| The World of Teréth End - Religions - Dekàlan Gods |
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"The messenger before you has the 12,000 Aur I promised for the coffers of your Temple. As always, it was a pleasure visiting Taldàna. I hope to return for a longer period my next visit north. Your hospitality was as always, memorable. I cannot wait for the next opporunity to extend this good will between our temples." - Old Taládan letter to a High
Priest of Amra from a High Priest of Kandlan |
Chapter Nine - Zalan Goddess of Luck and Thievery
A young Azali girl name Irzala ran through the village streets of Kupan (days south of Shiraddam) yelling at the tops of her lungs. She claimed to have seen and heard the words of the spirit of Zalan while sitting on the stones of an old spring outside the village. Villagers raced to the dried spring and found the spirit sitting there for all to see. The spirit, unseen since the spring dried a hundred years passed, told the people that a great army was coming to Azal but not to fear, for in their defeat they would become part of the greatest empire the world had known, and their wealth would be unrivaled. Word of the message and the vision quickly spread through the region but the spirit did not reappear. In the months to follow a contingent of soldiers and priests came to Kupan to verify the story. The girl Irzala was taken to the dried spring to make the spirit appear again. When the girl could not summon the spirit from the sand and rock she was thrown to the ground and a sword was drawn to behead her for her false prophecies and promises of surrender. At that time the blue-cloaked spirit appeared before them and told them to stay the sword, for the girl was the first of her priests in a century's time. The soldiers could not kill a spirit priest so they took the girl to the capital of Azal where she was imprisoned for many years. During Irzala's imprisonment word spread throughout the region of the spirit's prophecy and the young priestess rotting away in the dungeons of Azal. There are many legends about what transpired in the old dungeon, most famous of which were that the villagers from Kupan brought her a sitting stone from the spring of Zalan to comfort her in the dark cell. The stone they brought contained the spirit Zalan who kept the young woman company for many years, teaching the young priestess all she would need to know, day-in and day-out until her release. By the time Dekàlan forces landed at points along the Azali coast, the fortune of Zalan had been re-told thousands of times, so the invading forces found spotty resistance during their campaign. When they marched on the capital, Irzala was summoned by the Azali rulers from the dungeons to explain again what the rulers must do to survive. Irzala explained to them that they must disgard their trappings of wealth and rule and take to the streets as urchins and thieves, only then would the god-spirit Zalan protect them. This they did. To this day it is rumored that one of the thieves of Azalari is the true heir to the Azali throne. By the time of the Dekàlan occupation and the admission of Azàlari as a city-state of the empire in 1 HK, the cult of Zalan was widespread throughout the region. Though many people of the region still worshipped at the shrines of spirits, the Dekàlan invaders were only interested in fashioning a single state religion in the desert kingdom, and so sent soldiers throughout the land to destroy or re-fashion the shrines of the people. As a final stage of recognizing the Temple of the Blue Mother into the Dekàlan pantheon, the High Priestess Irzala and a contingent of priests were invited to Tor Tremèndum for the "Letting", where Irzala's priests ritually stabbed her to death before the High King. Irzala's followers refused to do this at first until she explained that the Letting would "deliver our people". Each of the priests of this contingent, bathed in the blood of the First Priest, returned to Azálari and established new temples enshrining their blood-drenched robe reliquaries. This was the founding of the fourth Temple. The High Temple in Azálari was built around the Sitting Stone of Irzala.
