironic, perverse devotion to the Chronicler of Doom, drawn to the silence, darkness, & morbidity that they perceive him to represent.

On the Plane of Night, Sidaru is often seen as the deva’s faith, for most of Sidaru’s support is found among the winged ones. Many genies have converted over the centuries, but few other races have a significant following. On either plane, the devotion of Sidaru tends to surge during wartime, & shortly thereafter, as he is the god of peace.

Sidaru only permits followers that are non-chaotic & non-evil, making it one of the more exclusive religions. Most of his clergy are Lawful Good, but this is not a mandate, simply a self-selecting part of the church’s culture. He supports monks & paladins of honor (LG).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Sidaru must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in an evil manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit an evil act, even if that act furthers a greater agenda of good in some meaningful way. For example, you cannot kill an assassin when capturing them is a viable option, even if preventing their murderous actions is in keeping with your good agenda. Also, while borrowing things that are needed to promote a good agenda is acceptable, outright stealing is not. In addition, lying is fine if the telling the truth would get in the way of a greater good, but cheating someone should be avoided, if at all possible, even if the cheated party is evil.
• You should show respect to authority figures, even if you disagree with their policies. If a legitimate authority figures is acting illegally, you must follow the proper procedures for reporting their actions to their superiors, leaving the matter of discipline to those responsible to meting out justice.
• You must make peace whenever possible, & prevent violence if you are at all able to do so. You cannot attack others without ample provocation, & you should always allow others the chance to end hostilities when they arise. If you are attacked, you are permitted to retaliate, but only if every chance for peace has been already explored. You may only provoke conflict when doing so would prevent greater conflict.
• The division between the realm of the living & the world of the dead is sacred, & shall not be crossed more than once. You cannot cast any spell that would restore a dead creature to life, such as raise dead, reincarnate, resurrection, true resurrection, & the like; the creation of undead is also forbidden. If such spells are to be cast in your presence, then you are obligated to attempt to stop them. Healing a wounded or dying creature is fine, but a soul in the afterlife must embark on its own journey without interference.
• Killing other creatures is allowed, but should not be done lightly, or without just cause. Mercy killings are just & correct, as are sanctioned executions, but wanton slaughter is just as abhorrent as resurrecting or animating the dead.

Churches
There is really only one main Sidarite church, but there are several small splinter groups within the organization, each with their own beliefs & their own reason for breaking away from the core religion.

The Final Edict
The core of the Sidarite religion, the organization that is now known as the Final Edict has existed in one form or another for thousands of years. A well-established faith, the church took its current form at the end of the Ten Dark Years, when Sidaru himself appeared in the flesh to fight in the Battle of the Light. After that climactic skirmish, Sidaru gave his followers a scroll which detailed his opinions regarding the Black Annals, which were the holy texts used by the church up to that point. His critiques (called the Final Edict) set off a revolution within the church, which transformed it into its current state. His disciples completely rewrote the Black Annals, & the church’s practices changed dramatically almost overnight. Today, the church preaches that all conflict must be avoided, that calm discourse can settle all disputes, & that such disharmony is the primary impediment to enlightenment. Some fundamentalists have rejected the Final Edict, preferring to follow the principles of the pre-scroll church; these heretics often are obsessed with obtaining one of the few rare copies of the original Black Annals. Clerics of the Final Edict tend to choose the Death & Law domains.

The Silent Sepulcher
This sect of the Sidarite church is predominantly concerned with matters of death & the dead. They have their long, cold fingers in almost every facet of funerary practices & customs. They view death as a hallowed time, when the soul moves from one shell to the next, & believe that the rituals dealing with death must be carried out with great care, for the betterment of the spirit. Priests of the Silent Sepulcher dig graves, conduct funerals, care for the dying, carve headstones, draft obituaries, built funeral pyres & cairns, preserve bodies, chronicle history, enact wills, perform autopsies, & more. They do all of this with the utmost seriousness & decorum, subsisting on the generosity of those who appreciate their thankless tasks. They conform to local laws of the many lands in which they operate, & almost everyone approves of their willingness to undertake the undesirable work. Thus, they are widely respected, even though they are commonly viewed as morbid & gloomy. Clerics of the Silent Sepulcher often choose the Death & Peace domains.

The Court of Quiescence
Peace is of paramount importance to the followers of Sidaru, & the means of preserving peace are highly sought after by them. One relatively-young faction, called the Court of Quiescence, seeks to ensure peaceful resolutions through legal arbitration, thereby obviating the need for armed conflict. Like members of the Silent Sepulcher, priests of the court form a widely-spread network of semi-independent cabals, all working towards the same goals. In this case, the court members study local laws & statutes in encyclopedic detail, & then offer their services to anyone in need of legal negotiation. Their talents for adjudication are legendary, & they are rightly valued for their ability to find clauses & bylaws supporting their decisions. Some outsiders find them to be meddlesome troublemakers, but many support their efforts to resolve issues efficiently & amicably. They find combat to be the ultimate violation of their principles, & they will not break a law even if their life depends on it, but they will commit assassinations in lawless areas if doing so will ensure future peace. They are less widely accepted than the more popular Sepulchral Sidarites. Clerics of the Court of Quiescence usually choose the Law & Peace domains.

Faith Structure
The temples of Sidaru are always inscrutable, daunting structures, made of solid marble (or merely a marble façade) with few if any markings or decorations on the outside. They are usually pyramidal in shape, with sharp angles & a simple geometry. They are often multiple stories, with the bottom floor dedicated to grand entryways & prayer halls, the middle floors for priests’ quarters & libraries, & the topmost chamber for special ceremonies & rituals. The smaller shrines are typically black marble obelisks or a statue of a sphinx sitting atop a square pedestal.

Followers of the Sultan of Night pray to him at dusk, symbolizing the end of life & the transition to the hereafter. Most of Sidaru’s rank-&-file priests wear black robes, & many of them carry walking staves with a small copy of the Black Annals tied to the top. A lot of Sidarites shave their heads (even the women), although there is nothing in the official doctrine that demands such a thing. It seems to be a tradition that started during the Ten Dark Years, although its exact origins are unknown. The upper echelons of the church wear pure white vestments; while black & white can be worn together, gray is all but forbidden by the church.

The holy book of Sidaru is officially titled the Codices of the Great Divide, but it is better known simply as the Black Annals. Its history is somewhat obscure, but it was compiled over the centuries from the works of many Sidarite philosophers & theologians, whose wisdom was condensed into a manual for the faithful. When the Ten Dark Years ended, Sidaru himself issued a scroll (later called the Final Edict) to his clergy, which detailed his opinions regarding the Black Annals. They were subsequently rewritten, with Sidaru’s words from the scroll edited into the codices & the original texts extensively revised to be more in-line with his judgments. This radical revision transformed the church into its current form, & today, the Black Annals portray the most accurate vision of the afterlife of any mainstream religion.

Dogma
The followers of Sidaru are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Never incite conflict, unless it is to counteract the spread of a greater conflict. And never escalate a conflict, nor permit a conflict to escalate if there as an alternative resolution.
• If there is a conflict & your participation would not constitute escalation, you must put a stop to it as swiftly as possible.
• The enemies of peace must become the friends of death, for this is true justice.
• Execution is justified if imprisonment or release would be hazardous to peace.
• Wield violence & death as tools of justice & peace, but abhor & cast aside destruction & terror. That which is born will be born anew, but that which is made cannot be remade.
• Let live those who live in peace.
• Defend the peace & stability in the lives of others.
• Death is but the next step for the soul, & you are entrusted to expedite the process as necessary.
• Peace does not mandate tranquility. The values & order of the people determine the state of their peace, & to countermand it would be to incite conflict.
• Leave a marking for the slain, so that the angels of the dead might sooner find them & escort them to their fate.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Sidaru believe that, after they die, they will be found by a spirit of guidance called a hafaza. This hafaza will lead the soul on a journey to the Pit of Fate, where guardians known as khmut present the dead to the critical eyes of Sidaru, who renders judgment on each soul, based on their life’s accomplishments. Those that he finds unworthy are sent back to the living world to be reincarnated, so that they may more closely follow the doctrine of the Obelisk in their next life. Those who pass the Questioner of Souls’ inquiry will be admitted into the Halls of the Peaceful. Only those who meet the white sphinx’s standards can pass through the Sapphire, Opal, & Ruby Gates to the halls. Within this tranquil palace of Sidaru, his chosen followers reflect & study in quiet contemplation, a sage’s paradise.

Origin
The true Sidaru is Harmachi Sih Daroga, a great, immortal albino androsphinx said to reside in a black marble temple at the end of the Wandering Moon’s journey over Najmah. He is an extremely powerful, aloof creature, who travels to Ayus once each year to watch over the selection of angelic judges for the Pit of Fate. Sih Daroga has the sole power to open or close the Sapphire Gate, the Opal Gate, & the Ruby Gate. Even non-believers agree that he is a truly ancient creature, & many scholars suspect that his existence predates any other creature or race in the Kamala. In ancient times, Sih Daroga personally led the souls of the deceased to the Pit of Fate during the Long Bleak Darkness, bringing him the reverence of mortals as the serene god of death. The Thrice Ordained, Holder of the Three Offices, Sih Daroga also serves to guide ascending houris into the River of Starlight.

By Other Names
Sidaru’s faith is the oldest monotheistic religion, & has been practiced by many different cultures over the centuries, often under different names.

Dautha
The dvernin do not fear death overly much, as it is a constant presence in their harsh lives. They know the gentle face of Sidaru all too well. Hailing from beyond the icy wastes of Bhul, the god of death in their culture is named Dautha, & he is an albino remorhaz with a calm soothing voice. He calls to each dvernin in his or her proper time, beckoning their spirit to make the long journey to the uttermost south, to join him in his great hall, where he trains them to one day fight in a great battle, which is foretold to remake the world. Clerics of Dautha may choose from the Cold, Death, Magic, & Peace domains.

The Peacemaker
To the devas on the Plane of Night, Sidaru is known as the Peacemaker. His proper name is Sih Daroga, but he is almost never called that by his followers, who prefer to use his title. He is a cold, imposing figure, one of blinding power & a dispassionate countenance, who only appears once a year in the city of Ayus. They say that he was born from the Ur-Mountain, Jagat-Nathas (or perhaps the other way around), & that it is from there that he watches over the world. His disciples preach that death is merely a transition from one form of existence to another, that neither is better or worse than the other, & that death should be embraced, not feared. They have made it their sacred duty to guide the houris that emerge from Moksha Temple. The Peacemaker’s influence is limited to the isle of Prana, as only the devas worship him in this guise. Clerics of the Peacemaker can choose the Law, Peace, Power, & Presence domains.

