Lord of Famine

Locust Lord

THE DEITY

Name(s): LOCUST LORD, HARBINGER OF HUNGER, BARON OF STARVATION, PROVIDER OF FAMINE, CROPSLAYER, BEASTFOULER, GLUTTONOUS ONE, DEVOURER OF ALL

Spheres of Influence: The Locust Lord is the god of famine, hunger, and starvation.

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Spells Returned: At Dusk

Favored Weapon: Mace

Appearance: The Locust Lord appears as a large, grotesque and inconceivably obese being with tiny arms and legs. The gluttonous being is always munching on some morsel of rich food.

THE CHURCH

Worship: Services to the Locust Lord take place in wilderness temples. The House of Hunger’s regular services involve the creation of an elaborate meal, including fresh bread and savory sweets. Anything that smells tasty is appropriate. During the service, which includes hymns, parables and a sermon, worshippers must endure the groaning of their stomachs and parched throats. Finally, after waiting patiently, they destroy the food in an act of sacrifice.

The Gaunt have begun preaching the imminent physical manifestation of the Cropslayer on Tellene in the near future, leading to an increase in the faithful’s already active efforts at spreading hunger. According to the belief, the Locust Lord will soon come to Tellene and spend six years personally purging all the lands. The only survivors will be those that remained faithful to the Locust Lord during this time.

Unholy Symbol: Goblet with a hole in the bottom and death oozing out.

Unholy Days: The House of Hunger celebrates Diadolai‘s waning, especially during the winter months of Frosting and Snowfall. On the 3rd day after the full, the House of Hunger celebrates Leantimes, a day of fasting. Worshippers eat only bread and may not drink any fermented drink. At dusk, they light small candles or tapers and say a short prayer to the Locust Lord.

Unholy Colors: Gray and burgundy.

Unholy Animal: The Gaunt revere the locust, despised by most folk of Tellene as a crop-eating pest.

Raiment: Followers and worshippers wear gray robes, although The Gaunt wear simple burgundy robes, usually of thick, comfortable material. Wealthy clerics always choose velvet as their material. Level is denoted by the color of the trim on the hood and robe cuffs. Clerics and followers alike wear brass skullcaps.

Advancement: Advancement is through nomination and then election (both are done by superiors). Clerics must fast for two weeks, taking in only liquids before advancing to the next position. The Gaunt take no titles themselves for their rank.

Sacrifices: Livestock and burnt or spoiled crops are sacrificed during the waning moon. Clerics fast when asking for a special favor, and may not eat for at least twelve hours before praying for spells. Prisoners are always starved as a tribute to the Cropslayer.

Friends and Allies:

The Conventicle of Affliction: “Disease brings hunger.”

The Congregation of the Dead: “The dead make excellent allies, as they understand true hunger.”

Foes and Enemies:

The Church of Everlasting Hope: “Hope dies when faced with constant hunger.”

The Home Foundation: “They feed and shelter the needed, even when they have little for themselves. They seek to undermine the great hunger by replacing it with pride in generosity.”

Major Temples: The largest temples of The Gaunt are said to exist in Bet Kalamar, Aroroleta and Gaketa.

Temples to the House of Hunger are often shaped like local granaries, in mockery of the plentiful food they wish to destroy. In fact, secret faiths often break into real granaries and hold their services there while destroying food. They use a sack of grain or a cask of wine as their altar; in dedicated temples, the altar still takes the form of a barrel.

The clerics erect cathedrals on the ruins of villages and towns they have starved to death. These isolated cathedrals are bolder in design and more open in their admission of members than are the lesser temples, since the need for secrecy is less imperative. The resemblance to a granary in these cases is more abstract: these cathedrals have a loft upon which the clerics stand amid food stores. Worshippers stand on the floor, unable to reach the loft.

The House of Hunger identifies no holy seat and no official leader.

Sayings: “The green horde cometh.” - “Your flock will be stricken and your crops will wither before Cropslayer.” - “Only the Gluttonous One can save you from your hunger.” - “We will swarm our enemies like locusts do the fields.”