Vikings? 1979 Look back

"The Bronze Dragon was of tremendous size for its breed, measuring over 80 hands long and able to rear to a height of more than half that. The creature had gleaming claws as sharp and damaging as scimitars; buffed with gold dust. Its fanged jaws were kept sharp by biting heavy platemail vests that were a part of its horde. Its massive scaled body rested regally on an altar made of its own gold and silver. Chalices of platinum and coffers of gems and jewels were all about, arranged to please the delicate sensibilities of the dragon. Its giant eyes, that had been but a moment before closed in dragonslumber, opened, aware of the tread of footsteps down the echoing marble corridor, designed for just that echoing effect."


A Viking Campaign in the Caspian Sea by James E. Brunner

This is a nice history of an actual (well, I assume actual) Viking foray into the Caspian Sea for plunder. A sample:

"In the tenth century the Caspian Sea lay like a great pearl in an ocean of endless steppes and towering mountains. The prows that cut its placid waters belonged to poor fishermen and merchants from every land. Unlike the Black Sea that lay to the west, no northern pirate fleets had ravaged its shores and carried off its great wealth. To the north and the east lay the powerful Khazar Khanate whose capital, Itil, on the Volga Delta, controlled the major trade route to the north. Any merchant or pirate that sought wealth in the Muslim lands to the south had first to deal with the Khazar Khan, whose greed was legendary."

Iron Currency
Although iron currency has been regarded as primitive for 2,000 years, it survived into the modern period. Iron spits circulated as money in Greece before the advent of silver currency, and Sparta remained on an iron currency standard throughout the golden age of Greece. Sparta’s iron currency was deliberately intended to make the accumulation of monetary wealth awkward.
Julius Caesar’s writing, Gallic Wars, mentions an iron currency in Britain. Unfortunately, the texts of the various manuscripts of Caesar’s work are not consistent, and scholars have split on the meaning of the text, some claiming the iron currency was iron rings and others that it was iron bars. Archeological evidence seems to have decided the issue in favor of iron bars. No iron rings have been found from that time period but other iron objects, including iron bars, have been discovered. These iron bars were apparently unfinished sword blades.
The monetary unit for this currency seems to have been about 11 ounces of iron. Some pieces weighed as little as one-quarter of the standard unit, and others as much as four units. It is possible that the value of the bars was determined by length rather than weight.
During the nineteenth century iron bars were circulating as money in the Congo. Europeans complained about the high transportation cost of these bars. Apparently, it took one man to carry just 8 shillings’ worth of money. The iron bars came in lengths of one foot and were extremely heavy. One of the Congo tribes, the Bakongo, were particularly noted for coveting these iron bars.
Iron hoes have circulated as money in regions of India, Africa, and Indochina. Iron hoes were the smallest monetary unit in the Bahnars at one time. During the nineteenth century, iron, mainly in the shape of hoes, circulated in the remote areas of Sudan. The Chiga of western Uganda made hoes their unit of account without making use of them as a medium of exchange or store of value. In Portuguese East Africa a hoe standard replaced a cattle standard, and some hoes circulated only as currency and were never used as agricultural implements. In the French Congo, iron bars, shovels, hoes, blades, and iron double bells played the role of currency. In mid-nineteenth-century Nigeria, 40 iron hoes could buy a slave.
Iron is not as immune to the elements as the precious metals and does not have the same aesthetic appeal. It does not seem to have had religious significance, such as did silver and gold. Nevertheless, it is a very practical metal, making it attractive as money in societies that have not mastered metallurgy to the same extent as the industrially developed societies.

Fur Money

Fur Money

Not surprisingly, the most northern and coldest countries of the world have made use of furs as a medium of exchange and store of value, particularly among the societies that advanced beyond the barter stage.

The most highly developed system of fur currency existed in medieval Russia, where the word for money was kuna, stemming from the skin of the marten (kunitza). The marten is a close relative of the sable, and its soft, thick, valuable fur is called sable. The use of fur currency stretched as far back as the eighth century a.d. The grand dukes of Moscow furnished furs to pay traveling expenses of ambassadors sent to foreign countries. Russian law codes from the eleventh and twelfth centuries suggest a fixed ratio between fur currency and silver coins. These codes made fines payable either in 5 metal kuna or two skins.

At first skins had to be complete to be acceptable in trade, including snouts and paws. As the demand for money expanded with trade, snouts, claws, and ears functioned as money. Eventually one-inch circles of skin with a government stamp met the need for a medium of exchange. These one-inch stamped circles may have been convertible in whole skins at a government depot, but the evidence is scanty.

Squirrel skins and hare skins also circulated as money, at least in certain areas. The smallest of the early Russian coins, the polushka, got its name from hare-skin currency.Ushka was the Russian word for “hare skin,” and pol meant half, suggesting it took twopolushka coins to equal one hare skin.

The kuna monetary standard endured in Russia until late in the Middle Ages, lasting until 1409 in Pskov and until 1411 in Novgorod. Merchants of the Hanseatic League in Novgorod accepted Russian fur currency as an instrument of trade.

As Russia phased out its fur currency in favor of metallic currency, the northern colonies of the New World discovered the value of furs as a form of money. In 1673 the Council of Quebec decreed that bearskins be accepted in payments. On 17 September 1674 the same council defined moose skins as acceptable money, declaring that “no one is entitled to refuse them in payment of debt.” The records of the Hudson Bay Company show that furs continued to serve as money until the mid-nineteenth century. The company would sell a rifle to an Indian for a stack of beaver skins that reached as high as the rifle was tall. Twenty beaver skins bought a horse at Fort Saskatchewan in 1854, and one beaver skin a scalping knife. The various trading posts of the Hudson Bay Company counted their sales in terms of the number of beaver skins they collected, converting the values of other skins to beaver equivalents at a fixed ratio. Other skins have also served as money. The district of the Yukon used the skin of a mature land otter as a unit of value before beaver skins took over.

Furs shares many of the characteristics of other commodities that societies have recognized as money. Like precious metals and shells, furs sometimes met ornamental needs. Beaver skins also had religious significance for some Indian tribes. Also, furs resembled livestock in supplying the practical needs of survival in northern societies often besieged by harsh winters. These characteristics, combined with durability and ease of transportation, made furs a workable currency in remote areas where metallic currency was in short supply.

Iron Currency

 Repost 

http://encyclopedia-of-money.blogspot.ca/2010/03/iron-currency.html

 

 

Iron Currency

Although iron currency has been regarded as primitive for 2,000 years, it survived into the modern period. Iron spits circulated as money in Greece before the advent of silver currency, and Sparta remained on an iron currency standard throughout the golden age of Greece. Sparta’s iron currency was deliberately intended to make the accumulation of monetary wealth awkward.

Julius Caesar’s writing, Gallic Wars, mentions an iron currency in Britain. Unfortunately, the texts of the various manuscripts of Caesar’s work are not consistent, and scholars have split on the meaning of the text, some claiming the iron currency was iron rings and others that it was iron bars. Archeological evidence seems to have decided the issue in favor of iron bars. No iron rings have been found from that time period but other iron objects, including iron bars, have been discovered. These iron bars were apparently unfinished sword blades.

The monetary unit for this currency seems to have been about 11 ounces of iron. Some pieces weighed as little as one-quarter of the standard unit, and others as much as four units. It is possible that the value of the bars was determined by length rather than weight.

During the nineteenth century iron bars were circulating as money in the Congo. Europeans complained about the high transportation cost of these bars. Apparently, it took one man to carry just 8 shillings’ worth of money. The iron bars came in lengths of one foot and were extremely heavy. One of the Congo tribes, the Bakongo, were particularly noted for coveting these iron bars.

Iron hoes have circulated as money in regions of India, Africa, and Indochina. Iron hoes were the smallest monetary unit in the Bahnars at one time. During the nineteenth century, iron, mainly in the shape of hoes, circulated in the remote areas of Sudan. The Chiga of western Uganda made hoes their unit of account without making use of them as a medium of exchange or store of value. In Portuguese East Africa a hoe standard replaced a cattle standard, and some hoes circulated only as currency and were never used as agricultural implements. In the French Congo, iron bars, shovels, hoes, blades, and iron double bells played the role of currency. In mid-nineteenth-century Nigeria, 40 iron hoes could buy a slave.

Iron is not as immune to the elements as the precious metals and does not have the same aesthetic appeal. It does not seem to have had religious significance, such as did silver and gold. Nevertheless, it is a very practical metal, making it attractive as money in societies that have not mastered metallurgy to the same extent as the industrially developed societies.

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or8G_jDcLNo

3rd Edtion: Where the Gods are!

http://www.dan-site.com/Gods_of_The_DandD_World.htm


Third Edition Material 

Gods of The D&D Universe

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

            Based on and quoted from the DMG page 143,the PHB, from the various Races book, Deities and Demigods, the Book of Vile Darkness, the Book of Exaulted Deeds, and from Complete Champions) Most religious leaders pick a specific god to follow, but some may generalize just to a specific alignment or to a single alignment component; either Chaos, Good, Law or Neutrality. Monks get their god's favored weapon as a bonus Guild Feat, if they have that weapon already then they gain Weapon Focus with that weapon. Praying for divine intervention is a last ditch method to gain a service from your God.  It always comes with a price to be paid later down the road.  Characters have a 10% chance to receive aid from their god (5% of it being directly from the god itself).  They may make only three such pleas per day before exhausting the patience of their god, who will then be deaf to further pleas for a week. Clerics are limited to two Domains, from the choices offered for each god.

Monks get their god's favored weapon as a bonus Guild Feat, if they have that weapon already then they gain Weapon Focus with that weapon. 

-  Aasterinan (CN) (Draconomicon page31):  A cheeky deity who enjoys learning through play, invention, and pleasure.  She is Io's messenger, a huge brass dragon who enjoys disturbing the status quo.  She loves all who enjoy innovation and whimsy and is accepting of all dragonblooded creatures.

            She encourages her followers to think for themselves rather than relying on the word of others.  The worst crime in her eyes is not trusting in yourself and your own devices.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CG, N, CN, CE.  Her favored weapon is a scimitar (claw).  Aasterinian's clery are typically wanders who travel in disguise or secrecy.  The majority of her clerics are draconic or half-dragon humanoids.  Her followers enjoy relations with Garl Glittergold, Fharlanghn, Olidammara, and similar deities.  Her color is brass. Her priests are limited to the Dragon, Good, Herald and Travel, Domains.

            Undead are merely humorous enemies to be dealt with as quickly as possible.

-  Alobal Lorfiril(CG) (Races of the Wild page 20):  Elvish god of revelry, hedonism and excess of all kinds are the purview of Alobal Lorfiril, known as the Reveler and the Merry Magician.  The youngest of the Seldarine he urges his followers to wrest the maximum possible pleasure from each moment. Responsibility is for tomorrow, why not spend today enjoying good food, fine wine, friendship and love?  His priests are limited to the Chaos, Good, Magic, andTrickery Domains.  .  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CE, CN, CG.  His favorite color is the rainbow, he likes surprise.  His favorite weapon is the dagger.

            Alobal's clerics begin their training by hosting spontaneous revels and magic shows in their communities.  AS they grain in power and importance, they preside at community functions, provide entertainment to lift the spirits of the sick and injured, and oversee the production of wine, sweetmeats, and other fare consumed purely for pleasure.  One common prayer is "Let me lift the mantle of care from my compatriots/With a glass, a wink, a song/And keep them laughing the whole night long."

-  Astilabor (N) (Draconomicon page32):  Represents the natural draconic desire to acquire treasure and power.  She dislikes the naked greed of Timat and her followers.  She values wealth and power, but without the stigma of greed,.  She instills the innate need for collecting and protecting the hoard.  She claims that she can't abide theft of any kind from her worshipers, but often turns a blind eye if such acts are performed in the name of building one's hoard.

            She only accepts clerics with an element of neutrality, Priest/Clerics Alignments: CN, LN, NE, NG.  Her clerics prefer not to become involved in conflicts between dragons, but often reward those whose hoards become large and valuable.  Her favored weapon is the scimitar (claw).  Her colors are all those that shimmer and shine including all metallic and al chromatic. Her priests are limited to the Dragon, Protection, and Wealth Domains.

            Undead have their uses, mostly in guarding a rich hoard, but intelligent undead are seen as those too greedy with their life to pass on when their time is up.

- Arvoreen (LG) (Races of the Wild page 53):  Is the hafling god of defense, war, vigilance, hafling warriors and duty.  They are limited to the Good,Law, Protection and War Domains.  Their favored weapon is the short sword.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LG, LN, LE.

- Bahamut (LG) (Draconomicon page 32):  Revered by good dragons, he is stern disapproving of evil, but kind and helpful to the downtrodden and dispossessed.  He teaches his followers to strive against evil whenever they can and to help others become strong enough to resist evil by themselves.  He appears as a long sinuous dragon with platinum scales and catlike eyes of shifting colors.  Priest/Clerics Alignments: LG.  Priests are limited to the Air, Celestial, Dragon,Good, Luck and Protection Domains.  The priests favor platinum colored robes.  Their favored weapon is a heavy pick.  Although most of his religious support would seem to come from dragons it is a popular religion among some humans.  It is well known for its acts of charity.  Their temples are almost always shrines inside the current or former lairs of dragons.  Believers often celebrate believes who enter some new stage in life; starting a business, becoming a solider, getting married etc.

            Bahamut has few clerics and even fewer temples.  He accepts only good clerics.  Clerics of Bahamut, be they dragons, half-dragons, or other beings attached to Bahaumut's philosophy, strive to take constant, but subtle action on behalf of good, intervening whenever they are needed, but striving to do as little harm in the process as possible.  Many gold, silver and brass dragons maintain simple shrines to Bahamut in their lairs, usually nothing more elaborate than Bahamut's holy symbol scribed on a wall.