Shaanti
Elsewhere on Najmah, Sidaru is known by the name of Shaanti, from the Houri word for (among other things) peace. He is seen as a kind, serene figure, one whose duty is to gently guide the souls of the dead to their proper destination, without malice or zeal. His supporters are often pensive, sometime morose, as they often meditate on the meaning of death & the nature of the afterlife. He is rarely worshiped by the houris of Kshaya, where his is a minor faith, but he has a strong following in the former genie-held territories, where he is highly revered for his power over death. He is popular with the half-genies, the sabi, & the especially the mortal races, who most fear the inevitable embrace of death. Clerics of Shaanti choose from the Death, Contemplation, Good, & Peace domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Sunya
Father Night, the Dark Master, the Long Shadow, Magnate of War, the Black Khan

Symbol: The Starblade, a black scimitar covered with four-pointed stars.
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Conflict, darkness, dominion, evil, hate, the sacred masculine
Granted Domains: Evil, Heroism, Night, Power, War
Favored Weapon: “Supremacy” (scimitar)
Aliases: Al-Qariha, Hothr, Kovu, Rajani, Tamira, Zalam

Sunya (SOON-yah) is the confident, authoritarian god of the sacred masculine. Cold yet dynamic, Sunya establishes patriarchal leadership through force & family structure, as well as devotion to tradition, foundation, & the establishment.

Region
There is no part of either world that has never heard of Sunya. He is a folkloric spirit across much of Siraaj, but on Najmah, he is regarded as a god-king wherever he travels. His icon is a symbol of power, conquest, & masculinity, & can be seen on ancient weaponry, armor, & blacksmithing tools dating back to before the Age of Kingdoms. To men, he is Father Night or the Black Khan, the “strong protector” who defends on behalf of his sons while they sleep. One church of Johoum calls him the unloved son of the solar deity, & stories from the faith of Waharim suggest him as the great concealer of that which could be known.

He was one of the most central deities of the Admajai Empire, along with his sister, Akasha. Today, there are no longer any major centers for his church on Siraaj, but it lives on as a decentralized network of semi-independent cabals & cults, waiting for the night when a savior will come to unite them. On Najmah, Sunya is primarily revered by the devils of the Hima Sovereignty, though of late, the wicked Tamaskama has been working to weaken the Sunyan religious doctrine among her subjects, to better establish her cult of personality.

Worshipers
Sunya’s faith, such as it is, is notable for transcending most racial & cultural boundaries; members of all races respect the Long Shadow. In the Admajai Empire, he was an honored deity, already ancient in the Imperial Reckoning, & his memory has been passed down ever since. As a personified spirit of gender he is effectively a historical & cultural icon, while of late his legends are a rallying point for city-states considering federation, as well as those who would establish a strong central rule & build on what they currently take for granted.

Sunya allows worshipers of any non-good alignment, but most of his clergy are lawful. He supports monks & paladins of tyranny (LE).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Sunya must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a good manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit a good act, unless that act furthers a greater agenda of evil in some meaningful way. For example, healing a person is normally a good act, but healing an assassin so that he can commit his killing is in keeping with your evil agenda. Also, capturing a criminal is usually a good act, but apprehending an assassin so that you can kill them before they implicate you in a murder is part of an evil agenda.
• You must follow laws & honor traditions, at least while in public. You should not attempt to violate laws, but subvert them to your advantage. The letter of the law is important, but you should find loopholes & clauses that serve your goals. Any violation of the law (such as hiring an assassin) must be kept absolutely secret.
• While you may adventure with characters of any evil or neutral alignment, you cannot knowingly associate with good characters unless it serves your needs, nor can you continue an association with someone who consistently offends your moral code. You may accept henchmen & followers of any alignment, but may only accept cohorts who are lawful evil.
• You must respect authority figures as long as they have the strength to rule over the weak, act with discipline (not engaging in random slaughter, keeping firm control over those beneath your station, & so forth), help only those who help you maintain or improve your status, & punish those who challenge authority (unless, of course, such challengers prove more worthy to hold that authority).
• You should spread darkness & shadow wherever you go. If you travel by day, you must cloak yourself in shade, & shade others whenever you can. You may not bear a torch or lamp, nor can you bask in the light of day. If you enter a place that is well-lit, you should douse the lamps & extinguish the torches, if at all possible.

Churches
Sunya only has one church, & all who pray to him belong to it; there are, however, several factions within the monolithic church:

The Tenebrous Dominion
Officially, all of Sunya’s worshippers belong to the Tenebrous Dominion, which is considered the “core” of the Sunyan religion. They believe that the Dark Master created the Kamala & its inhabitants so that people would struggle with one another for power. The competition would weed out the weak & harden the strong. Those who survived would serve those stronger than they, who would in turn serve their more powerful masters. This would continue until the mightiest of all would serve Sunya directly, joining with him to rule a “perfect” world, safe from deviance like independence & free will. While many claim to be a part of the core directly, most followers & priests owe fealty to a lesser sect. The blue elder tree is sacred to them, for his holy staves are made of its wood. Clerics of the Tenebrous Dominion usually choose the Evil & Power domains.

The Midnight Brotherhood
The first of the major factions, the Midnight Brotherhood was once a proud & celebrated arm of the Sunyan faith. They were a dynamic alliance of several militant cabals, champions of Sunya’s cause & united to serve any lord that would employ them as mercenaries. They did this to spread their beliefs to those that they nominally served, to exalt in the glory of battle, to dominate the weak, & to ensure that wars lasted longer than they would have without their presence. They were celebrated as exemplary devotees, until about 17 years ago, when the leaders of the Brotherhood announced that they would no longer serve the Tenebrous Dominion. They claimed that the core church had strayed far from the tenets of Sunya’s decrees, & that only those that served the Brotherhood were practicing the true faith. The Tenebrous Dominion declared that those within the Brotherhood were heretics, & that those serving them would be excommunicated & enslaved. In the subsequent years, the Brotherhood’s membership & allies have dwindled, while their enemies have multiplied in number & power, but they still hold onto their beliefs & their conviction that they are the true disciples of Father Night. Clerics of the Midnight Brotherhood generally choose the Heroism & War domains.

The Lords of Dusk
The second of the major factions, the Lords of Dusk seek to infiltrate & usurp the governments of all lands, bending them to the will of Sunya. They are the hidden puppet-masters, pulling the strings of ministers & emirs, viziers & caliphs, pharaohs & sultans. They use any means at their disposal to get what they want, & will sink to any depth to ensnare their chosen prey. They are by far the most secretive of all Sunyan sects, & many faithful will disclose nothing concerning them, not even their existence. Most people, even other Sunyans, are unaware of the Dusk Lords, & those few who do only know of them dimly. This is a testament to the effectiveness of their veil of secrecy, for they have a widespread network across the continent, with many members in many different cabals. Clerics of the Lords of Dusk are believed to often choose the Night & Power domains.

The Blade of the Penumbra
The third of the major factions, the Blade of the Penumbra was originally formed & ordered to secretly foment wars between rival parties. They would slip unseen into an area with a minor border clash or a tense trade dispute & sabotage each side under the cover of night, doing so in such a way as to implicate both sides. With the area destabilized by conflict, the Sunyans could easily take advantage & conquer both of the warring groups. After the Midnight Brotherhood was denounced for heresy, however, the Blade was tasked with taking over their duties. Now serving as swords-for-hire, in addition to their previous function as saboteurs, their members are stretched thin, showing signs of fatigue & stress. The core church has promised that there will be relief coming soon, but so far, there have been no signs that a solution is in sight. Clerics of the Blade of the Penumbra typically choose the Night & War domains.

Faith Structure
The disciples of Sunya are organized into a pyramid, in which the tiny individual cults owe fealty to several sects, which are controlled by a few major factions, which are in turn subject to the core of the Long Shadow’s faith, the Tenebrous Dominion. The Sunyan clergy is strictly ordered into a military-like hierarchy, with many ranks, classes, & grades. Even their religious duties are phrased in martial terms, such as missions, briefings, routines, & exercises. Prayer drills are conducted at sunset, with all members of a cult gathered together in a predetermined location to worship together in the mounting darkness.

The priests of the Black Khan always wear black or dark gray robes, with the higher ranks bearing a speckled star pattern on their vestments. Every member of the clergy carries Sunya’s symbol, the Starblade, either as a medallion, a tattoo, or as a full-scale ceremonial sword. It represents the authority of order & the oppressive strength of the night bearing down on those who cower behind the shield of daylight. It is a ubiquitous icon of masculinity, & as such, some non-Sunyan males wear a replica of the Starblade, as well. Even female followers of Father Night wear his mark, but non-Sunyan women abhor the symbol, favoring the feminine Sunray icon of Akasha.

The Sunyan church prefers to build large temples rather than smaller shrines, an expression of their strength & monolithic unity. These temples are elaborate, ostentatious buildings, with imposing edifices & dramatic architecture. They are lavishly decorated so as to impress those who enter & display the wealth & power that fealty can provide. The interior ceilings are commonly painted with exquisite detail, accurately emulating the night sky, complete with constellations, planetary orbits, & comet paths. They are also quite dimly lit, with minimal candlelight & only a few darkly-tinted windows.

Dogma
The followers of Sunya are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Sow the seeds of discord, for all conflict is exaltation to the Magnate of War.
• Spread the shadow to every place, & extinguish every source of light.
• Bind the weak, & bend them to your will, for they must be made to serve.
• Embrace the evil in your heart, & spread its dark caress. The wicked hand can hold a nation in its single palm.
• Hatred is a flower that needs no light. Its blossom bears the fruit of tyranny, & all it needs to grow is the seed of dissonance.
• Man is sacred, & must hold his rightful place over women. Never let a woman lead in the stead of men.
• Show courage whenever challenged, for weakness & cowardice are unworthy of the Dark Master.
• Act only in the dark of night. The day is a time for the shadows to bide their time.
• Assert control over the uncontrolled, & restrain the unrestrained, for all must respect authority.
• Revel in the glory of combat, for the battlefield separates the weak from the strong.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Sunya believe that, after they die, they will be guided by a hafaza to a dark tunnel. They must walk through the cavernous passage, where they will pass beneath the Three Gates (Desire, Worth, & Fate). Those who do not truly follow the Dark Master cannot cross all the gates, for one of the three will bar their passing. If the dead make it through the gates without incident, they will emerge from the tunnel onto the surface of Qamar, the Wandering Moon. They will ride upon the Wandering Moon until it completes its journey across the sky, when it will disappear into the Other Realm. After Qamar has crossed over, the dead will go through another tunnel & another Three Gates (Sapphire, Opal, & Ruby), after which they will appear upon the marble floor of a grand temple. From there they will be taught the rules & duties of the next life by spirits of power & order.

Origin
The truth of Sunya is unlike that of many other deities worshiped in the Kamala, for Sunya does exist & is in fact a demigod. In the ancient Godwar between Siraaj & Najmah, each sent an agent to seduce the other. Siraaj’s minion, a female succubus of most lustful aspect, laid with Najmah, & in the sunlit realm gave birth to his son. Though the brothers may have intended the products of any such union to be hostages, Zihaja removed the divine children to his palace & taught them of his plan for the Kamala, how the enlightenment of mortal souls would teach the brothers & restore the peace between them. The children were united in their efforts to end the war, & by the time of the simurghs, had become lovers.

