Lord of Tellene

The Riftmaster

THE DEITY

Name(s): THE RIFTMASTER, THE GATEKEEPER, SORCERER SUPREME, THE FLOWMASTER, LORD OF TELLENE

Spheres of Influence: The Riftmaster is the god of magic.

Alignment: Neutral

Spells Returned: At Dawn

Favored Weapons: Dagger and Quartstaff

Appearance: The Riftmaster appears as a cloaked skeletal figure. The Sorcerer Supreme is a fearsome sight for nonworshippers.

THE CHURCH

Worship: Temples and shrines to the Riftmaster most often rest on high mountain peaks. Worship time at the Temple of Enchantment is a quiet time of meditation. The clerics teach that the sincerity of their followers allows them greater insight into the balance of magic in the universe. When the clerics cast their vote for “too much” or “too little” afterward, the difference in their vote is another primary factor. If all the clerics agree, the balance is heavily slanted one way or another.

Holy Symbol: A platinum key.

Holy Days: The holy days for the Keyholders occur on the full and new moon (Diadolai). Firstly, clerics above the rank of Holder of the Bronze Key are only promoted on these nights. Secondly, and more importantly, the clerics attempt to redress the balance of power in conjunction with their spell-using followers. They either cast a great number of spells or begin to cast, and then allow their spells to fizzle by simply canceling the casting before it is finished. Thirdly, any magical items being sacrificed are brought forth and destroyed as safely as possible in full view of the congregation.

Holy Colors: Black and white.

Holy Animal:

Keyholders revere Dragons especially the Blue Dragon, and attack such creatures (even evil dragons) only in self-defense.

Raiment: Clerics of the Temple of Enchantment wear black and white checkered robes to represent the extremes of the extraplanar realms and of the nature of magic. Each rank in the church has a specific divine focus – a key – colored in accordance to their rank. Many younger Keyholders also wear other jewelry made from the appropriate color. Ear cuffs are particularly popular.

Special Requirements: The Riftmaster allows his worshipers to marry, but children are frowned upon. The danger is that if one parent has dealt extensively with magic for the child is born, that the child might be born as a sorcerer – a potentially unstable magical force set loose on the world. Sorcerers born to non-spellcasting parents are considered blessed by the Riftmaster, but any spellcasting parent must surrender his or her child to the church, or be excommunicated. Those discovered attempting to hide their child’s talent are branded as heretics, and hunted down mercilessly.

Advancement: Advancement is gained through exceptional sacrifices or breakthroughs in magical knowledge shared with the church. Level titles within the church are all “Holder of the [blank] Key,” where [blank] is the cleric’s divine focus color.

A Holder of the Brass Key is not granted a magic item by the church unless he also sacrifices a magic item of the same or greater value (instead of the normal gold piece requirement).

A Holder of the Green Key receives a stipend of 25 gp per character level per month. Otherwise, his position is identical to that of a Holder of the Copper Key.

The second follower of a Holder of the Blue Key is a sorcerer.

Holders of the Red Key must craft a staff that bears the symbol of the Riftmaster and signifies the rank of the cleric. This item is a single spell-storing device that traps and stores any one spell of any level.

Holders of the Gold Key are tapped as potential leaders of the faith, and it is from these senior clerics that the next Holder of the Platinum Key will be selected. There are rarely more than three Holders of the Gold Key at any given time.

Sacrifices: Keyholders must sacrifice magical items on holy days. Particularly powerful items are favored as sacrifices since they have the potential to upset the balance in the planes of existence. A cleric may substitute platinum if a magic item is not available.

Friends and Allies:

The Order of Thought: “Wisdom seekers understand the need for a balanced flow of magic, and seek to assist us in our mission.”

The Founder’s Creation: “A firm foundation can strengthen any building without the need for magic or power… They understand how to conserve forces around them.”

The Assembly of the Four Corners: “The elemental forces that they maintain are powerful, and the balance between them is just as delicate as that of magic…”

Foes and Enemies:

The Confuser of Ways: “Wasting magic to maintain a lie is a powerful misdeed, worthy of retribution.”

The Temple of Strife: “Conflict and strife forces people to wield much great magic, unbalancing the flow.”

The Halls of the Valiant: “They know nothing of the balance, often wielding powerful magicks to destroy weak evils.”

Major Temples: Important centers of worship of the Riftmaster exist in Cosolen, Bet Kalamar, Basir and Bet Urala.

Temples of Enchantment are usually towers, with a spiral staircase or ramp surrounding an open area in the center. Worshippers can stand on any of the first two or three levels and gain a clear view of the activities that take place on the ground floor. Upper floors house the clerics and provide a refuge for magical research or item creation.

Cathedrals are often visibly magical in some way. They often glow or chant hymns with the voices of prior worshippers. The cathedral in Cosolen enhances its brilliant frescoes with moving illusions. Cathedrals are at least six stories tall and contain underground areas (usually for storage) and additional buildings in the local style. These additional buildings are never attached to the tower and usually stand 50 to 100 feet away. The clerics claim this design helps emphasize the tower’s height.

The holy seat in Bet Rogala lies on the grounds of the College of Magic, although it owes the college no allegiance. In addition to a wide paved road leading directly to it for easy worshipper accessibility, the temple grounds include a sixtyfoot square building intended as a “teleport platform”, which characters exit as soon as they arrive. Wizards from all across Tellene use the platform to attend worship.

Holder of the Platinum Key Tomas Palinwayt is a powerful spellcaster who identifies everything in terms of its religious significance. Conversation with him on other topics is difficult, since he turns everything to his purpose, which is exploration of the glories of magic. The difficulty in dealing with him has nearly convinced Prince Kafen to step in and remove the traditional title of Chancellor of the College of Magic that the Holder of the Platinum Key has held for generations.

Despite his social awkwardness, Palinwayt is a venerated spellcaster, combining both arcane and divine magic as a mystic theurgist. The ease with which he uses both styles of magic has encouraged a large number of local worshippers to follow suit. Palinwayt himself has practiced this combination of magic for so long that some say he forgets the distinction and prays for his arcane spells in the morning instead of studying a spellbook.

Sayings: “A fool and his magic soon part ways.” - “Magic used wisely is there when needed.” - “May your wisdom be as powerful as your spells.” - “I am magic.” - A farewell: “May the arcane keep you