Religion and Spirituality

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Rivergate: Visiting the Temple

December 30, 2010 in Immortals' Wake, Rivergate, World by Fitz | No comments

The Church of the Mother operates all over the continent, but not all holy places can be as grand as the Grand Basilica. As such, many smaller temples and shrines have been built and maintained throughout cities, towns, and villages across the lands.

In Rivergate, you will find a small Temple of the Mother’s Grace. Though small, every sermon and ceremony is packed wall to wall to hear Abbess Amrin speak the words of the goddess and the Maker. Amrin rules the Temple with an iron fist, but an open heart. She will put up with no foolishness beneath her roof but will move heaven and earth if you earn her trust and love. As old as she is, you’d probably wonder if she *was* the Mother’s sister in her childhood, but her eyes still radiate a warmth and love nobody can deny.

Her sermons draw folks from all walks of life – laborers, merchants, artists, sailors, and anyone else seeking a bit of salvation. Though well schooled in the scriptures, the Abbess often uses humor and local events to drive her points home.

Most nights she can be found giving those who need it a helping hand, a bit of bread, or a sympathetic ear. And those who don’t live up to her expectations are likely to get an earful and forcefully set back on the path.

But if you’re hurt, whether emotionally or physically, you should find your way to the temple. The Abbess and her helpers will do their best to fix you up and set you on your way.

The Temple itself seems simple from the outside, though taller than many other buildings in town. Two giant doors lead into the main hall. To the right of the doors is the bell used to call worshippers to service and sound the alarm when needed. A series of bells are located throughout Rivergate and bell ringers are always nearby to ring messages from the gates to the docks. Two statues – St. Samrak and St. Issal – stand on either side of the door signifying the church philosophies of hope and healing. A series of gargoyles around the domed roof announces to all that no evil is welcome within these walls and that the rules MUST be obeyed.

Inside, the doors open into the main hall with the inside of the dome painted to represent the four phases of the Mother’s life at the cardinal points of the room. East is discovering her faith (with the rising sun). South represents her journey to spread the word. And west represents her final journey to the Maker’s paradise (with the setting sun). Several pews all align towards the east and a raised dais. It is there where the Abbess and her helpers give their sermons.

Through the southern doors is a small area where the sisters sleep and eat. Separated by a cloth divider when needed, half of their living space becomes a hospital with several temporary cots.

If you are seeking shelter or just need to talk, the Temple of the Mother’s Grace is there to help and set you back on your path.

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How to Extend Rituals in WR&M

December 6, 2010 in Immortals' Wake, Rules, Seeking Feedback, WR&M by Fitz | 1 comment

With a Divine spellcaster, the magical energy used to achieve an effect is channeled through the caster’s faith in a supernatural force. This force can be as straightforward as believing in a deity or more open-ended or philosophical such as the belief in a cosmic consciousness, the spirits of nature, or the ghosts of ancestors past. And though the end result of casting may be the same as a wizard, many Divine casters use personal rituals.

When we were working on Moebius Adventures we always loved the concepts behind ritual magic. These are the bigger spells that could only be done with larger amounts of casters, magical energy, components, or skill to gain bigger effects. For instance, a one-person Teleport spell could be transformed into a much larger Gateway to move additional people or equipment.

Rituals are broadly defined in WR&M as a way for participants to “pool their mana” to meet the DL requirements for higher circle spells that might be otherwise out of reach. Partcipants are still beholden to the mana cost for the spell and any spell enhancements, but the difficulty level is reduced by 1 if it’s done in the minimum time (1 minute for 1st circle, 5 minutes for 2nd circle, etc.).

Ultimately my question is this… Though this application of ritual magic is good – shouldn’t it be able to do more than that? Or am I looking at this the wrong way? Should it work more like there’s a 4th Circle spell – Mass Last Rites – with bigger bang that should only be performed by mighty powerful priests or a group of priests on the same mission?

For Divine magic, I’m thinking about rituals like:

  • Last Rites
  • Focus (Worry Beads, etc.)
  • Lay on Hands
  • Blessing
  • Inoculate (Cure Disease)
  • Detox (Cure Poison)
  • Protection
  • And so on

It gets more interesting when you look at how the effects are applied and how they stack if they’re done with friends.