Their affair was doomed by their opposed natures, however, & despite their love, they could not help but to quarrel with one another. Each thought that their way was right, though they cannot convince the other. Akasha & Sunya continue to attempt to mend their differences, & once each year, they love again from dawn until dusk. Sunya currently resides in a great obsidian palace known as the Utterblack Spires. He champions his followers in growing their strength & rebuilding civilization in the wake of the Pactspell’s devastation, forming a bastion of strength from which he may invade & dominate Akasha’s lands. In his mania, he sees himself as a righteous & just ruler whose lawful wife refuses to pay him homage. It is his darkest secret that, as the child of Najmah, a force of creation, he harbors tremendous artistic talent, & as such, his church strongly supports the arts.

By Other Names
As an ancient deity known across both worlds, Sunya is venerated under many different names.

Al-Qariha
To the nomadic tribes of the Northern Wastes, the night brings even deadlier dangers than they face in the daytime. Sunya personifies the malevolence of the dark hours in the wicked guise of Al-Qariha, who demands respect & offerings to stay his spiteful hand. He spawns the nocturnal hunters & scavengers with his seething antipathy, in order to scour the land of the weak & unworthy. He detests anything short of perfection, & he is quick to destroy those which fail to meet his exacting standards. His followers tend to be grim & stern, demanding excellence from themselves & those around them. Clerics of Al-Qariha may choose from the Evil, Curse, Destruction, & Power domains.

Kovu
Among the aazlai, the Dark Master is known as Kovu, the Night Prince. He was a child taken from the night skies & raised by Kuzira to be her champion. He learns the truth of his origins from Rafiq & rebels against his adopted mother, allying with Shimha & slaying Kuzira’s son, Nuka. Later tales have him being brought into the Spirit Tribe via a marriage with Kira. This union is mostly depicted as a tumultuous one, as their contrary passions often clashed, but their love united them despite their opposition. The few clerics of Kovu may choose from the Destruction, Heroism, Law, & Night domains.

Rajani
The Hima Sovereignty know Sunya as Rajani, the Lord of Night, & while the vast majority of the devils of Hima swear allegiance to him, few outside the clergy give any real reverence to the state religion except out of custom & to maintain face. In truth, most devils have little time for the gods, seeing worship as a distraction from the more important things in life, such as the acquisition of wealth & influence. As a result, devils in the lower castes of Sirngaveram’s society are more religious that their noble counterparts, as they have little chance of ever gaining any real power. Empress Tamaskama, the supreme leader of the Hima Sovereignty, has begun a crusade to build a cult of personality around herself, which she hopes will soon replace the church of the Night-Lord. Clerics of Rajani may choose from the Law, Night, Power, & War domains.

Zalam
In the verdant region of Ilud, where the forests shade the ground from the light of day & cloak the world in the deepest veil of night, the Long Shadow holds great power over mortal souls. The people of this land call him Zalam, & they fear him even more than they respect him. During the night, every frigid breeze, every mysterious sound, & every unexplained occurrence is attributed to his black will. Those who dare travel during the dark hours pray for his mercy, & those who don’t return are said to have foolishly defied him. His adherents are a gloomy, morose lot, who emphasize the misfortunes & negative feelings of themselves, as well as those adversity & pessimism of others. Clerics of Zalam may choose from the Evil, Cold, Murder, & Night domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Umaj
The Hunter, the Rooted One, Khatun of Beasts, Provider of Life & Abundance

Symbol: A pair of lines spreading downwards from a single point.
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Fauna, the hunt, the land, scavenging, instinct
Granted Domains: Animal, Earth, Wild
Favored Weapon: “Savage Talons” (unarmed strike)
Aliases: Al-Qaniss, the God of Prey, Oumh’Aage, Red Jaw, Sarabi, the Treewalker, the Wild One, Yuma

Umaj (oo-MAHJ) is the pure, feral deity of instinct & life. She rules over the beasts & the land, & celebrates nature, the hunt & survival of the fittest. She requires that her followers be strong, wise, & independent.

Region
Wherever civilization is sparse & weak, Umaj is present. All the wild places of the world are her territory. She sponsors nomadic tribes, remote camps, & the smallest of villages. She rules both desert & jungle alike, & even holds some sway over the desolate wastes of the frozen southlands. On Siraaj, she is best known in the Sea of Fiery Knives, the Sahra Basit, & Yan. On Najmah, her primary grounds are the Bhangah Jungle, Goraksah Marsh, & the lands beyond Hima & Sergala.

Worshipers
The followers of Umaj are mostly druids & rangers, but many barbarians feel the call of the Wild One’s passion & instinct. Gnolls, lizardfolk, & some ghuls are most common among her devotees, but the Umajan faith is also prevalent among aazlai, desert centaur, & human nomads. Kobold, half-djinn & sabi disciples are much more rare, but not entirely unheard of. Umaj allows worshipers of any non-lawful alignment, & her clerics are mostly shamanistic. She supports druids, paladins of freedom (CG), & paladins of slaughter (CE).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Umaj must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a lawful manner. This means that you cannot follow local, national, or other laws for their own sake, & you cannot honor traditions simply because they are traditional. You may obey laws & traditions if it makes sense to do so, or if it is convenient, but if a law or tradition stands between you & your goals, then you are obligated to violate it.
• You may adventure with characters of any alignment, but you may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are chaotic.
• You should not show respect to authority figures, simply because of their title. You may respect them if you like them, admire them, or agree with them, but their position is not enough to automatically earn your esteem.
• You cannot wear metal armor, nor can you use metal weapons.
• You should sleep outside, on the bare ground, whenever possible. You must do this at least once a week, & preferably every night. If you cannot do this, then you are obligated to escape the situation that is preventing you from doing so.

Churches
Umaj has no formal churches of any kind; her faith is completely disorganized, resembling a broad collection of myths & superstitions rather than a defined religion. That being said, most followers of the Hunter fit into one of a few broad categories.

Cultists
Umajans who gather in tiny cabals of like-minded disciples for the purpose of practicing their faith are called cultists. Every religion has cultists of some kind, but Umajan cultists are notable because their creed tends to eschew organization & assembly in other contexts. Cultists tend to be cunning, secretive, zealous, & somewhat severe. They typically live in small towns & villages, keep to themselves, & gather in isolated areas to partake in clandestine rituals. Cultist clerics often choose the Animal & Earth domains.

Hermits
Umajans who isolate themselves from civilization in general & other beings specifically are called hermits. Just as not all Umajans are hermits, not all hermits are Umajans. Hermits tend to be hardy, independent, impious, practical, & isolationist. They often live in caverns or in simple lodgings, like huts, yurts, or tents. Many are also nomadic, wandering from place to place as the local climate changes. Hermit clerics often choose the Earth & Wild domains.

Shamans
Umajans who lead tiny communities of the faithful are called shamans. There are shamans dedicated to other deities, but Umajan shamans may be the most representative & archetypal. Shamans usually serve as the village elder, the local healer, the tribe’s prophet, or some combination thereof. They tend to be wise, tranquil, spiritual, & very protective of their territory &/or flock. They usually live in communities of less than a hundred people, & sometimes serve groups of only a dozen members or so. Shaman clerics often choose the Animal & Wild domains.

Faith Structure
Umaj’s following is incoherent save for the common symbol of communication between her devotees. The Standing Mark, a pair of lines forming a chevron, is scratched into trees, built of stones, or made from piled branches to leave basic markers, from which druids, rangers & other experienced trackers can glean vital information. Her symbol is often arranged so that the converging lines serve as an arrow, pointing toward something of interest to her faithful.

Umaj has no real shrines or temples, & her followers do not usually gather together to venerate her in groups (cultists being a notable exception). Umaj’s teachings are passed down individually, via word of mouth, & the faith rarely has opportunities for growth. These teachings are often as much about survival in the wild as it is about abstract dogma, as Umajan “doctrine” is more concerned with universal truths then it is about specific details or facts. Her followers consider any unsettled wilderness to be a sacred place, from a barren desert to a dense forest, a bleak tundra or a majestic mountaintop.

Disciples of the Rooted One have no formal ranking system (or any formal systems at all, for that matter), but on occasions when they meet, the oldest & wisest tend to be deferred to the most. Nearly as often, though, the strongest or most forceful member is seen as the de facto leader, regardless of seniority. Another factor in the unspoken social ranking is individual accomplishment; Umajans who have performed great deeds are highly respected among the faithful, making Umaj’s religion something of an informal meritocracy.

Dogma
The followers of Umaj are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Live in the wild lands, & stay the hand that tames it, for the bounty of the forest is greater than the farm.
• To harm a beast is anathema. Gentle is the hand that strokes the back, or the hand is surely bitten.
• The hunt is the pursuit of life in its purest form. Chase after all things with zeal, & never impede the quests of others.
• To love the land is to love one’s self.
• Be not so proud to pass up the chance to scavenge. A sure meal is a gift to be cherished, not shunned.
• Follow your intuition, for it is the judgment of the Rooted One.
• All animals must eat, & all animals must be eaten. The Khatun of Beasts demands it.
• From the earth does all life spring, & to the earth will all life return.
• Respect that which is wild, & do not tame it. To calm the beast is to break its sacred spirit.
• The earth gives to all her children, & the faithful must always return her favor.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Umaj believe that, after they die, they will be reborn upon the Endless Fields, an infinite expanse of plains, prairies, & savannas, teeming with wild creatures & abundant vegetation. A follower of Umaj may become a bird or a beast of their choosing, while those who did not believe in the Rooted One in life become mere mindless insects in death. It is always late spring in the Endless Fields, & though it may rain lightly from time to time, & night falls briefly on a regular basis, the wild dreamlike land is never inclement. All creatures may speak with one another if they wish (except the lowly insects), & though the lion may hunt the antelope, & feed of its flesh, the antelope shall rise again, unharmed by the feeding, to continue its eternal graze. It is said that the great feral spirit of Umaj can sometimes be seen here, shifting her form as swiftly as the wind changes, flying & running & swimming as she embarks on another sublime hunt. It is important to note here that no two Umajans can agree on the details of this afterlife, & more than a few reject the Endless Fields as baseless myth & superstition, preferring an altogether different afterlife.

Origin
Where Umaj originated is unknown. It is possible that she began as a collection of tales spawned from the visitations of animal servants of Oud Zakat, the treant druid who taught Ras Shasad. Zakat organized the druids & masters of the wastes to join forces with the great cities during the Long Bleak Darkness, & it can be conjectured that the animal messengers, walking trees & earth elementals were believed to be avatars of a nature spirit. Where the name Umaj arose from, however, is unknown. After the Long Bleak Darkness, the worship of Umaj was coalesced under Zihaja’s watchful eye, becoming one of the earliest aspects & stabilizing the erratic nature worshippers’ devotion.

Other possible origins of the Umajan faith are known, & scholars continue to debate their possible merits. One is an ancient tale of a gnoll barbarian who led her nomadic people to defend their land against many enemies & hazards, but fled into the wilderness when her people began settling towns & cities. In another story, a lizardwoman druid challenged a god & lost, so the god ate the druid; the druid changed form into a beast within the god, & consumed the god from the inside, gaining its power. Lastly, there is a legend of a wild beast that saved a goddess from death at the hands of a great demon; the grateful goddess bore the dying beast on her back, & as she carried it to the river to be healed, they became one being. The veracity of these myths, & their relevance to Umaj’s origins, is largely dependent upon the storyteller.

