Traveler

The Traveler, titled "The Sovereign of Chaos and Change" and in some lands known as the Giver of Gifts, is a chaotic neutral or unaligned deity of the Dark Six. The Traveler presides over the portfolios of chaos, deception, evolution, invention, and transformation; or influences the areas of change, cunning, deception, and innovation; or oversees the provinces of change and chaos. It has an aspect as a god of artifice and artificers. Followers of the god are known as Travelers.
== Description ==
The most mysterious of all the gods, the Traveler is believed to be a supreme shapeshifter and trickster, a virtuoso of deceit and craftiness, a creator of things and a bringer of knowledge. It is even believed to be the true lord of Eberron, having walked all its roads and seen all its sights, and left them all transformed. However, it is also said to be impulsive and unpredictable and a creature of dark cunning. The Traveler is thought to look favorably on those who use their wits or are resourceful, and to disapprove of those who beg for safety and care or for unearned gifts.
Legends say that, alone among the gods, the Traveler walks the land with a thousand faces, in body and in spirit, but no mortal will pierce its perfect disguise. The Traveler's true nature is one of the great mysteries, and even its gender is unknown—the Traveler is referred to as "it", not "he" or "she", but sometimes "he" and "she" have been used, even interchangeably. Either way, it has been depicted with a laughing face.
== Relations ==
The Traveler is unique in that it is not related, by family or any other means, to any of the other members of the Sovereign Host or the Dark Six, despite being treated as a member of the latter group. In fact, the Traveler appears to be defiantly independent of these other gods, even happily oblivious of their presence. While definitely the least malign of the Dark Six, the Traveler is not especially benign either. Nevertheless, with regards to the Dark Six, the Traveler is almost always the exception.
== Works ==
Many things folk cannot easily understand or explain have been readily attributed to the Traveler. Often, it is said to be the creator of one thing or another, from certain creatures to geographic features. For example, canyons and lakes in many places bear names like "The Traveler's Footprint" or similar in the local tongue.
The Traveler is even said by believers to have created the whole world itself. In two myths commonly told by doppelgangers, the Traveler created the world from pieces scavenged from another world. In one, this world was an earlier creation that had fallen into ruin, and in the other, it was a parallel creation the Traveler desired to copy. In another myth, the Traveler drew the world from out of a dragon's gut.
Changelings, such as the priest Chance, tell the story that in olden times there was a woman called Jes who had one hundred children. When enemies plotted to slay them, Jes appealed to the Sovereign Host, but got no answer but rain and wind. When Jes despaired, a lone traveler came and took her hand, promising "I will protect your children if they follow my path. Let them wander the world. They may be shunned and feared, but they will never be destroyed." Accepting this, Jes was given the traveler's cloak and she spread it over her hundred children. Though their former faces melted away, they could become whoever they wished, becoming the changeling race, shunned by all but shielded by the Traveler's gift. Another, somewhat bland, changeling legend tells that the Traveler chose to create a new race, for reasons unknown and unknowable but much speculated about. The Traveler channeled his (in this version, it is masculine) will and desires through doppelgangers and gave them temporary extra powers and had them go out into the world and breed with humans and other humanoids, and their progeny were the first changelings.
It is said that when the gods of the Host and the Six laid curses on Xen'drik, the Traveler twisted the land so no path could be walked the same way twice. The Traveler's Curse, as it is known, means explorers can take a path twice and end up at different destinations.
The Giver of Gifts is also believed to have created the village of Lost in Droaam for the changeling refugees of Ohr Kaluun in Sarlona during the Sundering, and also granted the inhabitants their powers.
Most recently, the Traveler has been credited with the creation of the warforged, with many in House Cannith thinking the initial inspiration was the Traveler's gift. The troubles arising from this new race lend credence to the belief.
Hexblades think their powers come from the Giver of Gifts.
== Dogma ==
“
We were their saviors, so they asked us to stay and to be their lords. Perhaps even their gods. But I told them they should not put their faith in other mortals so, pointing to their shamed lord and their fat priest. Then the east whispered of mystery to me, so we set our feet to the road again. That night, we saw smoke in the west. I dreamed of burning temples and a gallows song on the wind.
”
— Writings of a follower of the Traveler
There are few holy texts for the faith, so the Traveler's commandments usually need to be deduced. However, some known common tenets are:
* Revealing one's true self is weakness. Instead, followers should cover themselves in disguise and deception, until not even they know the truth of themselves.
* Nothing is permanent. Thus, followers should make sure that change helps them and hinders their rivals.
* Cunning plans and intricate deceptions are the most effective weapons, for mortal minds can be predicted and easily manipulated. With such manipulations, foes may be thrown into chaos before one strikes.
* Change strengthens people and chaos pushes evolution. That is, change is certain and leads to necessity, which breeds invention and transformation, so one must be adaptable. However, this change is not due to the random chance of Olladra, but due to continual personal growth and transformation.
In addition, the faith of the Traveler promotes careful planning and adopting a subtle approach, as well as change in any form. Moreover, while the Traveler has the domain of creation, it is the invention of something new, not merely re-creation of something old. It's held that the wayward cycle of change is the eternal path of the Traveler, and of those who choose to follow.
Although the Traveler is known as the Giver of Gifts, a famous proverb advises to "Beware the gifts of the Traveler". This originates in Sarlona, but every culture in which the Traveler is known has some version of it. It warns that a gift can have strings attached, unexpected results, or hidden dangers, and that even an apparent good fortune can have unpredictable consequences. Yet followers of the Traveler believe this is not necessarily a bad thing, as invention comes with a cost, evolution is a struggle in which those who do not adapt perish, that only chaos can lead to an ideal world.
== RMSS/RMFRP Conversion ==
Priests of the Traveler are pure spell users of Channeling that uses the Priest template on page 26 of the Channeling companion. They also are of the Mischief, Trickery sphere of influence.
Category:The Dark Six
Category:Faiths of Eberron
Category:The Traveler
Category:Changeling
Category:Channeler
Category:Priest
Category:Mischief
Category:Trickery