A Brother’s Love Conversations with Peoni By: Chris Van Tighem Two figures hurried along a trail leading to the village as dusk closed in. They had a similar look to them but while one wore the homespun linen tunic of a farmer, the other wore the simple garments of a Priest of Peoni. They were deep in conversation pausing only to listen to the hoot of an owl, a sure sign that night would soon cover them in darkness. "I reckon it was a simple affair," said Mikelat. "I’ve been toiling the fields and tending the animals with burden, and all the time you been away learning and praying." "Say what you will, brother," replied Relf, "but the trials of entering the priesthood are filled with toil, humility, and respect. I do not ask that you understand it, but it deserves some respect." "They even got you talking funny! Do they let you speak to the Goddess?" asked Mikelat. "I mean do you know She’s listening?" "The Goddess is a patient and loving mother who answers her children," replied Relf somewhat evasively, "although not always in the ways one expects." "So the answer is no," grinned Mikelat. "Your question is not a simple one to answer," replied Relf. "My knowledge thus far has allowed me to feel Her presence. It is for the more devout and experienced servants of the Lady of Truth to know her will." "Book learning and praying. Pah! Now you come back to the village and everybody’s going to do the work so that you can eat. Well, I sure hope you don’t get as round as the Reslava Patrek from such bountiful sup!" joked his brother. "It is hard work learning to be a vessel for the Guardian of the Meek. The study and the lessons, combined with the physical toil. Did you know we worked alongside the peasants whenever we could?" "No. I thought you were just given books to read and prayers to speak," said Mikelat. "Solana Derak felt it was good for our teachings to toil alongside the adherents to the word," said Relf. "Look at my hands. Are these the hands of a scholar?" he asked. "My contributions to the village will be well received, brother. I may not be able to help every day in your fields but I will take time to dig in the earth so that my hands don’t turn soft." "Well now that you mention it you aren’t as pale I thought you would be," replied Mikelat. The jealousy and envy that he had anticipated feeling was replaced with respect and admiration for the man, no the priest, that his brother had become. Suddenly, Mikelat knelt down in front of his brother and bowed his head. "Forgive me Ebasethe! I was so filled with anger because I thought I was bringing home a boy spoiled from the past four years of idle life and little chore. Please, would you give me your blessing and forgiveness?" "Here?" Relf shrugged. "Why not!" Slowly, the worry and care seemed to slip from Relf’s countenance as he contemplated the Goddess and thought on the lessons hard learned at the abbey. Gently, but firmly, he placed his hands on his brother’s bowed head and asked the Lady of Industrious Labour for her favour on the honourable yet blind follower who shared his blood. Harn is home to worshippers of all the 10 deities, listed as: Agrik, Halea, Ilvir, Larani, Morgath, Naveh, Peoni, Sarajin, Save K’nor, and Siem. Peoni, the goddess worshipped by peasants and farmers, has the most followers. Larani is the Goddess of Nobility, while the Sindarin, Khuzdul and some Jarin worship Siem. Followers of Agrik, Morgath and Naveh are proscribed in most of the kingdoms on Harn, but they too have clergy and temples in Rethem, the Thardic Republic and other various areas. Ilvir is mainly worshipped by the Jarin, the first humans to live on Harn, although his followers can be found in all walks of life. There are several clerical invocations common for all churches. Acolytes and priests with promise are taught these ritual invocations by each of their respective organized faiths. The invocation that Relf placed upon his brother was a Blessing and he also explained how low ranking clerics Commune with their deity while clerics of greater rank are able to determine the will of their god through Divination. Blessing and Commune are described below. Every church has variations to the ritual, from language, to the order of events in a ritual, to differences in sacrifices and offerings that reflect the specific church theology. Cleric Invocations HârnMaster Clerical Invocations are broken into Circles of Command. Priests are typically admitted into Circle III upon ordination. They have access to invocations of that circle and the ones under it. d20 (open gaming content shown in italics below) Since d20 is a level based system the clerical invocations shown here have been given a level equivalent. Blessing Circle: II Time: 25-RSI Seconds Ritual: Prayer Range: Touch/Sermon Duration: One Blessing A ritual to bestow piety on the subject. The piety is transferred from the cleric to the subject. The cleric determines in advance how much Piety will be bestowed. With a CS, bestowed piety is deducted at half-cost from the cleric. A cleric may convey an equal amount of Piety to a larger audience. Blessing may (optionally) be used to neutralize the effects of a Hex psionic talent, or a Curse invocation. Blessing Enchantment Level: (Cleric 1) Components: V, S Casting Time: 2 Rounds Range: Touch/Sermon Target: All allies within range Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: No Spell Resistance: Yes (Harmless) A ritual that, when successful, bestows the "favor of the God" upon any willing adherent of the cleric’s faith. The Blessing gives a one-time bonus of +2 to any skill that the "blessed" person chooses. Alternatively, Blessing may be used to reduce or negate the effect of a Curse already in place.     Commune Circle: II Time: 15-RSI minutes Ritual: Prayer/Meditation Range: Self Duration: Trance for 5 minutes An attempt to establish a close spiritual relationship with the deity. The cleric hopes to earn the deity’s favour, reflected by receiving bonus Piety. MS: 2d6 Piety CS: 4d6 Piety CF: The deity is annoyed by this intrusion and punishes the invoker with –4d6 Piety (or worse). Commune Enchantment Level: (Cleric 1) Components: None Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: Self Duration: 5 Minutes (trance) Saving Throw: No Spell Resistance: No The cleric uses this ritual to establish a close spiritual relationship with their chosen deity. The cleric hopes to earn the deity's favour, reflected by receiving various temporary in-game rewards (DM discretion). The cleric rolls Knowledge (Religion) vs. DC of their chosen deity (listed right). If a cleric fails then there is a designated percentage chance of punishment by the deity due to the uninvited intrusion. The punishment should be decided based on the deity’s general outlook (i.e. Peoni may demand fasting for several days, while Agrik and Larani might call for a dangerous quest to be performed, and Ilvir would almost certainly force pilgrimage). Deity DC % Agrik 17 19 Halea 16 19 Ilvir 18 24 Larani 17 14 Morgath 15 24 Naveh 17 19 Peoni 16 9 Sarajin 17 14 Save K'nor 18 14 Siem 17 9