Illustration by Ian Greenleee
This is a sneak preview of excerpts taken from "The Secrets of the Divine: Pantheon, Love, Sky, & Wright" coming out this month from Rite Publishing, this covers the flavor of various archetypes Steven D. Russell is introudcting in this supplement to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Divine Vessels
I have found in my experience that Divine
Vessels are an unusual occurrence in most lands they are somewhat more common
in Questhaven and its surrounding Protectorate. From the divine servant
Hadroniel the Majestic, Doorwarden of the Second Gate, which could not
enter the earthly realm in its true form or when the elder titan Oreithyia,
Prophetess of Tragedy sought to cheat death after having foreseen her own
eminent doom. It was at times like these that one of Our Sovereigns of Heaven choses a wayward follower like Coel the
Carter to serve as the instrument of its will and made him a divine vessel for
Hadroniel, lucky Anwyl o’ the Antegate stumbled upon a fortunate opportunity to
oblige Oreithyia. Yet there are even more examples, the Chardab’s Cart, now a
sacred relic, judged the mere mortal Ren Dyrfanson worthy of “the gift” of
becoming a divine vessel though I know not which spirit inhabits it, and once
the Sisterhood of Rose Wheel powerful conjurers who bound Sahrewathe the
Bounteous Immortal to the poor undeserving wretch Lynwen Quayle.
Divine Vessels are usually simple folk who
can now summon the power of a mighty avatar of near deific might. This avatar
does not come to the vessel's side, however; it takes over the vessel's body,
transforming the mortal into an obvious being of power to smite its patron’s
foes. The sight of the unleashed avatar is a either beautiful or terrifying,
but few would suspect that such power erupts from so humble a servant.
Some mortals such as my friend Coel the
Carter, see this as divine favor forming a deep bond of friendship with their
alter ego, while others such as Lynwen Quayle see it as a divine penance for
their transgressions, despising the possession and violation of their body.
Qwilion’s Note: Owain Northway has left one important point
out of his comments on the nature of the Divine Vessels, but I would be remiss
if I did not mention that Divine Vessels are not limited to divine beings, and
then any outsider or extraplanar creature could fill a mortal shell. I have
more than a few examples but the most prominent was Angra the Inhibitive Immortal who inhabited Captain Madern Barrett of the Stygian
Myrmidons.
Hedge Knight (Cavalier
Archetype)
In my opinion,
these are the only true knights of the realm. Hedge knights live often live on
the edges of civilization, and have given up most of their worldly wealth, they
sleep outdoors, and often cannot even afford a mount, as what they do have they
invest in their armor and shield.
Questhaven
legends say the calling of the hedge knights was born o of knights sleeping
under the ancient hedges that grow along the Oneiric River, who find themselves
transported to the strange world of dreams. And they performed some of the most
renowned and strange quests in our great stories. Due to this unlike in other
realms Hedge Knights in the Protectorate have a high standing, and it is
considered the highest blasphemy to slay a knight sleeping under a hedge, and
only the followers of Their Vicious Brother
of Destruction will violate this custom, robbing him and leaving him bound
and gagged is another matter altogether.
Hedge knights
tend to live on the outskirts of urban areas searching for a patron to serve,
many though take up the life of a knight errant, attending tournaments to make
money and display their prowess, hoping that by making a name for themselves
they will secure a patron. Many Hedge Knights though sadly are often forced by
circumstances to resort to banditry, piracy, and mercenary work.
Order of the Nightingale
The Order of the Nightingale are the fairest of all
the cavalier orders found within the Protectorate and in my opinion are the
Protectorate’s greatest defenders of love, for they dedicate themselves single
individual whom the love, be it a passionate marriage to a beggar’s son or a
forbidden and platonic love with the king’s wife. These cavaliers believe in
love and romance, and are willing to lay down their lives to protect someone to
whom they are devoted.
I have always
found them attired as shining knights, in the finest cloth, while wearing
garland wreathes of roses and lilacs, and bearing the heraldry of their order a
black panther somewhere (though many have individual stylized representations).
