SACRED SLAYER
The temples of Thule are not places where faithful priests minister to the poor and needy. Behind the public traditions of religious festivals and public alms, they are secretive cabals that jealously protect their power and privileges. Some of this protection is obvious: Fortress-like temple compounds, influential friends at court, and armies of temple soldiers. But most temples also employ agents who are less obvious, and you are one of these. Dedicated to the service of your god, you are a bodyguard, inquisitor, spy, and— when the situation requires it—assassin who kills the enemies of your temple.
The tradition of the sacred slayer only exists in devout societies, such as the cities of Akal-Amo, Ikath, Lomar, or Kal-Zinan. Most barbarian tribes do not possess the sheer religious fanaticism to develop any sort of similar institution, but there are exceptions. For example, some tribes especially devoted to the spirits initiate their warriors into a sacred brotherhood dedicated to protecting the holy places and relics of the tribe.
Key Identity: Human (Dhari, Kalay, Lomari), dwarf, cleric, rogue, ranger.
SACRED SLAYER BENEFITS
Your training begins with a thorough indoctrination in the dogma and precepts of your faith, followed by years of study in the arts of stealth and observation. You are deadly when you have the opportunity to strike with surprise—your god demands you strike true when you face an enemy of the faith. Because you seek to do your work in secrecy, you do not gain any widespread reputation as you advance, but your standing and authority in your temple increase throughout your career.
SACRED SLAYERS IN THE WORLD
To most outsiders, you appear to be one more priest or temple guard. How people react to you is based primarily on how they would react to any mid-rank- ing priest or templar in the temple you serve. If someone regards the priests of Set with suspicion, he or she usually sees the sacred slayers in Set’s service in the same light. As long as you remain in the favor of your temple masters, you can call upon the resources of the temple for shelter, assistance, and the resources necessary for your work.
PERSONALIZING THE SACRED SLAYER
The most important step in creating your sacred slayer character is simple: Which god do you serve?
Bolotanga Ghost Warrior: The Bolotanga tribe of Dhar Mesh is deeply religious. You are one of the tribe’s “ghost warriors,” sworn to serve the tribe’s shamans and protect the things and places sacred to the spirits of nature. If someone defiles one of these places or murders a shaman, it falls to you and your brothers to pursue the defiler to the ends of the Earth if necessary to see justice done. Who is it that you pursue, and what crime did they commit?
Fang of Set: You were raised to be a holy assassin of Set. From your childhood you studied the arts of stealth, combat, and poisoning. You were trained to follow the orders of the priests of Set without hesitation, slaying whomever they told you to slay, and standing ready to surrender your life
if it should prove necessary to strike down Set’s foes. While the Fangs of Set are intended to be used against those who have offended the faith, you have learned that the priests you obey often employ the Fangs as common mercenary killers, hiring you out to anyone in need of an assassin and pocketing the rich fees they can charge for your services. Perhaps you are still a faithful servant of the Father of Night ... or perhaps you have turned apostate, and use the skills the priests taught you to enrich yourself.
Mithran Inquisitor: Mithra’s temples are among the richest and most powerful in most of Thule’s cities, but with wealth and power, corruption is sure to follow. Your sacred task is to protect Mithra’s priesthood from the insidious dangers that threaten the faith, both from within and without. You keep a vigilant watch for any signs of cult activity and move to stamp it out whenever it appears; you search out the agents of enemy faiths and stop their plots against Mithra’s temple; and you observe your fellow priests for signs of venality or corrupt influences. It is a thankless task, but it must be done.
SACRED SLAYER
You are an agent trained by one of the secretive priest- hoods of Thule. You might serve as an inquisitor or monitor who guards the faith, you might be a hunter of heretics and monsters, or you might be a zealous assassin who kills to further the priesthood’s secular power and goals.
Skill Bonuses (1st level): You gain a background of Sacred Slayer at +2 and you can use it in a variety of checks in which your training as an agent of the temple or religious devotion may provide an edge. For example:
Identifying religion-based rituals or divine effects
Knowing the history in which your temple or patron deity plays a part
Sensing that an individual is under an outside influence
Eavesdropping or noticing hidden objects
Any interaction skill check with an NPC who follows your deity
Sacred Relic (4th level): In recognition for your service to the temple, you are granted custody of a holy relic that can aid you in your duties. Choose one of the following: weapon, armor, symbol, or pendant, and you get such an item with its default bonus. At your GM’s discretion, it may have additional powers. While magic items are rare in Thule, temples often hoard mysterious treasures acquired down through the centuries. The sacred relic is not yours to dispose of, and if you no longer need it, you are expected to return it to your temple.
Honored (8th level): Once during each character level, you can call upon the favor of your priesthood to make the relationship dice for one of your relationships show all 6s.
Adventurer Feat, Slayer’s Wrath: Once per day as
a quick action, you can invoke your slayer’s wrath. You deal an additional 2d6 damage to the next target you hit with an attack you make before the end of your turn. If the target is a special enemy of your god (see the sidebar), the additional damage increases to 4d6.