            Undead are seen as an abomination, especially draco-liches; to be destroyed on sight.

- Bidbdoolpoolp (NE) (Stormwreck page 48): The deity of the Kuo-Toas, her bloodthirsty worshipers demand frequent sacrifices of sentient beings. She takes the form of a naked human woman with the head and pinchers of a lobster. Her symbol is a lobster's head and a black pearl. Her temples use a lobster theme and are all underwater. Priest/Clerics Alignments: NE Priests are limited to the Abyss, Blackwater (Stormwreck), Destruction,Evil and Water Domains. Her priests prefer garments of green and red. Her worshipers are known for abducting their neighbors and sacrificing them. The worship is done only by NPCs.
Her worshipers have no problem with using undead, but not special attraction to them either.

- Boccob (N) (Player's Handbook page 106 & DMG):  Boccob's priesthood is usually a somber group that takes its pursuit of knowledge and a study of the arcane very seriously.  The clerics of the Archmage of the Deities wear purple robes with gold trim.  Rather than meddle in public affairs and politics, they keep to themselves and their own agendas.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  must have a neutral component of their alignment LN, N, NE, NG, or CN.  Priests are limited to the Knowledge, Magic, Mind, Oracle, Planning, and Trickery Domains.   Their favored weapon is the quarterstaff.

            Knowledge equal power and it is the only kind of power worth having.  Temples are always repositories of magical knowledge; both arcane and divine.  In addition the temples frequently double as schools of magic.

            Services, when they are held, are typically lectures on new spells or on obscure bits of magical lore.  Boccob's devoted realize that their patron doesn't care a whit whether they worship him so why waste their valuable time singing the praises of a deity they openly call "the Uncaring?"  His clerics teach that Baccob's knowledge is vast and his power tremendous so he ignores his worshipers out of pity.  Were he to turn his gaze upon his mortal followers and actually notice them the massive accumulation of his knowledge would bathe the world all at once and drive its people into madness.

            Members believe that knowledge should be available to all, for the right price.  Thus in addition to its large libraries they also deal in magic items.

            While not necessarily and ally, the Ruby Temple of Wee Jas frequently works with the Eternal Library to the mutual benefit of both.

            Boccob's clerics favor purple garments with gold trim, many are cleric/wizards or cleric/sorcerer.  Most remain aloof from worldly affairs an devote themselves to magical research and to formulating prophecies.  They share their knowledge of the future sparingly, lest someone get the upper hand and upset the balance.  Boccob's clergy actively creates magic items, which they usually sell to anyone with the cash to buy them.  During war, Boccob's clerics happily sell magic items to all sides.  Many of Boccob's clerics keep busy rooting out bits of magical lore, recovering lost magic items, and investigating mysteries.  They adamantly oppose any attempt to destroy a magic item or any magical place.

            Boccob's temples are usually located in urban areas.  They are always well fortified to withstand outside interference, and they house extensive libraries. Most are also well equipped with various scrying devices.  The clergy use them to spot infiltrators and keep an eye on the surrounding area.

            Visitors  to a temple of Boccob usually get a cool greeting at best and are never welcomed unless they have some unusual magic item to offer for examination or money to spend on spells, magic items, or information.

            He cares little about undead, except intelligent undead which can be taken a scholars whose pursuit of knowledge has passed into another lifetime. Unintelligent undead are merely tools.

-  Brandobaris (N) (Races of the Wild page 53):  The hafling god of stealth, thievery, adventuring and hafling rogues.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CN, NE, CE, CG.   Clerics are limited to the Luck, Travel and Trickery Domains.  Their favored weapon is the dagger.

-  Callarduran Smoothands (N) (Races of Stone page 43):  The patron deity of the svirfneblin his clerics teach their followers the best way to be safe is to dig deep into the earth and tell no one what you have found; secrecy is an effective survival strategy.  His prayers are whispered.  .  Priest/Clerics Alignments:any.  His favorite color is black and his favorite weapon is the battleaxe.  His priests are limited to the Earth, Good, Healing and Protection Domains.

            His temples often feature echo chambers and other acoustical tricks that magnify the sound of whispered prayers to him.  His clerics handle birth, marriage and funeral rites.

            Undead are just another enemy to be fought.

- Cas (NE) (Heroes of Horror page 19): Also known as the Lord of Spite, the Red Grudge, and He who Balances the Scales. He is the demigod of vengeance and spite without end. He is the moose-headed god who nurses rage and fosters frustration. The scattered priesthood of Cas maintains that beneath the veneer of civilized folk lies the accumulated fire of all the injustices he or she has ever suffered, just waiting to be releases; that all secretly worship Cas, even if only in their deepest, truest subconscious.

Although many cults exist, Cas prefers to come to those who seem to call out to him with their private thoughts and repressed urges. He is drawn to those who cry out for vengeance for wrongs done to them. His prayers are almost always spoken only after the supplicant has worked herself into near-hysteria with the pain and frustration of unrighted wrongs. Cas wishes to hear the pain in his worshipers.

Shrines to Cas are usually deeply personal affairs and many individual worshipers don't maintain a specific place in which to pray. As a deity of secret pain, he prefers that his worshipers keep their rage bottled up. When a temple is built it is usually in a quiet unassuming location, far from the prying eyes of others. They tend to be small, secret places, light on pomp or decoration and heavy on the accumulated energy of the men and women with rage to spare. His clerics favor browns and reds and are limited to the Destruction, Pain, Spite, and Strength Domains. His Priests/Clerics Alignments: Any, but typically evil.

Since his herald is a Huge devourer Cas not only welcomes undead he loves to use them.

-  Chronepsis (N) (Draconomicon page33):  Know as the Silent or the Watcher she is silent, unconcerned and dispassionate.  He is the draconic god of fate, death and judgment.  His form is colorless and without luster, marking him as an outsider in the struggles between the chromatic and metallic dragons.  He is a passionless observer of the world and passes judgment on all dragon when they die, deciding where their souls will go in the afterlife.  He is uninterested in the activities of the living and strives to remain so.  It is said that only a cataclysm of world-shaking proportions could move Chronepsis from his disinterest.

            He has few worshipers and even fewer clerics since most dragons don't have his balanced outlook necessary to simply observe and not interfere in the events they observe.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  N.  His favorite color is smoke; a blending of white and black.  The deity Boccob the Uncaring shares a similar outlook, but neither deity cares enough to forge an alliance.  His favorite weapon is the scythe (claw). His Priests are limited to the Air, Dragon, and War Domains.

            Undead, especially undead dragons, are judgment delayed and therefore should be destroyed to pass on to their final reward.

- Corellon Larethian (CG) (Player's Handbook page 106, DMG and Races of Wild page 20):  Clergy members who serve the Creator of the Elves operate as defenders and champions of their race.  They often serve as leaders and settle disputes in elven communities.  His clerics and priests are enemies of Gruumsh.  The clerics of Corellon Larethian often wear blue.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CG, NG, LG, or CN.  Priests are limited to the Aborea, Chaos,Community, Good, Protection and War Domains.  Their favored weapon is the Long Sword.

            Only with eternal vigilance can the world be kept safe from those who would destroy it.  Too often the elves have suffered at the hands of evil.  With the never ending vigilance, the Temple of True Aim has kept vigil over the world for uncounted centuries.  Allies come and go, but enemies are never absent.  The church maintains a vast network hoping to learn the plans of evil in any elf nation, where it strikes without mercy.  Enemies of the church are fiends, Orcs and drow.  The church teaches that Corellon Larethian cast the drow from the surface world.  He meant to send them to the Abyss to spend eternity with their queen, Loth.  But, Loth's trickery was too strong so the drow remain.  Killing them is holy work, because each drow soul sent to the Abyss is another step to completing the work Corellon began so long ago.  Killing with the bow is considered especially holy.

            Corellon concerns himself with all aspects of elven welfare.  He also remains alert to any taint of evil among the elves, and he seeks to stamp our any evil influence the moment it appears.  Corellon played a leading role in the schism that ultimately resulted in the banishment of the drow underground.

            Colrellon spurs his people toward self-reliance, vigilance against danger, and appreciation of the world's beauty.  It is Corellon's influence that leads elves to study magic and swordplay for the duration of their long lives, to serve as guardians and caretakers of the forest and to appreciate aesthetic pleasures in spite of their warrior heritage.

            Corellon's clerics often serve as leaders, teachers, diplomats, and generals in elven communities.  They train others in the art of combat and magic while honing their own skills, and they serve as mediators in any disputes that may arise from the elves independent lifestyle.  They usually seek to maintain cordial relations with other good, sylvan creatures.

            Corellon's temples can be located anywhere elves live, usually in sylvan woodlands. Though always beautiful and designed to blend in with the surrounding landscape, they are invariable both sturdy and defensible. They are often placed on hilltops, river crossings, and other locations of strategic significance. Living plants or trees are always included in a temple of Corellon, either as decoration as a part of the structure.

            Undead are often the work of Loth and so are tools of the enemy, meant to be destroyed.

- Cyrollalee (LG) (Races of the Wild page 53):  The halfing god of friendship, trust, the hearth, hospitality and crafts.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LG, CG, NG.  Cyrollalee's followers are limited to the Good and Law Domains.  Their favored weapon is the quarterstaff.

-  Dallah Thaiun (CN) (Races of the Wild page 52):  The Lady of Mystery, is the dark aspect of Yondalla when she created the hafling race, Dallah Thaun is worshiped both as a deity in her own right and also as part of Yondalla. Anyone who worships one goddess worships both, and prayers to one are heard by both. Each goddess knows everything the other knows and is privy to the other's plans. Since they both work toward the same goal--the benefit of the halfling race--they do not quibble over one another's methods. Instead the two goddesses utilize each other's strengths and compensate for each other's weaknesses. She is said to receive the souls of dead haflings and guide them to their final reward. There is no inherent evil in accumulating wealth; indeed, a nest egg for one's golden years, when a hard-working halfling can no longer work as hard is a necessity. How one gains this wealth is another matter. The Lady of Mystery does not condone the killing or even harming others for money, but relieving them overly wealthy of a portion of their burden is quite acceptable. In fact any method that harms no one is fine with Dallah Thaun, so long as the perpetrator doesn't get caught. Secrets guile, lies, half-truths, flattery, intrigue, manipulation, and all things done by stealth are the purview of Dallah Thaun. "Don't get caught" is her credo, and the lesson that she passes along to all her worshipers. Dallah Thaun also serves as an avenger for any wrongs done to her people. Very few outsiders know of Dallah Thaun's existance and the haflings like to keep it that way. Since she is an aspect of Yondalla haflings who venerate her can truly say that they worship Yondalla--who as everyone knows is a lawful good goddess. Since no one except haflings realizes that Dallah Thaun exists, she is not as powerful as her other half. In many ways the two goddesses epitomize the dichotomy between openness and secrecy that is so characteristic of haflings. She appears as a beautiful female hafling with dark hair and eyes. She dresses all in black and wears a voluminous black cloak with a hood that conceals her face. She tosses a gold coin in her gloved hands. Her favorite colors are black and gold.

            Her priests are limited to the Chaos, Knowledge, Luck and Trickery Domains.    Her favorite color is black.  Clerics are chosen by senior clerics of both Yondalla and Dallah Thaun.  They covertly watch the young people in a community and identify those who have the mind-set and talents for Dallah Thaun's service. They begin to groom those individuals as clerics without even telling them they are being trained.  The candidates are sent on covert missions, told secrets and bade to keep them, and provided with opportunities to participate in confidence games.  When the secret of their training comes out, they may either accept Dallah Thaun's service or refuse it with no stigma.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  Her favorite weapon is dagger.  Her shrines are usually folded into Yondalla's.  A family shrine to Yondalla in a wagon might have a rotating panel with Dallah Thaun's holy symbol on the other side.  Her clerics celebrate the same holy days as Yondall's do and they are usually present for the same celebrations.  They also bless new ventures, successes of any sort, newly acquired wealth, thieve's tools and other "tools of the trade."

            Undead are often placed as guardians to be avoid, but she has not much of an opinion on them.
-  Deep Sashelas (CG) (Races of the Wild page 21):  The Lord of the Undersea is the patron of aquatic elves.  With his consort, Trishina, Queen of the Dolphins, he rules the world beneath the waves and creates ever-changing vistas of undersea beauty.  He appears as a handsome aquatic elf with sea-green skin and flowing blue-green hair.  He is usually clad in leather with an inspired creator, but he is also fickle and flighty as evidenced by the many tales of his amorous adventures with mermaids, mortal aquatic elves and other lovely beings of the deep.

            His priests are limited to Chaos, Good, Knowledge, Ocean (Stormwreck), Protection and Water Domains.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  His favorite color is blue-green.  His clerics are mostly aquatic elves, though surface elves also venerate him.  All his clerics can swim, and they often take the battle directly to their enemies; the sahuagin.  Rites are held at especially high and low tides, known as High Flow and Deep Ebb.  Offerings of precious items from the sea and great works of art are made during these ceremonies, and his clerics hold water dances that involve swimming in prescribed patterns with dolphins and singing songs reminiscent of the crashing waves upon the shore.  His favorite weapon is the trident.

            Undead are a foe to be fought and destroyed.

-  Duthila (N) (Races of the Wild page 77):  The Lady of Abundance appears as a brown-skinned raptoran with flame-red feathers.  Dressed in long-sleeved tunic and trousers of a golden hue, she holds sway over the autumn harvest season, during which food is abundant but the trees lose their leaves.  Her favorite colors are the golds, red and browns of autumn.  Maturity and travel are within her purview, because raptorans hatched the previous spring often take their first steps in autumn.  Duthila also concerns herself with the preservation and storage of excess food for the next season.