My friend Fair Dame Telyn Locke like many members of the order composes poetry,
plays the lyre and harp, sings while she travels about the land, laughs loudly,
and delights in the company of all good people but primarily the company of the
one she loves. Her personal symbol is a rampart panther in front of a
portcullis. If she rides, she covers her mount with gaily chiming bells, though
many members of the order are hedge knights rather than mounted cavaliers.
The order’s
purpose is to seek out and defend your love when it is in peril, or lost, and
defend it to the death, to make sure that love prevails. Fair Dame Telyn loves
one born to the bloodline of the hated Cynmark Dynasty, and has taken a vow of
celibacy till all the evil of that was done it its name is atoned for. Fair Sir Riogoned Gwyrson, serves as the
bodyguard to the Most Favored of Our
Fairest Lady of Love and Song, who unfortunately for him is betrothed in an
arranged marriage to a member of House Larkchild. While many are tragic figures
others find true love and happiness and quest about with those they have fallen
in love with; for as Fair Dame Telyn says “we represent both the best and worst
of love, for love can exalt you unto Heaven, or guide you down the path to
Damnation.”
From what I
have been able to determine, members of the order follow the calling of their
heart, and either another member of the order, a member of the clergy, or some manifestation
of Our Jewel in Heaven leads them to a mentor, and sees their initiation into the
order.
This solitary
order has no true organization, and it is rare to find more than one aesthete
with any other except when one is serving as a mentor to the other. The members
of the order report to no one in the church hierarchy, though I believe the
silent sect guides them from time to time.
Silent Sect of the Watchful
Unicorn
The Silent Sect
of the Watchful Unicorn, the avowed foes of Damnation and all the machinations
that flow from there, is the oldest secret society in existence, and it was
with great difficulty that I uncovered some if not all of their clandestine
activities. I have no substantive proof but enough corroboration from various
sources that I will put down the information here and let you decide.
Many members of
the sect are fair ones and hedge knights of the Order of the Nightingale, along
with many other occupations, but the primary members of the organization are
apparently bards. They have no known symbol of office that I could uncover, I
only learned of the name of the order when I learned of one of the pass phrases
they use, this however I will not print here.
Understand if
you meet someone who claims to be from the Silent Sect of the Watchful
Unicorn they are either lying and most
likely serve the forces of Damnation or you are about to be recruited to join
the order. Most often though you will encounter them and never know they belong
to the sect, as they maneuver behind the scenes, moving forces such as
adventurers like yourself into positions where you will oppose the forces of
Damnation or the Dwellers in the Darkness.
One of the
things I have learned is that the sect knows the secret to tapping into the perfect
music of the spheres of all existence. While Damnation and the Dwellers in the
Darkness despise beauty and purity, the Silent Sect of the Watchful Unicorn
gains power from them, I have listed some of these secrets below.
Hawks of Vengeance
The Hawks of
Vengeance are the foremost order of inquisitors serving Our Father of Star and Sky. Moreover, they are nothing but stone-cold killers, just like their
namesakes trained to naught but to hunt and maul. Believe me when I say they
were not formed to look inward at the church like other inquisitors you are
used to encountering, but to put fear into the hearts of the forces of
darkness, and if such forces can know fear the hawks do their duty well. Their style of fighting is fierce and bloody;
they bring the vengeance judged from on high to the enemy, up close and
personal. They believe one cannot reason with evil and that some creatures will
find salvation only in death. Therefore, these high-minded butchers met out
brutality and bloody vengeance against the enemies of the church and all the
forces of the light. But be warned they do not care about the means of enacting
their revenge, only the ends. To these ends, the hawks have become wild,
passionate warriors, and when they come upon the forces of malevolence, they
abandon any sense of “honor” or “mercy” and instead seek to ravage their foes
completely. Yet they also seek to spread fear to those who would stray for the
path of the righteous and will often maim their foes (as well as to burden
their foes, with caring for their injured). They often horrify paladins and
their religious brethren the eagles of freedom, and myself included.
