Morningstar

### God of

constructs, dogs, giants, heat, the sun, deserts, famine, rust, nature, metal, ships, islands, friendship, loyalty

## Meta information

### Appears in

Instrumental: A Song About the Other Side

Morningstar is the patron god of constructs and friendship. He is an enchanted hellknight plate that was granted godhood by Goyoku*.* He is mummy-wrapped beneath the armor to give the impression of a jackal-headed man.

## Overview

Uncountable centuries ago, a kingdom of giants existed on the island of Popoki in The Majority. Morningstar was enchanted to serve as a guard for these giants. After the fall of their kingdom, the construct was left to rot. Many centuries later, he gained sentience and a new sense of identity. During this time he encountered Goyoku, then in her cursed form. He showed her kindness and protection when she had only known scorn and hate. Morningstar died attempting to defend Goyoku during the final battle against a group of heroes in Instrumental: A Song About the Other Side. Following her ascension, Goyoku restored Morningstar to life and subsequently, she granted him his own ascension.

Morningstar, being the god of friendship, is sociable with all of the other gods. He is more likely to visit the Material Plane than some of his peers. Due to his relationship with constructs and metal, Morningstar has become a popular god for dwarves to worship.

Morningstar defends the innocent and those he considers friends. He provides “protection” to his followers, a boon which is often vaguely defined or impossible to quantify. Many of his followers will describe him as their friend, and say that they trust Morningstar to help them when they really need it.

## Traditions

### Burial rites

Followers of Morningstar traditionally recite the following words at funeral proceedings as burial rites.

> To they who were friend of stone and metal;
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> (those of clockwork and mechanic mind)
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> To they who were kin to canine and battle;
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> (the gnash of teeth and clash of sword)
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> To they who found love in nothing but a friend;
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> (who needed no lover to feel content)
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> To they who were loyal, even in the end;
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> (who did good by all without regret)
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> Your death is mourned by all present.
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> They are friends in death, if not friends in life.
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> We hold you close, in our lament
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> Then let you go, to take Morningstar's hand.
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Traditionally, a second speaker should "respond" with the parts in parentheses.

## Obedience 1

Recite all the names you can recall of those who have died by your hand. Meditate upon their faces and the circumstances of their deaths, evaluating your actions in the light of cold law. Gain a +4 sacred or profane bonus to AC against critical hit confirmation rolls.

The type of bonus depends on your alignment—if you’re neither good nor evil, you must choose either sacred or profane the first time you perform your obedience, and this choice can’t be changed.

### Boons

1. **Dutiful (Sp):** *shield of faith* 3/day, *death knell* 2/day, or *keen edge* 1/day
2. **Severe Strike (Su):** You ignore the first 5 points of creatures’ damage reduction when making melee weapon attacks, regardless of the type and composition of your weapon. For example, a creature with DR 10/silver would be treated as having DR 5/silver against your attacks.
3. **Execute (Sp):** You can cast *power word kill* once per day.

## Obedience 2

Pick a direction, and walk that way for the next 30 minutes. During this time, catalog all of the areas you pass and consider any tactical advantages that can be found in the terrain. After this, retrace your steps, but instead of plotting tactics, appreciate the beauty and scenery that you find along your way, and speak quiet prayers to or praises of the Guardian, keeping in mind the value of all creations, both of nature and man. You then gain a +2 sacred bonus on Perception checks while you are traveling in this area, and a +4 sacred or profane bonus on checks to notice enemies for the purpose of acting in a surprise round while you are traveling or camping there.

The type of bonus depends on your alignment—if you’re neither good nor evil, you must choose either sacred or profane the first time you perform your obedience, and this choice can’t be changed.

### Evangelist Boons

1. **Maker's Ways (Sp):** *floating disk* 3/day, *align weapon* (law only) 2/day, or *tiny hut* 1/day
2. **Touch of the Artificer (Su):** You have discovered divinely inspired lines of primordial energy—gifts from Morningstar, you believe—that can imbue weapons with bursts of magic. Up to three times per day, as a standard action, you can touch a single weapon and grant it the dancing property for the next 3 rounds. A single weapon cannot be targeted by this effect more than once per day.
3. **Crafter's Pride (Sp):** You have learned the intrinsic nature of what gives life to objects, and can pour your soul into the construction of a given creation to infuse it with a semblance of blessed life. Once per week, you can cast *animate objects* on a single object that you’ve created. The effect does not have a duration; the animated object remains indefinitely as a companion, following your commands as best it can. You cannot animate a new companion while one is already serving you, though as a full-round action you can dismiss a companion, reducing it to lifelessness. If your companion is destroyed, you cannot use this ability again for another week. You cannot affect an object animated in this way with a *permanency* spell.

### Exalted Boons

1. **Guardian's Ingenuity (Sp):** *blurred movement* 3/day, *levitate* 2/day, or *haste* 1/day
2. **Eyes of the Pursued (Su):** You adhere to Morningstar’s dictate of living to fight another day, and you’ve mastered the art of monitoring places you’ve left. Anytime you use a teleportation effect to move, you can place an invisible magic sensor in the area from which you just departed. As long as you are on the same plane as the sensor, you can see and hear everything occurring within 30 feet of the sensor as a swift action. The sensor lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Hit Dice. You can have a maximum number of active sensors equal to your number of Hit Dice.
3. **Homeward Bound (Su):** As a follower of Morningstar, you deeply understand the importance of having a safe place to which you can retreat; you’ve come to count on several safe homes, creating ties to them when necessary. Once per month, you can designate a location to be your refuge. Once per week as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, you can teleport yourself and any willing creatures within 30 feet of you to the safe home of your choice, regardless of distance, as long as it is on the same plane. You can have a maximum number of refuges equal to half your Hit Dice. As long as none of your allies are in a refuge, you can remove its designation as a safe home as a swift action, but if you do so, you can never again designate it as a safe home.

### Sentinel Boons

1. **Exiled's Wrath (Sp):** *color spray* 3/day, *scorching ray* 2/day, or *draconic reservoir* 1/day
2. **Morningstar's Shroud (Su):** Morningstar smiles upon your martial prowess and protects you with a halo of divine energy from his distant realm. You gain a +1 sacred or profane bonus to your Armor Class, which increases to +2 against attacks from evil-aligned creatures. This bonus increases to +3 if the attacker is an evil-aligned true dragon. If an evil-aligned true dragon confirms a critical hit against you, the creature must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your Hit Dice + your Charisma modifier) or be blinded for 1 round.
3. **Chromatic Scourge (Su):** You channel the righteous and immortal fury of Morningstar into your weapon. Once per day as a swift action, you can imbue your weapon with the hidden wrath of Morningstar. If your target is evil, you gain a +20 sacred or profane bonus on your next single attack. If your opponent is an evil-aligned creature of the dragon type, treat your next single attack roll as both an automatic hit and a critical threat. You gain a +4 sacred or profane bonus to confirm the critical hit.