From MadAlfred@aol.comWed Oct 4 12:49:21 1995 Date: Wed, 4 Oct 1995 01:04:26 -0400 From: MadAlfred@aol.com To: toaster@pvv.unit.no Subject: Cult of Solkan Now here's everyone's favorite fanatic... SOLKAN -- Law God of Vengeance and Retribution Description: Solkan is the brother of Alluminas (god of heavenly illumination) and brother/consort of Arianka (goddess of law and discipline) and is the angry god of vengeance and retribution. He is most often depicted as a tall, intense man on the edge of fury. Solkan is usually attired either in shiny armor or in black clothing with a wide brim black hat. In either appearance, Solkan is always armed with his flaming sword of vengeance, Flammendrung. The cult believes that Solkan was the foremost of the Law Gods who allied themselves with the forces opposing the Chaos powers. The alliance was more one of convenience than of convergent beliefs. It was the Law Gods who advocated total war with the goal of eradication of Chaos, even at the risk of destroying everything. When the war ended in stalemate, the Law Gods broke from the alliance. In conjunction with Arianka, Solkan became the most unrelenting foe of Chaos. Sometime later, the complex machinations of Tzeentch, the Changer of the Ways, resulted in the capture and imprisonment of Arianka. Deprived of his sister/consort (and receiving no help from his esoteric brother Alluminas), Solkan intensified (if such was possible) his campaign against Chaos while searching for Arianka. Solkan also became the patron of law and discipline at the time of Arianka's imprisonment. Some scholars of divine matters believe the Law Gods to be another manifestation of Chaos and point out that worship of the Law Gods did not commence in any form until sometime after the coming of Chaos. Others say that the Gods of Law pursued the Chaos powers into the world to continue their ages old war. Whatever the truth, all scholars of divine matters agree it is safest not to discuss these matters within earshot of any Gods of Law cultists. Alignment: Law. Symbol: Solkan's symbol is the flame. Priests wear black hooded robes trimmed with the colors of fire (reds, oranges, and yellows) and wear amulets of blackened iron with a fire opal embedded into its center (representing the cleansing flame). Area of Worship: Solkan is worshipped throughout the Old World. In the past, Solkan was the principle deity of the now-extinct, militant Hellene city-state of Spartius. Solkan also enjoyed some popularity (which varied with each Emperor) within the Remean Empire. Currently, the followers of Solkan are few compared to other Old World cults (though more numerous than Alluminas). Temples: Once there were great temples dedicated to Solkan. The two largest were located in Spartius (ruins of which are buried beneath the soil in the land of Border Princes) and the Tilean city-state of Remas. These temples were solidly built structures with outer columns surrounding the exterior walls. The columns and walls were austere in design, lacking ornamentation of any sort. The interior of the temples were unfurnished except for an altar and podium upon which stood the Solkan "Book of Laws" (lost in some past disaster). What remains of the temple in Remas is largely ruins with only a small portion still in use. Here, amid uncaring masses (to whom the Chaos threat serves only to frighten wayward children), remains the center of the cult and its hierarchy. The temples' decline can be traced to increasing intolerance, fear, and distrust of Old Worlders towards the narrow perceptions and rigidness of the Solkanites. In accord with this decline was the rise of the Solkan shrines where cultists meet in small, highly cohesive groups. These shrines are generally located adjacent to homes of a priest, near courtrooms, or housed at a location purchased by cultists. Outwardly, these shrines can not be distinguished from the surrounding buildings. The interiors, however, resemble the old temple interiors with only an altar and podium as furnishings. Friends and Enemies: As the cults of Sigmar and Ulric are seen as the forefront of the weak struggle against Chaos, the cult of Solkan affords them minimal respect, while being somewhat contemptible of the other Old World cults. Also, they are openly hostility towards the cult of Ranald for their flaunting of authority. Moreover, the cult of Solkan has a barely concealed disdain for cults of the Elder Races (they failed miserably in the first battles to eradicate Chaos). Further, the cult is the sworn enemies of-- and possess unbridled hatred toward-- all Chaos cults (the four powers and the Horned Rat), including the renegade powers (e.g., Malal, Zuvassin). Holy Days: There are no specific holy days dedicated to Solkan as the threat of Chaos is unrelenting and cultists must be ever vigilant. Cult Requirements: Any who petition to join the cult must be free of Chaos taint and approved by a Cleric. Strictures: Followers of Solkan must abide by the following: -Always oppose and, if possible, exterminate Chaos and its minions whenever and wherever they are encountered. -Never allow those who are soft and blind to the Chaos threat dissuade one from the primary task. -Never allow others' opinions of oneself or Solkan to deter from the primary duty. -Always hold inviolate the letter of the law (unless that law is counter to the above principles). The so-called "spirit of the law" concept is employed by those too weak to discipline law-breakers. -Always oppose foolish "laws" which make a mockery of the natural order. Examples include edicts which would protect servants of Chaos (mutants, cultists, etc.) and those that grant the lowly classes (thieves, beggars, peasants) the same rights as those of higher breeding (aristocracy). -Never allow a wrong to go unanswered. Spell Use: Clerics of Solkan may use all Petty Magic, Battle Magic, and fire-based Elemental Magic spells. In addition, clerics of Solkan may have access to the Daemonic spells Dispel Lesser Daemons (Level 1), Zone of Daemonic Protection (Level 1), Zone of Daemonic Nullification (Level 2), Dispel Daemonic Horde (Level 3), and Dispel Greater Daemon (Level 4). Moreover, the following spells may be used by clerics of Solkan: Sword of Cleansing Flame Spell Level: 3 Magic Points: 15 Range: Touch Duration: 1d6+3 rounds Ingredients: None This spell grants the cleric the ability to cause one touched sword to become a magical flaming weapon for the duration of the spell. In addition this spell grants the wielder of the sword of cleansing flame a temporary increase of +10 to WS and +1 to Strength. Inflammable creatures receive 1d6+2 wounds at the strength of the wielder while flammable creatures receive 2d6+4 wounds at the strength of the wielder. Flammable objects struck by the swordof cleansing flame will be set aflame. The sword of cleansing flame has great power against Daemons and Chaotic beings, causing 3d6+6 wounds at the strength of the wielder. Also, Daemons hit by the sword of the cleansing flame must make an Instability test immediately, even those who are protected by the Daemonic Magic spell Stop Daemonic Instability (Level 2). Intervention Spell Level: 4 Magic Points: 25 Range: 100 yards Duration: 1d3 hours Ingredients: None The spell grants the cleric an appeal to his patron to possess a cultist (or invoking Priest) during an extremely dire situation (e.g., being surrounded by a Chaos warband led by a Greater Daemon). The possessed cultist assumes the profile and abilities of a Greater Daemon. In addition, the effected cultist grows in height to that of a Greater Daemon and may cause fear in creatures of less than 10 feet in height. Note: the possessed cultist will always follow the dictates of their patron deity. There is a high degree of risk to the possessed cultist, however, in that the driving force of Solkan's burning passions may consume the cultist. The effected cultist must test vs. Toughness x 10, adding a +10 modifier. Success means that the cultist will be exhausted and unable to perform strenuous activities for the followind 1d3 hours. If failed by 20 or less points, the cultist suffers 1d6 wounds at strength 5 from burns inflicted by the possession. If failed by over 20 points, the cultist suffers 2d6 wounds at strength 10. Skills: In addition to normal skills available to Initiates and Clerics, followers of Solkan may acquire one of the following skills at each level: Dodge Blow, Follow Trail, Immunity to Disease, Law, Orientation, Set Traps, Shadowing, Silent Move- Urban, Sixth Sense, Spot Traps, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure, Strike to Stun, Torture. As always, skills gained must bepaid for by Experience Points. Trials: Trials set by Solkan generally involve confronting and defeating Chaos encroachments. Examples include destroying Chaos shrines, clearing an area of marauding bands of Chaos creatures, and exposing (at great personal risk, naturally) Chaos infiltration at high levels of society. Blessings: Skills favored by Solkan tend to be martial in nature (such as Dodge Blow, Strike to Stun, etc.) or those used in pursuing quarry (.g., Follow Trail, Shadowing. Tests favored by Solkan are fear, terror, poison, disease, and other tests made to counter the special attack forms of any servant or creature of Chaos. Other blessings might include a temporary increase to Weapon Skill, Will Power, or Cool.