            Clerics of Duthila mange the preservation of excess food.  They filter rainwater for long-term storage in the cisterns of a cliff dwelling and sun-dry  vegetables and fruits.  They dig pits and hollow out dead trees  in and around the raptorans' camp to hold caches of food.  Later in their careers, they lead hunting expeditions for meat during the winter.  Their favored weapon is the scythe.  Her clerics are limited to the Animal, Plant, Sky and Travel Domains.  Priest/ClericsAlignments:   any, but rarely evil.  Clerics bless stored provisions each raptoran's return from the Walk of the Four Winds, hunting expeditions, and journeys of any sort.

            Undead can make good guardians, but are rarely worth the trouble.

- Ehlonna (NG) (Player's Handbook page 107 & DMG):  The clergy of Ehlonna are hearty woodsfolk.  Her clerics wear pale green robes and are quick to protect the woodlands against all threats.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:   NG, LG, LN, N, or CN. Priests are limited to the Animal, Clerity, Good, Plantand Sun Domains.  Specialty Priests are Druids.  Their favored weapon is the longbow.

            Worshipers are dedicated to maintaining the balance of life for the benefit and health of all the world's creatures.  Those who would disrupt nature's balance (especially undead) are the foes of the church.  The church embodies the nurturing side of nature.  Temples are typically camouflaged lodges deep in the forest.

            Ehlonna watches over all good people who live in the forest, love the woodlands, or make their livelihood there.  She likewise protects forests and woodlands from destruction or overuse.

            Ehlonna exhorts her followers to live in harmony with their woodland homes, taking only what they need.  The bounty of the forest, Ehlonna teaches is a gift to be cherished and appreciated, not a treasure to be coveted or looted.

            Ehlonna's clerics usually choose serviceable attire of forest green.  They live in forests and keep on friendly terms with the local rangers, druids, elves and fey.  They keep guard against encroachments by evil folk, loggers, and others who would exploit and ruin any woodland.  When confronting anyone who would despoil a forest they tend to be gentle but firm, at least at first.  If the invaders persist, Ehlonna's clerics can be ruthless in driving them out.  Many of Ehlonna's clerics take it upon themselves to teach woodcraft, plant trees or both.

            Woodland temples to Ehlonna are often open-air affairs with only trees for a roof.  Small shrines to her are occasionally found in forest villages.

            Undead are unnatural and should be destroyed.

-  Elebrin Liothiel (CG) (Races of the Wild page 21):  Known as the Celestial Gardener, Elebrin Liothiel is the elven god of orchards, gardens, and the harvest.  This pastoral deity represents the abundance of nature and its ability to provide for those who live in harmony with it.  He appears as a young male elf dressed in tunic and breeches in muted gold shades.  His cloak is the color of green spring leaves embroidered with trailing vines, and he carries a sturdy staff made of rowan wood.  A circlet of leafy vines adorns his brow.  His favorite colors are green, muted gold and brown.  His favorite weapon is the quarterstaff.  . Priest/Clerics Alignments:  NG, N, NE, CG.  His clerics are limited to the Chaos, Good, Plant and Sun Domain.

            Clerics tend communal gardens and orchards of an elf settlement, studying how to plant crops to harmonize with nature rather than compete with other native growth.  As they gain experience, they assist the Guardian of Nature in planning gardens, cataloging new kinds of plants, and training plants into decorative shapes. His shrines are usually simple platforms built in tall trees, those some are one-room domed or peaked buildings shaped entirely  of saelas.  Each has a dirt floor form which neatly tended plants of every kind grow in profusion everywhere aside from cleared paths to the altar.  Offerings of saelas, weapons, armor, and tools are frequently cached near the altar.

            Undead are unnatural horrors that are to be avoided, and if not avoided then destroyed.

- Erythnul (CE) (Player's Handbook page 107 & DMG):  The priesthood of Erythnul maintains a low profile in most civilized lands.  In savage areas, members of the priesthood are known as bullies and murderous tyrants.  Many evil humanoids worship Erythnul but their priests do not cooperate with each other to advance the overall goals of the religion.  Clerics of Erythnul favor rust-red garments or blood-stained robes.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CE, CN, or LE.  Priests are limited to Chaos, Evil, Madness, Trickery and War Domains.  Their favored weapon is the morning star with a blunt stone head.

            They operate best in the wild where they can let their beastly nature run free.  They believe that might makes right and nature has the most might.  The Temple of Carnage has the fewest non-evil members of the dark churches.  No civilized land wants a cult of mass murders nearby.  Followers of Erythnul kill without thinking believing that each soul they release from its mortal coil fuels the power of their deity; many are also Chaotic Neutral and insane.

            They take great joy in battle and believe that slaughter should come only to those who invite it.  In fact they are convinced that releasing the souls of noncombatants actually angers their deity.  Those who do not live by the sword are beneath notice and therefore unworthy of destruction.

            Erythnul is a brutal deity who delights in panic and slaughter.  In civilized lands, his followers (including evil fighters, barbarians, and rogues) form small, criminal cults.  In savage lands, evil barbarians, gnolls, bugbears, orgres and trolls commonly worship him.

            Erythnul admonishes his followers to shed blood for its own sake, to cover what is not theirs, and to destroy anyone who would deny them anything.  He further urges them to bring ugliness and strife to pleasant locales.

            To take something away, from someone else--epically from a rival--is an exalted act in Erythnul's eyes.  Foes who cannot be killed should be maimed, and that which cannot be stolen should be destroyed.

            Erythnul's clerics favor rust red or bloodstained garments.  They are cruel, sadistic, and hateful.  They maintain a low profile in most civilized lands.  In savage areas, members of the priesthood are known as bullies and murderous tyrants.  They love to deface beautiful things and to disfigure attractive people.

            Anyplace where great bloodshed or a spectacular act of cruelty has occurred is considered a holy site and an excellent place for a temple dedicated to Erythnul.  In the countryside, Erythnul's followers build squat, unsightly fortresses in places where battles, ambushes, or massacres have occurred.  In urban areas, Erythnul's temples are usually hidden in seedy sections of cities, preferably on sites where horrible crimes have happened.

            Undead are tools to use in battle and spread havoc.

- Falazure (NE) (Draconomicon page 33):  Among the draconic gods perhaps only Bahamut and Timat have more nondragon worshipers than Falazure. He teaches that even a dragon's long life span need not be the limit to a dragon's existence.  Beyond the world of the living is another real, one of undeath eternal.  It is generally accepted that he created (or had a hand in creating) the first dracoliches, vampiric dragons and ghostly dragons.  Many necromancers of all races revere the Night Dragon as well as intelligent undead such as liches and especially dracoliches.

            They count all good aligned faiths as their enemies. They rarely ally with the forces of Nerull.  His clerics dress in dull colored clothing mostly, blacks and browns.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  N, LE, NE, CE.  They favor the scimitar (or claw) as their favored weapon.  Priests are limited to Darkness, Death, Dragon, and Evil, and Domains.

            Intelligent undead are holy having passed on to a higher level of existence.

- Fhrlanghn (N) (Player's Handbook page 107 & DMG):  Fharlanghn's clerics are wanders who seek to help fellow travelers.  Fharlanghn's clericsdress in nondescript brown or green clothing, and they move around frequently.  A traveler who comes to one of Fharlanghn's wayside shires, which are common along most well-used roads, won't find a particular cleric watching over a particular shrine more than once.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  NG, NE, LN, CN, or N. Priests are limited to the Celerity, Luck, Protection, Travel and Weather Domains.  Their favored weapon is the quarterstaff.

            Life is the ultimate journey and you can't tell exactly where you'll end up--and it's likely to be where you least expect.  Death is but another stage in life's journey and the next existence opens up other worlds to travel.  Fight for your journey until your last breath, because you haven't yet seen and experienced all this life has to offer.  To deliberately obstruct another's journey is the ultimate sin in the eyes of the Dweller on the Horizon, and slavery is an abomination for this reason. Thus members of Fharlanghn's Way frequently converge on known slave rings and destroy them, leaving no slaver standing.

            Members tend to be collectors picking up miscellaneous souvenirs from their travels to remind them of places they've been and places to which they might someday return. They also hoard odd but useful magic items, just in case. They often decline items that others would consider highly valuable so they can focus more on objects that remind them of their journeys.

            Temples rarely stay in a fixed location, most commonly they take the form of traveling shrines housed in merchant caravans.  Occasionally a church member leaves a shrine in a well-traveled spot for another church member to pick up and transport elsewhere.

            Fharlanghn is the patron of all who travel long distances, no matter what path they follow or how they're getting there.

            Fharlanghn insists that people need to move around and experience new things.  The state of world is not fixed, and you never know when you might need a new perspective or even a new home.  Look to the horizon for inspiration.

            Fharlanghn's clerics travel the world, always seeking out new things.  They favor simple clothing of brown or faded green, they bless caravans (and sometimes guide them), explore new territories, scout for armies and settlers  and record long travelogues describing journeys beyond the horizon.  They also serve as translators and diplomats.  Many serve as surveyors or engineers and help build roads bridges, and ports.  Still others are involved in the manufacture of traveling gear, everything from shoes to sailing ships.  No matter what their activities, Fharlanghn's clerics move around frequently, and a character who visits a shrine or temple more than once is likely to meet a different group of clerics there each time.

            Fharlanghn's wayside shrines are common on well-used roads.  His temples usually double as rest stops for travelers in need of shelter or protection.

            Undead are seen as travelers in life who are still wandering.  Unintelligent undead are travelers delayed and should be dispatched, while intelligent undead can be travelers who just wish to continue the journey in this life.

- Garl Glittergold (NG) (Player's Handbook page 107 & DMG Races of Stone page43):  Clerics of Garl Glittergold serve gnome communities as educators and protectors.  They teach the young valuable gnome lore and skills using a light-handed humor.  They also protect their fellow gnomes, ever watchful of the forces of evil humanoids that might threaten their community.  Kobolds are his enemies.  They favor clothing with gold trim.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  NG, LG, CG, CN, or LN.  Priests are limited to Community, Creation, Good, Protection and Trickery Domains.  Their favored weapon is the Hammer, gnome hooked and they may take it as a martial weapon.

            Life is meaningless unless it can be enjoyed to the fullest, but you can't enjoy it unless you're still alive.  Seek out what brings you joy, but be prudent in your pursuits.  Caution, a clear head, a good sense of humor about life, and a genuine interest in the world are the most admirable of traits.  Recklessness is only for those with nothing to lose.

            According to the church of the Twinkling Eye gnomes were born out of Garl's sense of humor and curiosity.  The priests teach that their followers should follow his example.  They also honor their god by collecting wealth through their own hard work.  Those who exploit others for gain haven't actually earned anything at all because the used ones should have reaped the rewards of their own labor.  The church has no tolerance for slavers or tyrants.

            Life is full of conflict, but combat should be a gnome's last resort.  The world is full of creatures larger in stature and so Garl's children must use their brains, rather than brawn, to work around an enemy.  Conflicts in the community are settled with contests of the mind or harmless pranks.  The gnomes themselves act as judges and declare the winner.  Garl's worshipers honor the trickery aspect of his deity primarily by playing tricks  and fooling enemies.  The way is to out think, charm or convince the enemy that they are harmless.  That way, they will leave him to pursue prosperity, peace, and whatever profession brings about those results.

            Kobolds are their greatest enemies.  The gnomes pity them for their poor sense of humor and slavish obedience to their own church.  They can only keep these everbreeding enemies at bay by extreme measure.  Goblinoids also pose a constant threat; these creatures see gnomes as easy pickings. 

            Carl promotes a doctrine of practicality tempered with humor.  Ignorance and complacency are dangerous, warns Garl, and he urges his people to explore not only the world around them, but new ways of doing things.  Garl also emphasizes brains over brawn, and he teaches that befuddling or embarrassing a foe can be just as complete a victory as slaying or capturing that foe.

            Garl's clerics serve as guardians and teachers in gnome communities.  They maintain careful vigilance against hostile races (particularly kobolds), and they instruct the young using a mixture of earthy practicality spiced with humor.  This approach, they say keeps the young entertained and makes their learning all the better.

            Garl's clerics also keep extensive achieves of illusion spells (usually in the form of spellbooks and scrolls), practical jokes, trap designs, and stories.  The longer and more outlandish the tale, the better, say the clerics, though not everyone agrees.  Like their patron Garl's clerics favor gold jewelry.

            Garl's clerics build few temples, preferring instead to place modest shrines and chapels wherever gnome dwell or congregate.  These sanctuaries are always built so they are easy to secure against hostile forces, and the clerics fill them with beautiful things.  The shrines also usually include at least one trap designed to plague unwelcome visitors.  These devices are seldom fatal and often whimsical.

            Undead are merely another enemy to destroy.

-  Garyx (CE) (Draconomicon page 33):  Garyx the all-destroyer symbolizes the sheer power and destructive force of dragonkind.  Many consider him to be insane due to his long residence in the Wind Depths of Pandemonium.  He teaches by example periodically traveling to the Material Plane to wreak unholy swaths of destruction across the landscape.  Those who revere follow the example, using their power to bring ruin and devastation.

            He pays little attention to his clerics and worshipers, but they do not care. Curiously, some druids also revere the renewal aspect of Garyx knowing that some devastation is always necessary for rejuvenation. Garyx shares traits in common with Kord and Erythnul, but has no interest in alliances. Priest/Clerics Alignments: CG, CN, NE, CE. His colors are that of fire; the essence of destruction--black and red. Worshipers build a bonfire and bring a variety of flammable items to be destroyed in his name. At the spring equinox, they hold a Sanctification of Renewal in which ashes at the site of the All-Consuming Night bonfire are sifted and examined. Any useful remains are taken to be reused. His favored weapon is the sickle (claw). His priests are limited to the Fire and Strength Domains.

