INITIATE OF MYSTERIES
Some devoted worshipers of a god are content to join the rank-and-file priesthood, while others join obscure sects or orders (like the Guardians of the Nine, above). You feel the call of your patron deity deeply, though— so deeply that you want to bask in every glory and revelation your god has to offer. Over time, you’ll learn secrets scarcely imaginable to more ordinary worshipers. You’ll grow ever closer to understanding the very mind of the god you worship. And perhaps most importantly, you’ll ascend through the religious hierarchy to a place where the rank-and-file worshipers may start venerating you.
There’s a sect or order analogous to the initiate of mysteries within each of Thule’s organized religions, though it goes by different names in different faiths (see below). There’s a parallel structure for PCs who worship the Forest Gods (often druids) as well.
Key Identity: Human, cleric, druid.
INITIATE BENEFITS
Though your divine power grows as an initiate, the biggest benefit of becoming an Initiate of Mysteries is the rise through the temple hierarchy. The major temples in a given city-state are among its most active power brokers, and you can put some of that power to work for you. Over time, you’ll even gain followers— rather fanatic ones!—of your own.
INITIATES IN THE WORLD
Other worshipers of your deity are generally impressed that you’re an Initiate of Mysteries—if they’re well-versed enough in the religious hierarchy to know that you’re among the chosen ones. The reflected glory of your patron deity can be a powerful inducement to good behavior. Eventually, they’ll treat you as a living saint.
Anyone who wants to diminish your deity might decide to start with you, though. Nothing scandalizes the temple-goers like an Initiate of Mysteries who falls from grace. Rival faiths and hidden sects within your own religion will embarrass you or disrupt your efforts if they can. And in the more hierarchical religions, you might eventually develop rivalries with other initiates as you each seek to become the “most favored” of your god.
PERSONALIZING THE INITIATES
Each of the organized religions associated with the Nine Powers has its own version of the Initiate of Mysteries; larger faiths have more initiates, of course. Here are three examples.
Ishtar: The priesthood of Ishtar has had “Initiates of Mysteries” for centuries, and this narrative takes its name from that sect. You are a charismatic beacon of love and luck, and what is “luck” but a low-level manifestation of fate itself? You seek rarefied pleasures to be sure, but you’re also keen for the chance to keep ugliness and cruelty out of the world.
Tarhun: You are one of Tarhun’s “Harbingers,” a group of warrior-priests that are destined to ride ahead of the Storm to End All Storms in a battle at the end of time. You’ll be asked to prove yourself as an initiate in battle time and time again. Remember, Tarhun adores valor over everything else—better to be bravely defeated than to be a cowardly victor.
Set: You’re climbing a hierarchy within Set’s temples known as the “Serpentis Ladder,” and you don’t even learn what the next stage of the hierarchy is like until you’ve attained the one before. Each of Set’s tests is a pop quiz, but you pride yourself on your adaptability. You can slither into whatever form your patron desires if it gains you one more rung on the Serpentis Ladder.
INITIATE OF MYSTERIES
You are eager to prove to your god and your fellow worshipers that you are the chosen one, the very paragon of your patron deity’s virtues here on Thule. As you ascend the priestly hierarchy, the many wonders of the divine world are revealed to you.
Skill Bonuses (1st level): You gain a background of Initiate of Mysteries at +2 that can be used for a variety of checks involving your god’s portfolio. Religion-based knowledge checks are an obvious choice when your god is involved. Other examples include:
Checks to find healing herbs in the wilderness if you worship the Forest Gods
Checks to interact with commoners or other towns- folk if you worship Ishtar.
Checks to negotiate or intimidate if you worship Mithra.
Checks to sneak or bluff if you worship Set.
Channeling Rest (4th level): Once per day during a quick rest, you can heal using a recovery and reduce the healing you receive by an amount equal to twice your level, but each of your allies heals an additional amount equal to your level for each recovery they spend to heal during that quick rest.
Keeper of the Shrine (8th level): Worshipers of your god raise funds to build a shrine to your deity— and to you. They will consult with you on its location and construction, though they possess only ordinary building techniques and craftsmanship. The shrine, once completed, can serve as a “home base” for you. While there, you have a reasonable expectation of safety, insofar as anyplace in Thule can be considered “safe.”
Adventurer Feat, One with My God: Once per day when you take a quick rest, you can regain the use of a daily spell of your second-highest level or lower.