By Other Names
Umaj is worshiped under so many different names & titles that it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a particular tribe is truly Umajan or not. Here are but some of her more notable aliases.

Red Jaw
The gnoll tribes of Uqalizar know Umaj as a savage mother-goddess called Red Jaw, so named for the blood in the fur around her mouth. They depict her as a lithe, white-furred gnoll woman whose eyes see all prey & whose teeth can cut the mystical thread tying a soul to its body. She is said to have given birth to the world, so as to have creatures to hunt. Believers of Red Jaw can choose from the Animal, Death, & Wild domains.

The Wild One
In the barren wastelands of the Sahra Basit, the human & camelotaur nomads worship the Wild One, an erratic & capricious version of Umaj. They see her as unpredictable & unknowable, with an agenda of her own that mortal beings can never know. They frequently make sacrifices to her, in the hopes of currying her favor. Believers of the Wild One can choose from the Chaos, Luck, & Wild domains.

Yuma
Umaj is almost unknown in the wilderness of Yan, except as an earth spirit named Yuma. She is seen as a short stone giant (merely 10’ tall) with mossy hair & a wide grin. Yuma is said to protect from harm those who bury their dead within her realm, she is thought to combat the harsh cold winds that come from the south. She is worshipped by humans, half-djinn, & sabi, but is deeply disliked by the dvernin. Believers of Yuma can choose from the Earth, Protection, & Wild domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Waharim
Lord on the Mountain, Khan of the Skies, Keeper of Silence, the Archivist

Symbol: A glass or crystal sphere of the sky, with a podium inside, upon which is a magical scroll.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Meditation, mind over matter, knowledge, learning, planning, mountains, the sky
Granted Domains: Air, Contemplation, Knowledge
Favored Weapon: “Forethought” (quarterstaff)
Aliases: Waho, Harkunna, Saso, Vayu

Waharim (wah-HAR-eem) is the god of lore, legends, theory & practice; the deity who reigns from on high in silent, meditative isolation. He demands of his followers learning, understanding, & growth by withdrawal from that which is mundane.

Region
Waharim’s faith is quite diffuse, spreading down from the Satha Laylanuha to the arid heartlands & popping up under various names in the west & in Yan. Shrines to Waharim have been found even in Alaqur & Qulzai. On Najmah, he is Vayu, lord of the skies & patron of flight, progress & scholarship. To the tribes & the nomads, he is variously Waho or Waso (Saso to the aazlai) & is a death god.

Worshipers
Devotees of Waharim are mainly human, though members of all the nomadic tribes venerate him under different names. In the civilized areas where his shrines are present, kobolds & hawasabi normally give him little attention. Scholars, sages, & even priests of other religions may appreciate the environment his small congregations provide.

Waharim allows worshipers of any non-chaotic alignment, & most of his clergy are morally neutral. He supports druids, monks, paladins of honor (LG), & paladins of tyranny (LE).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Waharim must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in a chaotic manner. This means that you must follow all local, national, & other laws, & you must honor traditions whenever possible, even if it is inconvenient. You may only violate laws or ignore traditions if they are contradictory, so if they stand between you & your goals, then you must find a way to accomplish your objectives while obeying the letter of the law. Ignorance of the law is not an acceptable excuse for acting in an illegal manner, but being ignorant of a tradition is fine, so long as you innocently lacked the knowledge.
• You may adventure with characters of any alignment, but you may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful.
• You should show respect to authority figures, even if you disagree with their policies. If a legitimate authority figures is acting illegally, you must follow the proper procedures for reporting their actions to their superiors, leaving the matter of discipline to those responsible to meeting out justice.
• You must seek knowledge whenever possible, gaining wisdom when ever you can. If a piece of knowledge is at risk of being lost (such as a book, a scroll, a tablet, or other recorded media), then you are obligated to prevent its destruction. You must not hoard knowledge, but share it with others, & give it to those who will appreciate & preserve it.
• You must meditate for at least one hour per day, regardless of your circumstances.

Churches
Waharim has one formal church & one looser faith:

Jabal
This is the organized following of Waharim’s dogma, & the name of the religion according to its practitioners. Jabal initiates believe in the need for both intrinsic learning (the acquisition of new information) & conjectural learning (leaving oneself time to analyze & develop from that information). As such, their practices involve study, archiving & long meditation. More important rites include thesis, the presentation of conjecture built from study & meditation, & transcendence, in which they attempt to reenact their lord’s first steps on his path to ultimate wisdom. Jabal considers the bar-headed goose (Hamsa) a sacred animal & the rhododendron a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Contemplation & Knowledge domains.

Ruwaid
Sometimes called Ruwaid al’Jabal, is a looser spiritual tradition that has grown from the faith of Waharim. Focusing more on lifestyle & direct understanding, Ruwaid emphasizes meditative harmony & draws symbols from the wind & sky. Ruwaid practitioners teach others individually or in small groups, & devote time & attention to yoga-like movements & harmonious separation from the base needs of the world by means of personal relaxation. Sometimes confused with Jabal, Ruwaid has a very distant relationship with its parent faith & does not even normally mention Waharim’s name. Ruwaid considers bamboo a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Air & Contemplation domains.

Nis Haqara
Spread throughout the remote reaches of the Satha Laylanuha is a small cult of mountain-dwelling hermits. Once, before the Dark Years, they were an obscure order of druids whose philosophy paralleled with that of the Khan of the Skies. Having fully adopted Waharim’s teachings, they study & venerate the winds & clouds. Members of the Brotherhood of the Sky, as they are also called, are known for their ability to predict the weather, & often sought for their deep understanding of the winds, as well as the secret mountain paths that they use to keep in contact with one another. Their clerics often choose the Air & Knowledge domains.

Faith Structure
Waharim’s faithful build two different kinds of shrine. The first is a full temple, an enclosed building with a single arched doorway, covered with three or more curtains, beyond which is a small groove in the floor through which clean water flows. The main nave of the temple has four long rectangular areas, either mats or raised smoothed stone, surrounding four raised bars that enclose the center in a diamond shape. In the middle, which often features a mosaic with Waharim’s symbol, rests a round ottoman on which the presiding cleric can sit or stand. Usually, bowls of oils & canopic jars containing potpourri are stored within this diamond for use during ceremonies & rites. Beyond this nave are the libraries, which are publicly accessible with the tacit consent of the priests; the archives, restricted to the ordained except by special dispensation; & the annals, where the greatest secrets are stored, as well as thesis records & any relics of the faith. The annals are concealed by the spartan living chambers of the priests & monks, & are normally located under the main staircase, the focal point of the temple’s architecture, which goes to the roof of the temple, on which there is a promontory to honor the Lord of the Mountain.

The second kind of shrine is more akin to a monastery, & is normally built on a natural location of some altitude. Here there is an “outer nave” for public reception & congress, which resides below the monastery & is connected by a staircase, & is open to the air. Within, there is an inner nave, as with the larger temples, beyond which are staircases that delegate the functions of the shrine to multiple floors. Normally, the annals are found either on the highest floor or recessed into the ground or the mountainside, while the priests’ chambers occupy the floors immediately above & below the inner nave. As with the temples, there is a staircase on the topmost floor that ascends to the roof, but as these locations are naturally raised, there is no promontory.

The followers of Waharim rank themselves by age & seniority, though formal rank means little with the exception of the head of a particular temple & the council that leads Jabal. Senior priests of Waharim may carry actual glass orbs in place of their standard holy symbol, & many bear polished discs of steel that function as mirrors. Followers of Waharim are expected to be literate, & the priests are expected to bear a quarterstaff with them. His disciples consider mountains & wind-swept plains to be sacred places.

Dogma
The followers of Waharim are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Think, reflect, & meditate. The shrewd mind is the true temple of Waharim.
• Keep no secrets, & tell no lies, for the truth must flow like the wind.
• A thousand hands may pile stones, but a single mind can build a palace.
• Knowledge is sacred, by understanding is sublime.
• The scholar’s path is the surest way to the Keeper of Silence, so learn all that can be taught, & know all that can be conceived.
• Prepare each step ahead of the one before it, for the Archivist’s wisdom is built upon a foundation of thought.
• The mountain’s peak offers the best view of Waharim’s wisdom, & the best seat for his meditations.
• Look to the firmament, for the Khan of the Skies reigns from above. The winds of thought shall carry the faithful there, but they buffet the ignorant earthbound.
• All ideas are worthy of consideration, so contemplate everything, for Waharim bars no knowledge.
• Spread wisdom, truth, & knowledge to all who accept it, for the Lord on the Mountain wants all to join his study.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Waharim believe that, after they die, they will find themselves at the base of a mountain, larger than any in the living world. Surrounding the mountain on all sides are thick banks of fog, & all paths away from the mountain lead back to it through the mists of ignorance. Those who seek enlightenment must climb the daunting peak, facing my challenges along the way. The various routes up the slope are blocked by mighty sphinxes, which pose riddles of maddening difficulty to solve. Those who are patient & ponder these puzzles will eventually discover the answers, & be able to ascend without hindrance. At the summit, Waharim sits with those who have discovered all the answers for themselves & have reached a state of meditative illumination. There, high above the worlds of the living & the dead, the Archivist sits in silence, teaching his students by example how to achieve the most perfect wisdom.

Origin
The original Waharim was an aged human while the Admajai still reigned, who delved into the forsaken art of mortal sorcery & traveled the world dedicated to its study. Gathering others who were learned, he surrounded himself with a following & had himself mummified & raised to continue his work. After the empire’s fall, Waharim was one of the most powerful wizards remaining, & through his studies of the vanishing of Admaja, he determined that the path to all knowledge, & thus, the key to ultimate wisdom & power, lay within, & not to either side of, the veil that had frayed. The wizard had his followers scour the lands for lost lore that would teach him of this veil & planned to forge a permanent bridge between Siraaj & Najmah. As he cast his staff into the air from the top of the highest mountain, Zaia alerted Zihaja to the threat. Waharim vanished in a mighty gale as he walked into the sky, along with the fragments of old lore that he had used to trace the location of Zihaja’s realm. Zihaja had not acted quickly enough to quell the phenomenon that had been sighted on both worlds, & took on Waharim’s aspect to keep a hand on the knowledge that remained with his passing.

By Other Names
Waharim is revered under other names by different cultures.

Waho
The nomadic peoples to the west of Qulzai & in the southwestern savannah know him as Waho, Waso, or Saso, & depict him as a vulture or other bird who waits patiently, observes all, & carries the dead to a place beyond the mountains; a surprisingly accurate death myth. Believers of Waho can choose from the Air, Death, & Knowledge domains.

Harkunna
The dvernin & giants of the southern regions are familiar with Waharim’s legends from out of Yan. Though few dvernin revere him, he receives considerably more respect from giants. As Harkunna, he is the god of the clear sky, the brother of Hagalvethr who lives on the tallest mountain & calms the ire of the dvernin patron. Believers of Harkunna can choose from the Air, Cold, Knowledge, & Sun domains.

