Wardd
God of Thieves and Luck
Contents
Realms of Responsibility
Wardd, the god of thieves, is the patron of gambling and the master of luck. What he wants, he takes -- but mostly he takes risks! He is the sole ruler of Wardd, the erratic first moon of The Wold, which is named after him. He has no divine responsibilities because he is fundamentally opposed to being responsible for anything. Those who seek his aid do not use appeals to duty -- instead, they hope to attract the god's attention by getting lucky. Wardd is also the god of those who are unlucky enough to struggle with mental demons and spiritual illness. He is the patron of vagrants and lunatics -- those with abnormal minds and diseased souls are often said to be under the sway of the moons, the domain of Wardd.
Appearance
- Mortal Form -- When in his natural form, Wardd appears as a healthy young man with blond hair and sleek form.
- Avatar Form -- In pictures, in ritual, or appearing before a group of believers, Wardd appears as a beautiful tall adolescent with alarmingly large eyes and a wide smile.
- Divine Form -- In dreams and legend, when his power and influence are shown as omens, Wardd appears as the waxing or waning moon, as a friendly stranger, or as a lucky or unlucky charm (a four-leaf clover, a black cat, a silver bell, etc.).
Holy Symbol
Clerics of Wardd tend to use a four-leaf clover as a symbol, but just as Wardd himself is unpredictable, his clerics do not obey rules. Some use the ancient High Woldian symbol shown above: two concentric circles with two horizontal lines within them. Some use other lucky icons as symbols, or use an item that is "lucky" for them. For example, if a cleric of Wardd dodges a dragon's breath because he tripped on a gold goblet, that goblet might become the holy and lucky symbol of that cleric! Sometimes clerics of Wardd go on Luck Quests to test their luck and win their own holy symbol.
Priests' Appearance
Although they are not superstitious, exactly, clerics of Wardd (aka "Favoured of Wardd") do tend to favor clothes that they have worn when they were fortunate in the past. A cleric might have a "lucky" shirt or cloak, for example. On the other hand, some Favoured of Wardd may wear an outfit that has been unlucky, figuring that the time for that luck to turn is now. Some call behavior like this Playing Life Craps. But as to style, color, and cut, Favoured of the erratic god are not bound by any tradition or standard.
Clerics in Society
Known as the Favoured, the priests of Wardd are notorious "borrowers" -- but they are also welcomed in most places as harbingers of good fortune. They are thought to bring luck with them, and so folks often offer them good meals and beds in order to bring luck under their roofs.
Some Favoured of Wardd see it as their mission to bring luck to the unlucky. They might go to communities and places which seem to be suffering a series of bad-luck events and improve matters there. Some priests of Wardd adopt a "fairy godmother" attitude and try to improve peoples' lot through mischievous meddling.
Other clerics of Wardd look at the darker side of luck: high risk and high reward! These clerics specialize in taking chances and testing their luck, especially in dangerous occupations such as adventuring, thievery, con artistry, and gambling. Some of these believe that by risking madness -- boldly entering into the darker realms of Unluck -- they can find their true lucky selves.
Although many Favoured of Wardd are thieves, some consider thievery a noble calling. They steal from those with plenty for the benefit of the needy. Or they steal from their enemies and rivals only. Or they use their thief skills to combat true evil.
Of course, other clerics of Wardd just use their divine talents to boost the weight of their money pouches!
Whatever their philosophy, most Favoured of Ward enjoy tests of luck. They go on Luck Quests, on which they depend entirely on improvisation and chance, not on planning. They follow their hunches, not their heads, knowing that they will roll with whatever the Wold throws their way!
Worship
Small shrines and wayside temples to Wardd are common -- and those who need better luck often go there to pray. But there are relatively few ordered temples and places of worship dedicated to Wardd -- and those are usually occupied by a rotating staff whose numbers wax and wane. In these larger organized temples, services are held on holy days and whenever there seems to be enough people randomly present. These places are refuges for those who want curses lifted and fortunes reversed. They are also places to celebrate lucky streaks and victories.
Some Guilds of Thieves have donated lavishly to Wardd, dedicating temples and shrines. Some of these are secret, and known only to members of the Guild.
Wardd is also the god of those who are unlucky enough to struggle with mental demons and spiritual illness. He is the patron of vagrants and lunatics -- those with abnormal minds and diseased souls are often said to be under the sway of the moons, the domain of Wardd. Sometimes clerics of Wardd set up houses in which to care for these people.
But Wardd is not just the god of the lucky and mad. He is often subtle and his worshippers secret. But do not make the mistake of believing that he is a weak god. No divine being takes the power of luck lightly or wishes to be opposed to it.
Holy Days
Deliverance Day, Day of Wishes, Mask Day; days of gibbous (waxing) moons and crescent (waning) moons.
Consist of Sacrifices
Totems and portions of treasures won in a lucky manner should be donated to the church. It is considered lucky to find a ring of invisibility in a hole jumped into for protection from an enemy and use it to get away. It is considered unlucky to save a ring of invisibility for a rainy day. As a result, the temples of Wardd have basements filled with all sorts of magical items which they will use to help others attain good luck. It is important to note that the Favoured of Wardd seem to even be lucky with the items they store there, for it is not unusual for those lucky items to have only one charge left. Wardd prefers lucky tokens and items rather than coinage.
