Holy Texts

The following are a selection of unique Holy Texts from the various religions of deities in Xenara. These are by no means the definitive works of the religion, merely representative of the types of holy books that might be found across Xenara. They are likely to be found in the possession of a high ranking figure in the clergy, and at a site of significance.

Asmodeus: The Elfskin Banner

The Elfskin banner is a pale stitched banner of flayed elfskin, three feet wide and over 8 feet long. The stitching is elven sinews, and the banner pole it hangs from is 100 fused elven femur bones, topping over 12 feet in height. Both sides of the banner depict the symbol of Asmodeus centrally, while the rest of the canvas is covered in infernal script in ink made from elven blood. The text recounts the ancient holy laws of Asmodeus, strategy and tactics, accounts of glorious victories, and anatomical weaknesses of a multitude of races – all the information a warrior needs to gain advantage over their foes in battle. Legends claim the banner can instill a berserk rage in warriors that view it, and that it bursts into flame if anointed in elven blood.

Bahamut: The Tapestry of Vigilance

In trying to teach devoted warriors about the importance of watchfulness and protection, the followers of Bahamut have come up with a novel solution; a broad tapestry that holds the image of every hero who followed their god, and how they died. This ever-expanding holy relic has become a living history, being both a tribute and a heavy reminder, that their duty is sacred. Followers are expected to try to memorize the original, and craft their own version of it. While it is considered an important and holy relic, it is never actually on display. Instead near perfect copies are kept so that should something happen to one, another is ready for display (a great act of watchfulness in and of itself).

Bahamut: The Platinum Scales

This holy book is exactly 100 sheets of incredibly thin platinum, shaped like scales and bound on one side by three platinum rings. It measures 16 inches high and 12 inches across at its widest, but oddly weighs only 10 pounds. Inscribed on its sheets in draconic are the history of the church, the tenets and values expected of the faithful, and a number of rituals and rites of the Platinum Dragon. It glows a soft white in the presence of metallic dragons (within 30 feet) and clamps shut, unopenable by any means in the presence of chromatic dragons.

Grummsh: The Litany of War, Death and Conquest

The one-eyed god demands the expansion of the ancient orcs into the territories of other beings. His children don’t traditionally keep written records, but shamans have been known to inscribe the lessons in the form of icons into their weapons and equipment, as well as in tattoos. The most holy relic of all is the Litany of War, Death, and Conquest: a wardrum of immense size, crafted by the first three shamans (War, Death, and Conquest) who followed Gruumsh. Their skin was literally tattooed with his messages, and when they died, these were drawn over the drums so that every beat would be a lesson to the tribes of the conquering god.

Heliod: The Almanac of Dawn

The almanac is the pinnacle of bookbinding. The pages within are a manual for every mortal life. Every single aspect of life from birth, through youth, and into adulthood, the entire lifecycle of a mortal is described within. The book has two security features: the first is a padlock that prevents the tome from being opened by just anyone, and then, the more lurid and controversial topics are located beneath a specially crafted chamber at the back of the book. This is crafted from adamantium and requires four additional keys to access. The followers of Heliod consider it to be heresy of the greatest order, for any of the contents of those chapters to be copied.

Heliod: Tome of the Morning

This large, heavy book has covers made of polished white quartz and edged with gold. Diagonal indentations run across the book’s covers, in which grow a small amount of moss. The most remarkable exterior feature of the book is the animated eye, preserved from a blue dragon set into its front cover. The eye constantly looks around, following the movement of nearby creatures as though intelligent. The eye is key to reading the book’s contents; when it is struck with light from dusk or dawn, the eye projects a beam of rose-colored light, projecting an incomplete circle onto a nearby surface. Only by completing the circle (with objects, drawing, or even motion) can the book’s contents be read clearly. The Tome of the Morning can magically identify any dragon part it contacts, specifically its authenticity, the presence of any enchantment, and the type and age of dragon it belonged (or belongs) to. Its other powers or contained spells vary by account, as does its origin. Though said to have been crafted by a group of clerics in a now-ruined temple, the identities of those involved and the means of creating the book are unknown. Like far too many irreplaceable holy items, it was carried off by adventurers and lost.

Ioun: The Lorehammer

The lorehammer is a plain looking blacksmith’s hammer cast in gold, though without the weakness of the usually soft metal. The haft of the hammer is an unknown black colored wood, unmarred with use. Stories suggest the hammer is occasionally found with the handle wrapped in a long linen cloth, but the accounts are inconsistent. The hammer demonstrates the hardness of forged steel and can be used as a masterfully balanced tool for that purpose. If the correct prayer to Ioun is known, and chanted aloud by the smith as they work, the hammer causes writing of fire to appear on struck metal objects, lasting only a few minutes before fading, leaving the object unharmed. Legends suggest in addition to the holy rites of the faith, the hammer can impart formulae for a range of exotic metal alloys, and the means to forge them.

Iroas: The Battle-worn Shield

This battered and rusted steel kiteshield measures three feet high and two feet wide at its widest point. Its face displays a flaming sword symbol, faded and heavily scarred, and at first glance appears to be nothing special. On the, inverse where the straps and handle should be, tiny script can be found scratched into the metal with surprising clarity. The script details the author’s last days as a soldier besieged in a redoubt on the “snowy tundra.” There is no date, and faithful scholars heavily debated the place and date of origin. The script offers few identifying details of the battle or participants but does offer the unknown author’s highly insightful thoughts and critiques on various battlefi eld strategies, troop maneuvers, and even single combat techniques. It ends with a complex prayer to Iroas as well as a final wish to die gloriously in battle.

