from the animal's saving throw.Altroa -- The East Wind is the wind which signals fertility. The springtime is when plants bloom andcreatures begin their mating cycles. Altroa's priestesses are usually young (although Altroa never abandons herfaithful, she does seem to <strong>de</strong>light in youth more than the other Winds), and can resist unnatural aging effects (theyage only half the stated amount, or none at all if a save is allowed; and in situations where saves are not allowed,they gain one at '20', with the attendant modifiers as <strong>de</strong>scribed). As a rather hebephrenic lot, Altroans suffer a -2 toall Widsom checks, but this does not effect spell capacity, spell failure, or magical saves, only <strong>de</strong>cision-making, asthey tend to be somewhat impulsive and brash. They can also increase the likelihood <strong>of</strong> pregnancy in animals and inpeople (if such is <strong>de</strong>sired, and it usually is in their communities) by 5% per level <strong>of</strong> the priestess.Telchur -- The North Wind blows bitterness and loss from his cave <strong>of</strong> ice. His priests seem to be immune tothe effects <strong>of</strong> normal cold (down to 20 <strong>de</strong>grees F.) and gain a +1 on saves against cold-based spells for every 3 levelsthey achieve. Also, upon entering the upper levels, the Telchites can withstand even the soul-chilling touch <strong>of</strong>Negative Plane creatures (no damage from the cold effects <strong>of</strong> such creatures), and they are the only Wind cult whichcan turn un<strong>de</strong>ad, although only Evil priests <strong>of</strong> Telchur can control un<strong>de</strong>ad (about 25% <strong>of</strong> Telchite initiates are <strong>of</strong> Evilalignment).Telchites who master the inner mysteries <strong>of</strong> the cult can Control Winds at three levels higher than normal,and can cast wizardly cold-based spells as a Wizard <strong>of</strong> five levels lower. (I give the Telchites more menacing powersbecause I wouldn't normally allow them as Pcs).This list is not exhaustive, and I'm sure anyone who's gotten this far is probably thinking, "Oh, hey, theAltroans could..." So I'll leave it at the above and let others do the thinking from here.In my game, I don't like to run spells as just a bunch <strong>of</strong> die-rolling, anymore than I like the system to surfaceheavily in anything. Just as I have more or less done away with Reaction Rolls, I have also tried to conceal thenumber-crunching aspects <strong>of</strong> magic and faith. What I posted above should not give the impression that I encouragemin-maxing among these cults. The mysteries <strong>of</strong> the cults are spell power, but they are much more than that. Theyrepresent oral tradition, and many <strong>of</strong> the spells are not directly granted by the god<strong>de</strong>sses or god, but ratherperformed as rituals or as the outgrowth <strong>of</strong> secret knowledge.For instance, the robust strains <strong>of</strong> plant produced by the Wentans are little more than eugenics andhybridization, as well as advancements in crop rotation, a knowledge <strong>of</strong> soil nutrients, and so forth. The Sotillines arepracticed at medicine. The Altroans are accomplished at prenatal medicine, obstetrics, and animal husbandry. Andso forth. The fact that these mysteries are gained through ritual means rather than study <strong>of</strong> texts is whatdistinguishes the mystery cults from the scholars <strong>of</strong>, say, <strong>Greyhawk</strong> City. A sage whose study is plant biology couldprobably do many <strong>of</strong> the day-to-day things that a Wentan does, but he arrives at the knowledge in a different way,and he does not have the divine favor <strong>of</strong> a god<strong>de</strong>ss to back him up.The mystery cults employ sacrifice, although whether this sacrifice is animal, plant or mineral, or some otherthing, varies with the cult. The earliest Ehlonnics sacrificed goats and wild <strong>de</strong>er, after the practice <strong>of</strong> the followers <strong>of</strong>the mother-cult <strong>of</strong> Ehlonna. None <strong>of</strong> the cults -- not even the Telchites, for all their strangeness and bitterness --engage in human sacrifice. Mystery cults <strong>of</strong> Ehlonna <strong>of</strong>ten sacrifice the finest kill <strong>of</strong> a sacred hunt (that is, a huntwhich is held on a holy day such as Midsummer, or a hunt which is called for by the oracle). Today, most <strong>of</strong> the cultssacrifice only in the most abstract sense, by burning herbs which are associated with something which is <strong>de</strong>sired.Burning one type <strong>of</strong> herb might aid memory, for instance, while another type might dispel memories (as in the case <strong>of</strong>a Sotilline trying to ease the mind <strong>of</strong> a person who has witnessed a gruesome act).Some <strong>of</strong> the trappings are almost universal. All <strong>of</strong> the cults induce trance to aid in divination. The el<strong>de</strong>stand wisest <strong>of</strong> the priestesses (or priest, in the case <strong>of</strong> the Telchites) is the Oracle, and has final say in all civic mattersas well as interpreting the will <strong>of</strong> the <strong>de</strong>ity. All but the cult <strong>of</strong> Telchur display some form <strong>of</strong> circular diagram on thefloor <strong>of</strong> the temple. All but the Telchites employ a forked bough (Olive is sacred to Altroa, Ash to Sotillion, and Elmto Wenta) to inscribe the ritual circles. The Telchites employ a straight pine bough and their <strong>de</strong>signs are usuallyhaphazard, <strong>of</strong>ten representing animals and landscapes. The Telchites use egg whites to stiffen their hair and beardsduring ritual, while the other cults consume fruits or pine nuts.Well, that's enough for now. You get the picture.Chaos
PANTHEONS OF THE FLANAESS: THE UNKNOWNGODSBy Sabretore.Subj: Re: Mystery Gods (Unknown) Date: 95-10-02 11:24:02 ESTFrom: SabretoreThe question <strong>of</strong> the World <strong>of</strong> <strong>Greyhawk</strong>'s cosmology is an interesting one. Every <strong>de</strong>ity is given a culturalorigin, even if only unknown. Many <strong>de</strong>ities are both specific to a culture and common. It seems obvious that these<strong>de</strong>ities have a cultural affinity but have gained a greater currency. For this reason, they should be grouped with theircultural fellows. In so doing, we create a group <strong>of</strong> strictly common <strong>de</strong>ities and a group <strong>of</strong> mixed common <strong>de</strong>ities, aswell. To a very lesser extent the same can be said for unknown or in<strong>de</strong>terminate <strong>de</strong>ities. <strong>Le</strong>t us begin there.There are only three <strong>de</strong>ities <strong>of</strong> unknown origin:Tharizdun,GG - U (Eternal Darkness, Decay) E mUlaa,GG - UC (Hills, Mountains, Gemstones) LG fWastri,DG - U (Bigotry, Amphibians) LN(E) mLooking at these three <strong>de</strong>ities, they have nothing in common. There is no indication <strong>of</strong> any commonalties.Truly, they appear united only by their in<strong>de</strong>terminate origin.Sabretore
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