            He cares not about undead, they are just another creature in his eyes.

-  Gelf Darkhearth (CN) (Races of Stone page 43):  Garl Glittergold's brother and rarely have two brothers been more bitter rivals. He is depicted as a gray-skinned dwarf with a black beard and takes obsessive delight in opposing everything his brother attempts, putting him in the tragic position of tearing down the gnome society he loves, just to thwart Garl Glittergold. He isn't evil, but feels compelled to destroy everything Gal holds dear.

            His clerics are rebels so committed to their cause that they would do anything to defeat the authorities they despise.  His priests are limited to the Chaos,Destruction and War Domains.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any, but usually neutral or evil.  His favored colors are the red of anger and the black of destruction. His favorite weapon is the warhammer.  His temples are not hidden, merely put in out of the way places.  Many of Gelf's rites seek to bestow a curse or ill will on a nonbeliever.  Few are known outside the fairly insular circle of Gelf's worshipers--with one exception:  Almost every gnome warrior knows the Rite of Adroit, a brief group ceremony that steels the minds of gnomes to the chaos of war.

            The clergy's attitude toward undead are mixed; they make great guardians and agents of destruction, but they have delayed their own destruction.

- Gruumsh (CE) (Player's Handbook page 107 & DMG):  Gruumish, the evil god of the Orcs, maintains a religion based on intimidation and fear.  His clerics strive to become chieftains of Orc tribes or advisors to the chief.  Many pluck out one of their own eyes to emulate their deity.  They have no favorite color, but wear a single eye on their clothing and armor.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CE, LE, NE, or CN.  Priests are limited to the Chaos, Domination, Evil, Strengthand War Domains.  Their favored weapon is the spear.

            He-Who-Never-Sleeps is a wrathful deity, but his worshipers includes many non-evil members.  However, the church teaches that when the Orcs grow strong enough Gruumsh will descend to the world and lead them on a savage tour of conquest.  They believe in the supremacy of the Orc race, and that Orcs are destined to triumph over their enemies.  The non-evil church members believe that the other races have a purpose; even if it is that of serving the Fury of the Eye, however they do revel in battle especially against challenging foes.  They shout praise for their god while laying waste to their enemies.  Weaker foes are deemed unworthy of attention unless they prove to be a nuisance in which case they are destroyed mercilessly.

            Gruumsh demands that his followers be strong, that they cull the weak form their numbers, and that they take al the territory Gruumish thinks is rightfully theirs (which is almost everything).  He tolerates no sign of friendliness from his people .  Unceasing warfare is his creed, though Gruumsh does not object to simple colonization if that can be arranged.

            Gruumsh dislikes everything that is not an orc of orchish make, and he feels particularly spiteful toward elves (over the matter of his eye).  He feels equal malice toward dwarves, who contested with the orcs for control of the mountains and won; a state of affairs Gruumsh regards as strictly temporary.

            Gruumsh's clerics strive to become the war leaders of their communities or the key advisors to those leaders.  They also see to the culling of the weak and unfit.  They usually wear fighting gear.

            A temple or shrine to Gruumsh lies at the heart of nearly every orc community.  They tend to be oppressive places full of acrid smoke and the stench of blood.  Temples and larger shrines invariably have holding cells where sacrifices to Gruumsh are kept, and many feature gladiatorial areas as well.

            Undead are seen as tools to be rarely used because powerful ones have their own agenda.

-  Hanali Celanil (CG) (Races of the Wild page 22):  The goddess of love and kindness, Lady Goldheart appears as a golden-haired female elf of great beauty, wearing a simple while gown and some exquisite piece of gold jewelry.  Forgiving and generous, she embodies the romance, beauty, and joy in the elven spirit, and serves as the patron deity of young lovers.  Her favorite colors are gold and white.  Her priests are limited to the Chaos, Good, Magic, and ProtectionDomains.  Her favorite weapon is the dagger.  .  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CG, NG, N.

            Her clerics begin their careers by tending gardens, creating and collecting lovely works of art (especially jewelry), and perfecting their own grooming to make the most of their personal beauty.  As they progress in level, they preside over wedding s and other rites of passage, bless the gatherings of artists, and pursue and encourage the growth of love among their congregations.  Her clerics always give aid to young lovers.  Her shrines are architectural marvels decorated with the finest paintings, crystal jewelry, and collections of sparkling gems.  They are often placed in artist's glades or places of natural beauty.  Clerics of the Heart of Gold hold frequent impromptu revels and dances to raise the spirits of their communities.  They also celebrate a ritual called Secrets of the Heart under the light of the full moon each month.  During such rituals , worshipers dedicate objects of great beauty to the goddess, artists present their newest works to the community and lovers plight their troth.

            Undead are ugly blights upon the world and should be avoided at all costs.

-  Hanseath (CN) (Races of Stone page17):  Know as the Bearded One, he represents the festive side of dwarves.  He is the deity of War, Carousing and Alcohol.  His shrines are great feasthalls with extensive kitchens and pantries.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  Priests are limited to the Chaos, Strength,Travel and War Domains.  Their favored weapon is the greataxe and his favorite colors are oaken brown and silver.  He is a minor deity.

            Undead are seen a foes to be defeated.

- Heironeous (LG) (Player's Handbook page 107 & DMG):  The religious hierarchy of Heironeous is organized like a military order.  It has a clear chain of command, lines of supply, and well-stocked armories.  Clerics of Heironeous fight against worshipers of Hextor whenever they can and spend the rest of their time protecting the civilized lands from the threats of evil.  They favor the color blue.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LG, CG, NG, or LN.  Priests are limited to the Celestial, Courage, Glory, Good, Inquisition, Law, Nobility, and War Domains.  Their favored weapon is the long sword.

            Valor, courage and righteousness form the foundation of a good life and you honor Heironeous every time you take a stand against wickedness. Each temple is a magnificent structure and a self-contained fortress. The Fists of Valor always try to become involved in the politics of any region where it has established temples. They use their political contacts to gather information about evil that taints the local nobility. The fact that they are always doing good gives them much weight in court.

            The Fist of Valor is dedicated to the eradicating of evil everywhere, however church members also believe in a fair fight.  A worshiper doesn't give up tactical advantages in combat, but rarely fights from the shadows.  He typically announces his presence before combat begins so his foes know they are about to experience his deity's wraith.  Foes that are not considered irredeemable are given the opportunity to repent and redeem themselves.  Those beyond salvation (such as the undead, fiends and minions of Hextor) and those that refuse redemption receive a quick and sure sword strike.

            They tolerate bounty hunters, but barely.  They believe that storms, especially those with lighting, are harbingers of Heironeous's wrath.  Regions that experience such weather are frequently home to temples.  The church views lightning bolts as the sword of Heironeous touching the earth and lightning struck individuals to be of special importance.  Members of the Fist of Valor are very superstitious as a group and are constantly looking for signs and portents that show their deity's touch.        All evil is an enemy of Heironeous, but the forces of Hextor truly enrage his followers.

            Heironeous expects his followers to uphold the highest ideals of chivalry and justice and to treat adversity as a challenge to be met and overcome, just as evil should be overcome.  The world is as dangerous place where those who fight for justice and who protect the weak and the innocent face a never-ending series of challenges.  He exhorts his followers to act honorably at all times, and to uphold the virtues of justice and chivalry with deeds, not just words.  Those who face danger with certainty and calm will prevail against evil, Heironeous advises.

            The religious hierarchy of Heironeious is organized like a military order.  It has a clear chain of command, lines of supply, and well-stocked armories.

            Clerics of Heironeous fight against worshippers of Hextor whenever they can and spend the rest of their time protecting the civilized lands from the threats of evil.  Older clerics work as judges, strategists, and military instructors.  The church as a whole is very militant, always championing some cause or embarking on a crusade to against evil  or injustice.  Though some find their high ideals and intense devotion to their cause a little intimidating, the church of Heironeous is widely admired.  This admiration comes mostly because the followers of Heironeous battle genuine evils, usually with little thought of monetary reward.  "Glory is the reward for defeating evil, while virtue is the reward for upholding the tenets of Heironeous,"  say his clerics.

            Heironeous's clerics also oppose clerics of Hextor wherever and whenever they can.

            Temples to Heironeous always have a slightly militarist look to them.  IN unsettled areas, they double as fortresses.  Even in settled or urban areas they usually contain open, grassy courtyards where soldiers can train.

            Undead are often tools of evil or sources of great evil themselves and should be dispatched as quickly as possible.

- Hextor (LE) (Player's Handbook page 107 & DMG):  Strength and power govern Hextor's priesthood.  Although evil, it is not as secretive as other dark religions.  Temples of Hextor operate openly in many cities.  Clerics of Hextor wear black clothing adorned with skulls or gray faces.  Priest/ClericsAlignments:  LE, CE, or NE.  Priests are limited to the Destruction, Domination, Evil and War Domains.  Their favored weapon is the flail.

            The Fist of Tyranny took its name to mock its patron's good-aligned brother.  The Fist of Tyranny seeks to rule the world with an iron gauntlet in Hextor's name.

            A few Lawful Neutral members believe that the law of Hextor is harsh, but fair; because Hextor's law doesn't discriminate.  Every law abiding citizen has an equal chance to prosper.  The church brings peace to conquered areas by eliminating crime and protecting the citizens with a strong military presence.  These members believe in punishing those who violate the church's laws with a fair trial.  Hextor's minions usually secretly steal away its enemies to be never seen again. The Lawful Neutral members prefer that those enemies be treated to a fair and public trial.

            Hextor seeks to conquer or destroy any that oppose him.  He tells his followers that the world is a dark and bloody place where the strong rule the weak, and power is the only reward worth anything.  The cruel and unrelenting pursuit of one's goals is the only reliable path to success.  Order must be forged out of chaos and law our of anarchy.  Tyranny brings order out of chaos.  Dissenters must be oppressed or destroyed lest anarchy reign.

            Hextor's sect is not as secretive as other dark religions.  Temples of Hextor operate openly in many cities, and clerics wear black clothing adorned with skulls or gray faces.

            Hextor's clerics constantly plan or lead attacks on rebels and do-gooders.  They revile good-hearted rulers and governments that nurture personal freedoms, and they are forever scheming to weaken or overthrow regimes that seem likely targets for conquest.  When not actually fighting or plotting, they train themselves in the arts of war.  Many serve as generals, military advisors, or enforcers to aggressive rulers or iron-fisted tyrants.

            Hextor's clerics also oppose clerics of Heironeous whenever and wherever they can.

            Temples to Hextor are always forbidding fortresses built to impress the common folk with Hextor's power.  Many of his temples are constructed on sites that have seen many great battles because of their strategic value.

            Undead should be judged on a case-by-case basis.  Many are tyrants who seek to rule and with their powers, justly so.  Unintelligent undead are tools to a greater power.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

-  Hlal (CG) (Draconomicon page 34):  A sleek copper-colored dragon with a ready grin and a happy glint in her eye.  Of all the dragon gods, she is the most friendly to nondragons.  She enjoys sharing stories and songs with those who appreciate such things regardless of race.  She has little use for tyrants and even less patience for cruelty or bullying.  She teaches that one must be free of restraint, whether real or psychological, in order to freely express one's opinions.

            Her clergy are often Cleric/Bards who use music, poetry and tall tales to spread the faith.  Places of worship are usually simple shrines, which can be packed up and moved to the next town or dragon's lair at a moment's notice.  The followers of Hlah have much in common with those of Olidammara and many characters pay homage to both deities simultaneously. Both Hextor and Vecna are among her chief enemies.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  NG, CG, CN.  Her favored weapon is the short sword (claw) and her favored color is copper.  Priests are limited to Chaos, Dragon, Good, and Trickery Domains.

            Undead are humorless creatures which often try to become immortal tyrants, she disapproves of them sharply.

-  Hleid (NG) (Frostburn 42):  A partially beaten god defeated by her nemesis Iborighu. Bits of her were scattered across the planes creating rimefire eidolons who in turn create Rimefire Witches. She is still able to grant spells and her priests are limited to the Animal, Good, Healing and Winter. Priest/Clerics Alignments: any.            She was once the primary god of the Uldras., her religion is still active and has even spread to some humans, but her worshipers are few and far between. She appears as a ghostly, matronly, ulda woman who wears simple rustic clothing and carries an upraised trident on which several birds roost. Traditionally she is the patron of the animals of the frostfell and the guardian of cold magic. Hurt by her brother's betray she is no longer slow to react to cruelty and wickedness. Her favorite colors are blue and white. Her favorite weapon is the trident.            Undead are an abomination and should be destroyed.

- Iborighu (CE) (Frostburn 42): Perhaps the most dangerous deity of the frostfell. His worshipers range from bitter thugs and obsessed killers to despotic warlords and powerful wizards. His symbol is an icy scythe rising from a blood-stained snowdrift. Known as the Frozen King, he is depicted as a huge fiendish uldra with eye sockets filled with blood, a mouth filled with sharklike teeth, and an emaciated blue body covered with evil runes and symbols; his lower body is draconic, complete with a long-forked tail. He stole his power of ice magic from his half-sister Hleid and has used it to reward necromancers and vile cultists. His ultimate goal is to sheathe the world in an endless ice age. His priests are limited to the Chaos, Cold, Death and War Domains. His favorite weapon is a scythe, and his favorite colors are red, blue and black. Priest/Clerics Alignments: any evil.            Undead are great tools and make great companions.

