Revision as of 15:33, 11 April 2008

Domi's High Woldian Symbol.

Ethos	"Get to Know me Domi!" - battle cry of Jandar the Brave
Domains	Protection, Strength, War***. ***Note: Clerics of Domi who take the War domain can choose one of the following as a favored weapon: any martial sword, any martial hammer, or unarmed attack. If you take a sword or a hammer, you gain the feats Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Focus with the weapon chosen. If you choose unarmed attack you gain the feats Improved Unarmed Attack and Weapon Focus (Unarmed Attack).
Prestige Classes	Protector, Hand of Domi
Holy Days	Days of Local Battles and Treaties, Festivals, Days when contests are held.
Sacrifices	Time spent working, Gold earned through hard labor and work given to the church.
Favored Weapon	{{{weapon}}}

Domi is the patron of Courage in all it's forms. He is the Champion of the Gods of Wold. He believes in protecting and defending what he has built with his own sweat and labor. He believes in respecting and honoring those around him and having the courage to stand up to those who wish to hurt, destroy and dominate. He believes in finding a way to settle all differences peacefully wishing to be a blacksmith before a warrior, however should it come to violence he will lead the way hammer swinging. He believes in having the courage to use diplomacy when needed and violence when diplomacy fails. He teaches his followers to know when each option is called for. Domi hates insecurity and people who display a lack of faith in themselves. He believes that life is a challenge to be met head on. He patrons courage in all situations where it is needed such as facing a dragon, battle, weddings, meeting the in-laws, and other scary situations.

God of Courage

Godly Powers

Domi has the ability to inspire Faith and Courage wherever it is needed. He can enlighten those that are oppressed and give strength to those who ask for courage so that they can have the faith and courage to rise up and take down their oppressors. He can remove fear and bring faith to the hopeless.

Appearance

Mortal Form -- In his mortal form, he appears as a monk. His face is wide and earnest. His brow is wrinkled with concentration and his head is covered with close cropped black hair.

Avatar Form -- When in battle, he appears as a wrestler with no shirt and a huge grin. His face is wide and earnest with close cropped black hair. His skin is oiled and ready for battle. His hands are massive, with fists the size of his head.

Divine Form -- When appearing to his faithful, he holds the form of glowing bright light that burns away the darkness and warms the heart and soul.

Worship

The worship of the Faithful is usually very untraditional. They worship in work and in battle. They worship by resolving conflict and by inspiring others to do the same.

Services are rarely formally held. When they are they are usually spontaneous and impromptu. The worship of the Faithful is very positive.

On the rare occasions when formal worship is conducted, the worshippers sing songs and recite poetry to encourage each other to greater and greater accomplishments. Services are held weekly and in time of great need.

The most unusual part of Domi worship is that there are very few temples built in his honor. As a tribute to his humility and because he wishes it, his followers continue to worship him in their hearts and their lives as they did after his death, rather than in huge temples and cathedrals.

Holy Symbol

Domi's official symbol is a Hammer and Anvil; however, clerics of Domi tend to enjoy wearing various other symbols that have distinct symbolic meaning to the clerics. Some of these are:

Hammer -- Strength Anvil -- Resistance Shield -- Protection Crossed Swords -- Restraint in Battle Others use a combination of symbols -- a shield with crossed swords, etc. The symbol for Domi seen above is the ancient High Woldian root of the more common modern symbols. The lower, inverted triangle signifying Resistance has become an Anvil, the upper triangle signifying Strength has become a Hammer. Indeed, it is perfectly possible that these objects were the original inspiration for the two glyphs.

Priests' Appearance

Clerics of Domi dress in plain robes, with no trim or decoration. Most wear their hair short. Most are physically strong and all are confidant in themselves and their companions. All are physically fit and proud of the work put into their bodies.

Powerful Clerics of Domi exude extraordinary mental and physical strength.

Clerics in Society

Known as the Domi's Bravest, these priests work among the Noble Races of The Wold inspiring people to action. Also called Brothers and Sisters, they work to teach people to resolve their conflicts with respect for each other and to have the courage to stand up to those that would control or oppress them.

Brothers and Sisters of Domi do this by example -- they do not oppress others or try to control them with lies or criticism -- instead they try to find something to honestly praise in all.

In order to combat oppression, Brothers and Sisters of Domi are always ready to take up arms to protect themselves and people who cannot defend themselves. Many delight in the arts of combat, and they keep their swords sharp and armor polished. Others prefer to wrestle, like Domi, or to fight with fist and foot.

The Bravest also encourage others to resist oppression by being fit and strong in mind and body. They encourage contests and athletic games as a way to keep strong. They also use contests to resolve disputes -- They see an arm-wrestling match or a riddle contest as a fair way to resolve an argument, if all sides agree.