For instance, let’s say a priest is delivering Last Rites to a dead or dying person. Perhaps this ritual helps their soul get to the afterlife. Perhaps it blocks them from rising as the walking dead. Perhaps it is nothing more than a way to make their family and friends left behind feel better.

If you take Last Rites into the wild where it’s simply a priest and the deceased, that’s one context. If you have a priest performing the ritual in a temple, church, or other holy place, that’s a different context that perhaps lends more weight or strength to the ritual. And if you add in more priests all performing the ritual at the same time, that’s yet a different context that lends additional strength to the ritual.

Let’s look at it from a different angle. What happens if Last Rites is a way to settle the restless dead – your textbook zombie? It may take a minute for a priest to do the ritual on a zombie – and it may require touching the zombie on the forehead with holy oil. Not necessarily a great position to be in obviously.

Perhaps if you and your priest friend both are doing the ritual, you can knock off the requirement to touch the body and affect a zombie at a distance. Add another priest and maybe you can affect a group of zombies. Add more priests and maybe you can affect a much larger group of zombies… Can you imagine a group of priests all performing a ritual while wandering through a town infested with zombies – and watching zombies fall around them like driftwood?

So maybe in the Last Rites example, there would be three spells – Last Rites (1st or 2nd circle), Last Rites in a Holy Place (2nd or 3rd circle), and Mass Last Rites (4th circle). And it would be up to the priest (or priests) to decide when to go it solo vs. with a group.

As you can see, I’m still trying to figure out how to best integrate some of these ideas with WR&M and am getting there slowly.

What do you think?

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IW:Rivergate – Superstitious Magic, WR&M-style…

November 23, 2010 in Immortals' Wake, Magic, WR&M by Fitz | 2 comments

Hi all…

So I’ve been looking at how to merge some of the magical philosophies of Immortals’ Wake with WR&M over the last few days. Spells are a bit different when you have to fit them into four different “Circles” instead of having an arbitrary number of levels.

The first realm of wizardry I’m trying to work on is Superstitious Magic. It’s sort of voodoo, but not really. More playing on Old Wives’ Tales and such to avoid walking under ladders, crossing black cats’ paths, and so on.

Superstitious Magic preys on people’s beliefs to create magical effects. This can be as simple as calling upon some deity or force aligned with or opposed to an opponent’s belief. For instance, a blessing would ask for positive influence over a person, place, or thing. But a curse would invoke negative influence.

I’ve only started working on this, but have the First Circle started at least… “FTIL” references From the Imperial Library, the magic supplement for WR&M written by Brian Brousseau.

First Circle

Dead Man’s Claws: Caster’s hand becomes cold and clammy with sharp fingernails to claw at an opponent for 1d6 damage. Same as Painful Touch (FTIL).

Mummy’s Caress: Wrapped in an the bandage from an embalmed body, the caster grasps an opponent, causing 1d6/2 damage and heals the caster by the same number of points. Same as Lesser Vampiric Touch (FTIL).

Snake’s Kiss: Caster wipes the blood of a serpent on the intended victim, making them feel sickly and weak. Same as Poison Touch (FTIL).

Gravemud: Caster throws a clod of mud from a grave at up to 2 victims. Same as Painful Blast (FTIL).

Stinkeye: Caster gives one intended target the evil eye. Same as Stun (FTIL).

In addition, I’m looking at adding a few spells…

Breaking Touch (Shatter, Destroy) (First Circle) – Touch attack to a specific item. The item’s owner must make a DL7 Mage roll or have the item take 1 point of damage. Each level of enhancement can either increase the DL by +1 or increase the damage done to the item by 1. For example, a successful casting against a piece of clothing would destroy it quickly, but it would take multiple attempts to break a sword. (See the Material Strengths table.)

Repair (Fix, Mend) (First Circle) – Repairs 1 point of damage to an item. Each level of enhancement can increase the number of points repaired by 1.

Unbidden Growth (Curse of Hair, Enlarge, Embiggen): Touch attack that causes the item or body part on the target to grow wildly for one round. Person must make a DL9 Mage roll to resist or suffer for 1 hour. Each level of enhancement increases the DL by +1.