- Ilsensine (LE) (Expanded Psionic Handbook page 222):  God of the Mind Flayers and patron to slavers.  His favored weapon is the tentacle or unarmed strike.  His favored colors are purple and mauve. Priests gain a non-magical +1 attack when making an unarmed attack, in turn they are limited to Evil,Knowledge, Law, Magic and Mind Domains. Priest/Clerics Alignments: NE, LE, CE, N or LN.

            Their ultimate goal is to snuff out the light of the sun so the Mind Flayer race can rule the surface world.  They seek to operate behind the backs of the lesser races for this eventual goal. While undead are not common they are seen as merely tools, but powerful ones can be risky.

            Undead, especially those that fear the sun, are seen as possible allies.

- Io (N) (Draconomicon page 34):  The Ninefold Dragon, known as such because he embodies all alignments within his outlook.  He is regarded as the creator of dragons, subtly manipulating their destinies by operating out in the open where nobody suspects his involvement.  He is concerned solely with the affairs of dragons, interfering with their lives only when he deems is absolutely necessary.  He cares only about dragons, but prefers to remain out of conflicts.

            Io's clergy members try to rid themselves of every judgmental impulse that colors their opinion of the world.  They do so in the hope of one day perceiving all creatures and events with true objectivity.  Many candidates never succeed in this endeavor, even after a lifetime of soul searching.

            Io has few clerics or shrines since his outlook is so broad and all-encompassing.  Clerics are few and have no established dogma.  Each individual has his own way of paying homage to the creator of his kind.  Io counts no faiths among his enemies knowing the value of neutrality in one's outlook.  Priest/Clerics Alignments: LG, NG,CG, LN N, CN, LE, NE, CE.  Priests are limited to the Dragon, Knowledge, Magic, Strength, Travel and Wealth Domains.  Their favored weapon is the scimitar (claw) and they gain proficiency in its uses.  They have no favorite color not wishing to put one above the other.  Their symbol is a multicolored metallic disk.

            Undead are just minions, except undead dragons which are considered an abomination.

-  Kavaki, The Ram-Lord (N) (Races of Stone page 65):  The creator and guarding of the goliaths, guiding them safely from alpine meadow to snowy mountain peak and back again.  He bids his followers to honor goliath heritage, to compete fiercely, and to act for the good of the tribe in all things.  He is often depicted as a massively muscled goliath with curled ram horns emerging from his head.  He is the chief of the goliath pantheon.  His shrines are often simple wooden stands with a ram skull atop it. He is called upon in rites that honor a new chieftain, bestow a new honorific on a goliath, or bless a new campsite.  His priests are limited to the Protection, Strength, Travel and War Domains.  .  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  His favored weapon is the greatclub.  His favored colors are the brown and white of the ram.

            Undead are foes to be defeated.

- Kithin (N) (Races of the Wild page 78):  The Father of Snows is the raptoran god of winter sleep and death.  He blankets the world with snow under which young trees and plants slumber peacefully until the next spring.  He also holds sway over those about to die, including the aged and infirm.  Kithin flies down to pick up the souls of particularly wise raptorans and take them to their just rewards.

            His clerics are limited to the Animal, Death, Fire and Plant Domains.  When they are accepted into the priesthood clerics of Kithin arrange corpses for exposure and prepare meals in the winter months.  Later, they tend the communal fires that keep the camp warm and tally the supplies needed for the winter season. Priest/Clerics Alignments:   any.  His favored weapon is the spear.  His favored color is white.

            Undead are souls delayed and should be sent on to their rewards.

- Kord (CG) (Player's Handbook page 107 & DMG):  Kord's clerics value strength but not domination.  Kord's temples sometimes resemble warrior feasthalls, and his clerics, who favor red and white garb, often seem more like fighters.  Clerics of Hextor are his enemies.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CG, LG, NG, CN.  Priests are limited to the Chaos, Competition, Good, Luck and Strength Domains.  Their favored weapon is the greatsword (a Martial Weapon) and they gain proficiency in its use.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

            Battle brings violence, bloodshed and loss, but also glory.  Full of bold and beautiful chaos, combat claims even the most careful or craven in the end, so what do you have to lose by making a bold stand?  Battle is the surest way to determine who is most worthy of life.  If you conduct yourself bravely on the battlefield you earn a place of honor at your deity's table and if you fall short of that goal you can always return to the Material Plane in a new form to try again.  The struggle between two combatants is a microcosm of all creation.

            Spells are useful, but given a choice the Mighty Arms of Kord rely on physical prowess once battle is joined.  A temple to Kord resembles an arena, where members can practice the fighting arts and others can observe.  Battles are rarely to the death.  Differences between members are settled by some sort of athletic competition, game, or duel.  Members like to regal others with tales of their conquests.  They hold bravery in the highest esteem, those who flee from battle are often excommunicated.  Thus even if the odds are against her a follower of Kord is likely to take to the battlefield; rather going down in a blaze of glory singing hymns to their god than suffer public humiliation.

            Kord loves physical challenges and contests, and he promotes nonlethal sports as a method for resolving disputes among his followers.  His teachings say that the strong and fit should lead the weaker, and that bravery is the greatest quality anyone can have, ruler and citizen alike.  Everyone should scorn cowardice, says Kord.

            Kord's clerics are expected to be leaders.  They value strength but not domination.  They train people to become stronger, organize athletic tournaments, and participate in challenging physical activities.  Doubting their fitness is a grave insult, and they go to great lengths to prove their physical abilities (although they realize the difference between difficult and suicidal challenges).  They favor attire in red and white.

            Kord's temples then to be spacious and airy.  They always include at least one gymnasium and usually extensive baths.  They invariable have adjoining fields for athletic competitions.

            Undead are seen as combatants who have refused the ultimate battle that of life and the afterlife.  Unintelligent undead are tools, but intelligent undead may be fleeing the final battle.  Those that become great leaders in battle are worthy exceptions though.

- Kuliak, The Dead Goddess (N) (Races of Stone page 66):  When they speak of her at all clerics of the goliath pantheon say that Kuliak was once the deity of mountain springs,  but the other deities spurned her when she overslept and forgot to lead the goliath tribes to water.  Now she is venerated only when a goliath dies.  Additionally exiled goliaths find comfort in Kuliak's tale and many worship her rather than the rest of the goliath pantheon.  Kuliak looks like a rail-thin starving goliath.  Her priests are limited to the Death, Magic, Travel and Water Domains.

            Except as a part of a burial rite, it's considered bad luck for nonexiled goliaths to even mention Kuliak's name.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  Herfavorite color is crystal clear water.  Her favorite weapon is the morningstar.  As a counterpoint to the shunning that precedes most decisions to exile a tribe member, Kuliak offers a brief "rite of welcoming," in which someone is embraced 3 times when he or she enter a home or joins a group.

            The dead occupy relatively little of Kuliak's attention so she acts as a shepherd of the goliath exiles.  If exiles are endangered, her followers spare no effort to rescue them and keep them safe.  Undead are death delayed, but they belong to her and she used a ghost as her herald.

- Kurtulmak (LE) (Player's Handbook & DMG):  God of Kobolds and traps.  Priests are limited to Bator, Evil, Law, Luck, Trickery and WarDomains.  Priests favor green scale and hide armor  Priest/Cleric Alignments:  CE and NE.  Their favored weapon is the spear.

            Koblolds favor traps and tricks to catch their enemies, they are taught to defend themselves and assault the unwary.  They work for their god in the underworld and are the arch enemies to all gnomes. 

            Kurtulmake is a savage deity who is always attentive to events on the Material Plane and eager to secure any advantage for his people.  He teaches the koblolds that fair fights are for fools or for the unlucky.  It is better to flee and fight again than to be defeated, and no fight is truly over if even one kobold lives. Revenge is sweet, says Kurtulmak, even if it takes years to arrange.  Kurtulmak also teaches his people that a quick wit, a good plan, and a well-laid ambush are far better than a strong sword arm.

            Kurtulmak's clerics lead war and raiding parties, see to tribal defense (especially the construction of traps), and oversee each tribe's mining operations. Others lead expeditions to explore new areas and probe dwarf and gnome settlements for weaknesses the koblolds can exploit.

            No kobold community is complete without a temple or shrine to Kurtulmak.  They are usually dug out of solid rock and access through narrow, twisting passages guarded by traps.  Inside, a temple to Kurtulmak is cramped and usually decorated with piles of gnome skulls.

            Undead are rare among the worshipers.

 

-Laduguer (LE) (Races of Stone page18):  The deity of the duergar, the Gray Protector demands constant toil and a rigid hierarchy from his subjects, many of whom are slavers or would-be warlords.  His priests engage in hours of repetitive prayers, punctuated by hard physical labor.  His priests favors dull gray, their favored weapon is the warhammer.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LE, NE.  Priests are limited to Evil. Law, Magic and Protection Domains.

            His religion is a harsh one with little time for rituals and prayers.  His temples are simple and unadorned, many have torture chambers, prison cells or battle arenas attached.

            Undead are seen as possible tools.

-  Lendys (LN) (Draconomicon page 35):  God of justice who judges the life of a dragon, Lendys metes out justice during a dragon's life.  His scales are a tarnished silver some say because he cares more about judging others than tending himself.  He is the arbiter of dragonkind servind as judge, jury and executioner alike.  When a dragon has committed an injustice against dragonking, Lendys (or one of his heralds) is dispatched to deal out appropriate justice.  Punishments are severe, and appeals unheard of.

            His clergy are paladins and justice-bringers, who often serve as arbiters in local communities.  In some cases towns even rely on the local draconic worshiper of Lendys to parcel out justice.  His temples are few often a simple shrine, perhaps marked only by the god's symbol and set up in courtrooms or other justice-dispensing places.  His favored color is green.  His Priest/Ceric Alignments: LG, LN, N. LE.  His clerics get along well with worshippers of St. Cuthbet and poorly with those that follow chaotic deities such as Kord, Olidammara, or Erythnul.  His favored weapon is the long sword (claw). His Priests are limited to theCommunity, Dragon, Law and War Domains.

            His clerics view undead as those who have, temporarily, escaped justice and they should be dispatched as quickly as possible.

- Loth (CE) (Drow of the Underdark and Races of the Wild page 22):  Spider queen, goddess of the Drow.  Her priests like silk robes in black and white.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CE.  Priests are limited to The Abyss, Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Madness, and Trickery Domains.  Their favored weapon is the whip.

            Loth constantly turns one drow against another.  She claims to do this to cull out the weak and to make the race strong, but she is a cruel and capricious deity who enjoys watching others suffer.  She is careful to prevent open or widespread strife among the drow.  She does not tolerate campaigns of harassment or attrition among groups of drow, but she does sanction well-planned, swift, and overwhelming attacks.

            Lolth expects her people to be shrewd, calculating, and aware of the dangers and opportunities around them.  She has no use for sentiment, weakness, or love.  She expects her people to rule the entire Underdark (the realm beneath the surface), eliminating foes that are weak enough to be destroyed and biding their time before attacking other opponents.  She also expects them to eventually invade and conquer the surface, not to colonize it but to defeat Corellon Larethian and the surface elves.

            Loth rules her people through her clerics, who are exclusively female and organized into noble houses made up of clerics related by blood.  The oldest clerics rule the house, with younger clerics following in order by age.  Each house also includes noncleric drow related by blood or marriage.  The clerics serve as absolute rulers in Loth's name.  They are the leaders, police, juries and executioners of drow society.

            Nearly every drow home has at least a small shrine to Lolth, even if it is just a spider statue or modest altar.  Lager temples to Lolth are usually laid out in the shape of a spider.  They serve as meeting places, sacrificial sites, and centers of entertainment for high-ranking drow.

            The Queen of Spiders runs a cruel church with only the strongest winning life's rewards.  Undead deserve no special attention they are merely tools used in the goddess's name.

- Manethak the Wise Hunter (N) (Races of Stone page 66):  His clerics say that Manethak guides goliaths to the best game, although he teaches that "Each goliath must throw the spear himself." His followers contend that the search for game is the most important part of the hunt, and that the best hunter is the one who knows the most about his prey. When the hunt is over Manethak's followers are the first to share what they've learned around the campfire. He looks like an elderly goliath, but he is always depicted hunting, leaping, or performing some other action that leaves no doubt he is still spry.

            Prayers take the form of a request or goal, followed by the means to achieve it.  His shrines are often no more than a flat rock where game is butchered, because food preparation is a messy job, the shrine usually isn't decorated.  .  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  His favorite weapon is the spear.  His favored colors are bright red and gray.  His priests are limited to the Animal, Knowledge, and Luck Domains.

            Undead are unnatural and should be destroyed.

- Moradin (LG) (Player's Handbook page 107, DMG & Races of Stone page17):  Moradin's clerics preside over most formal ceremonies in dwarven culture, keep genealogical records, educate the young, and serve as part of the defense force of a community.  They favor clothing that uses gold or silver thread.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LG, LN, CG, or NG.  Priests are limited to the Celestial, Creation, Earth, Good, Law and Protection Domains.  Their favored weapon is the warhammer.

            Some say work is life, in an act of creation you show your worship of the god.  Anyone taking raw material and converting it into something of value is making the highest tribute to Moradin.

            Prayers almost always include sounds of metal striking metal or stone so practices of the religion often beat their weapons against their shield.

            Orcs, goblinoids, giants and other evil creatures are the religion's traditional enemies.

            Moradin is an adamant defender of the dwarven people he created and of the principles of law and good. He teaches the value of making goods that last, of loyalty to clan, leader and people, and of meeting adversity with stoicism and tenacity. He tolerates no taint of evil among the dwarves; it was he who drove the derro and duergar out of the dwarven community. It is Mordadin's influence that leads the dwarves toward excellence in craftwork and staunch defense of what is theirs.