They are not afraid to get their hands dirty, and they prize self-sufficiency, seldom depending on the charity of others. Therefore, many of the Bravest have a job outside the priesthood, ensuring that they will never become a drain on society. Most develop a skill or trade that is always in demand and that allows them to keep fit and strong: Constable, Blacksmith, Farmer, Guard, Stone Mason.

There is also a tradition of service among the Bravest. Just as Domi served Alemi, the Brothers and Sisters will sometimes vow service to noble houses.

History and Relationships

Domi was born as a slave in the household of Alemi's father. As a boy, his task was to play with Alemi and keep him out of trouble. The two boys were inseparable and grew to be best friends.

When both lads grew to adulthood and Alemi left home to train as a wizard and a warrior, Alemi was given Domi to take with him. Alemi refused saying that the debt that Domi's family had owed Alemi's family was paid in full. Domi went with him anyway as a friend and comrade.

Domi had no inclinations to be a mage, but he was exceedingly interested in combat skills. He turned out to be very good at hand to hand combat and simply adored wrestling. While Alemi would work on his spellcraft, Domi would practice hand to hand combat.

He began to enter wrestling tournaments across the land and soon was winning tournaments on a regular basis. He began to leave Alemi's side for longer and longer periods of time to study with different masters learning quickly everything they had to offer him.

Soon he was teaching hand to hand combat and original techniques developed by himself. He soon became the Wold's first monk.

When Alemi opened his School of Adventuring, Domi taught all the classes concerning combat. However, before he let his students begin physical training, he gave them the mental training necessary to have courage in difficult situations. Soon, trained fighters and monks were flourishing across The Wold driving back the evils that beset the Noble Races in the First Age.

Eventually Domi's name was mentioned alongside Alemi's throughout the Wold. His humility was the only thing greater than his fame, however. In fact, his humility tended to foster the spread of his fame.

When Alemi begin his quest to question the Gods, for the first time Domi did not support him. He thought it arrogant and unnecessary. Slowly, however, Alemi's efforts began to prove the validity of his claims, Domi was brought around to Alemi's point of view.

When Alemi attempted to contact the Jericho by activating the Soul Forge, by which the Wold was created, he failed -- and when Domi found him, Alemi had been turned into his greatest desire -- to become a golden dragon -- and he was out of his mind. Domi took the Rings of Ascension from him and approached the Soul Forge.

There he battled with his desires as the Rings tried again and again to bring out remnants of pride, ambition, and falsehoods within him. However, as each temptation beset him, he turned the temptation back upon his focus, to help his friend succeed. After many hours, The Rings, one by one, submitted to his ownership and the Soul Forge was activated.

The creator blessed his request and gave Alemi and Domi the means to oppose the gods and bring about change. The Gods of Yore, however, were not willing to change and did not heed the requests nor the warnings that followed. Eventually, Alemi and Domi fought the Gods of Yore and defeated them.

The battle was long and hard. Domi died in the battle protecting Alemi's back. A strange thing then happened. Domi's spirit did not go off to the Afterlife, but remained because the God of the Dead had already perished. Domi found though that he was not concerned about such matters any longer so he watched waiting to go to his rest.

He remained there on the battlefield with the rest of the mortal dead for some time. Then Alemi, with the appearance of a God approached and asked his friend to stand by his side in Godhood for eternity as he had as a mortal. Domi, rejoicing, readily accepted.

In the early centuries of godhood, all was well and good. The Gods of Wold looked out for the wellbeing of the Noble Races. With time, however, all things change. He began to see Some of the Gods of Wold become decadent and impassioned for things Mortal. He watched as Caeroldra took mortal man after mortal man to her chambers. He also watched as Alemi, Caeroldra's mate, continued to be oblivious to her passions.

Then came the challenge of Marteaus. Alemi called a conclave of The Gods of Wold to discuss how to handle the situation. During the meeting, Marteaus called Domi out. Domi went, glad to have an honorable way to put an end to this menace. However, things did not go as planned. As the battle progressed, Marteaus began drawing more and more upon the lifeforce of the audience in the Arena of Plateau City. The elderly and young were dying. He eventually let Marteaus defeat him to save their lives. His dying act was to heal the audience giving them his remaining energy.

When Domi died, the Wold went dark for 48 hours as people's emotions concerning courage ran rampant. Some found that they lacked courage and could not battle their inner demons any longer. Others, without courage, because berserk fighting and attacking others for no reason. This act was the first step in a chain of events that led to the God Wars. It also began what is known by the Noble Races as the Year of Ascension.

The victory cemented the loose alliance Marteaus had put together known as the Cult Gods.

The most amazing thing about the event, though, was that many of his followers refused to accept his death, and began questing to bring him back to life. The deeds done by Noble and Ignoble races are now told in every place and tongue.

When The Jericho created the New Wold, Domi remained at Alemi's side in the Gods of Wold Pantheon and was placed in direct opposition to Ga'al the Dominator. The conflict between these two gods is perhaps the most active and heated in The New Wold.