Change Size (Enlarge, Reduce, Grow, Shrink): Touch increases or decreases person’s size by 50% along with any worn or carried possessions (backpacks not included). All Warrior checks are at +3, but Rogue checks are at -3 when enlarged or -3 to Warrior when reduced. This spell lasts entire encounter. If cast on unwilling target, target gets a DL 11 Mage roll to resist. Each level of enhancement adds +3 to the DL.

Material strengths vary by type. Cloth is weak (1 pt), then there’s leather (3 pts), wood (5 pts), and steel (7 pts). Not sure these are the final values for the material types, but it’s a start.

Any thoughts? Please feel free to leave them as comments or e-mail me directly at info(at)moebiusadventures(dot)com.

–Fitz

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Immortals’ Wake: The Trial

April 27, 2010 in Inspiration, World by Fitz | 2 comments

What follows is a continuation of the first vignette of Immortals’ Wake here. What would Maria do with the knowledge of a possibly demon-touched individual in the bazaar?

That night, all Maria could think about was the merchant’s magical bowl and the words of the deacon. Should she mention it to the guards just in case? She certainly didn’t want her inability to act to hurt someone, even indirectly.

After a restless night, she decided she would speak to a priest at the basilica before she went to work at the O’mani trading stall in the bazaar. Once inside, her worry seemed to attract one of the Sisters cleaning after the morning service. She introduced herself as Sister Wyland and asked Maria to sit.

“Tell me of your troubles my child,” she said gently. “We are always here to help.”

Maria spoke of the events in the bazaar, careful to leave out the merchant’s name until she was sure of a course of action. “Sister, what should I do? I don’t want to bring pain and suffering on his house, but neither do I wish for anyone else to be harmed should he turn out to be one of the… the… the demons…”

After a moment, the Sister spoke. “My child, ultimately is not everything in the hands of the Mother and the Maker? As vessels for their love and generosity, we cannot let our emotions cloud our judgment. Though you may not want this merchant to be harmed unnecessarily, would it not feel even worse if he was a demon sympathizer and brought destruction to the many innocents who travel to the bazaar every day?”

“I see your point Sister Wyland. Who do you recommend I speak to about this matter?”

“I can pass such information along to the guards for you my dear, so your involvement is further lessened. But you will know that this information will immediately get to those who can test this merchant properly and ascertain how he got this bowl of which you speak… So what is his name?” asked the Sister.

Maria rose, mentioned Eveni Georgia and where his booth was in the bazaar, thanked Sister Wyland, and headed to work for the day with the spring back in her step.

Later in the day, she heard and saw a group of heavily armed and armored men running through the bazaar in the direction of the market center. Her heart pounded in her chest in time to their marching steps. Maria knew where they were going.

Though the knights didn’t come past her booth, she heard descriptions of the two men they apprehended. One was the merchant Georgia, but she didn’t recognize the other one. If the authorities held to tradition, there would be a public trial and sentencing tomorrow at noon. She didn’t want to go, but knew she’d be there with everyone else.

Up to a few years ago, demon trials were just another story told to scare children. But in the last year alone there had been eight trials. And though they had yet to see any demons, eight men and women had been found not guilty after they died during the proceedings. Rumors explained that the families of the innocent would be repaid for the loss and heartache in gold.

Maria didn’t know any of the families to confirm such stories, but she and many others wondered about the truth.

Before the marketplace closed, A’Bas found her at her stall. “Did you hear what happened?” he asked, wide-eyed.

She nodded. “I caught glimpses of them as they ran down the next path. What do you think they’ll do to him?”

He shook his head. “I don’t really want to think about it Maria. Who do you think turned him into the guards?”

All Maria could do was look away and shake her head… “I don’t know, ” she muttered under her breath.

The next morning, as predicted, an edict was posted about the pending trial at Noon. Eveni Georgia was to be tried as a demon. If he lived, he would be proven to be a demon. If he died, he would be cleared of all charges.

The bazaar was deathly still all morning except for whispered questions and murmurs about the merchant and the trial. Maria had not slept a wink, her own betrayal eating away at her from within. Even the nightly sermon hadn’t helped, as the Deacon spoke of the captured demon and its possible meanings for the faithful.