            Clerics of Moradin are charged with maintaining and advancing the dwarven race in all walks of life. They perform a wide range of public ceremonies (marriages, blessing new ventures, crowning monarchs, and the like). They also educate the young, arrange communal defenses, and sponsor expeditions to settle new lands. They also keep detailed genealogies and historical archives.

            Every temple or shrine of Moradin includes an anvil, can be a simple decoration or part of a working smithy, but often serves as the temple altar.

            Undead are rare among his followers.  Most undead are evil and aligned with Moradin's enemies.  They are often destroyed as his enemies, but no special rating is given to them.

- Mother Myra (NG) Unique Deity: Myra's priesthood is usually a happy group that takes the teaching of knowledge, charity, travel and the protection of children very seriously. The clerics of the Mother of all wear purple and black robes. The seek out people in need to help, and more then just helping them, giving them the tools they need to help them self. Her followers understand the importance of sharing and giving, but have the intelligence to know when its too much. Above all else children of any and all races are considered holy, to harm a child is the greatest of crimes. Her followers understand children need love, discipline, compassion and protection. Priest/Clerics Alignments: must be with in one step of NG alignment LG, N, CG, NG Priests are limited to theKnowledge, Travel, Community, Protection, Healing, and Good Domains. Their favored weapon is the shiruken, or sharpened harrow cards. 
           Children are our future and its a future we need to culture. Temples always double as schools of all types, and a shelter for the needy. As well as a place for the poor to get medical care and food. They tend to also be bastions of information, traval, mercy, and care. 
Services, when they are held, are typically held in mass giving examples of deeds that have happened in the name of Myra, and history lessons about Myra. Her devoted realize that their patron does care a whether they worship her, but would rather them live by example then rot in a temple doing nothing. Her clerics teach that one should live their life to the fullest, enjoying all the world has to offer, and prefect ones self both mind and body, that is the only way you can truly also help others. All should live there life by example, doing no wrong. Most things can be forgiven and learned form, how ever the harm of a child can never be forgiven. 
           Portfolios: Abundance, Childbirth, Cities, Creation, Birth, Family, Fertility, Good, Healing, Life, Love, Mercy, Motherhood, Travel, Children, Charity
Members believe that knowledge should be available to all, and teach it freely. Mother Myra started a runs a massive orphanage and school open to all children at no cost. Mother Myra also has a massive teleportation network set up near all the cities at low cost, a food and healing center, and first aid service for emergencies. 
           Mother Myra's clergy actively aid in fertility, and the birthing processes, and will go out of there way for a child in need, and show them the Mother Myra network, they will also care for people as needed, showing them the tools to care for them self as well. During war, Mother Myra's clerics happily give medical aid to all sides, and will take in any orphan child, bringing them to the Mother Myra orphanage. Many of Mother Myra's clerics keep busy caring for the needy, keeping an eye out for all children in need, and supporting the Mother Myra network.. They adamantly oppose any attempt to harm or kill any child.
Mother Myra's temples are usually located in urban areas. They are always well fortified to withstand outside interference, and they house extensive libraries, food reserves, medical care and housing. Most are also well equipped with various teleporting devices.
           Visitors to a temple of Mother Myra usually get a warm greeting and are never turned away if they seek food or healing. 
She dislikes undead, and tends to mistrust them.

-  Mya (NG) (Races of Stone page 18):  The dwarven Mother of Wisdom represents the bonds of family and clan.  She is depicted as a middle-aged female with improbably long, braided blonde hair.  Her favored color is gold.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  Priests are limited to the Good, Healing andKnowledge Domains.

            Her temples include public amphitheaters.  Her priests spend most of their life within the dwarven community, performing the rites and organizing the holidays and festivals of dwarven culture.  Most begin their path by volunteering to help as adolescents.  Their favored weapon is the morningstar.  Her colors are bright yellows, greens and white.

            Undead are horrors that should be wiped out.

-  Naki-Uthal The Brave Climber (N) (Races of Stone page 67):  The deity of climbing and bravery.  Would-be clerics of the goliath pantheon learn about Naki-Uthai during an extended climbing expedition.  As they scale sheer cliffs and inch their way along narrow ledges, the goliaths are expected to pray to Naki-Uthai and mediate on the value of bravery.  His shrines are often a cairn or marker on the peak of a mountain.  They are often destroyed by fierce mountain weather so goliaths who reach a peak and don't find a shrine often make a pile of rocks just to be sure Naki-Uthat is represented on the mountain. Her priests are limited to the Competition, Earth, Strength and Travel Domains.

            Her favorite color is sky blue.  .  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  He has ceremonies for starting a journey and reaching a mountain peak--and by extension, any geographical goal.  He also has a call-and-response liturgy know as the "exhortation of bravery" that almost every goliath knows by heart.

            Undead are just another foe to be conquered.

- Nerull (NE) (Player's Handbook page 108 & DMG):  The Reaper is feared across the lands.  His rust-red garbed clerics are worn by murderous psychopaths who work in secret, plotting against all that is good.  They even work against each other at times.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  NE, CE, or CN. Priests are limited to the Cold, Death, Evil, Fate, Pestilence and Trickery Domains.  Their favored weapon is the scythe (a two-hand martial weapon).

            This church is accepted in even fewer places than the church of Hextor because its members worship the Lord of Death with a cold, haunting fervor.  They believe that when all living creatures have passed from this world, Nerull will have ultimate power and reward his loyal minions with eternal unlife.

            No-evil members are typically neutral and believe that death is to be embraced, not feared.  It is merely another state of being much like unlife.  They don't hold to the wide spread doctrine that all undead serve Nerull's greater plan, but believe that such creatures should be limited.  They feel that their church is too eager to add to the ranks of the undead by killing and the true worship of the god involves studying death for his greater glory.  Only after full understanding of death is achieved will the world by in perfect balance.  Unintelligent undead are fine, their souls have fled to be reaped.  Intelligent undead though are delaying their reaping. They may be big reapers themselves though, so most of his clerics are neutral on the subject.

            Nerull is the patron of those who seek the greatest evil for their own enjoyment or gain.

            All are equal in Nerull's cold realm.  Every living thing is an affront to the Reaper, and every death brings a dark spark of joy to his long dead heart.  Those that pray to Nerull to appease him only attract his attention and their own doom.  Those that kill in his name shall be rewarded (or so Nerull promises).

            Clerics of Nerull are secretive and solitary, since few sane people tolerate their presence.  Except in the most evil lands, Nerull has no organized churches. With no overall hierarchy, individual churches work against each other at times.  Still, the Reaper is feared across the lands.  his clerics wear rust red garb, when not in disguise.  Nerull's clerics commit murders as offerings to their deity.  If their actions are discovered, they move on to new hunting grounds.  Some take up the wandering life and put on innocent faces as they move from town to town, murdering a few people and them moving on.

            Temples to Nerull are always hidden, even in lands where the Reaper is honored.  They usually are located underground, often as parts of catacomb complexes.  Most temples are stocked with undead creatures and others that spread or celebrate death, such as hags, fiends, and vargouilles.

            Undead make great guards and reapers, sending more people to meet the Reaper.

- Obad-Hai (N) (Player's Handbook & DMG):  Clerics of Obad-Hai have no hierarchy.  They treat all those of their order as equals. They wear russet-colored clothing and maintain hidden woodland shrines that are usually located far from civilization.  They keep to the wilderness and to themselves, rarely getting involved in society.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  NG, NE, LN, CN, or N.  Priests are limited to Air, Animal, Earth, Fate, Fire, Plant, Water and WeatherDomains.  Specialty Priests are Druids.  Their favored weapon is the quarterstaff.

            Survival is not a right; it's a privilege.  If you're worthy of life, you'll find your place in the world otherwise you'll pass from it.  It is up to you to find your own way.  Nature is not gentle, it doesn't act altruistically nor does it act in anyone's benefit except its own.  Nature is hard and selfish and while it is full of beauty she is also full of cruelty.  All creatures of the natural world merit equal treatment.

            The church has no titles or rank, although it does have leaders; no member is considered innately more worthy to lead than another.  Advancement in the church is based solely on merit.  The church doesn't tolerate the unnatural thus they universally revile undead and slay them on sight.

            Obad-Hai rules nature and the wilderness, and he is a friend to all who live in harmony with the natural world.  He expects his followers to live in harmony with nature in all its variety. Those who destroy or otherwise harm nature deserve swift vengeance in an appropriate manner, says Obad-Hai.  Those who are one with nature, however, have little to feat, although the well-meaning but foolish are sometimes brought down by a danger they could not avoid or divert.  Obad-Hai teaches that the wilds can sometimes be ugly, dangerous, or terrible, but that these things are beautiful, harmless, or wonderful, for these characterizations mark a newcomer's perspective.

            Clerics of Obad-Hai have no hierarchy. They treat all those of their order as equals.  They wear russet=colored, clothing and maintain hidden woodland shrines that are usually located far from civilization.  They keep to the wilderness and to themselves, rarely getting involved in society.

            A wide variety of peoples serve as Obad-Hai's clerics, including humans, gnomes, haflings, and sylvan fey.  They serve as protectors of nature acting as the agents of retribution when their protection is insufficient or too late.

            Temples to Obad-Hai can be located nearly anywhere but are usually located amid groves of oak trees.

            Obad-Hai doesn't tolerate the unnatural including the undead.

- Olidammara (CN) (Player's Handbook page 108 & DMG):  Olidammara's religion is loosely organized at best, and few temples are dedicated solely to him.  That said, his clerics are numerous.  They usually work among urban folk or wander the countryside.  Olidammara's clerics often work at some other profession, in addition to operating as clerics  (typically serving as minstrels, brewers, or jacks-of-all-trades), and thus can be found almost anywhere doing or wearing anything.  They like simple clothing and brown or dull colors.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CN, CG, LN, or NG.  Priests are limited to Celerity, Chaos,City, Destiny, Luck, Mind and Trickery Domains.  Their favored weapon is the rapier.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

            Ownership equals possession, if you want an item take it--as long as you're willing to risk the consequences.  If someone takes an item from you, you didn't guard it carefully enough and should take better care next time.

            Members like to refer to themselves as the Fingers of the Laughing Rogue, but the church lacks any formal organization.  They are more often a loose network of hidden shines attended by secretive clerics.  The shrines are almost always in urban areas--typically a thieves guild.  Each member typically tithes a portion of their take to the church.

            The Fingers live for the chance to opportunity to deceive, some believe that any creature they can take advantage of is weak and exists only for their benefit. Most focus of the wealthy who deserve their attention more.  To Olidammara's followers deception is a form of worship and a theft in his name increases his power. The church's only lawful pursuit is that of music and they often sponsor performances.  A musician is never targeted by the church unless he has committed an act against it.

            They have many enemies; the churches of St. Cuthbert and Heironeous in particular frequently attempt to expose and shut down their temples.

            Undead are just plain wrong, most are used as guardians against thievery and so become obstacles that must be overcome.

            NOTE:  Deception of one's allies is not recommended, after all you need someone you can trust to help you pull the difficult jobs.

            Oldammara loves upsetting anyone who seems too attached to an ordered life and a predictable routine.  He urges his followers to bend every effort toward mastering the art of music.  He also teaches that life is meant to be happy and entertaining, and the best jokes need a target to hang them on.  The tables can turn on any trickster, and Olidammara's followers should accept the laugh and appreciate the trick when it happens to them.  Wine, Olidammara says, is one of the joys of life, and the only thing better than making wine is drinking it.  Avoid misery, temperance, and solemnity, for they are the greatest poisons to the soul.

            Olidammara's religion is loosely organized, but his clerics are numerous.  They usually work among urban folk or wander the countryside.  Olidammar's clerics often have a second occupation, such as minstrels, brewers or jacks-of-all-trades.  Thus, they can be found almost anywhere doing or wearing anything.

            Temples dedicated solely to Olidammara are few.  But as his followers say, there is a temple of Olidammara anywhere there is wine, song and laughter. Most formal temples of Olidammara are hidden, because they usually double as hideouts for thieves.  Many drinking establishments include at least small shrines to Olidammara.

            Undead are a cute trick, but usually they serve as guards and as such are enemies to be defeated (besides they have no sense of humor).

- Pelor (NG) (Player's Handbook page 108 & DMG):  The clerics of the Shining One work to aid the poor and the sick, and thus most common folk look upon them with great favor.  Pelor's temples are sanctuaries for the impoverished and the diseased and his yellow-robed clerics are usually kind, quiet folk, roused only in their opposition against evil.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  NG, LG, LN, or CN.  Priests are limited to Elysium, Glory, Good, Healing, Nobility,Strength and Sun Domains.  Their favored weapon is the mace.

            The sun is the source of light, warmth and life, and all living creatures embody some degree of its energy.  If you embrace that light and make it part of yourself, you can use it to illuminate the dark corners of the world, where evil and death lurk.  Known as the Shinning Light, the church of Pelor is one of the most altruistic and welcoming of religions.  Their primary goal is to ensure the well0being of its members as well as all the people who live in the vicinity of its temples. Followers believe that protecting those who cannot protect themselves is one of their deity's most important values and they go out of their way to help the needy in his name.  The church, though not warlike, builds many remote fortress like temples to defend the locals.

            Undead are abominations--the antithesis of light, life and warmth and incapable of redemption.  They must be destroyed without hesitation.  Pelor's clerics preach that the cycle of day and night is his way of sparing the world, if the sun shined all the time it would burn the world with their god's holy radiance.

            The Shining One is almost universally respected, if not worshiped on the surface of the earth.  Underground temples are rare as he is reviled by those who live in the Underdark.  Occasionally, missions are sent to the Underdark wielding a heavy mace in one hand and Pelor's holy fire in the other.

            Undead rarely are an organized threat, but the Illithids goal is to put out the sun, tantamount to assassination of their deity.  It is the primary reason why Pelor's clerics venture into the Underdark, but only a few of the church are aware of this.