Windrider (Dragon Rider Archetype)
Windrider’s are
a unique gift from Our Father of Sky and
Star, my opinion is that because dragons are so scarce in the lands of
Questhaven (only 3 dragons are known to still be alive), Our Great Eagle felt a need for a different kind of aerial
champion. And so after talking to the giant harpy eagle and windsteed, “Perch”
, I have learned that she was struck by lightning our of a clear blue sky, a fork of it struck her windrider (it arched
through the ceiling of the prison he was held in underground), yet neither were
harmed though the thunder did deafen them for at time. She says that during
this time they both felt a continued calling toward her windrider. My study of the bond has revealed that its
power is drawn from the windrider, the windsteed, and the divine.
Mostly windrider’s serve Our Welkin Patrician simply by flying and demonstrating their
skills to those below, spreading the majesty of Our Sovereign of the Wind for all to see, though some choose to
patrol a particular area, and more than a few enforce the aerial routes one is
allowed to use to enter Questhaven.
While windriders personalities
vary I have discovered that windrider’s do tend to fall into four groups though
they rarely if ever form factions as the organization is too informal. The
first are called North Winds, they are aggressive individuals who always
confront things head on, with a relenting persistence. South Winds they are
devious and cunning, and always seem to be working an angle they prefer trickery rather
than persistence. West Winds are constantly on the move preferring to leave if
forced into any type of confrontation or challenge, simply moving on to the
next place. West Wind are the most likely to take on passengers and if they
support violence at all, it is as cold blooded revenge, preferring to snipe at
foes from afar. East Winds are defenders of the sky, gifted at both verbal and
aerial sparing, aerial acrobats of the best sort. Note if the rider does not display one of
these personality traits then be assured his windsteed will for Our Father of
Sky and Star seem only to care that one of the pair worship him.
It
is rare for a windrider not to be a member of the Questor’s Society, and the
order itself is considered to be a company within the adventurer’s guild. This
is mostly done as a practical matter based on the society’s love of the church,
the majesty and high esteem the windrider’s hold, and the simple fact that they
are the greatest cavalry in the known world.
Relic Seekers
This errant and
fanatical order of Our Master of Forges
seeks to recover grand works that have been lost or hoarded away. They believe
no one should hold the glorious work of artisans, that we should all let others
behold these grand works where they will be safe. They see it as a great sin
against both their fellow mortals and against Our Grand Wright in Heaven to miserly hide away the masterpieces
that belong to the world. The Relic Seekers have hired me and other members of
the Questor’s Society for expeditions to cleanse long-lost cities, recover
corrupted temples, and retrieve lost works of beauty and powerful artifacts.
They have a deep hatred for most dragons and the Fell Repositories of the
Immortal Emperor Cynmark, as well as a number of those entombed in the Plains
of Solace.
I once inquired
of my fellow Questor Rhinfrew, what it takes to become a relic seeker, and he
told me it requires a unique calling from Our
Sovereign of Crucibles, and a special apprenticeship, which teaches them
about the mystical secrets and history, of the world’s greatest of artifacts.
Rhinfew and his fellows claim no special titles, but when I asked him what he
does in the Guildhall of the Heavenly Bull, he simple said he was a relic seeker.
Due to the
nature of their mission relic seekers are closely associated with the criminal
underworld as they seek to recover objects from the blackmarket or from the
thieves themselves. Rhinfew and Booglefool the Knave of Cogs are quite a famous
pairing of a relic seeker and a rogue, with the two tracking down and
retrieving valuable relics. Relic seekers will seldom if ever travel who are
willfully destructive or have no respect for beauty. I know not what it says of
Rhinfew’s association with me.
Rhinfew said he
and is fellows, are most likely to be found adventuring, and are not closely
tied to the guildhall. Instead he pursued a endless crusade for the reclamation
of lost wonders. Some of his fellow relic seekers dedicate their entire lives
to cleansing the ancient and magnificent dwarven hold known as Mithril Deep,
lost to Those Who Dwell in Darkness centuries before, or relentlessly pursuing
a single artifact, such as the The Ioun Golem, until they are old and frail.
While the relic seekers follow the doctrine of the guildhall, they must also
preserve the sanctity of the great wonders. A relic seeker would never allow a
masterpiece to fall into the hands of one who would hoard it away, and will
fight to the death to prevent it. If it should happen, the relic seeker must
atone and seek to recover the item for the rest of his days.