Vayu
On Najmah, Waharim’s transplanar bridge appeared in the sky as he began his crossing, & his image has lingered with them ever since. This event corresponded with the rebuilding of many of Najmah’s cultures after the major upsets of the previous few centuries, & so Vayu has come to be seen as the patron of civilization, order, progress, & knowledge, as well as the lord of the skies & winds. He is also seen as a foe of Sunya. Believers of Vayu can choose from the Air, Knowledge, & Law domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Zaia
Bey of the Spheres, the Great Divider, Sentinel of Heaven, the Star-Naga, the World Serpent

Symbol: A serpent coiled around two spheres.
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Astronomy, cycles, the heavens, natural processes, space, time
Granted Domains: Luck, Protection, Travel, World
Favored Weapon: “Tailchaser” (chakram)
Aliases: Ananta, Azai, Jormungandr, Qalima, Uruburus

Zaia (Z’EYE-ah) is the goddess of the natural & the supernatural, the mundane & divine systems, life & the afterlife. She presides over the universe, preserving the order of the spheres & maintaining the boundaries between space & time. Her followers work on her behalf to enforce this cosmic balance, so that they may take part in the natural ascension of souls to a higher realm of thought & existence.

Region
Zaia’s creed is everywhere & nowhere at once. Her disciples can be found in the crowded streets of Meraya on Siraaj, or in the market bazaars of Ayus on Najmah, or in a caravan crossing the Red Sands, or in the dense & foreboding Bhangah Jungle, or in one of the magnificent undersea palaces of the Qilaffah Padishate. As they often put it, “we are where we must be”.

They maintain no shrines or temples, however, so they are therefore seen as enigmatic & difficult to find. If one wants to meet them, though, it is as simple as making a couple of simple inquiries, & letting them find you (assuming that it is in the world’s best interests for them to be found).

Worshipers
Followers of the Star-Naga can be of any race, although half-djinn & sabi members are probably the most common. Half-ghul devotees of Zaia are rather rare, but are not completely unheard of, & all beings are equal in her fathomless eyes. She is also celebrated & loved among the aazlai, the desert centaur, & many other races; however, Zaia is unknown in pahari culture. On Najmah, she is venerated by houris & devas, despised by the demons & devils, & largely ignored by the genies.

Members of her church tend to move around frequently, seldom in the same place for more than a market week before moving to their next calling. They view the entire world as her temple, & so they often travel, to experience as much of her bounty as possible. As they are known to say, “The World & Zaia are One”. Zaia allows worshipers of any non-evil alignment, & most of her clergy are ethically lawful. She supports monks & paladins of honor (LG).

Code of Conduct
A paladin of Zaia must follow these core precepts, which replace the standard paladin code. A paladin who grossly violates this code of conduct loses all paladin spells & abilities (including the service of the paladin’s mount, but not weapon, armor, & shield proficiencies). They may not progress any farther in levels as a paladin. They regain their abilities & advancement potential if they atone for their violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate:

• You cannot act in an evil manner. This means that you cannot willingly commit an evil act, even if that act furthers a greater agenda of good in some meaningful way. For example, you cannot kill an assassin when capturing them is a viable option, even if preventing their murderous actions is in keeping with your good agenda. Also, while borrowing things that are needed to promote a good agenda is acceptable, outright stealing is not. In addition, lying is fine if the telling the truth would get in the way of a greater good, but cheating someone should be avoided, if at all possible, even if the cheated party is evil.
• While you may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, you cannot knowingly associate with evil characters, nor can you continue an association with someone who consistently offends your moral code. You may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good.
• You should show respect to authority figures, even if you disagree with their policies. If a legitimate authority figures is acting illegally, you must follow the proper procedures for reporting their actions to their superiors, leaving the matter of discipline to those responsible to meeting out justice.
• You must protect the innocent whenever possible, even if doing so is inconvenient or harmful to yourself. Defending the innocent from harm is of paramount importance, & must be done unless doing so gets in the way of the greater good.
• The barrier between the Realm of Day & the Realm of Night is sacrosanct, & shall not be violated by a living creature. You cannot use spells that allow travel between the planes, nor can you allow others to cross the planar barrier in your presence (clerics of Zaia are allowed to use the zone of Zaia spell, of course, but this is a rare exception). If you encounter a creature that is not on its native plane, then you are obligated to return the creature to its rightful plane, if at all possible.

Churches
Zaia has no formal churches or other sub-organizations; her faith is a homogenous mix of diverse beings of all races & vocations, united by a common purpose. That being said, most followers of the Great Divider fit into one of a few broad categories.

Charmers
Zaians who infiltrate other organizations & manipulate them from the inside are called charmers. Just as not all Zaians are infiltrators, not all infiltrators are Zaians. Charmers tend to be amiable, astute, adaptable, & rather observant. They will insinuate themselves into a group, performing any duty required of them without hesitation or complaint, all while secretly reporting & influencing the group’s activities. Because of their need to act covertly, they usually have a close relationship with mystics. Charmer clerics often choose the Luck & Protection domains.

Mystics
Zaians who commune with supernatural forces & coordinate the actions of other devotees are called mystics. Every religion has mystics of some kind, but Zaian mystics are notable for their semi-formal role in organizing the faith’s members into a reasonably cohesive whole. Mystics tend to be aloof, distracted, matter-of-fact, & intensely committed to their duties. They typically live in isolated areas, seldom interacting with others in person. They are likely to view wanderers with some measure of mistrust, due to the independent nature of those nomads. Mystic clerics often choose the Luck & World domains.

Wanderers
Zaians who travel from place to place, performing good deeds & combating destructive forces are called wanderers. One need not be a disciple of Zaia to wander & travel, but Zaian wanderers are exceptional for their dedication to helping others & their need to save the world one person at a time. Wanderers tend to be inquisitive, easygoing, optimistic, & self-sufficient. They often stay in a particular village, camp, or caravan for 1 to 4 weeks, although they will sometimes remain in one place only a few days before moving on, while others will sojourn for months at a time. Wanderer clerics often choose the Travel & World domains.

Faith Structure
The Zaian religion is a widespread, well-organized network of loners & solitary agents, with the occasional cabal of 2-8 members. A group of followers larger than a dozen members is unheard of; even half that many would only be gathered together to accomplish for a specific short-term goal. Every major settlement has a few Zaians in it at any given time, although these may only be traveling through, given the creed’s transient nature.

The church of Zaia is maintained largely by the mystics, who coordinate the efforts of the entire organization via telecommunication magic. Devotees have a wide variety of methods for recognizing one another, including secret handshakes, identifying phrases, & common clothing motifs. The most common telling mark, though, is the religion’s holy symbol, which most Zaians display prominently as a medallion or a talisman. In addition, many followers of the Sentinel of Heaven possess variations on her sigil, including lemniscates, hourglasses, & serpentine objects. It is helpful for members to display such iconography, as they normally wear simple traveler’s clothing, & thus are difficult to recognize without such emblems.

Disciples of Zaia are all ostensibly equal in rank, but in truth, there is a strict (if unspoken) hierarchy, based on age, seniority, & personal accomplishment. Mystics are generally highly regarded, due to their crucial role in directing & maintaining the church’s efforts, as are charmers, who take many deadly risks to enact lasting & beneficial change within other organizations. Wanderers (as well as those Zaians who don’t identify themselves by any category) are sometimes seen as the least prestigious, but those dedicated servants of Zaia have many opportunities to gain prestige through selfless & heroic acts during their travels.

Dogma
The followers of Zaia are expected to live up to the following principles. Some sects may have a few alternate tenets, but the variants are usually minor. Following these values is a sign of one’s piety, while failing to do so is seen as a lack of morality among the faithful. Clerics & rangers are expected to follow these precepts to remain in good standing with their church.

• Learn of the stars & their patterns, for the secrets of the heavens hold truths for the world below.
• Break a natural cycle, for the order of nature holds all life to its breast.
• Heaven & Earth are one & the same, merely two sides of the same coin. What marks one side affects the other.
• Hold the laws of nature above the laws of kings, for the former will always outlast the latter.
• Patiently await your turn in fortune’s graces. Luck follows patterns which none can see.
• Fear not death, & leave the death be as they are. Death is just part of the cycle of life, a circle that shall not be broken.
• Stay not in one place, for the world is large, & you must view it all to know the Sentinel of Heaven.
• Defend all things from those who seek destruction, for they would break the wheels of the world.
• Time is the greatest of all cycles, for that which was shall one day be again.
• To love one thing is to love all things, for all touch the world, & the world touches all.

Afterlife Mythos
The faithful of Zaia believe that, after they die, they will be found by a spirit of guidance called a hafaza. This hafaza will lead the soul on a journey to the Pit of Fate, where it will linger for ten to twenty days before it is time for it to enter the Gate of Culmination. The gate takes the soul to an ascending staircase in a dark void. Alone, the dead soul can climb the stairs (or not) to reach several terraces. The First Terrace has a trio of devils, who will offer a soul of vice & villainy the chance to join them, while the Third Terrace has a trio of devas making the same offer to soul of virtue & value (the Second Terrace has been empty & broken for centuries). If a soul refuses these offers, they can proceed upward to the Final Terrace, where a great ammut waits to judge the soul’s inherent worth. The worthy may go through the final gate into the Great Hereafter, the unworthy are devoured by the ammut, & those too cowardly to face judgment hurl themselves into the Lake of the Damned.

Origin
The precise origins of Zaia are unknown, & there are many conflicting myths about her beginnings. One legend is that she predates this universe, & that she came from the Void Beyond to make this world in her benevolent image. Another tale is that she was created at the same time as the worlds of Siraaj & Najmah, in order to keep them separate, lest they merge & destroy one another. Yet another story is that Zaia was born during a great cataclysm (like the Long Bleak Darkness) to save the worlds from annihilation.

The truth is, however, that Zaia was created by Zihaja himself, to act as his celestial agent. He formed her body from the River of Starlight during the battles between Siraaj & Najmah, with the intent to separate the two worlds & maintain order in the heavens. He feared that the primordial conflict would fatally destabilize the entire cosmos that he had created, destroying all that he had thus far worked to achieve. Zaia’s creation was one of his first indirect solutions to a problem, & one of his most successful. Zihaja’s direct actions often cause unintended consequences, ultimately making matters worse. But Zaia has acted staunchly on his behalf since before recorded history, & she continues to do so tirelessly to this day.

By Other Names
Zaia is venerated under other names by different cultures:

Jormungandr
The dvernin of Siraaj see her as Jormungandr, a great & terrible being who opposes Hagalvethr & his divine family. She is a mighty & honorable enemy, one who works constantly to preserve order & balance in the world. Unfortunately, she is thought to oppose Hagalvethr & his efforts to lead his chosen people, the Dvernin, to supremacy. It is said that one day Hagalvethr’s son, Sjor, is destined to slay the World Serpent, an event that presages the end of both worlds. Believers of Jormungandr can choose from the Destiny, Serpent, & World domains.

Qalima
On Najmah, the Bey of the Spheres is most often called Qalima, or simply “World”. She watches over all who dwell on the Plane of Night, defending them from the predations of the Loveless Ones (demons & devils alike), who hate & oppose her followers at every opportunity. She is a favorite among the devas & houris, & her church is strongest there. The genies mostly pay no attention to her or her church, although Zaian cults have made some inroads among the djinn community. Believers of Qalima can choose from the Night, Protection, & World domains.