            The church maintains close ties with many other good-aligned churches and has organized joint ventures with the clergy of Heironeous.  They also share many of the goals of those like Ehlonna and Obad-Hai which also despise foul undead.

            Though widely revered as a peaceful and gentle deity who alleviates suffering, Pelor also ahs more martial aspects.  He brings his wrath to bear on darkness and evil, and he invigorates and heals those who champion the cause of good.

            Pelor teaches that the energy of life originates from the sun.  This light brings strength to the weak and health to the injured, while destroying darkness and evil.  He urges his followers to challenge the forces of corruption aggressively, but also to remember just as staring at the sun can cause blindness of the eyes, relentless attention to the destruction of negative forces can blind the heart to the essentials of life:  kindness, mercy, and compassion.

            Pelor's clerics favor yellow garb.  They are usually kindly people with backbones of steel.  They are primarily nurturers and protectors, but when the time comes to bear arms they are not afraid to do so.  They use their powers to heal, nourish, and otherwise aid the needy; while practicing the skills needed to protect their charges should they be threatened.  Many clerics of Pelor, leave their pastoral duties and go to explore far land in an effort to drive off harmful beings and spread their deity's gifts to all who need them.

            Temples to Pelor tend to be tall, airy, and blindingly white.  They are usually placed so the sun shines into most of their rooms throughout the day.  They often feature open, sunny courtyards as well.  Pelor's temples are always kept scrupulously clean, and many of them have wings that house hospitals.

- Rill Cleverthrush (LN) (Races of Stone page 45):  The epitome of the absent-minded gnome artisan, always bush in his workshop polishing a newly cut gem or putting the finishing touches on a "living statue" to be given to a worth mortal.  He appears as an elderly bespectacled gnome and is always shown holding Rill's Ruby, a gem that has a facet for each living gnome.  His favorite color is ruby red.  His priests are limited to the Air, Knowledge, Magic and Travel Domains. His favorite weapon is the long sword.  .  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.

            "One part praying, two parts thinking " says Rill.  That's a mandate his clerics have taken to heart, training their charges in a variety of Knowledge, Profession and Craft skills.  Much of the cult's wisdom is contained in the sacred book Rill's Instructions to the Faithful.  Many of his beliefs are worded as natural laws or step-by-step instructions.  He has few temples, usually just a small shrine in the workshop.  He also has few rites, but sometimes his followers gather to bless a newly cut gem of prodigious size or a newly made invention or magic item.

            Undead are a mighty foe and poor guardians, a golem would work so much better.

-  Roknar (NE) (Races of Stone page19):  Brother of Moradin, but Moradin's worshipers claim he is not truly a dwarf, but an ancient evil that took dwarf form.  He urges his followers to delve deep into the earth and take its treasures, "Power and wealth is all that matters."  His rites are few--mostly curses against rivals and pleas for successful subterfuge.  Many rites are performed cloaked and hooded, so most worshipers don't know the identity of their fellow worshipers. Priest/Clerics Alignments: NE, LE, CN.  His priests are limited to the Destruction, Earth, Evil and Trickery Domains.  His favored colors are those of wealth;platinum, gold and silver.

            Fiends and undead are allies and protectors or at least tools to be used to guard their treasures.

-Sheanine Moonbow (CG) (Races of the Wild page 23):  The Daughter of the Night Skies holds sway over death, dreams and the beauty of the night.  Now the consort of Corellon Larethian, Sehanine Moonbow provided strength to him from her tears during his great battle with Gruumsh during the First War.  It is she who eases the passage of dying elves and their spirits to their final reward.  When an elf nears death form old age, disease, or some other nonviolent means, a milky-white opaque crescent often appears in the lenses of his eyes--Shanien's characteristic "moonbow."  At such times the goddess often sends the dying elf a vision of the next world to give him hope and strength during his passage.  The Lady of Dreams also governs sleep, dreams,  and mystic revelations.  She rarely speak to her followers directly, preferring to impart her will though dreams, mystic visions, and journeys of the spirit.  She appears as an ethereally beautiful female elf with white hair and blue eyes.  She is usually clad in a silvery gown and wearing a pieces of silver jewelry shaped like a full moon.

            Her favored color is silver.  Her priests are limited to the Chaos, Good, Knowledge, Travel Domains.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CG, CN, NG.  Clerics begin their careers by tending the shrines of the dead and counseling members of the community about the meanings of dreams.  Later, they may serve as spiritual counselors to their fellow elves, preside over funerals, defend their communities against undead incursions, and conduct divinations on behalf of leaders who need to make decisions.  Her shrines are temples situated so that they are bathed in the light of the full moon when it shines.  A temple is often decorated with silver and moonstones, and its ceiling has an opening that reveals the night sky.  A temple is usually surrounded by a garden of night-blooming flowers.

            Undead are to be pitied and sent on their way.

-  Sheela Peryrol (N) (Races of the Wild page 53):  The hafling god of nature, agriculture, weather, song, dance, beauty and romantic love. Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LG, NE, CN, CG, NG.  Their favored weapon is the sickle and the priests are limited to the Air and Plant Domains.

           Undead are a foe to be avoided if possible.

-  Sheyanna Flaxenstrand (CG) (Races of Stone page 45):  The source of the rivalry between Garl and Gelf for both woo her in many gnome legends.  Sheyanna doesn't commit to either brother, however, choosing instead to encourage matchmaking and passionate affairs among the mortal gnomes in her care.  She is said to be the gnome ideal of beauty a delicate blonde princess with a smile that melts even Gelf's icy heart.  Her favored colors are the yellows and reds of a bright torch.  Her priests are limited to the Chaos, Fire, Good and Healing Domains. Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CG, NG, CN.  Her favorite weapon is the heavy flail.

            The marriage rite is central to her religion, she also blesses healthy babies and has a number of fertility rites.  Her temples are often small additions built onto Garl Glittergold's temple.

            Undead are evil, nasty, ugly things to not be presented to her.

- St. Cuthbert (LN) (Player's Handbook page 108 & DMG):  The no-nonsense order of St. Cuthbert does not suffer fools gladly or abide evil in any way.  His clerics concern themselves with the needs of the common people  over nobles or the well educated.  They are zealous in their desire to convert other to their faith and quick to destroy their opponents.  They favor the color white, but white emblems are more appropriate for adventurers.  Priest/Clerics Alignments: LN, or LG.  Priests are limited to Destruction, Domination, Law, Protection and Strength Domains.  Their favored weapon is the mace.

            Justice must be brought to those who transgress against the Law.  this strict and complex code of conduct was written by the hand of the Judge himself and it transcends all mortal law.  Those who wantonly break the Law are unworthy and must be utterly destroyed.

            St. Cuthbert's church, known as the Scales of Balance, is devoted to the Law.  Mortal laws are to be respected, but if they must be broken to preserve the Law of the church so be it.  An enemy of the church is branded a lawbreaker, the most heinous condemnation, and dealt with mercilessly.  The church doesn't believe in redemption, only in retribution and its members don't hesitate to make examples of enemies.  An eye for an eye is not enough, when it comes to a Lawbreaker only a head for an eye can balance the scales.  The church doesn't deal in half measures, known enemies are rarely given quarter.  The church frequently uses more forces than would deem necessary to win.

            The church frequently forms the foundation of a region's system of laws in areas where it holds power.  Where the church doesn't dictate the law it still holds its own laws, making its clergy unpopular with local rulers.  For the most part the church is willing to work with the local government, but the Law is always supreme.

            The words of St. Cuthbert are wise, practical, and sensible.  Among his followers the Word of the Cudgel is law, and his followers take pains to spread, the word so that may all may benefit from St. Cuthbret's wisdom.  Weakness in faith and acting against the Saint's teachings are intolerable, especially in believers.  St Cuthbert exhorts his follower to make increasing efforts to bring unbelievers into the fold.  Honesty, truthfulness, practicality, and reasonability are the highest virtues, says St. Cuthbert.

            Clerics of the Cudgel are stern folk who speak their minds plainly.  They do not suffer fools and disapprove of those who backslide in faith.  They train in the arts of war, and keep themselves physically fit.  Many serve as constables, detectives, judges and bounty hunters.

            Temples of St. Cuthbert are always solid and imposing.  Their entrances of facades invariably feature inscriptions of quotations attributed to the Cudgel. These can be inspirational, such as; "Chaos and evil prevail where good folk do nothing."  Or even threatening such as:  "Obstinacy brings lumps to the heads of the unfaithful."

            Undead are most often against the law and are rarely used by the clerics.  Intelligent undead are most often the worst transgressors against the law of society putting their own law of rule before that of society.  As such they are enemies.

- Tamara (NG) (Draconomicon page 35):  Tamara is the kindest and most benevolent of the draconic deities, some mistake this for weakness, though such beings don't make the same error twice.  She appears as a luminously beautiful silver dragon, her eyes shining with the brightness of the sun.  She believes in mercy, both in life and death.  Not only does she heal the sick and tend the injured, she also delivers a merciful end to those dragons nearing the end of their natural life span.

            Her clergy are healers, but also delivers of death to those who would escape it.  They prefer to destroy any undead they encounter especially draconic undead (such as dracoliches).  Though theirs is a peaceful and merciful faith, the worshipers of Tamar do not hesitate to stand against evil or tyranny.  She counts Pelor among her staunchest friends and Falazure, Hextor, Nerull and Erythnul among her enemies.  Her favorite colors are yellow and silver.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LG, NG, CG, N.  Her clerics are limited to the Dragon, Good, Healing, Strength and Sun Domains.  Her temples tend to be hospitals and infirmaries or hospices where the sick are welcomed.  Severely or terminally ill individuals are cared for with dignity and respect.  When a patient dies his passing is greeted as good news, a merciful escape from the cares of this life.  Birth's returns to life (raise dead or resurrection) and even final deaths are celebrated.  They are opportunities to reflect upon and praise Tamara's generosity, mercy and peace.

            Undead need to be put out of their misery and should be dispatched at once.

-  Tharmekhul (N) (Races of Stone page19):  The Tender of the Forge, his is also known as Moradin's assistant and is a minor war deity concerned with siege engines and weapons.  He is depicted as a bronze-skinned dwarf with hair and beard made of black smoke.  His favored colors are bronze.  Priest/ClericsAlignments:  any.  His favored weapon is the warhammer.  His priests don't have temples, but tend the forges at the heart of Moradin's temples.  His priests are limited to the Destruction, Fire and War Domains.

            Fire is seen as a purifier and it also represents the external dangers that temper the dwarf race.

            His allies are fire elementals and azers, undead are only meant to be fuel for the fire.

- Thautam (N) (Races of Stone page 20):  His clerics believe that the spark of magic lies within all things and they work tirelessly to draw forth the magic. In folklore he acts as the kindly uncle to Moradin content to putter in his workshop and mutter advice to the Soul Forger.  He is pictured as an elderly dwarf with rheumy blind eyes.  His favored colors are those of metal; gold, silver and copper.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  Any.  His favored weapon is the Heavy Pick.  His priests temples are small, for his clergy isn't as numerous as Moradin's or Mya's, but they always show an obviously magical hand in their creation.  His clerics bless weapons and armor prior to battle, they also bless mines and other construction projects.

            His priests are limited to the Earth, Luck and Magic Domains.

            Undead are not meant to be feared, but to be used.

-  The Glutton (CE) (Races of Stone page 44):  Usually depicted as a massive, ravenous badger or wolverine, The Glutton figures prominently in the bedtime stories gnomes tell naughty children--"go to sleep or The Glutton will get you!"  He is blamed whenever a burrow collapses or another misfortune befalls the gnomes.  It is said that The Glutton was once a gnome who was cursed with a hideous form and a desire to consume the gnomes and all they hold dear.  . Priest/Clerics Alignments:  CE, CN.  His priests are limited to the Chaos, Destruction , Evil and Strength Domains.  His favorite weapon is the heavy mace. Priests use gold and black as his colors.

            A secretive cult, for no gnome would willingly allow worshipers of The Glutton into their burrows.  They recruit new clerics from among the mad and the hopeless.   He has no temples, merely secret meetings and his rites are few, if his cultists want a ceremony to perform, they just make one up.

            Undead are seen as powers of destruction and so often revered.

- Theleya, The Fertile one (N) (Races of Stone page 68): The goliath deity of fertility and growth. She is given credit whenever a healthy baby is born or a rich patch of berries is found. Her priests favor red and green. They are limited to the Healing, Magic and Plant Domains. Her favored weapon is the Sickle. Priest/Clerics Alignments: Any, but typically N.            She often concerns herself with the over-harvesting of timber and the encroachment of civilization into goliath migration paths. Her shrines are usually small, full of berries and cared for by the tent mother. Her ceremonies honor the birth of a new goliath, bless each meal before it's consumed and mark the passing of the seasons.
            Undead are a horrible miscarriage and should be destroyed at once.

- Timat (CE) (Draconomicon page 35):  Goddess of evil dragons and conquest.  Her colors favor robes with black, blue, green, red and white stripes. Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LE.  Priests are limited to Bator, Destruction, Dragon, Evil, Greed, Law, Magic, Trickery and Tyranny Domains.   Their favored weapon is the heavy pick (bite).

            Almost all of her worshipers are evil dragons, but many dragons form cults to serve them and so honor Timat.  She lives on the first plane of hell.  Undead, except draco-liches, are just seen as tools.  Draco-liches are seen as abominations.

            Tiamat concerns herself with spreading evil, defeating good, and propagating evil dragons.  She enjoys razing the occasional village, city or country, but only as a diversion from her subtle, world-spanning plots.  She is the villain who lurks in the shadows.  Her presence is felt but seldom seen.