Ethos
Live a lucky life and test your luck often.
Spell Domains
Prestige Classes
Pure Cleric Special Abilities
Clerics who remain pure and do not join a sect by taking a Prestige Class, receive special abilities. These abilities, detailed below, are lost if the Cleric ever joins a sect by selecting a Prestige Class. Generic Priests who select more than one god to serve are not considered Pure Clerics.
At 4th level, all pure clerics gain the ability to choose one spell from one of their selected Spell Domains to spontaneously cast. This operates exactly as the Cleric ability to Spontaneously Cast healing spells.
At 6th level, all pure clerics gain a bonus of 'cleric level minus 5' to charisma-based skill checks vs. members of their faith. They also get half this bonus rounded down vs. worshippers in the same pantheon. Example: A 10th level Favoured of Wardd has +5 vs Wardd worshippers, and +2 vs others who worship in the same pantheon (Gods of Testing).
At 8th level, Pure Clerics gain Leadership as a Bonus Feat.
At 10th level, all pure clerics gain a price discount of 20% to buy or construct houses, shrines, temples, seminaries, etc. -- IF the construction is in an area with sufficient followers of the Cleric's God to warrant such a building.
At 12th level, all pure clerics, if they have been faithful, are eligible to enter the hierarchy of their respective priesthoods. Priests which have chosen to join a sect by selecting a Prestige Class cannot join the hierarchy of their respective priesthood. They instead, may join the hierarchy of their sect.
At 15th level, all pure clerics gain the ability to perform spontaneous casting of all the spells from one of their selected Spell Domains. This operates exactly as the Cleric ability to Spontaneously Cast healing spells.
Godly Powers
Wardd knows every time someone "tests their luck." Wardd can turn any situation to his advantage. Whenever Wardd rolls a die, he chooses the resulting number (this also applies to game mechanics like saving throws, damage dice, and attack rolls). Wardd can also cause others to be lucky if he desires. He will reward worshippers who regularly test their luck by granting them good luck -- for example, with rings and gadgets that they unexpectedly find in their pockets.
History and Relationships
In mortal life, Wardd fought with a long forgotten army of good, during the Second Age. Things seemed to go very well for him, and some said he was one of the luckiest men alive. Luck however is unpredictable and has another face, and a bad stroke of luck found him captured by the enemy. Wardd was tortured and enchanted, but he resisted all efforts to make him talk. Finally, his enraged and frustrated captors declared that he should be -- "cast into the worst of all hells!!" and then banished him to the foul and hellish Estates of Unrest.
During his time in this damnable place, Wardd brought bad luck to many who tried to destroy him, until eventually the Lords of Unrest, having had more than enough, banished him further - this time to the heavenly Realm of Haven Far, which of course suited Wardd just fine. There, he had the good fortune to land in Alemi's lap, who sat on the throne in the middle of a conclave of the Gods.
Alemi knew a lucky thing when he saw one, and so instantly declared Wardd a God, and the guardian of the erratic first moon.
One day, Wardd noticed a female mortal - Jantierri, who appeared to him in his dreams. She had an overwhelming and uncanny power of prediction, and Wardd also discovered that only he was able to act on occasion against her prophesy and foreknowledge. Smitten, he helped her ascend and become the God of dreams and prophesy. It wasn't until later that he found out he had been tricked, and that she had used him to ascend to Godhood by purposefully appearing in and manipulating his dreams.
Secretly, he vowed revenge, and when the opportunity arose, as Gargul prepared a means to punish the noble races for their lack of faith, Wardd tricked Jantierri into helping Gargul create Marteaus and Kevintar - who would rise to deal out the punishments of the Gods.
Jantierri hated being tricked, and she in turn, aided by her sister Jancassis, plotted her own revenge on Wardd. She predicted that one day Wardd would be made mortal once more, and on that day - she would kill him.
Her chance came at the onset of the Godswar - the War of Ascension. Wardd had wished for friendship with all his fellow Gods, but he was closest to Karinthis, Donyra and Serenbeth. Imagine his horror when all three were slaughtered mercilessly by Marteaus. Sensing weakness, Jantierri and Jancassis manipulated Wardd's dreams once more, so it seemed to him that Marteaus had appeared, and asked him for a meeting. Jantierri also appeared in the dreams of Marteaus, too - in the guise of Wardd, once again asking for a meeting.
And so, unwittingly the two Gods met. Alas for Wardd, Jantierri had informed Alemi of the meeting, and on seeing Wardd meet with the leader of the Cult Gods, Alemi made Wardd a mortal for a day as punishment. Jantierri now saw her moment to strike. However, Wardd did as he always did - relied on luck, unpredictability and instinct, and in a surprising move, did something she did not foretell - he joined Marteaus, reclaiming his divinity.
The Cult God's foul justice was swift, and Jantierri was destroyed. Ultimately, Wardd's luck did not hold, and he eventually fell in the War of Ascension, but - he was chosen to be a pantheon god by the Jericho during the recreation of The Wold while others, including Jantierri, were not so fortunate.
Wardd is now a member of the Gods of Testing - as unpredictable, erratic, and prone to the influence of luck under Marteaus, as he ever was under Alemi, and perhaps more so.