The Lords of Men

Saint Cuthbert of the Cudgel

### Date of birth

4th day of Growfest, -634 CE (Unknown how this corresponds to Madness Reckoning)

### Place of birth

Greymaine, Oerth continent (currently known as Hub)

## Physical description

### Eye color

Brown

￼St. Cuthbert is one of the older deities of the united Pantheon, but the Wise Fool did not start his
existence as a diety. Aeons before the Madness, Cuthbert was a paladin of good
and law, spending the majority of his time wandering the country side, righting
wrongs and aiding the general population. Cuthbert, as he was known, was
commonly mistaken for a beggar due to his poor appearance and simple, tattered
clothes; the experiences he had while outside of his armor greatly influencing
his ministry. Cuthbert would cheer the generosity of other whilst collecting
alms for those less fortunate than himself and struck back with furious retribution
on those who would seek to molest the downtrodden.

Saint Cuthbert hates
evil, but is more concerned with law and order, with converting the uninformed,
and preventing backsliding among the faithful. He does not support laws
designed to support the wicked and crush the just, but works within those laws
to uplift the people they exploit rather than circumvent them entirely.

***Source***: Dungeons & Dragons, The Dragon Magazine
issue 2

***Pantheon***: The
Twelve

***Alignment***: LN trending towards LG

***Favored Weapon***: Mace, both Heavy and Light

***Symbol***: A starburst set in two concentric circles with
rubies inlaid at the intersection, a wooden billet, or a crumpled hat

***Sacred Animals***: Sea Otter

***Sacred Colors***: Tan and Grey

***Domains***: Archon (Law), Community, Cooperation, Defense,
Destruction,, Ferocity, Heroism, Home, Honor, Judgement, Law, Leadership,
Legend, Legislation, Loyalty, Martyr, Protection, Rage, Redemption, Strength

***Inquisitions***: Conversion, Fervor, Final Rest, Heresy,
Imprisonment, Justice, Order, Persistence, Redemption, Reformation, Zeal

***Mysteries***: Battle, Streets

***Blessings***:
Destruction, Law, Protection, Strength

**Worship of St. Cuthbert**

Cuthbertines (that is,
worshipers of Saint Cuthbert) are most prevalent in the lands surrounding the
Central Ocean. The saint has churches in Carcerus, Furyondy, the
Gran March, the
Free City of Greymaine,Kiriland,
the Aristocratic
Municipality of Sasserine, the Shield
Lands, Tenh, the
Principality of Everglow, the
County of Skag, the Duchy of Ioma, Vealan,
and, inexplicably, the Ochlocratic
Anarchy of the Other. These churches can be large cathedrals, but most
commonly are wayside shrines and small, crude chapels.

On other planes, Saint
Cuthbert is the most favored god of the Harmonium faction,
who appreciate the god’s uncompromising nature. The current leader of the
faction, Faith, is a cleric of Saint Cuthbert.

**Clergy**

Saint Cuthbert’s
priesthood is divided into three major orders.

The Chapeaux, whose
symbol is a crumpled hat, seek to convert people into their faith. They are
equally divided between lawful good and lawful neutral characters. Paladins of
Saint Cuthbert, known as Votaries or Communicants, have an honorary position in
the Order of the Chapeaux. Their role is not just to convert others, but to
actually fight enemies of the faith.

The Stars, whose symbol
is a starburst, seek to enforce doctrinal purity among those already dedicated
to the saint. Most are lawful neutral, and they do not shy from using
mind-reading magic in order to ensure that even the private thoughts of their
flock are pure.

The Billets are the most numerous of Saint Cuthbert’s clergy. Most
are lawful good, and they seek to minister to and protect the faithful. These
are well-beloved by the common folk. Their symbol is a wooden club. The
Chapeaux often come into conflict with the Billets, because the former order
wants to seek new converts while the latter wants to care for the worshipers
they already have.

## Kord

The Stormlord, roiling his thunder behind his strike.

## Physical description

### Gender

Male

￼Kord (pronounced KORD) is the God of storms and is the patron of athletes, especially wrestlers. His
worshipers include good fighters, barbarians, and rogues. He is known as the
Brawler. He revels in strength, battlefield prowess, and noise; his blows are
said to summon lightning and his raucous shouts cause thunder. He is a
mercurial god, unbridled and wild, who summons storms over land and sea; those
who hope for better weather appease him with prayers and spirited toasts. Those
who hope for strength and prowess on the battlefield recite prayers and battle
cries in his name.

Kord is commonly
depicted as a human-statured male, barrel-chested and with massive muscles. He
wears iron bracers around his wrists. His beard is long and goes down to the
middle of his chest. In one hand he carries a long, thick greatsword. His legs
and midsection are clothed in furs and leathers. Dwarves and humans have heated
arguments over which race more closely resembles Kord’s idealized visage, with
each making subtle changes to the statues in their temples. He is a foe of
dragonkind, especially lawful evil dragons; many of his faithful can be
prejudice against Kobolds, not seeing them as removed from their famous masters
in the
Madness.