Uruburus
To the aazlai & other “savage” races, the Sentinel of Heaven is called Uruburus, & represents the endless cycle of death & rebirth. It is said that the tip of her tail is the sun, which she consumes every evening, only for it to re-grow the following morning. She is strongly associated with Akasha & Pashati, & opposes Johoum, Nathar, & Sunya. Believers of Uruburus can choose from the Death, Healing, & Serpent domains.

[Zeta Kai]

Timeline of the Kamala

NOTE: The following creation myth is an excerpt from an ancient manuscript, one that is thought to predate the Age of Kingdoms. The original text was recorded on a scroll called the Text of Seaj, a battered tome with a strange symbol on the casing. This icon only appears on the oldest & darkest ruins, those dating back to the time of the simurghs & before. This holy book is considered a foul heresy in most civilized circles, & as many people want it destroyed as those who want to preserve it. The crumbling volume speaks of places far different from the world of today, having this to say of the origins of the cosmos:

Chapter the First: The Beginning of the Beginning

In the World Before the World, a God Among Gods observed a quarrel among His descendents. One of His great-grandchildren slew another, & He was greatly saddened by this discord. Sorrowful beyond measure, He resurrected His progeny, but doing so left him with the conviction that such grief would happen again here, & that His creations had been imperfect. He thus split Himself in twain, leaving His offspring, His world, & even His name behind.

The God Among Gods, now with only a portion of His name & His passion, traveled for unknown eons. In the mists beyond space & time, where gods go to die or be forgotten, He happened upon a pair of unborn gods orbiting an unformed world-seed. Wishing to make a world in His own image, one that was right & just, the God Above Gods took the fetal gods & this world-seed as His own. He wrapped them all in a tight blanket of stars & sky-beyond-sky, to keep out the Shadow & the Ether, so that they may be born together. He split the world-seed in twain, as He had done to Himself before, thus forming two worlds, each to host one of His new god-children.

The two infant gods awoke to this new space, & soon found each other. They adopted one another as brothers, & the God Above Gods as their father. One of them chose to name his brother Siraaj, while the other chose to name his brother Najmah, & together, they gave their father a new name.

Najmah sculpted his brother’s face upon the sunlit world of Siraaj, while Siraaj carved his brother’s face into the twilight world of Najmah. Thus was their nature, & thus their worlds were as themselves, both the like & unlike at once. Their father, who they had named Zihaja, instructed his foundlings to purge the flaws of their creation until only perfection remains. He also taught the young gods how to create worldly beings, so that they may populate their respective worlds with life.

Zihaja strove for a flawless dominion, one as orderly & perfect as Himself. To that end, He drew angelic beings from the Outer Worlds to build a great palace for Him. This palace would serve as the center of his perfect creation, between the worlds of Siraaj & Najmah, from which He could watch over all of His dominion & marvel in its magnificence.

But Zihaja’s new children could not agree on what form perfection should take. Najmah knew that perfection was complex & chaotic, with interdependent intricacies that built upon one another to form a greater whole. Siraaj knew that perfection was simple & orderly, with a stark splendor that any deviation would spoil. What Najmah created, Siraaj would destroy.

But Zihaja knew from His past life in the First World that only balance would achieve perfection. Based on this, He gave each of the child-gods a gift. To Najmah, He presented the houris, to demonstrate what greatness could be gained by perfection made flesh; he was to take what had been refined & polish it to a pure enlightened state. To Siraaj, He presented the mortal races, to demonstrate the foundations to be improved on; he was to take the imperfect mortals & cleanse them of their faults despite the flawed world in which they lived. He also gave unto them the first genies, brought from the Worlds of Essence to aid the brother-gods in the shaping of their realms.

Using the gifts that their mutual patron gave them, the twin gods set about building their worlds once again. Najmah created a pleasant paradise for the creatures that inhabited his world, while Siraaj toyed with his charges, creating extreme conditions & segregating them. The mortals of Siraaj could not tolerate the harsh treatment, & soon the first mortal died; thus ended the Beginning of All Beginnings.

Chapter the Second: From Harmony to Discord

Upon the first death of a mortal soul, Zihaja raised the Traveling Moon from a marble plain of Siraaj, & made the first hafaza to shepherd this bodiless soul. This hafaza, build hastily & not yet made perfect, brought the wayward soul to the rift left by the moon & awaited further orders. This trench, known later as the Pit of Fate, was fathomless in its depth, & already served as a shelter for the angelic servants of Zihaja.

Zihaja & his adopted children descended to the court at the bottom of Zihaja’s palace & crafted a portal to the Moon’s birthing ground. The soul’s flaws were stripped away, & pooled at the lowest end of the court. A second portal was built, leading to Najmah’s favored city. The soul passed through & was reincarnated as a houri.

The houris of Najmah embraced their new brother & taught him their harmonious ways. In so teaching, the houris also learned, & soon the wisest of their number attained enlightenment. The Traveling Moon moved to Najmah then, where it received the houri’s illuminated spirit & brought it to the base of Zihaja’s palace. The River of Starlight formed as his servants watched, separating the Court of Judgment from the rising Palace.

Siraaj quickly grew resentful of this arrangement. He demanded that beings be created to judge the souls impartially, & that those too deeply flawed should be consumed, rather than sent back to him. Zihaja acquiesced, & the ammut were created, inscrutable & aloof.

Najmah wished to reach out to the beings who suffered under Siraaj’s rule, but his brother rebuked his offers. Calling out, Najmah brought in the devas, which secretly served his cause among mortals. In revenge, Siraaj sent for demons, which ravaged the mortals & invaded Najmah’s world. Troubled by this tension, & fearing a greater conflict, Zihaja created a great crystal shell around the twin worlds, & brought forth Zaia, the World Naga, who He charged to keep the two separate.

Siraaj, wrathful & mighty, began to scour the face of his world, causing the genies to flee in fear to Najmah. As the world of Najmah grew prosperous & varied, the world of Siraaj became bleak & empty. Zihaja called for allies to preserve the twin worlds against this imbalance, bringing forth the rakshasas to steal the wealth of the genies, & the devils to serve him violently against the demons, which had entered His realms uninvited.

Najmah, in his benevolence, looked to take over Siraaj’s world & create riches for the mortals there. Siraaj, in his malevolence, looked to annex Najmah’s world & cast down the beauty his brother has formed. They had grown too powerful for Zihaja to challenge openly, so He retreated to His palace, leaving His three prophets, the Darshan, as ambassadors to the brother-gods.

Chapter the Third: Gods at War

All of Zihaja’s efforts to maintain peace & perfection were in vain, for Siraaj & Najmah in time came to battle openly. The brother-gods fought for ages, their fists & words clashing, their swords & magics deflecting off one another. Their servants & charges struggled against each other as well, pitting houris against rakshasas, devas against devils, genies against mortals, demons against everything else.

As the war between Siraaj & Najmah raged on, devas, genies, & devils found themselves outnumbered by the demons, which were corrupting mortals to supplement their countless numbers. Zihaja acceded to their needs & created the Three Terraces, where the outsider races could bid for appropriate mortal souls. This allowed the immortals to bolster their ranks, as well.

The warring brothers each sent a servant to spy on one another. Their servants’ seductions yielded divine offspring, Akasha & Sunya, who were hidden away by Zihaja from their fathers. Siraaj pierced the great crystal shell above the Pit of Fate, where his demonic hordes rushed through to destroy Najmah’s world. As the brothers dueled, Zihaja was forcibly reminded of the event that drove Him from His first family, untold eons ago.

In despair, Zihaja called on allies & foes alike from the Outer World to send Him their aid. The call of Zihaja was answered by a god of good, as well as a god of evil. The god of evil sent great serpents to bind & separate the dueling god-children, while the god of good sent one of his own children to strike the weapons from their hands. The subdued brothers, their powers waning, were cast into an eternal seal by Zihaja’s own hand, bound within their respective worlds to sleep for all the coming ages.

The surviving mortals still clung to life on Siraaj’s barren rock, some succumbing to the temptation of the demons & joining their ranks. The houris were meditating on Najmah, providing divine energy to the devas, genies & devils. The mortals certainly don’t remember this time, & while the houris still have relics, they have by & large no memory of its occurrence.

Zihaja remade His great crystal shell, & Zaia moved the two worlds farther apart. Zihaja then sent His most trusted minion, the great & wise sphinx Harmachi Sih Daroga, to an isle on Najmah, where he created the Three Gates of the Judges, a concession to the role played by the great servant races in the preservation of the cosmos.

The aftermath of the God-War was without the peace & harmony of the ages before the conflict. Both worlds were scarred, as were its peoples. The divine son of the god of good settled in the frozen south, leading his children with him. The god of evil fled into the west, where the sun rose last, before he could be expelled. The mortals had barely survived the tumult, the immortals tasted power beyond their chosen roles, & all being learned to trust all others less as a result. Zihaja’s swift perfection was shattered, & He withdrew deep into His palace to salvage his perfect realm via slower means.

Thus marked the End of the Beginning, & thus the stage was set for the Beginning of the End.

[Zeta Kai]

~600 years before the Age of Kingdoms

• The simurghs rule over the land-bound races of Siraaj for centuries, until their civil war decimates their numbers & ends their rule.

~170 years before the Age of Kingdoms

• The city of Zurqim is founded as a coastal village.

~60 years before the Age of Kingdoms

• The khanate of Upala is founded in Agni, sparking a nearly-constant state of warfare in the region.

~20 years before the Age of Kingdoms

• Akasha bequeaths a gift, the Light of Order, to 114 women. Their children founded the first kingdoms.

Age of Kingdoms

1 AK

• The Age of Kingdoms begins with the founding of the Dominion of Alaqanas.

6 AK

• The oldest of the Seven Nations, Wathan, is founded in what will later be known as the Sheqari region.

10 AK

• The minor kingdom of Tuljahar is founded.

481 AK

• Sunya gave the names of the hafazas to the demons, who they sell to the rakshasas.

482 AK

• The rakshasas hunted the hafazas, stopping them from escorting the souls of the dead to the Pit of Fate.
• The dead become unable to enter the Pit of Fate, while demons savage both worlds, beginning the Long Bleak Darkness.

517 AK

• Sih Daroga goes to Siraaj to retrieve the souls of the deceased himself, becoming the first Aspect of Zihaja.
• The demons attack Prana, hoping to seize the Three Gates.
• An alliance of devas, genies & devils defends the Three Gates & forces the demons back to Sergala.
• The Long Bleak Darkness ends.

620 AK

• Umaj arises from vague & unformed legend to become an aspect of Zihaja.

766 AK

• The city of Ghantikal is founded near the southern coast of the Gulf of Svaryana.

808 AK

• The first Great Khan of the Dao rises to power.

945 AK

• The kobold kingdom of Haz-Hurad is founded by Queen Ismu.

955 AK

• The capital of Haz-Hurad, Araqibet, is founded.

1,034 AK

• A short-lived pan-genie empire is founded in the city of Ghantikal by the great Sidi Chemharouch.

1,194 AK

• The Coral Throne is crafted to seat the first padishah of the marids.

1,221 AK

• The city of Puranah is founded in the Speckled Sea by the marids of the south.

