Tiamat’s exact functions as a goddess are difficult to establish. As her name indicates (see below), she was a deification of the primordial sea. Our best source of information for Tiamat is the myth Enūma Eliš , and in fact, there are only a handful of references to her outside of it. Enūma Eliš begins with a description of the two primeval seas, the salt … Continue reading The Salt Goddess is Dead. Long Live the Salt Goddess!
So, a fairly positive spin on “Of Chaos” presented to human worshipers of the cults goes like this: In the beginning, existence was a formless, infinite void of possibility and connection Time and Death arrived; destabilizing the whole thing (the universal consciousness) to fear, loss, and regret Pettty tyrants known to mankind as gods prospered by putting the jackbooted heels of oppression against the week … Continue reading Hare Krishna and the Cults of Chaos
While cities and imperial towns are inherently Of Law (civilization requires a ruling class, a religious class, and some sort of trade membership), not all of the towns, villages, and hamlets in Lyonesse are likewise aligned. Some are Unaligned, and a few are Of the Balance (the Druids usually give these away). There are no settlements larger than camps, dungeons, or forts that are Of … Continue reading Settlement Alignment
The magic of sorcerers, wizards, and necromancers is Of Chaos. Chaos has a high affinity for black iron, the less refined, the better. Raw ore is the easiest to enchant, followed by wrought iron, forged iron, and steel. Cultists refer to iron as “the teeth of Tiamat”, although that is not accepted Church doctrine. Continue reading Materia Magicka
Brute leaders are
great beasts with additional hit dice, and magic-using shamans may
also be found in the larger tribes. Brute tribes hate each other, and will
fight savagely unless restrained by a powerful and feared commander, such as a Chaotic high priest or an evil sorcerer. Continue reading Chaos Brute Stats
Orc’ hair is usually black. They have pig-like faces and reddish eyes. Orcs prefer wearing vivid colors that many humans would consider unpleasant, such as blood red, mustard yellow, yellow-green, and deep purple. Their equipment is dirty and unkempt. An adult male orc is a little over 6 feet tall and females are slightly smaller. Orcs are primarily subterranean, but they are also nocturnal and … Continue reading Chaos Brutes
In a comment attributed to the prophet Joshua, “Alignment is a strange game in which the only winning move is not to play”. Continue reading “…and the controversial social issues”.
Alignments are not elective philosophies, that if you fail to choose you inherit “neutral/selfish”. They are Faiths. They determine the values you hold in life, what you believe the role of mankind is upon the world, and they very much are directly relevant to what happens when you die. If you stray too far from your Alignment, the Labyrinth Lord will not assign a new Alignment. You will be ostracized by those of your current Alignment, those with the ability to detect Alignment will be able to tell that you have lapsed, and those of opposing Alignments will target you for conversion (or sacrifice, as it happens). Continue reading Alignment
It’s been a generation of conflict and strife, and the furthest edges of the empire were the first to fall into secessionist feudal kingdoms (“The Young Kingdoms”, generally). What this means for the demi-human races (“The Fair Folk”, collectively, in the west) not aligned with Chaos who had been in long centuries of decline due to the ascension of the Holy Empire, is still a tale waiting to be told. Continue reading The Holy Empire
Before the world was created, there was raw, formless chaos. The god Marduk killed the mother goddess Tiamat and used half her body to create the earth, and the other half to create both the paradise of šamû and the netherworld of irṣitu. There are many, many lesser deities in the pantheon of gods, but they are all the same gods regardless of where on the world you journey amongst human lands. The most popular are Marduk, Anu, Enlil, Ea, and Inanna. Continue reading On Law, Chaos, and The Balance
Perilous Paths 