Zalan is depicted as a commoner woman in a dark blue cloak. She is never depicted in fine clothes for the fact that she emerged as a village spring spirit is not forgotten. It is uncertain whether the cloak was always part of her image, but is believed to also stem from her origin as water spirit. Over the centuries pieces of her legends have evolved and fashioned her into the goddess of luck and thieves. Much of her image is a reflection on the successes and indiscretions of the City of Azálari which has remained the largest and busiest port in Teréth End for many centuries. The Divine Aspects Nyd (the buffoon, the trickster) is unique among the aspects of the Dekàlan faith, in that she is almost never depicted or referred to in physical form. Nyd (nid; rhymes with hide) is viewed as a spirit that infuses the faithful and inspires them to mischief. Followers of Nyd are an interesting and unpredictable lot, as prone to engaging marks in games of chance (the chances offered are not very good) as they are setting traps and pitfalls for the unwary. "Nyd rewards those that Zalan smiles upon" is a phrase taken literally by many of her faithful. Those that "survive" the attentions of the tricksters are seen as having been blessed by Nyd, and are no longer treated as marks or targets. In fact, all of the faithful of Nyd have at one time in their past overcome some great test placed upon them by other followers of the faith. This demarcation between targets and blessed is central to the Zalan-Nyd dogma. The faithful believe that it is necessary to repeatedly test the uninitiated to distill the chosen of Nyd from those that are not. Those that are not "chosen" deserve the consequences of their plight, while the those that are "blessed" may seek revelation in the hopes that they join the fold, and in turn test the population for more. Simple tricks are viewed contemptuously by the followers of Zalan-Nyd. It is also considered sloppy if the identity of the trickster is revealed. It is considered heresy if the trickster is associated with Nyd directly. Revelation of "the Trick" is in effect disarming the priesthood in its attempt to find those that the goddess smiles upon. Devising new tricks is the eternal challenge put forward by the goddess to her followers, to prove their love and faith to Nyd. Within the Zalan-Nyd faith there are many orders. Some orders of Nyd are more cruel than others. Some orders contain many sub-orders which serve specific goals. It is not uncommon for faithful of Nyd to serve more than one order, but keep their membership (or at least station) within any one order secret. The symbols of Nyd vary from order to order, but most faithful incorporate a black and white checkered pattern into some part of their raiment, whether it be a scarf, a coat, a cloak or hat. This reveals the tricksters to one another, and helps (in most cases) assure that they do not repeatedly expose each other to the Trick (i.e. test one another). A standard checkered pattern is used by most, though some entertainers use a diamond harlequin pattern. Semàtir (the night stalker) is believed to walk the dark streets and alleys of Teréth End, teaching the lost and desperate the skills necessary to thrive. Few useful descriptions exist of this "angel of thieves" as he is thought to assume forms that enable him to blend into the surrounding culture. For this and other reasons, the faithful of Semàtir are accomplished masters of diguise. The only item that is constant among his forms is his legendary black dagger skardalthir which ocassionally finds its way into the hands of others until quests of particular importance are completed in his name. The symbols of Semàtir are a severed hand, a dagger, a moon, or a jackal, but variations on these icons are also used. In ancient times, Semàtir was believed to have been mortal, and his left-hand has cut off for thievery. Zalan is believed to have taken pity on the young man and schooled him in the ways of the shadowy arts. When he had mastered the arts, Zalan presented him with skardalthir, which had been created for him by the artificer Attrakar. The black dagger is believed to wound whomever it strikes, and the dark wounds it carves can never be healed. Among divine aspects, Semàtir has the second largest following in Dekàlas (second only to Rün) among divine aspects. The group exists under many different names throughout the ancient region including: the Shadow Order (Panath), the Cult of the Black Dagger (Azàlari, Jadth and regions east), the Watchmen (Kandal and the Fertile Coast), the Night Walkers (Snaking Pass and Zyrrn) and the Shemùlae (Ildûn). Suspected connections to the Othic Poisoners' Guild are unsubstantiated. In their home region of Azàlari, the cult's main adversary are the Capharan Zin Virael. Where they do exist within the ancient Empire, they enjoy some courtesies from local temples and governments, as representatives and ambassadors of Zalan in those lands. In exchange for this tolerance, they are expected to serve the local Temple of throne at times, as spies and assassins. Semàtiran organizations are not known in Lanàdus or Taldàna, but individual followers are believed to operate there. The Cult of the Black Dagger (Order of Skardalthir) may be the most