1,383 AK

• The kingdom is Burdusq is founded after an alliance of several smaller realms, including Aqata, Azir, Papalo, & Zomar.

1,419 AK

• The Empire of She is founded on the Western Continent.

1,669 AK

• The kingdom is Ilud is founded by King Ilud Shumartim.

1,747 AK

• Amir Jathi unites the lizardfolk of the Seven Nations to form the kingdom of Sheqari, with himself as their lord.

1,772 AK

• The marid city of El Narraf (the Southern Padishate) is founded.

1,801 AK

• Hasid aq-Lazaqa, an efreet, becomes the first guardian tasked genie.

1,878 AK

• The kingdom of Admaja is founded on the Shepherd’s Isle by King Adma-Jarri.

1,916 AK

• The kingdom is Shadaz is founded by King Anan-Shadazur.

2,055 AK

• A demon named Shikk creates the first two nasnasi.

2,090 AK

• The Ilud-Shadaz War begins.

2,096 AK

• The Ilud-Shadaz War ends, with Shadaz as the (pyrrhic) victor.

2,132 AK

• The kingdom is Adabasha is founded when the First Pharaoh united the Three Kingdoms under his divine rule.

2,209 AK

• The city of Mushayar is founded by King Khumanuntat to serve as the capital of Adabasha.

2,273 AK

• The city of Gita is founded Gandharva Hill by dao & djinn settlers from the south.

2,285 AK

• The first tower is built in the Shadazai city of Meraya.

2,306 AK

• The capital of the kingdom of Burdusq, Fashul, was completely razed by a terrible fire, the cause of which is unknown.

2,319 AK

• The kingdom is Al Huruz is founded by King Huruza I.

2,337 AK

• The city of Sabur is founded in Burdusq to serve as its new capital.

2,380 AK

• The Sheqari-Hurad Wars begin.

2,393 AK

• The Sheqarai city of Rasalsamak is captured by kobold raiders from Haz-Hurad & renamed Sulafat.

2,408 AK

• The Obelisk, Rasaljathi’s largest Sidarite temple, is burned in a fire set by defending Sheqarai troops.

2,442 AK

• The 1st Adabasha-Huruz War is fought.

2,461 AK

• The Cairn of Calm in Rasaljathi is created when a great marble hall is toppled in an attack on the city by the Huradai.

2,494 AK

• The Shadaz-Huruz War begins.

2,504 AK

• The Shadaz-Huruz War ends, with Shadaz as the victor.

2,566 AK

• The Sheqari-Hurad Wars end, with Haz-Hurad as the victor.

2,576 AK

• The Sepulchral Square is built in Rasaljathi to contain the remains of martyrs who perished during the Sheqari-Hurad Wars.

2,618 AK

• The Water War begins between Ilud & Al Huruz.

2,622 AK

• Rizaqir Castle is built in southwestern Al Huruz.
• The Water War ends with Ilud as the victor.

2,657 AK

• King Manas begins his reign of Adabasha.

2,693 AK

• King Manas dies.

2,720 AK

• Haruq Izar-Manaz, a dao, becomes the first warmonger tasked genie.

2,744 AK

• The 2nd Adabasha-Huruz War is fought.

2,772 AK

• The kingdom is Qalira is founded by King Alalaq.

2,802 AK

• The Qulzai Massacre is committed by desperate & crazed warriors from Adabasha, who slaughtered hundreds of merchants & tribesmen in one bloody night.

2,848 AK

• The marid city of Ruquz Aruj (the Central Padishate) is founded in Al Huruz.

2,913 AK

• Johoum is able to travel to Siraaj with an army of fellow demons, including Nathar.
• Nathar travels to the Eastern Continent, corrupting the shaghal tribes.
• Johoum & his demonic followers incite the First War of Darkness.
• Johoum is sealed away under the Sahra Basit & his identity is subsumed to become an aspect of Zihaja.
• Nathar opts to hide amongst his shaghal followers, worshipped as a living god.
• King Nazalharu of Haz-Hurad is killed when the city of Araqibet is overrun by demonic hordes.
• The kobolds of Haz-Hurad flee the loss of their kingdom, most of which travel southward through the Lost Pass to the central parts of the continent in a mass migration known as the Hijra.

2,985 AK

• Pashati ascends to become another aspect of Zihaja.

3,036 AK

• The kingdom is Uqalizar is founded when the lesser kingdom of Tuljahar is united with the equally-minor realms of Mizaraqad & Gua Benesh.

3,059 AK

• Nathar “ascends to divinity,” due to his followers’ worship.

3,087 AK

• The Qalira-Uqalizar War begins.

3,091 AK

• The Qalira-Uqalizar War ends, with Uqalizar as the victor.

3,125 AK

• The Juarif Dynasty ends in Admaja with the death of King Alazala.
• The Hadi Dynasty begins with the ascension of King Zazir to the Throne of Adamant.

[Zeta Kai]

Imperial Reckoning

1 IR (3,135 AK)

• The Empire of Admaja is founded by King Zazir (now Emperor Zazir I), effectively ending the Age of Kingdoms.
• The Empire annexes the largely barren & empty region known as the Red Sands.

12 IR

• The Empire of She is destroyed by a powerful magical curse.
• The she-da-zhong are first created on the Western Continent.

26 IR

• The Empire attempts to conquer the kingdom of Adabasha, which results in war.

27 IR

• The kingdom of Adabasha falls, becoming just another part of the Empire.
• Queen Suthatep of Adabasha becomes the bride of Emperor Zazir II.
• The Empire annexes more territory, up to the borders of Shadaz.

43 IR

• The War of Songs begins between the Dominion of Alaqanas & the kingdom of Ilud, starting as a feud over fishing rights along the Hasini River.

51 IR

• The War of Songs ends with the Dominion of Alaqanas in ruins & the kingdom of Ilud occupying most of the southern Alaqanasai settlements.

74 IR

• The Raqam Rebellion occurs, when the city attempts to break from the Admajai Empire, & is forcibly retaken, at the cost of many lives.

85 IR

• Emperor Maliq I is crowned of the Empire of Admaja.

93 IR

• Qadir Hadi al-Felqa, the last emperor of the Hadi dynasty, is born in Asanam.

102 IR

• Former Johoumite demons make contact with the she-da-zhong, & after some disputes, the two forces form an alliance.

116 IR

• Emperor Maliq I steps down from the imperial throne.
• Qadir Hadi al-Felqa, later known as King al-Felqa, is crowned emperor of Admaja (as Emperor Qadir II).

119 IR

• Shadaz declares war on the Empire, in response to a trade dispute.

122 IR

• The Empire conquers Shadaz, annexing its lands & imprisoning its ruler, King Naram-Shar.
• The Shadazai capital, Ushazur, is razed by Admajai soldiers.
• The Empire consolidates it borders, securing other areas not under any strong central rule.

136 IR

• The Hima Sovereignty conquers & occupies the city of Gita.

146 IR

• The resistance forces in Gita successfully wrest control of the city from the Himan devils.

147 IR

• Emperor Qadir II (AKA King al-Felqa) is poisoned by his eldest son & dies, ending the Hadi Dynasty.

153 IR

• The 1st Huruzai War begins between the kingdom of Al Huruz & the Empire of Admaja.

155 IR

• The 1st Huruzai War ends inconclusively.

167 IR

• The 2nd Huruzai War begins.

171 IR

• The 2nd Huruzai War ends with the kingdom of Al Huruz becoming conquered by the Empire of Admaja.
• King Zadaru II of Al Huruz commits suicide.

196 IR

• Grand Amir il-Zalatha institutes a cultural revolution in the kingdom of Sheqari, changing many aspects of their society, including their diet.

227 IR

• The Dandan is sighted for the first time.

242 IR

• The city of Vatingana is founded on the banks of the Red River by the dao of the Bhangah Jungle.

259 IR

• Sister Amira Bibi al-Mara founds the Glorious Sisterhood of Akasha.

308 IR

• The Empire first attempted to conquer the kingdom of Ilud, sparking the first War of Crowns.

315 IR

• The first War of Crowns ends inconclusively, with Ilud successfully repulsing the Empire at the cost of many lives.

324 IR

• The second War of Crowns begins.

343 IR

• The second War of Crowns ends.

352 IR

• The third War of Crowns begins.

381 IR

• The kingdom of Sheqari suffered an economic collapse due to corrupting influence from demons & she-da-zhong.

407 IR

• The third War of Crowns ends.

429 IR

• The kingdom of Burdusq breaks up due to internal conflicts.

460 IR

• The Council of the Archmagi first forms in the Empire of Admaja.

476 IR

• An artist named Muurtikaara built the Iron Angel statue in the city of Nila.

528 IR

• The marids of Ruquz Aruj capture the city of Al Huruz, as well as several surrounding settlements of the former kingdom.
• The Empire of Admaja begins the Huruzai Siege.
• The marids appoint a shah to oversee the Huruzai settlements, who reports directly to the padishah of Ruquz Aruj.

545 IR

• The archmagi first make contact with the ambassadors of several genie nations on Najmah.

559 IR

• The Earthquake of Zaanti strikes the city of Samadhi, leveling most of the buildings & killing over a thousand people.

581 IR

• The occupying shah of Al Huruz begins the Great Drought by sapping water from all over the continent to build a new lake nearby & expand the marids’ territory.
• The Hyena River, which runs through the city of Nahraldikh, dries up.
• The Old Lake between Meraya & Raqam, which fed the Hasini River, dries up.
• The once-verdant Sahra Basit begins dying off.

583 IR

• Dakhiel slays the shah (sending his spell out of control) & destroys the Central Padishate.
• The spell floods the entire region, creating Alhurus Lake, destroying most of the Huruzai lands, & expanding the deserts across the continent.
• Dakhiel (AKA Daq) is subsumed by Zihaja.

594 IR

• The archmagi begin to rival the emperor in power, due to their genie-backed magical power.

618 IR

• The city-state of Ostaz is founded by Emir Jalil Qadir Ustaz.

682 IR

• The half-dao artist named Taksati builds the Dreaming Man statue in Samadhi.

723 IR

• Shasad is born in the city of Rasaljathi.

736 IR

• The Uqalizar Civil War begins, incited by Natharite cults within the shaghal community there.

744 IR

• The first believed appearance of Sa’ul is recorded in Uqalizar.

754 IR

• The Uqalizar Civil War ends, with the shaghali fleeing en masse & the kingdom breaking up into several petty realms, which collapse into separate city-states.

797 IR

• The last floating tower is built in Vatingana.

802 IR

• Large-scale hunting of the sarsaok ends, saving the beast from extinction.

810 IR

• The first batch of sandstone golems were made by a cabal of alchemists along the Saqiyah River.

1 AF (829 IR)

• The Empire of Admaja falls due to the Pactspell, beginning the Ten Dark Years.
• Nearly all of the pureblooded genies cross over to Siraaj, disappearing from Najmah overnight.
• Limalia, khatun of the dao, crosses over from Najmah into Siraaj.
• Many settlements are destroyed, including Asanam & Shahat.

[Zeta Kai]

After the Fall

1 AF

• The governments of Agni, Atma, Padam, & several other genie-controlled lands collapse due to the disappearance of the genies.

