Queen of Destiny

Fate Scribe

THE DEITY

Name(s): FATE SCRIBE, QUEEN OF DESTINY, KEEPER OF FORTUNES, SHE WHO SEES ALL, LADY TIME, EMPRESS

Spheres of Influence: The Fate Scribe is the god of prophesy, time and fate.

Alignment: Neutral

Spells Returned: At Dusk

Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff

Appearance: Queen Destiny appears as a middle-aged woman with shoulder length red hair. She is clad in light green robes trimmed in silver. The Keeper of Fortunes carries the Staff of the Prophets, a walking staff crowned by a crystal ball called the Eye of Knowledge.

THE CHURCH

Worship: Temples are often found near, if not within, the capital city of most kingdoms. Altars dedicated to the Fate Scribe can be found in the home of each of her followers.

Visitors to services led by the Prophets describe the event as “eerie.” Individuals stand and describe events that happened to them. The events might be common and mundane, exciting and beneficial, or horribly tragic, but the listeners merely nod and claim the influence of Fate. Clouded by the thick smoke of incense and listening to the tales, the senior clerics are said to gain great insight.

Holy Symbol: A silver crescent moon and three stars on a light green background.

Holy Days: When Pelselond is in its crescent phase, Prophets mandate the sacrifice of herbs. Garlic is commonly sacrificed by the worshippers, while clerics usually sacrifice hemlock or wolfsbane or something else with similarly mystical powers. Once a year, these sacrifices require herbs of such rarity or quantities that the cost is substantial; depending on the worshipper’s wealth, the herbs might cost anywhere from 10 gp to 1,000 gp.

Holy Colors: Light green and silver.

Holy Animal: The holy animal of the Prophets is a crow.

Raiment: Prophets have a mysterious and exotic appearance. Clerics wear light green robes or tunics with the symbol of Queen Destiny on them. A cleric’s level is indicated by the number of small divine foci (crescent moon and stars) on his garment. Guardians of Destiny add silver stripes on their collars, while the High Prophets add a silver cap. Some sects allow their Prophets to enjoy any exotic jewelry they can find.

Special Notes: One of the most effective tools of the Inevitable Order of Time is a particularly skilled and diverse group of adventurers called the Hand of Destiny. The eight members of the group have varied over the years, but they are always the greatest warriors, spell-casters, and champions from among the faithful. They accept missions of the greatest import, striving to help ensure that fate is not cheated. The Hand are as often allies as foes to the same people, and their appearance is usually a sign that powerful forces are at work.

Advancement: Advancement within this religion is based on both finding gifted recruits and skill in foreseeing, telling and fulfilling prophesies.

An Expounder must be able to cast one divination spell.

A Guardian of Destiny must be able to cast at least two divination spells. A Guardian of Destiny casts all divination spells as if one caster level higher.

A Prophet must be able to cast at least four divination spells. A Prophet receives a stipend of 75 gp per month. A Prophet who advances to rank 8 gains a wizard as his second follower.

A High Prophet must be able to cast at least five divination spells.

A Timelord gains a +1 insight bonus to all attacks, saves and skill checks.

Sacrifices: A Prophet burns herbs every crescent moon. See also Holy Days, above.

Friends and Allies:

The Temple of Armed Conflict: “They understand that fate is an unstoppable force, and gladly surrender to it if they can make the world a better place.”

The Home Foundation: “They make it possible to live in contentment, without struggling against fate.”

The Temple of Enchantment: “They allow the flow of magic to run its course, without altering it or manipulating it.”

The Congregation of the Dead: “Here are people who understand inevitability and plan for it! Unfortunately, they are prone to taking matters into their own hands instead of leaving it to us.”

Foes and Enemies:

The Face of the Free: “They seek freedom so that all can follow their own fate, without being dominated by another.”

The Courts of Inequity: “They pervert fate to better their position in life. They should be ashamed!”

The Confuser of Ways: “Twisted and perverse – their illusions only cheat fate for a while…”

The Church of Chance: “They try to manipulate fate by pretending to rely on it, and then changing the rules when their fate does not suit them."

Major Temples: Important centers of worship for the Inevitable Order of Time exist in Crandolen, Mendarn, Lathlanian, Bet Kalamar, Sobeteta, Bet Dodera, and Bet Seder.

The placement of a temple of the Inevitable Order of Time is more important than the design or materials, according to the clerics of the faith. They seek to build it in a place that will know peace for a long time and where the presence of the temple will not create tension within a kingdom. This knowledge means that the area around their temples is very popular, and people will move miles away in order to live adjacent to them.

Construction uses the local materials and must sometimes conform to the demands of the media, but in general the temples are modest in size, with a rectangular worship area. Temples tend to have at least one tower containing a large clock, created by the best craftsmen available. Temples always have pools of still water, mirrors, braziers, and other devices used in scrying or divination. The thick smoke of incense burns the lungs of casual visitors. The floor is usually tiled with a black and white chessboard pattern.

Cathedrals always feature a large, very accurate clock. In most cases, this clock is visible from a tall tower, but at Bet Kalamar, it sits on the wall of the interior, facing the worshippers. The cathedrals’ larger worship area always bears the chessboard pattern, with the altar and other clerical accoutrements measured in units of squares.

The holy seat in Ospolen is a marvel of wealth. Its chessboard pattern features tiles of dark green jade alternating with white opal. Gold trim decorates the worship area, and the altar settings are the purest platinum.

Desgen of Dijishy, as the Timelord is known, has fallen so far into his visions that he rarely sees the real world. He spends much of his time babbling incoherently, with a vacuous stare. In his moments of lucidity, he gives orders constantly, and scribes stand prepared to record his commands.

Sayings: “Time is the master of all men.” - “I see all. I am the future.” – “Things have a way of working themselves out in the end.” - “Only time is eternal.” - “For everything, there is a reason. Let fate guide you.” - “All paths lead to the same consequences.” - “We are all pawns in the cosmic struggle.” - “Everything that happens, happens for the best.”