Tinel (tuh-NELL)
The God of Magic, Knowledge, and Truth
Tinel is the god of magic, knowledge, the mind, secrets, truth, science, magicians, those who rely on or admire magic, scholars, scribes, the inquisitive, and seekers of truth. A strange and mysterious god, the Tinel worshiped by most seeks the mastery of magic and all knowledge for the good of the world, and to defeat evil. However, there is also Tinel the Aloof: the same god, but with a different attitude. He sometimes seems to be a completely neutral god, interested only in the acquisition of knowledge and preservation of secrets, and otherwise disinterested in the mortal realm. Tinel appears as a tall figure wearing flowing robes of white, with eyes and hair glowing gold. He has a red jewel on his brow, held there by a silver circlet. In his left hand he holds a tall staff engraved with countless runes, and from his waist hangs a ring, heavy with golden keys. His right hand is usually held aloft in a mystic gesture, as though casting a spell.
Symbolically, Tinel is represented by a golden key. The key symbolizes the keys to Heaven, but also to the world’s countless secrets. When necessary, this symbol can be quickly sketched as a two-tined key with very little detail, but this is rarely used. Worshipers of Tinel displaying his holy symbol wear at least one key about their necks, and some wear keys all over their persons.
Tinel is often associated with cats, ravens, monkeys, and weasels, all highly curious and intelligent creatures. Cats and ravens are particularly common associations, because they have about them an air of mystery as well as inquisitiveness. But the animal closest to Tinel is the rook, a bird that not only shows great curiosity and intelligence, but also gathers with others of its kind to share secrets. The rooks, it is said, watch the world of mortals from their boughs and the air, reporting what they see to All-Seeing, All-Knowing Tinel himself. Tinel is also associated closely with pseudodragons. It is said Tinel was the first of the gods to befriend dragons, and it was through his magic that this offshoot species was born.
Wizards, bards, rogues, and others who seek knowledge or secrets worship the Heavenly Archmage. Those who live a life of the mind, or survive by their wits and knowledge, hold Tinel dear, for he smiles on almost anyone who loves learning. Tinel is also patron of those who seek the truth, so those who investigate crimes or seek to unravel mysteries often invoke his name. He is quite popular with races that revere magic and learning, particularly elves, gnomes, and humans. There are halfling and dwarven worshipers of Tinel, but they focus more on knowledge and truth than magic.
Divine Domains
- Ambition
- Glyph
- Knowledge
- Magic
- Secrecy
- Time
- Truth
- Vigil
Holidays
The Tinelites have a calendar filled with holy days, many of them so minor most people, even the most orthodox Tinelites, do not bother to observe them. As a faith, they observe occasions of great historical importance, and moments of profound learning. For example, the birthdate of a great teacher who discovered a new method for preserving food is a holy day for Tinelites. Not all holy days are so minor. The Festival of the Word and the Festival of Magic are the faith’s greatest sacred events.
The Festival of the Word
More than any other faith of the gods of the tree, Tinelites revere the written word, books, scholarship, and learning. In the Festival of the Word, which takes place every year at the height of summer, they honor and reward the greatest scholars of the day. The event lasts eight days, during which there are great feasts, lectures, recitals, and other celebrations of the written word. Usually, the Festival takes place on a national scale, so all the scriptoriums in a single country band together to name the worthiest works of scholarship of that year, and bestow kingly gifts on the scholars who made them. In places where neighboring countries have friendly relations and cultural ties, the scriptoriums of all those nations might band together to issue only one set of awards.The Festival of Magic
At the height of winter every year, the council of Five Hierophants decrees a single location where the greatest wizards and sorcerers of the world convene for a great celebration of the gift of magic. They arrive from all around the world for five days of festivities. Only those who practice the arcane arts can participate in the festival, which involves much debate about arcane pursuits, the relations between those who use magic and those who do not, the policies of the Council of the Five (see below), and other matters of interest to powerful magic users. Celebrants gather for a great competition, where powerful and rare magic items are offered as prizes. The Council of the Five determines the competition’s challenges in the days before the festival, so the nature of the contests change every year. However, there are always at least one in which contestants demonstrate raw magical skill, and one in which they show cleverness and creativity in the use of magic. Sometimes there is even a contest for apprentices, but that is at the whim of the Five.Divine Goals & Aspirations
Mysterious Motives