2 AF

• Akila Rizaj leads the former citizens of Shahat to found the city of Rizaj.
• The Mushah & the Ziuj lakes merge into a single body of water, causing the lower Saqiyah to begin slowly drying up.

3 AF

• The kingdom of Qalira collapses into a state of anarchy after the death of Hapu the Last King.
• The kingdom of Ilud is forced to withdraw from the occupied Dominion of Alaqanas, leaving it to descend into barbarism.

4 AF

• The citizens of Alaqur abandon their town & rebuild higher in the foothills.

6 AF

• The Diaspora of the lizardfolk begins.

7 AF

• The City of God is founded by Shimha Qirus on the site of a small fishing village.

8 AF

• The last forest dies off in the Sahra Basit, completing the region’s desertification.

10 AF

• The Ten Dark Years end with the Battle of the Light, with untold millions dead & many nations toppled.

11 AF

• Qirus ascends to become an aspect of Zihaja.

13 AF

• Construction began on the walls surrounding the City of God.

18 AF

• Waharim is subsumed by Zihaja, becoming another aspect.

26 AF

• The city of Albaluri is founded by followers of Limalia.

29 AF

• Limalia becomes another aspect of Zihaja.

46 AF

• The city of Sijur is built by Jafaz al-Sijur on the site of an abandoned fishing village that once belonged to the Dominion of Alaqanas.

54 AF

• Adimas ascends to become an aspect of Zihaja.

61 AF

• The Farun family, from the City of God, creates their mercantile empire.

74 AF

• Mansur aq-Equt becomes the sultan of the City of God.

89 AF

• The first sand golem was created near the city of Darb by Amula izr Zaqrazam, who was killed by it shortly thereafter.

91 AF

• The sultan of the City of God, Mansur aq-Equt, dies suddenly.

120 AF

• Ak-Khyriash II comes to power as pharaoh in Mushayar.

142 AF

• Maqur rises to power, becoming ruler of an entire nation of followers.

145 AF

• Maqur & her capital are razed by divine fire.
• Maqur is subsumed by Zihaja, becoming another aspect.
• Maqur’s followers are scattered, turning to Martuakh, the serpent demon.

178 AF

• Khan Qalim Qanuil rises to power in the Satha Laylanuha.

204 AF

• The Last Potentate of Zurqim becomes indebted to a collection of rich business owners, & is forced to cede control of the city to them.

214 AF

• The kingdom of Ilud effectively ceases to exist after the death of King Shapnutal.

231 AF

• Ambika Simhii is selected to be the 43rd brahmarsi of Ayus.

248 AF

• The churches of Qirus, Sidaru, & Vayu battle one another for control of the city of Dharma, bringing the city to the brink of civil war.

257 AF

• The Ibar Hazanim (the Golden Lady) set sail on her maiden voyage to the western continent & almost immediately sank off the shore of the City of God, killing all aboard.

266 AF

• The Laughing Padishah defeats the sahuagin hordes.

267 AF

• Duraq is born on the southern banks of the Provider’s Oasis, near the town of Fahir.

273 AF

• The Smoking Lion Inn is opened in the City of God.

281 AF

• Aden aq-Zarqa is born in the city of Sa’ifah.

287 AF

• Noor al-Muhraq is born in the town of Ruazabet.

288 AF

• Nuri izr-Elaqras is born in the city of Fandaq.

292 AF

• The Great Fire of Babalarud destroys half the wards in the city & kills over 200 people.

296 AF

• Aziz Mamud al-Haddad is born in the hamlet of Maqsur.

303 AF

• Qaled al-Shayq is born in the city of Fandaq.

304 AF

• Zada is born in the city of Rizaj.

306 AF

• Fazul is born in the City of God.

307 AF

• Sultana Nada is born in the city of Zawraq.

308 AF

• Syed Awazi Aq-Hazaqan VI is born in the city of Meraya.

310 AF

• Gamal is born in the city of Qaziz.

311 AF

• Ghadhib is born in the city of Nahraldikh.

312 AF

• Jaruq Azmar is born in the town of Ezul.
• Ali Jaruq is born in the hamlet of Tariq-Nahr.

313 AF

• Mosi Msaka is born in the Galazim Highlands.

314 AF

• Jabari Msaka is born in the Galazim Highlands.

315 AF

• Haqalil ral-Shuqa is born in the town of Aqaba.

316 AF

• Master Khaled is born in the city of Mushayar.

317 AF

• The Gaja Palaka (AKA Sharma’s Elephant) is created by a team of mages & engineers headed by the captain of Madanas’ defenses, Sharma Apramatta.

318 AF

• Zafar Asim is born into a nomadic tribe of kobolds.
• Nesubet is born in the city of Neb-Niwet.

319 AF

• Queen Tuhaia is born in the city of Salah.

320 AF

• Malik Sayed al-Rabb is born in the city of Zawraq.

321 AF

• Ghada izud-Haqara is born in the city of Maisan.

322 AF

• Gadil izra-Yusuf is born.

323 AF

• Raza is born in the village of Qashura.

325 AF

• The last recorded religious conflict takes place between the Johoumites of Meraya & their Sidarite neighbors.

326 AF

• A fire at Rishi Temple destroyed the great library there, taking almost every book with it.

327 AF

• Anan Alzena Gulibar is born in the city of Raqam.
• A’Sheh Shahabah is born in the village of Sarqai.

329 AF

• Prince Omar is born in the city of Sabur.
• Jasmine of the Red Sands is born in the hamlet of Qefra.
• The eccentric nobleman Aziz Mamud Al-Haddad moved from Raqam to Luardo, quickly becoming a local celebrity.

331 AF

• The Great Lighthouse of Luardo is built.
• Alzamir Farun is born in the City of God.
• Amir the White is born in the city of Nahraldikh.

333 AF

• The famous half-dao trader, Prasad Jyotis Ksitipa, founds the Pact Union in Vanija.

334 AF

• Sumehra is born in the city of Ostaz.
• High Priestess of Pashati, the couatl Ruta Marta, cedes her official political power to the duchy of Angaros.

336 AF

• Emir Zada of Rizaj is overthrown in a coup, to be later replaced by Leron the Wildhearted.
• Qadami’s Custom Caravans is established in the City of God.

337 AF

• Ahmar aq-Tam (later known as the Thief of Days) is born in the city of Naranj.
• The 43rd brahmarsi of Ayus, Ambika Simhii, dies in office.
• Etash Suniyama is selected to be the 44th brahmarsi of Ayus.

338 AF

• The Midnight Brotherhood, a faction of the Sunyan religion, splits from the core church over ideological differences.

340 AF

• A terrible fire tears through the City of God, burning down many businesses & homes.
• Aqdar builds his stablehouse on the site of the burned-out stables in the City of God.
• A military junta takes control of the city-state of Darb.

341 AF

• Qunavi rises to power within the church of Akasha, founding the Followers of Light.
• The Mantramugdha Plague breaks out in the towns & villages just south of the city of Puram.

342 AF

• The last known battle between the desert centaurs & the steppe centaurs takes place on the banks of the Nomad River.

343 AF

• The first boats of the shaghali arrive on the eastern coast of Admaja.
• The city-state of Ostaz, under the rule of Emir Aqbar Zahir Ustaz (AKA Grand Emperor Aqram), becomes the Ostazai Empire.

344 AF

• The Empire of Ostaz conquers the nearby city-state of Maziraluq, renaming it Mamluk.
• The houri singer Kanti rises to fame in Samadhi.

346 AF

• Qadir Ibn Shah flees the City of God, selling the Broken Sign Inn to Madam Fatima.
• The Dhatturah, the Blossom of the World, last bloomed.

347 AF

• Malik Sayed Al-Rabb takes the crown from his ailing uncle, becoming Lord & Sheikh of Zawraq.
• The first case of what is now known as Honey Wasting is reported in Naranj.

349 AF

• The she-da-zhong begin increasing their presence on Admaja, striking many settlements along the western coast.
• The printing press is invented in Meraya.

350 AF

• The black-walled fortress known as the Forgotten Prison is built in Zawraq.
• Kanti is able to defuse a looming conflict between her hometown of Samadhi & the khanates of Agni with a sublime performance in Upala.

351 AF

• A powerful earthquake strikes near the city of Alaqur, collapsing a mine & triggering a landslide.
• The church of Pashati built a temple in Aqur to replace their vandalized shrine.
• The Urban Planning Council finally approved plans to build beyond the gates of the City of God.

352 AF

• An outbreak of the Black Blight occurs in Burdusq, hitting Sabur particularly hard.
• The sultan of the City of God, Zaman aq-Simur, is slain by bandits while on a journey, leaving the throne to his eldest son, Usaf.
• The ruling bey of Maisan, Ghada izud-Haqara, places a ban on mining until the mines are cleared of dangerous monsters.
• Freemen are permitted to vote in Sa’ifah’s elections, changing the political landscape of the city.

353 AF

• Gadil izra-Yusuf, a self-described prophet, rises to prominence in Qulzai.
• King Sesseram dies in Sabur, leaving his three sons to jointly rule the city.
• A ragtag pirate cartel called the Corsairs begins raiding the area of Luardo.
• Gold is discovered in the Caverns of Suja, near the city-state of Zurqim.
• The Fell Drake begins killing people in Dharma.

354 AF

• The sheikh of Babalarud is assassinated by a Dervish, throwing the city into chaos.
• The great nobleman Gihaza Farun, of the City of God, dies unexpectedly.
• Divers searching the floor of Azraq Bay off the coast of Sabur discover zahir (IE mithral).
• The sheikh of Dajajah orders the Sisana-Mashazi put under a strict quarantine after an outbreak of Hadab-Gazila (AKA Slimy Doom) onboard.
• A wave of unsolved thefts is plaguing the citizens of the City of God.
• The dock workers of Luardo unionize & threaten to strike.
• The Rain of Ash, a massive sandstorm, strikes the city of Raqam, burying the town in several feet of sand & killing 11 people.
• The Genumel Causeway, one of Mushayar’s largest & most famous bridges, mysteriously collapses, killing nearly 40 people.
• Buildings in Ghantikal begin mysteriously vanishing.
• The famous half-dao trader, Prasad Jyotis Ksitipa, leaves the Pact Union, & once again becomes an independent merchant prince.

355 AF

• Current Year (3rd Edition)

360 AF

• Current Year (4th Edition)

[Zeta Kai]

What, nobody has anything to say? No comments? No questions? No complaints about my choice of font, or my chapter order, or my approach towards such-&-such? No one wants to point out a contradiction or a typographical error? Really?

Surely, someone doesn't understand why I made a particular design choice, or doesn't understand a particular piece of lore. Don't feel reticent. I welcome all comments, questions, & critiques. Please, I invite you all to discuss with us the information presented above. Speak now, & let your voice be heard.

[apocalypsePast2]

Why is Umaj's symbol a stick?

[Shadow_Elf]

Why is Umaj's symbol a stick?

Because Umaj is the nature god. Duh. Sticks = Fundamentally nature-ey, of course.

[apocalypsePast2]

To be honest I was just trying to be anticlimatic.