She and A’Bas made sure to find space in the crowd witnessing the proceedings, but Maria cautioned against being where they might be seen by the merchant. Maria didn’t want him to be able to point them out in the crowd.

The knight in charge of the knights of the Order of St. Greggor presided over the trial – Lady Dagor. She looked strong and proud in her practical mix of plate and chain armor. Her knowledge of Church law sounded official to everyone in the crowd, including Maria.

Eventually she asked some simple questions of Georgia.

“Where did you get the bowl?” “Why would you carry such demon-touched merchandise in your stall?” “What contact had you had with the demons?”

The crowd was unable to hear any responses from the merchant, as he was locked in a small metal box suspended by chains above a small pool of water. However, what they saw made everyone back up a few steps.

The box began to dissolve around the man inside. And the merchant looked ready to spring at his accusers wearing simple metal armor and carrying a large sword, both of which appeared out of nowhere.

The lady knight did not seem alarmed by this at all. Making a small gesture, the box suddenly plunged down into the water and a group of knights secured a large wooden lid atop the pool, locking the man and what was left of the box inside.

The wooden walls of the pool expanded slightly as though the prisoner within was pounding on them with great strength, but they held fast. And after a few moments, all grew still again.

Now addressing the crowd, Lady Dagor spoke loudly enough to quiet the cries and shouts of alarm rippling through the people. “You see, that is why we must remain ever vigilant. That was an Earth Demon living hidden among us. He could have brought destruction on us all…” She paused. “But one among you spoke up and shared a concern with us so we could deal with him before anything bad happened. One person made a difference. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Thank the Mother and the Maker that we were prepared for this. We should all give thanks and ponder what we have seen today.” At that, she turned on her heel and went back to her knights who were dealing with ensuring that the demon would not escape his watery grave.

Maria was in shock, as were many in the audience. How could such a thing have come to pass? Why didn’t anyone know he was a demon? But she feared that many may suffer such trials in the future if the paranoia spread too far and fast through the people…

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Immortals’ Wake: A Few Hours in Belan’si

April 21, 2010 in Seeking Feedback, World by Fitz | 3 comments

What follows is a taste of the world of Immortals’ Wake… Many, guided by faith, skill, knowledge, or logic, see this magical realm in very different terms. As in most worlds, there are Haves and Have-Nots. When the bells at the Basilica sound a warning, where and with whom will you seek shelter?

Marion O’mani keeps to herself most of the time. A girl of faith, she regularly attends mass at the Basilica to worship the words of Mother T’aibi who guides from above. And when she’s not attending services, she can be found at her family’s stall in the bazaar, selling handmade goods as the O’mani clan had sold for 100 years. As such, she had many friends among the other merchant families of Belan’si.

As a port city, trade caravans constantly bustled for attention from wealthy buyers who then turned around and sold those trinkets to the people of the city with coins to spend. Stalls on the side of the bazaar closest to the merchant and noble quarters were the subject of intense positioning, sometimes leading to bad blood.

Today, Marion had some free time before the sunset service began, so she decided to find her friend A’bas. A’bas Relan and Marion attended the church school where they both learned to read and write and do the basic math they would need every day in the bazaar. The pair often explored the dark interior of the markets to see what lost treasures they could find among the shops, stalls, vendors, and colorful people passing through the area each day.

She found him at one of their favorite stops, the booth of one Evani Georgia, a man of ill-repute who always ended up with the best strange pieces every week. A’Bas was admiring an azure pottery bowl that seemed to change and move as he shifted it in and out of a shaft of sunlight. “That’s beautiful, but how does it do that?” she asked tentatively as she approached.

“Ah, another distinguishing eye! Yes, this is a rare item indeed,” said Georgia. “It came to me by way of the ocean from Kardyn, island kingdom of the Saesi.”

“But why does it shift so?” she asked.

The merchant gestured for her to come closer as he whispered “The pottery is imbued with demon magic.” A’Bas nearly dropped the fine porcelain bowl, but recovered quickly enough to set it gently on the table.

“Demons? Really? Have you ever seen one?” asked A’Bas. “We’ve heard tales, but have never seen one ourselves. Beyond the strange rippling stone of the Mother’s Fold over the river, I started to think they were a myth.”