            Tiamat constantly seeks to extend the power and dominion of evil dragons over the land, particularly when her subjects find themselves embroiled in territorial disputes with good dragons.  Tiamat also unfailingly demands reverence, homage, and tribute from her subjects.

            Like Bahamut, Tiamat ahs few clerics and even fewer temples.  She accepts only evil clerics.  Tiamat's clerics, like Tiamat herself, seek to place the world under the domination of evil dragons.

            Though most evil dragons honor Tiamat, few keep shrines dedicated to her in their lairs because they don't want Tiamat's greedy eyes gazing at their treasure hoards.  Instead they dedicate vast, gloomy caverns to their deity and keep them stocked with treasure and sacrifices.

-  Tuilviel Glithien (CG) (Races of the Wild page 77): She is also called the Queen of the Air and the Night and the Lady of Silent Wings.  She cherishes and protects all nocturnal birds.  As patron of the hunt and of the family, she has jurisdiction over a significant portion of the raptoran's daily life.  The legendary creator of the raptorans, she serves as both their guardian and their guide.  The Lady of the Silent Wings appears as a beautiful female raptoran of indeterminate age, with snowy white feathers crowning her head.  Her skin is white and glows like moonlight and she wears a black gown sprinkled with diamonds like a sky full of tiny stars.  Her enormous white wings are banded with every shaded of the setting sun--in fact the raptorans often refer to dusk as "the Lady spreading her wings."  Her favorite colors are those of sunset; gold, yellows and red.

            Clerics of Tuilviel begin their careers by taking night solo journeys around the raptoran's canyon homes to scout the area for intruders.  Later in their careers they lead extended hunting expeditions, chart the stars, and interpret various astronomical phenomena such as falling stars.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  Her favored weapon are foot spikes.  Her clerics are limited to the Air, Chaos, Good, Protection and Sky Domains.  Her shrines are built into natural hollow in the cliffs high enough to allow worshipers to observe moonrise  and moonset.  The surrounding stone is usually artfully carved to frame celestial events.  Clerics perform rites that bless new and old cliff dwellings, preside at seasonal weddings, and conduct vigils for the dead or dying.  They also hold an annual festival known as the Flight of the Lady, in which all the raptorans capable of flight soar as high as they can into the sky at midnight, then spread their wings and glide gently to earth.  Wherever a raptoran lands, she plants one of her own feathers in the dirt as a marker.  Her favorite colors are the blues and whites of the open sky.

            Undead are unnatural and should be destroyed.

-  Urogalan (LN) (Races of theWild page 53):  The hafling god of earth, death and protection of the dead.  The clerics are limited to the Earth, Law andProtection domains.  Their favored weapon is the flail (any).  Priest/Clerics Alignments: any.

            Undead are part of their domain.

-Valkuna (LN) (Races of Stone page 21):  An elderly, white-haired deity known as the Runecarver. It is said whenever a dwarf swears an oath she records it by carving it into an impossibly tall cliff.  Because she guides dwarves' souls into the afterlife her temples are built near places where the dead are cremated or buried and are like mausoleums.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  Priests are limited to the Death, Law and Water Domains.  Her favored color is silver.  Her favorite weapon is the heavy flail.

            Valkauna's clerics perform funeral rites full of pomp that honor major events in the life of the deceases and commend his spirit to the dwarf ancestors. They also bless births with a simple lineage-chant.  In noble dwarf clans, the lineage-chant begins while the mother is in labor, because it takes several hours to recite.

            Undead are the souls and spirits of the dead and should pass on.

-  Vandria Gilmadrith (LN) (Races of the Wild page 23):  War is never desirable, but sometimes it is necessary.  When armed conflict is unavoidable, elves pray to Vandrai Gilmadrith for prudent strategy and victory with minimal loss of life.  The daughter of Corellon Larethian by his original consort, Araushnee, Vandria was once as carefree and high-spirited  as any other member of the Seldarine.  However, when Araushnee led a treacherous assault on the Seldarine, Vandra gathered forces to defend the other elf deities.  The resulting carnage forever sobered her and cemented her commitment to aiding her people at times when taking up arms becomes inevitable.  She appears as a middle-aged female elf with white hair bound in a severe braid, bearing an expression of grim and sorrowful resignation.  A pair of feathered, steel-gray wings sprouts from her back and an ornate silver helm with no visor protects her head. Her Priests are limited to the Law, Protection and War Domains.

            She embodies strategy, tactics, alliances and close cooperating on the battlefield.  Such innately lawful aspects of war are alien to the chaotic soul of the elf so Vandrial normally has few followers among the elf race.  Known as steelheart for her steady nature and steadfast protection, Vandria represents the ability of the elves to harden their carefree hearts and band together in times of trouble.  Her favored color is silver.  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LN, LG, N, NG.  Clerics of Vandria Gilmadrith begin their training by serving in the watch, sitting with elders while they hear their disputes, learning about the traditional enemies of the elves, and serving as singers at funerals.  As they advance, they may lead watch patrols, serve as seconds for aggrieved parties bringing cases before the elders, help to shore up a community's defenses and assist the master of arms in training the young elves with weaponry.  When war threatens, clerics of Vandrai help the ruler form alliances and plan strategy.  They also instruct elf warriors in close combat techniques.  As they are prone to much independence on the battlefield,  "A wave of arrows is better than a lot of single bowshots"  After a battle clerics of Vandria retrieve the dead from the battlefield.  Her temples are often hidden fortresses who locations are known only to her worshipers and clergy.  Situated in defensible claves, beneath huge trees, or in hidden vales.  Vandria's temples are stocked with weapons and supplies as that they can double as last retreats for the entire community.  Her favored weapon is the longbow.

            Undead are common foes and should be put down.

- Vanua, The Harbinger of Woe (N) (Races of Stone):  He is said to be behind every avalanche, hidden crevasse and sudden winter storm.  He is also responsible for countless pranks against deity and mortal alike.  Stories of Vanua's schemes are common in goliath folklore.  While he has a cruel, capricious streak, he's not evil.  His clerics contend that only through misfortune and hardship will the goliath people grow stronger.  Vanua appears as a pale white goliath with fiery eyes.  .  Priest/Clerics Alignments:  any.  His priests are limited to the Destruction, Fire and Trickery Domains.  His favored colors are red and gray.

            Vanua's prayers include a number of riddles and question-and-answer flourishes, such as "Who is the flutter in the elder's heart?  Vanua!"  Almost every goliath child is warned that if he doesn't behave, Vanusa will steal him away or make the rock beneath his feet crumble when he's climbing.  Vanua is so embedded in goliath folklore that little formal training is necessary to understanding his role in the pantheon.  He has few rites, other than some brief ceremonies intended to bring misfortune to a spurned lover or other rival.

            Undead are the great prank on life.

- Vecna (NE) (Player's Handbook page 108 & DMG):  Vecna's priesthood is made up of isolated cells of cultists who seek dark, arcane secrets to further their evil schemes.  Black and red are the cleric's favored colors.  Priest/Clerics Alignments: NG, NE, LN, or CN.  Priests are limited to Destiny, Evil,Knowledge, Madness, Magic, and Planning, Domains.  Their favored weapon is the dagger.

            The church of Vecna is nearly equally split between evil and non-evil members.  Many spellcasters pray to the Maimed Lord when they make a new discovery that could be of great value, hoping to keep the knowledge safe until they can make a fortune from a timely exposure.

            All members of the Hall of Secrets believe that knowledge in the wrong hands should be removed to the safekeeping of the church though any means necessary.  Knowledge is too powerful and dangerous to be left to the uninitiated.  Non-evil members are typically neutral and share the same hunger for knowledge and power as the rest, but they are less violent in its acquisition.

            Vecna plots the destruction of the other deities so that he may take the world for himself.

            According to Vecna, there exists a secret that can destroy any being no matter how powerful that being is.  In the middle of every heart hides a seed of darkness kept hidden form all but the self.  Finding the secret evil and exploiting it is the key to undoing one's controlling what others do not.  He also admonishes his followers never to reveal all that they know.

            Vecna's clerics subvert governments, seduce good folk to evil and plot the eventual control of the world.  Naturally, these plans mean that their lives are forfeit if they are discovered, and they are very secretive to prevent this.  They can be found in any part of the world, spreading evil or looking for documents or items that date back to their master's ancient empire.  Of particular interest are their master's relics (his hand and eye), which have once again been lost, Black and red are their favored colors.

            Vecna's priesthood is made up of isolated cells of cultists who seek dark, arcane secrets to further their evil schemes.  Temples to Vecna serve as bases and safe houses for his clerics.  They are always well hidden and warded against unauthorized entry.  They usually also include vast archives of information, secrets that Vecna's clerics have uncovered over the centuries.

            Undead are tools, at least the unintelligent ones are, intelligent ones are often owners of great secrets, especially the lich who holds the secret to becoming one.

- Wee Jas (LN) (Player's Handbook page 108 & DMG):  Wee Jas's priesthood has a strict hierarchy.  Her clerics are know for their discipline and obedience to their superiors.  They work as officiators at funerals , maintain graveyards, or operate libraries of arcane lore.  They wear black or gray robes. Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LG, LE, or LN.  Priests are limited to the Death, Domination, Law, Magic, Mind, and Planning, Domains.  Their favored weapon is the dagger.

            Magic is the ultimate power, by mastering its secrets you can break all the so-called laws of nature and reorder the world as you see fit.  The fact that you are mortal should not stop you the church routinely uses necromancy to contact the spirits of the dead.  Thus the Ruby Temple studies death for the purpose of further expanding its mastery of magic.  Temples are filled with the bones of old magic users as well as scrolls of magical knowledge

            The church of Wee Jas teaches that each life is an hourglass: When the sand runs out, that person's life is over. But only the Witch Goddess knows when someone's time is truly up. Those risen from the dead were not meant to die. The church also teaches that the passage of a soul into the afterlife is a moment of tremendous magical power, and it's members try to harness that power.

            Despite this fascination with death Wee Jas's followers don't sanction the creation of undead except as an academic study.  Circumventing the laws of life and death is the purview of the Ruby Sorceress.  However some believe that lichs are an exception.

            Church members see that mind as a wealth of undiscovered knowledge.  Thus one arm of the church is devoted to the study of psionics.

            Wee Jas promotes using spells and magic items (though many of her followers insist she favors the creation of such things).

            Wee Jas tells her followers that magic is the key to all things.  Wee Jas promises that understanding, personal power, security, order, and control over fate come with the study of magic.  She admonishes her followers to respect those who came before, because they left their knowledge and died to make room for them. She reminds them that death is inevitable, but she promises that their learning and memory will be honored by those who come after.

            Wee Jas's priesthood has a strict hierarchy.  Her clerics are known for their discipline and obedience to their superiors.  Clerics of Wee Jas arbitrate disputes, give advice on magic, investigate magical curiosities, create magic items and administer funerals.   Clerics of lower level are expected to defer to ones of higher level at all times.  They wear black or gray robes.

            Temples to Wee Jas are few and far between, but she counts many powerful sorcerers and wizards (especially necromancers) among her worshipers.  Most of her temples are located in or near graveyards or catacombs, and they always contain crypts where powerful wizards are buried.  They also contain extensive libraries of arcane lore and large collections of items that once belonged to great wizards from past eras.

-Yondalla (LG) (Player's Handbook page 108, DMG and Races of the Wild page 52):   Yondalla's clerics help other haflings lead safe, prosperous lives by following her guidance.  They often serves as community leaders.  They favor the colors orange and yellow. Priest/Clerics Alignments:  LG, CG, or NG.  Priests are limited to the Celestial, Community, Courage, Creation, Good, Law and Protection Domains.  Their favored weapon is the short sword.

            As the Nurturing Matriarch she is primarily associated with peace, prosperity and harmony.  However the church is split between this image and the realm of Dallah Thaun; the other side of Yondalla's nature.  This secret aspect seeks out threats to haflings and ways to improve or enrich them.

            Yondalla espouses harmony within the hafling race and stalwart defense against its enemies. She urges her people to work with others but to remain true to their hafling heritage. Most haflings heed this advice, which allows them to form close-knit enclaves where haflings are welcomed, even when they have settled in areas where other creatures predominate. Yondalla also teaches that opportunities are there to be seized, which lead most haflilngs to be both adaptable and somewhat opportunistic. Yondalla brooks no evil among haflings, but she does not despise any hafling. Rather, she seeks to guide haflings who have lost their way back to their homes and friends.

            Clerics of Yondalla are concerned with all areas of hafling life, expect for thievery.  (Thievery arises among haflings, the clerics say, from a too-liberal interpretation of Yondalla's advice about seizing opportunities.)  Yondalla cleric's officiate at weddings and funerals, bless crops and new ventures, and lay plans for community defense.

            Temples dedicated to Yondalla are often set amid bountiful gardens or farm fields.  They

always contain storehouses stuffed with food and other necessities.  They also contain armories

and fortified sections where local haflings can safely ride out natural disasters or enemy attack.

            Undead are against home and hearth and as such are dangerous and should be treated as such.

- Zuoken (N) (Expanded Psionic Handbook page 221):  Watches over monks and psionic characters.  His symbol is a striking fist, his favored colors are red and orange, and his favored weapon are nunchakus. Priest/Cleric Alignments: any.  Priests are limited to the Domination, Dream, Inquisition, Knowledge,Mind, Strength and War Domains.  They must take at least one level of Knowledge (Psionics) or Psicraft, they may take the nunchakus as a martial weapon.  Most of them are psionics or monks.  Psionics are the ultimate power of the mind, using this power is an act of worship itself.  Priests are limited to Domination, Dream, Inquisition, Knowledge and Mind domains.

            Undead are seen as crimes against nature to be dealt with permanently.
Table of Contents
Pathfinder Table of Contents