Of the so-called Old Gods (really quite
new by some reckonings) of the Hill Cantons, Storm Child, is one of
the select few pagan deities tacitly tolerated by the Lords
Spiritual.
Though he is reputed by certain
esoteric orders to be merely the half-human offspring of one of
Radegast's many dalliances with the female half of humankind, he is
undoubtedly the most beloved of the Lord of Hosts' children and his
cult flourishes to this day in the backhills of the borderlands. His
followers' abodes are instantly recognizable by the littering of
children's toys, many teeth-marked, throughout their living space.
“Storm-Childist households can look a little harried now and then,”
opines the great Bombasticus but they have a good time.”
Not one for subtle interventions
Storm-Child demands the attention of mortals he encounter. Many of
the “touched” ruffians, mountebanks and picaros that style
themselves “adventurers” spread too-consistent tales of hearing
the godling's howls carried by a far wind while deep in the Weird.
Thanks to the ever-replenishing wonders
of the Sublime Source of Crowds, details of the cult are offered here
today, the day of his celestial birth. I will be making use of the
wonderful D&Dized adaption of Runequest cult info that David from
Dungeons Down Under has available for download here.
Deity Name: Storm-Child, The One
Whose Cries Rend the Sky
Area of Control: Thunderstorms,
Willfulness, and Dice
Following: Elderly eccentrics,
stubborn children, gambling den operators, those who are Chaotic yet
Good-natured and resist authority.
Organization: informal,
horizontal network of localized Circles.
Clergy: Storm-Child has no
regular spell-casting clerics as such. However adventuring classed
types of any variation (and suitable alignment) may elect to become
vocational lay-priests.
Duties: Each morning the
lay-priest must greet the dawn with a loud shout of “Deeeeeee”.
Once a month a sacrifice must be made to the local Circle of 10 gold
suns times the level of the character. Failure to do so will mean
being stripped of all powers granted by the demi-god.
According to the savant Allandros,
priests of the Storm-Child have a tradition of eating dice on high
holidaty. This is done to devour the luck of those inimical to the
faith. 1x/level/week, a priest of the Storm-Child may devour dice
while thinking of a particular foe. That foe will have a -4 penalty
to all die rolls for d10 days. However, the Storm-Child's priest must
save vs paralyzation or suffer the Curse of Teeth (see below).
Powers Granted: vocational
lay-priests can assume special powers at odd levels beginning with
the third. To assume the appropriate power the priest must sacrifice
the equivalent of 500 gold suns times the character level worth of
goods that delight the Storm Child (jeweled polyhedral dice, toy
wagons constructed of rare woods, fish sticks and the like).
Non-Listed Spells: All Spells
can only be cast when wearing no or leather armor.
Available at 1st level (500
suns sacrifice):
The Squalling. Once a day,
summon a brief and violent windstorm that sounds like screaming and
wailing. Mechanical effects could include knocking down foes, doing
damage (buffet, or sonic), deafness, immense irritation (especially
in parents). (Spell created by The Elder Isles' famed storm-brother,
James Stuart).
Shocking Grasp. (see rulebook)
Available at 3rd level (1500
suns):
The Curse of Teeth. Usable once
a week. Anyone failing a saving throw vs spells becomes subject to a
terribly painful curse.
Firstly, a random (4d8) number of teeth will become loose and fall out over a period of 1d4 days. This in itself isn't particularly painful, though the shock of losing teeth and temporary blood flow may be the equivalent of a single HP of damage per day.
Secondly, new teeth appear within the targets skull and begin to push their way through the gum line and into the mouth, taking 3d10 days for all of them to come through after the last one has dropped out. This is massively painful and for each day during this phase the target must make a Saving throw vs Spells. Success indicates they are only at -2 to all rolls due to the pain. Failure indicates they are essentially debilitated and are at -6 to everything. Powerful Anaesthetics (like booze) will numb the pain, allowing normal activity, but probably carry their own risks...(Again thanks to James, what a mensch.)
Firstly, a random (4d8) number of teeth will become loose and fall out over a period of 1d4 days. This in itself isn't particularly painful, though the shock of losing teeth and temporary blood flow may be the equivalent of a single HP of damage per day.
Secondly, new teeth appear within the targets skull and begin to push their way through the gum line and into the mouth, taking 3d10 days for all of them to come through after the last one has dropped out. This is massively painful and for each day during this phase the target must make a Saving throw vs Spells. Success indicates they are only at -2 to all rolls due to the pain. Failure indicates they are essentially debilitated and are at -6 to everything. Powerful Anaesthetics (like booze) will numb the pain, allowing normal activity, but probably carry their own risks...(Again thanks to James, what a mensch.)
Taboos and Bans: Followers of
the Storm-Child are not allowed to eat food sitting at tables but
must consume all sustenance while wandering around their place of
rest.
Holidays: According to the writings of
Bomasticus, Storm-Childist families conduct a seasonal ceremony
commonly called the Howling Jubilee “in which normal social
hierarchies are inverted. Household servants exert temporary control
over policy, boss their overseers and definitely speak their
minds. Domestic animals are taken off lead and their grooms are
expected to pick up the collars and wear them for a little while. The
Littlest One rules. This is apparently a vestige of the days when we
all slept in the same room with dogs, and there have been times when
the inversion has applied with magical force in larger circumstances:
curses and even quests rebounding on their casters, restraints
untying themselves and blocking the business of the secular
authorities, crib gates somehow popping open on their own. Such
phenomena please the Storm-Child.”
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