Balrantu Missionaries

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# Table of Contents

Balrantu Missionaries

## **Devices and uniforms:**

 There is no formal uniform, but their holy symbol is always an ankh.

## **Deity:**

 Balrantu, god of animals, survival, nature’s justice and the wild hunt
(an old god presumed dead long ago, now mysteriously returned).

## **Goal:**

 To spread the word of Balrantu’s rebirth and his return to the heavens
of Xaria. To find others willing to pray to Balrantu for his divine
gifts (i.e. converting divine mages).

## **Territory:**

 This is a new movement, so it has no real geographical claim in any particular country as yet.

## **Genesis:**

 Some 1400 years ago, when Tarnaal still existed in the world as a lush
paradise, a wandering seer prophesied to a young prince Kajeh that a god
 gone mad would one day destroy his kingdom. The prince spent much of
his life questing for the identity of the god and the means to stop him
and save his homeland. After a lifetime of searching, he found a weapon
of supreme power capable of hurting an immortal. Kajeh learned that it
was Balrantu, god of animals, survival, nature’s justice and the wild
hunt, who would destroy his land. To call Balrantu down from the
heavens, Kajeh bid his High Mages create such a gift for the god, he
would have to appear personally to accept it. They slaved for seven
years, until their skill and power created a living dragon as a divine
tribute. Balrantu appeared in Tarnaal to receive his gift, and with the
weapon in hand, Kajeh met the god in combat. When he destroyed the god,
the blast laid waste to his realm -- just as the prophesy promised --
leaving a desolate desert where Tarnaal once stood.

Balrantu’s destruction was so complete that he did not even survive as a
 death god, his spirit no longer walked the heavens, it had been
shredded and ripped asunder. However... the divine essence of a god
cannot ever be entirely erased out of existence. Something happened to
the shards of Balrantu’s spirit. The tiny glimmers of godstuff that used
 to be Balrantu were scattered like seeds across Xaria. From these, the
Beast Lords were born, and from the Beast Lords came the beastmen.

For centuries, the voice of Balrantu has been silent on Xaria, his
spheres of influence passing to other gods. But then, in the year 503,
Balrantu’s voice was heard once again. At first it was only a whisper in
 the wind, and then it came as an echo in the darkness to a humble slave
 in Nost’Kare -- a beastman. The voice told him the above story of
Balrantu’s death (and this is the tale that all priests learn when they
commune with Balrantu), and that he has returned from his long absence
to reclaim his dominion over his spheres of influence. What is not known
 is how Balruntu has made his return, or why it has happened now.

## **Present:**

 There might be only one priest of Balrantu at present -- that lone
beastman who heard Balrantu’s voice in his slave den, or there could be
others scattered across the land whom Balrantu has spoken to, each of
them unaware of his fellow missionary priests. Word of Balrantu’s
presence is in the process of spreading slowly and carefully throughout
the land.

## **Enemies:**

 None known. However, other gods may not like Balrantu trying to make a
comeback and reclaiming some of his celestial territory from them.

## **Leadership:**

 There is no church or organization as yet. Each priest travels alone
and answers directly to Balrantu in his prayers and meditation.

## **Code & Prohibitions:**

 There are no formal codes or prohibitions as yet. But some of Balrantu’s teachings are the following:

All animals have a strength and a weakness. Use your strengths and
protect your weaknesses. Only the strong survive. The weak must work
together to become strong. When the skies are clear, forage for food.
When the skies are dark, find cover. Kill for need, not for pleasure.
When a thing has no more use, its end is near. Beware the sound of the
horn, for it heralds the hunt.

## **Recruitment:**

 Very selective. The Balrantu Missionaries do not want to blanket Xaria
with word of his coming like scattershot. In this rebuilding stage,
Balrantu needs strong devotion from a few, not half-hearted prayer from
many. These few will be his anchors and provide the solid foundation for
 his new church. Therefore, priests of Balrantu do not openly recruit.
Instead, they try to demonstrate their own faith as best they can, and
demonstrate Balrantu’s will (through the casting of spells) for the
benefit of others. Only if someone witnesses the power of Balrantu’s
will, and is inspired by it to learn more will the missionary even
consider teaching them about Balrantu. If the student continues to show a
 devout interest and wishes to serve Balrantu’s will by becoming a
priest, the missionary will pray with him and see if the student hears
the voice of Balrantu for himself. Each missionary carries with him two
holy symbols -- one is his own, and the other is for him to pass on to a
 priest who hears the voice of Balrantu.

## **Typical Members:**

 Balrantu is not just a beastman god (he was a god before there even
were beastmen), anyone with an appreciation for either nature, animals,
hunting, or the wild would pray to Balrantu for plentiful crops, good
hunting, fine weather for travel, etc. Any race, male or female can be a
 priest of Balrantu. Since there is no formal church yet, missionaries
tend to be self-reliant and comfortable traveling alone (huntsmen,
woodsmen, trappers, scouts, messengers would all be good examples of
former professions before becoming priests). All priests have *Trigger* and *Resurrect* spells which they cast in their morning meditation so that they can resurrect themselves once a day.

## **Generally Known:**

 Being a new movement, nothing is known about this sect by the general
public as yet. The general public is not even aware of the name
Balrantu, though sages with a special interest in Tarnaal may know the
story of his death.

## **In-Character Quote:**

 “Balrantu has brought himself back from the dead. Do you think he expects any less from his priests?”

## **OOG RED FILE:**

 Kevin Thomas has some Red File info on Balrantu