notorious of the Orders of Semàtir. Bearing the symbol of the dagger and moon, the Order is comprised of assassins and thieves stretching from the trading port of Azàlari to the southern reaches of Jadth. Followers of the Order however are more than just thieving miscreants, they are unholy soldiers crusading to uphold the master's law of ownership that treasures belong to those who desire them most. The Order demands honor among its members, and expects that more accomplished and successful thieves should aid and tutor recruits. The highest ranking members within the Order receiving the Blessing of the Master (Semàtir) are inducting into the Werrid. Haphazard or random inductions into the Blessing are frowned upon and excommunicated from the Order, if not killed. The Cult Much of the worship of Zalan is directly related to the spirit religion of the ancient Azali. Although Zalan legend tells that at one time she was one of many spirits of the land, she is now revered as a mother spirit, above the other land spirits. In remote areas of the Esh and coastal mountains, spirit worship continues in the same manner than it did 2000 years ago. Currently, the Cult of Zalan is centered in the port City of Azàlari on the western coast of the continent Tasserus. Though the high temple Kyrm Oryzalan lies in ruins, the center of the Temple of the Blue Mother still resides in the sandy city. The Priesthood Day-to-Day Activities: Zalan requires few daily observances from her faithful. Priests of the spirit-goddess are required to pray with each rise of the morning sun for new promise and opportunity. Spellcasting priests receive their daily spells at this same time. Although many seek the goddess of thievery in hopes of expanding their wealth, few of the faithful are truly wealthy. The spirit-goddess is a patron of poor and desperate people seeking opportunities to better their lives. The wealthy and the established often become the target of the faithful's goals. Many in Zalan favored regions are very careful to hide evidence of their wealth, unless they can afford to protect it and themselves. It is customary for followers of Zalan to "give back" a portion of their earnings for all things in which they asked Zalan's favor. Giving-back usually consists of leaving a small pile of coins or some item of value in a place where it may be found by some "lucky" individual of the spirit-goddess's choosing. Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: There are many minor holy days through the year. There are three major days, the placement of which were arbitrarily set in years past. The Feast of the Appearance (13th of Flald) is the first holiday of the year, commemorating the appearance of Zalan to Irzala at the spring near Kupan. The Feast of the Letting (6th of Vulune) commemorates the sacrifice of Irzala before the High King allowing the ascension of Zalan into the Dekàlan pantheon. The Feast of Ruin (2nd of In'Orol) commemorates the razing of the High Temple at Azálari and the prayers of promise to rebuild Zalan's "house" in the years to come. During each of these days the faithful of Zalan go among the people of Azàlari (and some few other places) and grant the blessing of the goddess for free. Following the Feast of the Letting, faithful wishing to enter into the goddess's service may petition the priests for admission into the Great Family. Major Centers of Worship: The center of worship within the Temple of the Blue Mother was the Kyrm Oryzalan, built upon the Sitting Stone of Irzala before its destruction during the Second Acentran-Dekàlan War. The ruins of the great temple still attract many faithful who come to pray for guidance and good fortune among the crumbling stones. The Sitting Stone is believed to still sit somewhere beneath the great ruin but rumors have circulated over the years that the stone was removed. The second most holy site in Azálari is the town of Kupan where the spirit-goddess Zalan is believed to have first appeared to the High Priestess Irzala. Kupan is a much large village than it once was, due primarily to business related to the regular pilgrimmages to the site. Other major temples were constructed at each location where the apostles of Irzala settled with their blood-stained robes. The eight Temples of the Blood stand at Balar (Shrine of the Golden Chest), Damradaa, Hadikar, Mandarim (Shrine of Bones), Nîl (Shrine of Horom), Shaybayad, Shirradam (Shrine of the Goat) and Takir.
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Navigation Dekàlan Gods There are ten major gods traditionally worshipped by Dekàlans. Amra (beauty, love) Other gods have emerged in the same lands since the fall of Dekàlas. While some are new, some ancient deities have experienced a resurgence of faith. Eiron (law, duty) Domains Spellcasting clerics of Zalan have access to the following domains Chaos Worshippers of her aspects have access to different domains. Nyd's priesthood have access to Luck while Semàtir's priesthood has access to Animal  |
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| Ref. PHB (Player's Handbook), DF (Defenders of the Faith), FR (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting), © Wizards of the Coast  |
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