***Source***: Dungeons & Dragons 4e (Diety originates in
1st edition but did not gain storm aspect until much later.)

***Pantheon***: The
Twelve

***Alignment***: CG

***Favored Weapon***: Greatsword

***Symbol***: Lightning bolt clenched in a gauntleted fist

***Sacred Animals***: Dire Bear

***Sacred Colors***: Grey and Indigo

***Domains***: Chaos, Competition, Duels, Fist, Glory, Good,
Lightning, Monsoons, Storms, Strength, Weather

***Inquisitions***: Conversion, Excommunication, Execution,
Heresy, Redemption, Reformation, Valor

***Mysteries***: Battle, Streets

***Blessings***:
Chaos, Glory, Good, Strength, Weather

**Worship of Kord**

Would-be clerics of Kord
come into the faith one of two ways. Most succeed on some feat of strength
(often at a local carnival or sporting competition), drawing the admiration of
a cleric of Kord. Less often, a youth attains notoriety for his sickly nature,
but a cleric of Kord notices how passionately the child craves strength. Either
way, becoming a cleric of Kord involves rigorous physical training, including
calisthenics, running, and practice in any number of specific sports.

Kord gives few commands:

\*Be strong, but do not
use your strength for wanton destruction.

\*Be brave and scorn
cowardice in any form.

\*Prove your might in battle to win glory and renown.

## Valkur

The Captain of the Waves appearing on deck with his favored animal.

### Aliases

The Master Sailor, The Unmoving Eye, Anchor, the Captain of the Waves

## Physical description

### Gender

Male

￼Valkur (pronounced val-KURR) is a demipower deity of sailors, ships, favorable winds and naval
combat. Valkur’s philosophy puts him in conflict with the thousands of
capricious ocean gods and goddesses. Changeable as the winds, the Captain of
the Waves is a fiercely loyal leader.

He appears as a jolly
sea captain who can pilot any vessel. His moods are as mercurial as the
weather, but he is always incredibly loyal to his crew. He is usually jolly,
always lucky, emphasizes his points by shaking his fist in the air, and has a
great belly laugh. Valkur never holds a grudge, but when angered, his voice
cracks like rolling thunder. Valkur epitomizes the daring sea captain who can
sail his ship through anything theThousand
Oceans can unleash. It was believed that Valkur may have once been a
mortal sailor who challenged Stalag to
a race and arrived safe on the shore of the new world; the race is purported to
have happened during the Madness, as the Mad God conjured numerous waves and
storms in the cataclysm that madethe
world.

***Source***: *Stormwrack* and *Faiths*
and Pantheons*from Dungeons and Dragons 3e*

***Pantheon***: The
Twelve and The
Elemental Council

***Alignment***: Chaotic Good

***Favored Weapon***: Cutlass

***Symbol***: Shield with a cloud and three thunderbolts

***Sacred Animals***: Sea Hawk

***Sacred Colors***: Indigo and Cyan

***Domains***: Air, Chaos, Competition, Defense, Exploration,
Freedom, Glory, Good, Leadership, Loyalty, Monsoons, Oceans, Protection, Trade,
Weather, Wind

***Inquisitions***: Banishment, Conversion, Excommunication,
Execution, Heresy, Order, Persistence, Redemption, Reformation, Tactics

***Mysteries***: Battle, Waves

***Blessings***:
Chaos, Glory, Good, Protection, Strength, Travel, Water, Weather

**Worship of Valkur**

The church of Valkur was
loosely organized. Many clerics served as captains or sailors aboard ships and
they usually met each other only if they happened to serve on the same ship or
be in the same port. The clergy was known for helping sailors who were down on
their luck. Valkur’s name is used throughout the Thousand
Oceans to bless the spirits of dead sailors and lost ships. Valkur’s
dogma emphasises living life with vigor and striving against the elements.

In the past, Valkur was
not always responsive to his followers’ prayers, and, as a result, worship
among northern sailors was often more in line with trying to placate wind
demons than seeking protection from them through him – protection that might
never come. In more recent times the god of sailors has become more responsive
to the entreaties of his faithful, although he is still somewhat unreliable,
and as his worship has spread rapidly along the coasts, the ranks of his
faithful are swelling with new converts. If Valkur reduces the high number of
ships that are still lost his popularity is sure to soar even further.

The Kord and Valkurian churches celebrate the relationship between
the Stormlord and the Anchor. He gets along well with Kord, and the two
churches engaged in a friendly rivalry; just as Kord tries to knock Valkur
down, Valkur tries to keep his feet.