Lolth: The Enigma Stone

The accounts of the enigma stone, both its description and its contents, are many and varied. This is courtesy of a deliberate campaign of Lolth’s faithful to obscure the truth with as many credible falsehoods as possible. The most widely believed account is that the enigma stone is a massive clear diamond, roughly 2 feet in length and 1 foot in width, cut in the classic round style. Some stories suggest the enigma stone levitates on its own, or has been known to teleport to locations under its own power and direction. Although the surface looks clear, it is set in an unknown cipher, and is actually inscribed in runes so small and perfect, that they are invisible to the naked eye, requiring eyes of minute seeing to actually read. It is said that anyone able to decrypt the cipher would have access not only to the holy rites of Lolth, but some of the most potent and potentially devastating secrets of the multiverse, hidden on the stone for safe keeping.

Melora: Leaves of Green

To the uninitiated, this item of text looks like nothing more than a flat, oval-shaped piece of bark of some unidentifiable tree. A closer examination of the aged, fragile-looking item reveals a triangle-shaped arrangement of circles on the inward side, but nothing else. Only by invoking the name of Silvanus while pressing on these rings will reveal the item’s true nature; the bark swells and thickens, becoming the two covers of a book with square, green-leaf pages. The Leaves of Green is sixteen pages in total and feels almost weightless. Its origins are unknown, first appearing in recorded history around the year 127 and was last seen in 1367 heading toward the northern Sword Coast in the hands of an unnamed adventurer.

Purphoros: The Divine Anvil

The Divine Anvil is a mithril anvil three feet long and 2 feet wide (at its widest point), etched with barely visible lines and symbols. These do not constitute a known language. When a faithful supplicant sings the Deep Rites and strikes the anvil with a consecrated hammer, blue fire fills the symbols, spelling out the hidden knowledge within to the cadence of the holy songs. The various rites unlock deeper mysteries of the faith, including the secrets of enduring, magical craft, and the formula to the forging of legendary arms and armor. Legend tells of lost songs that reveal secrets to shape the earth or shatter steel from a distance with a single ringing hammer blow.

Raijin & Fujin: The Windrider's Cloak

A large purple cloak embroidered with silver threads that depict patterns of blustery winds, this cloak appears to be perfectly sized for anyone that wears it. It remains warm and dry in all conditions, even after a heavy rain or being submerged in water. While worn, it constantly fl utters and billows, even in perfectly still conditions. If worn outdoors, in a strong wind (but not stormy conditions) for an hour, the threads on the cloak shift into the common script, remaining so for 24 hours before reverting. The script recounts Shaundakul’s history and some of the rites of the faith, as well as several hidden or secret methods of reaching remote locations. The directions vary each time, and it is unknown how many locations are hidden within the cloak.

Saraswati: The Veil

The Veil is a weightless, translucent garment similar to a kimono. A close examination indicates musical notes sewn into the fabric in silver thread – a hidden song. When worn by a creature that dances under a full moon, accompanied by this melody (sung, played, or otherwise) the veils trailing edges leave words and images in the air, recounting the history of Saraswati, her journey to godhood, and her faith on Sehanine that became intrinsically woven into her faith. As the dance continues, the veil displays descriptions and illustrations of the holy rites of the faith, all intricate dances for various ceremonies and purposes. The images last as long as the dancer continues, fading as the dance ends.

Sehanine: The Moonlit Manuscript

This large tome is around 2 feet in height, 1 foot in width, and 8 inches thick. Its front and back covers are solid silver plates, engraved with intricate patterns surrounding a full moon. The book is bound in white leather, and the internal pages – soft pale parchment that feels like silk – are blank. If the book is exposed to natural moonlight, the blank pages glimmer with a silvery light and the contents appear. The tome contains the rites and responsibilities of the faith, and their duty within the religion's community. The silver covers abjure the touch of fiends or undead, but lycanthropes can handle it without discomfort.

Tiamat: The 666 Coins of Tiamat

Dragons desire to have vast treasure hoards and little else. To get her children, and by extension anyone who would follow their draconic might, to learn her lessons, she had to inscribe them onto holy coins. These 666 coins will randomly appear in hoards across the plains, and any creatures who understand draconic are drawn to them. Each of these coins is specifically numbered with a minting order and is inscribed with a portion of the teachings of Tiamat. Most of the lessons are vanity proclamations talking about the awe and majesty of Tiamat herself.

Tiamat: The Chromatic Egg

The chromatic egg is a multi-hued, scaled egg around 4 feet in height and 3 feet across. It weighs 100 pounds and - if moved – feels as though something shifts inside. If placed in a suffi cient source of one of the fi ve chromatic elements – a bonfi re, a pool of acidic liquid, or a deep snowdrift for example – for a 24 hour period, the egg becomes partially translucent for 1 hour and a small multi-headed dragon silhouette can be observed within. Placing a hand upon the egg during this period causes the silhouette to writhe and Tiamat’s voice whispers to the creature or creatures in contact, offering instructions, commands or – very rarely – secrets of the faith. Even when multiple creatures commune with the egg at once, different information is conveyed to each.

Legends suggest that to touch the egg twice is to court permanent insanity as the Dragon Queen punishes the avaricious, but this is unsubstantiated.

Vecna: Morinkyora

A book consisting of a literal spine, clad in goblin skin, and inked in the blood of a thousand innocents, the Morinkyora is a manual for seeking out the secrets to becoming a lich. Written by Vecna when he was alive, this was originally a journal but has taken on the position of the highest holy book by his followers. The book refuses to open for anyone wishing to read the contents: eyes and a mouth are stitched into the cover and they recite the information from within the tome. Should the book deem the reader unworthy of undeath, it teaches them incorrectly, allowing their soul to directly feed worthy lich followers of Vecna.