Graal
Major Deity
Deity of: Knights,
law, government, hierarchy, defence, war, strategy, honor, armies, slavery,
taxes, diplomacy, politics and power. Tradition.
Form: Grim knight
in black armour. His hair and beard are white and his eyes penetrating
and intense. He carries the black Shield of Powerlust and the white Sword
of the Defender.
Colours: Black and
white
Cardinal Direction:
North East. As a god of war, north as the direction associated
with death and east showing Graal's critical role in the defence of civilization.
For more, see the Theology section.
Alignment: Lawful
evil. It should be noted that Graal is more lawful than evil, with
the obsession with power tipping the balance away from neutral or good.
While almost all of Graal's followers could be called 'lawful', the 'goodness'
or 'evilness' of a follower will be largely determined by circumstance
and individual personality.
Church and Following:
Graal is the flip side to Seandac on the coin of law. Seandac is less
than perfect good, and Graal is less than perfect evil. In many areas they
are the same and fight for the same ideals. The difference is in tone.
Seandac the righteous would
invade half a continent on a crusade. Graal the politic would invade a
few neighbouring states to capture a valuable deep-water naval port, increase
tax revenues and to create a buffer zone between a powerful state and his
own. Graal would rather annex an enemy with only a minimum of fuss and
damage and a maximum reward.
Graal is more about power.
Manipulative politics and a strong military make the ideal. Honor is respected,
but not to the absolute of Seandac. Power is a means in itself and a defence
against change, not a vehicle for reforming the people into righteousness.
Graal-run states are not
as honorable as Seandac-run states. They use their power more to entrench
their own position. They remove political enemies with no remorse, but
rarely kill the merely morally impure. As a result, a Graal-run state may
often be preferable to a Seandac-run state that will hang criminals by
the bushel.
Priests of Graal take up
many of the themes common to both Seandac and Graal. Honor, glory in battle,
etc. but with more emphasis on preserving the class structure, defence
of the realm and the glory of the state.
Tradition is also one of
the most important realms of Graal influence. Priests of Graal are noted
for upholding and defending tradition when it is threatened.
The main church of Graal
has many followers, but his minor deities do not. They do, however, have
very important followers politically...
Church and State: Graal
is, to a certain degree, the deity of government. Not only does his
church address many of the ideals of a state, but also embraces its form,
function and tradition. Much of a government, and many in the nobility,
follow Graal. This is not to imply that these people are evil, but more
to suggest a deep conservatism. Graal's followers
associate themselves with the law and government of a land and the traditions
it stands for, and often these are couched in the words of (and often belief
in) stability, fairness, honour and good.
Relations within the
Pantheon: The worst relations this church has are with the followers
of the church most similar, that of Seandac. Their conflicts are
often direct and over issues dear to the hearts of both. It is not
uncommon for knight or military orders or factions to struggle openly,
and often violently in the forms of contests or assassination.
While less distrustful
of Jivanor's followers than the church of Seandac, the church of Graal
frowns on the looseness and frivolity of Jivanor's more exuberant faithful.
The church of Anacor is
also distrusted, mostly for the common practice of harbouring 'seditious
thinkers' and 'traitorous revolutionaries'.
The one church that Graal's
followers will consistently hate and seek to harm is the church of Rabacaine
under the House of Anacor, the minor deity of revolution, change and radical
thought. Rabaciane's followers are always on the lookout for traditions
ripe for destruction and change.
Graal and Priests: Priests
of Graal are often very politically aware, well trained in tradition and
history and fond of the trappings of the knighthood and nobility.
When a priest of Graal is trained for combat, he (women are never trained
as priests of Graal) will choose heavy combat weaponry and will avoid weapons
associated with cowardice or sneaky, cunning behavior.
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