The man smiled. “Oh, they’re real. I once watched a battle between a group of fire demons and a detachment of knights from the Order of St. Greggor. Raw magic nearly destroyed their weapons and armor. But numbers were on the side of the Church that day. The losses though… I’ve never seen such carnage and the smell…”

“A’Bas, I think it’s time to go,” Maria chimed in. “We’re needed elsewhere. Thank you kind sir for your tales.” And she grabbed her friend’s arm and led him from the booth.

“Next time bring some money and I’ll entertain with tales of the wave demons!” shouted Georgia after them.

Maria and A’Bas hurried through the crowded marketplace to the Grand Basilica so they could get seats at the evening service. “All this talk of demons has me worried,” she said as they worked their way through the throngs of people. “Even Deacon Nobin has mentioned them in her sermons lately…”

“I’m sure this will pass. We’ve all heard the stories, but beyond some old stone bridge and that weird pot have you ever seen a reason to be scared?” asked A’Bas. “It’s just talk.”

As they shuffled through the double doors and under the great domed roof of the church, they were far from the first to arrive. Services, especially lately, had been very crowded of late. But they found room on a bench in the center as more people filed in. By the time the Deacon appeared with her acolytes, it was standing room only and a few hundred people were seeking spiritual guidance…

Deacon Nobin began… “Good evening, my friends. May the Mother’s Grace be upon thee…” And also on thee…

“Here in the city of Belan’si we have been blessed by all our guardians… The Queen’s Order of the Sovereign Rose, the King’s Order of the Missing Sword, and our own Order of St. Greggor help our overworked guardsmen patrolling the city streets and keeping us from harm. Thank the Mother…” Thank you oh wise Mother.

“But now we’ve seen evidence that our great, safe city once again lies in the Nameless One’s path… And we must pray for guidance during the dark times to come. May the Maker and the Mother watch over us all.” Amen

“In the days and weeks ahead, we must remain vigilant. Watch for signs of the demons all around you. And if you see signs, let our guardians know so they may deal with each threat as it comes. Do not wait. Do not stray from what you believe. For if these demons are allowed to run free, we will all pay the price.”

Eventually the Deacon finished her sermon and bid her flock good night and safe journeys. Her words left Maria and A’Bas wondering if they should tell someone about Evani Georgia and his strange, demon-touched porcelain bowl…

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Moral and Ethical Ambiguity, Part 4 of 4 – Conclusions

October 22, 2009 in Articles, GMing, Inspiration, Rules by Fitz | No comments

So from the first three parts of this series (part 1, part 2, part 3), you hopefully have seen some of the thought that went into our slightly different take on alignment for Moebius Adventures. Again, this is totally portable and could be used with any system I think.

RPGBlogCarnivalLogocopyBut does it work? The jury’s still out. Ultimately, this may not be a usable alignment system. But it provides some interesting flexibility that the traditional good/evil scheme may not. If nothing else, perhaps it offers some methods for fleshing out characters in addition to a traditional good/evil alignment.

I think that new players should focus on the basic alignment grid of Good, Neutral, and Evil. But more advanced players may want a bit more play in how they approach decisions for their characters in a given world.

When conflicts arise between different levels of morality, it definitely gets interesting.

Let’s say that someone is trapped in a burning building and your character has enough time to safely extract the individual from harm. A character with a light moral alignment (+6 to +10) would save the individual, since Man is more important than Nature (in order of moral codes). A character with a gray moral alignment (-5 to +5) may or may not aid the trapped person. Is the person a friend? Would there be a possibility of a reward? These things may tip the scale one way or another. A character with a dark moral alignment (-6 to -10) might have started the fire or help the fire burn other nearby buildings. Maybe they consider cities dirty, unnatural structures and seek to, like Nature, clear the area for new growth.

Considering these qualities of Morality and Virtue provide some interesting insights into how our characters deal with the world around them and the people in it.

Hopefully I haven’t put anyone to sleep with this series. I think it’s philosophically interesting to approach roleplaying from more abstract ways than the old “good vs. evil” scheme.

Thanks for your time!
–Fitz

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