Tinel is mysterious. His attentions are divided, for he knows the future. Tinel is more acutely aware than any of the other gods that someday he will cease to be, either because the Great Sphere will collapse, or because mortals will all become like the fourteen wizards who tried to chart Heaven. He believes the end is inevitable. For this reason, he slowly gives in to what mortal minds would call madness. Sometimes, he pursues knowledge, and promotes the study of magic and virtue, because these matter to him, but otherwise he is utterly lost in his studies and secrets, and cares nothing for the numerous planes and their peoples. It is like he is two different beings, and because he is a god, can exhibit both personalities concurrently, even changing his appearance to fit each aspect. It is not altogether unreasonable to call Tinel mad and perhaps his wife, Zheenkeef, has affected him. The Tinel focused on the world believes the individual is greater than the community, that one person who finds her true calling can achieve more than a thousand who do what is expected of them. For this reason, he drives those who seek him out in prayer toward quests of personal discovery and internal inquisition. There is no one dearer to him than someone who questions his own motives, accepts nothing at face value, and sees the entire world as a lesson. Yet Tinel also suffers from a divine malaise. He retreats to his sanctum and studies every minute detail of the universe. Perhaps he seeks to unravel the mysteries of the Nameless One, to keep the world from ending, should his name be spoken. Perhaps he strives to ensure he and his family will never cease to be. Whatever possesses him, in this state he cares nothing for mortals, for individuals, or even for his own family. These two faces of Tinel are sensed by those who worship him, which has led to a profound schism in his faith. The divide is so deep, his church has expelled a large movement of “heretics,” and is often torn by internal bloodshed and rivalry. If this bothers Tinel, he seems to have done nothing to stop it. Some believe he waits to see which side of the schism prevails, to put to rest his own struggle, and in the end he’ll become as the winning side sees him, forever. Just as he does not seem to care about the rift in his church, he also pays little attention to the rift in his own family. Zheenkeef and Shalimyr couple in defiance of the chaos goddess’ marriage to Tinel, yet he takes no heed. Many believe he refuses to admit his knowledge, just as even wise mortals often fail to see those hurtful things closest to them. If there is one thing Tinel remains passionate about, it is his rivalry with his brother Terak. He opposes his brother in nearly all things. Like his brother, Tinel has changed the reason for continuing the vendetta from what it was in legendary ages. While he once fought to be the eldest, Tinel now argues with his brother because he sees in Terak’s doctrines the likely downfall of the gods. Terak would create a world where mortals need no gods and live as one people, obeying their leaders, questioning nothing. In such a world, the leaders are gods; truth is unimportant. Terak’s vision of the world is soulless, in Tinel’s esteem, and the individual will be crushed and washed away, if his brother prevails. Thus, the old grudge remains, only weakening in the neutral aspect of Tinel, lost in his studies.
The Scriveners
Tinel commands an enormous body of scribes, all of them mute and hooded. They take note of every event in the Material Plane and Heaven, thus writing the supreme record of history. Their chief is called the Black Scribe, as he alone among them wears rich robes of sable and ermine trimmed in silver as the symbol of his office. Only the Black Scribe speaks, and he conveys news to Tinel and orders to the Scriveners.The Cataloguers
It is said every book ever written by hand, mortal or immortal, is stored in the library of Tinel. Tinel learns all thoughts ever written, though sometimes he must read them from his own library, which is in some ways an aspect of the god’s supreme mind. The Cataloguers store the works of mortals and all the records of the Scriveners, making them available to Tinel (or other gods, if Tinel wills it) whenever necessary. Their chief, the Grey Librarian, named for her robes of grey wolf fur, trimmed in gold, is the only member of the Cataloguers who speaks to Tinel. But all Cataloguers are capable of speech, and constantly whisper to one another. It is said their halls constantly echo with unearthly whispering and the scratching of their quills.The Eyes
Made up primarily of swift-winged rooks, the Eyes are Tinel’s creatures, animals and other beings associated with him, who go from the Material Plane to Heaven and back, reporting on all they witness. The Eyes whisper their findings to the Scriveners, who take their notes to be catalogued by Cataloguers. Some Eyes are said to be far more frightening than rooks, ravens, or any natural animal. The chief of the Eyes is called the White Whisperer. Hooded in robes of snow-fox fur trimmed in ebon, the White Whisperer’s true form is a mystery.Beyond these groups, Tinel has close ties to the archangel Uriel, who is the guardian of Heaven and watches the gates Tinel locked long ago. The faithful of Tinel, particularly those concerned with magic, praise Uriel in their prayers, for after Tinel stripped magic from the mortal races, it was Uriel who convinced the Lord of Secrets to return it. Legend has it that the Archangel bore the power of magic back to the mortal races within a great chest, or ark.
Divine Classification
God
Religions
Realm
Church/Cult
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Magnificent, Aloof, Imperious, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, the Great, the Whisperer, of the Countless Locks, the Heavenly Archmage, Lord of Secrets, Keeper of the Keys
Children
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