Alignment: Lawful GoodPortfolios: healing, compassion, peace Races: human, elven, tomanth Animal Totem: elephant Physical Description: When depicted by humans, he is given the form of a short, lean, and warm man with compassionate eyes and an open face. His long hair is often braided, and is the same brown color as his simple woolen cassock. Simple sandles are all that adorn his feet, and a serpentine staff with the head of a snake is sometimes in his hands. Nearly always, a whistling plant is shown at his feet, near the base of the staff; the whistling plant has excellent curative powers, and slots in its leaves that cause it to 'whistle' when the wind blows through it. History: The Shaping Wars were no surprise to the people of that time, with a number of conflicts and lesser wars leading up to the major confrontations. Indeed, it is difficult to say with certainty for nearly a century before hand, just when the conflicts became what was then known as the Artifact Wars. During that dark and sticken time, a monk of Galanus named Creavis discovered the Relic of Whalin, and became the god's first prophet. Creavis had been exploring the catacombs of a long-abandoned empire in search of clues to origin of the undead leader known as the One of Four, when he became caught in the middle of a fierce battle between Argunas' demons and the var gaufs of Emperor Akmaen Delture of Chilleth. Several squatters that occupied the catacombs were caught in the conflict, and their terror at the events around them led Creavis to find the god of compassion's Relic. The First of Whalin, he turned aside the demons and fought off the var gauf, but not without cost. The very squatters he was protecting aided him in return for his compassion. As the chaos of the Artifact Wars continued, Creavis' message and prophecy of the god of healing spread. Hearing of his protracted battle with the var gauf, one convert from Chilleth began to teach the Disciples of Whalin in the martial arts, eventually developing the Hummingbird style of self-defense. Another convert began the long and arduous scholarly study of demons and demon-summoning -- at the risk of his own soul. As the war raged on around him, he strengthed the defensive power of the newfound Church of Whalin. In the centuries after the Shaping Wars, the Church grew even stronger, spreading the concepts of bartering favors and prayers for goods, the martial arts of self defense, and the compassion missing from the harsh times. Relic: To protect the Relic from the Abyssal fires of Argunas and his minions, Creavis' last act as the First of Whalin was to take the Relic to a cold, faraway place. Most people and followers of Whalin believe the Relic to be at the north pole of Gaeleth, but the true and faithful who have studied the scriptures of Creavis believe it to be at the south pole, buried beneath the ice for all time. Church: The Church of Whalin is strong and well-organized. Attended by patient and thorough philosophers and beauracrats, the Citadel in Karmen is considered one of the most efficient and self-sacrificing of the heads of faiths. The Citadel is a squat, no-nonsense set of buildings surrounded by herbal gardens and monastic buildings. Though the Chosen of Whalin might remain in the Citadel, most of the Disciples are constantly moving from monastary to monastary over much of Gaeleth. The monastaries make up the bulk of places of worship to Whalin, and the monastic orders, headed by deacons, make up the bulk of the priests of Whalin. Monastaries of Whalin are usually boons to the local economy, for their favors are not subject to inflation (see Bastion of Faith by Bruce R. Cordell for further information on favors). Clerics: The priests often act as the Church's front line defense against evil. They actively seek evil out, so that it cannot present a threat to the good of the Church. They are the instruments of peace within the Church, helping to end war and conflict, and the evils they bring to men such as starvation and disease. Clerics of Whalin cast spells from the sphere of Healing as though they were one level higher than they are (thus a 2nd-level cleric would cast cure light wounds as though he were a 3rd-level cleric, for purposes of dispellment or the like). Their weapons never draw blood, and are used only as a last resort. Monks: The monks of Whalin make up the backbone of the Church. Their nonviolent fighting skills, considerable healing abilities, and scholarly pursuits. They are usually excellent bontanists, pursuing the skills of herbalism and healing with equal fervor. Given to wide travel, as well as their monastic studies, the monks are often welcome wherever they travel. Their outlook focuses on the healing of wounds first, and the destruction of evil second; this allows them to function in nations or areas where their lawfulness and devotion to good would otherwise preclude them. Specialty priests: Outstanding physicians, scholars, and healers, the priests of Whalin are welcome advisors, teachers, and surgeons. Their tendancy to believe in the spirit of the law, rather than the letter of the law, requires that they be wise. The emotional and physical tole of healing also requires that they be strong. Specialty priests of Whalin need scores of 14 or better in Wisdom and Constitution, and scores of 13 or better in scores of Charisma and Intelligence. These priests are granted major access to the spheres of All, Charm, Divination, Healing, Necromantic, and Summoning. They have minor access to the spheres of Combat, Creation, Guardian, and Protection; apparently, Whalin placed more faith in his priests, than he did in the forms of spells he granted them. These priests of Whalin were granted certain special powers, in addition to their spells: 1) all spells cast from the sphere of Healing give -- or take -- double the amount specified, such that cure light wounds would cure 2d8 points of damage, 2) they could 'lay on hands' exactly as a paladin for three Hit Points per level of the priest, and 3) they gained a fighter's THAC0 in the martial arts style of their study. They cannot use weapons of any sort, save their own bodies. Armor may be of any type, though it tends to be light, because of their martial arts studies. Paladins: The paladins of Whalin are usually specialty warriors, who train not to fight the evils of other men, but the evils of supernatural powers. Their bladed weapons bite deeply into the flesh of evil dragons and the bones of the undead, but they never draw blood against another man. Capable of 'laying on hands' for three Hit Points per level, instead of two, they are formidable healers in their own right. Next God from Gaeleth's Gods |