Kurell (KER-el)

The Green-Eyed God, The Avenger, Black Wolf of the North, Lord of Thieves, the Vengeance-Seeker, the Watcher Who Never Sleeps, the Vengeful God

Jealousy, revenge, thievery

Lesser Power ot Limbo, Chaotic Neutral

Aliases: Black Wolf (Wolf Nomads and Flan)
Domain Name: The House of Locks
Origin: Oeridian
Superior: None
Allies: Syrul, Erythnul, Xan Yae
Enemies: Pholtus
Symbol: Single green eye
Worshipers' Alignment: Any chaotic
Kurell is the Vengeance-Seeker, the Watcher Who Never Sleeps, the Vengeful God. He embodies petty jealousy and revenge, trusting no one completely and hating those he believes have broken his trust or who simply seem better and bigger than he is (including almost all of the gods). He is also the god of thieves, although those who worship him know better than to depend on him.
Kurell always seems angry and defensive. He is the most paranoid of the gods, believing that everyone is against him or laughing at him. He lives in fear that he will miss something, jealous that someone else might be having a better time than he is or be better than he is. He is a petty god who deals with his own inadequacies by reinforcing those same feelings in others, typically his followers.

Kurell's Avatar

When the god of vengeance takes form in the Prime Material Plane, he appears as a tall, handsome, virile man. His green eyes are bright, flashing in the light, but are cold and filled with anger. Kurell rarely smiles, doing so only when some revenge has been fulfilled.
The god wears dark clothing, black leather armor, and a black cloak. He is armed only with small, easily concealed weapons. Kurell chooses a form meant to incite the most envy in whomever he is appearing before, choosing a style of clothing and dress that most matches (but easily outshines) whomever he likes least in any group.

Other Manifestations

Kurell is said to manifest in any person who seeks vengeance or is jealous (for whatever reason). He sometimes takes the form of a large, black wolf with bright green eyes. Other times he appears as a shiny, bloody dagger that hovers in the air. Kurell often appears in nightmares in one of these forms, goading the unfortunate dreamer toward acts of vengeance.

The Church

Clergy: Clerics, specialty priests, shamans, thieves
Clergy's Alignment: Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Evil, Chaotic Good (few)
Turn Undead: No
Command Undead: Yes if evil, thieves: no
Although Kurell doesn't have a large following, he is worshiped in the Wolf Nomads' lands and the lands of the Rovers of the Barrens. He is typically more feared than revered due to his unpredictability, Those who seek revenge pray to him for aid and are rarely disappointed. Thieves everywhere pay some tribute to Kurell, mostly out of fear that the jealous god will take out his wrath on them at the worst possible moment if they don't.
The largest open following of Kurell is in the citv of Atirr in the remains of the Great Kingdom. Assassination is legal in this city, and the church is thought to have close ties to the College of Endings and Beginnings (the Assassin's Guild). Few temples exist that venerate Kurell (making the god even more furious and jealous). Those that do are typically small shrines or unusual natural sites where some great revenge was perpetrated. Any place where revenge is contemplated or acted upon is considered holy to his clergy.
The members who represent Kurell's clergy are solely men who jealously guard their power from all others, Some think females are excluded to elicit more )ealousy from women. The church is too protective and small to have definitive sects.

Dogma

Followers of Kurell believe they have a right to whatever they want. These same folks jealously guard what they believe to be theirs and punish those who try to take it from them, Along the same line of thinking, many believe that seeking retribution for wrongs is more important and more likely to end "correctly" if they do it themselves rather than allowing courts or government to interfere. Oddly enough, though the followers of the church and the clergy trust no one, they are often trustworthy. This is simply because they don't want revenge practiced against them.

Day-to-Day Activities

Priests and clergy of Kurell are masters of revenge. Some of the clergy also practice the art of assassination, which they consider the "professional'" act of revenge. They are highly paid and used by the church itself on those occasions that require vengeance.

Holy Days & Important Ceremonies

Prayers are offered nightly to Kurell, usually centering around those on whom the devotee wishes revenge. The night is considered holier than the day, as it conceals those who wish to take their revenge, as well as those who ply the trade of thievery.
The two main holy days of the church are the Winter Solstice (Midwinter's Eve) and Kurell's Night. The Winter Solstice on the 4th day Of Needfest is the longest night of the year, and is also known as the Dark Time or the Dim Time. This, too, is a night when worshipers help themselves and others wreak vengeance.
Kurell's Night is the 11th of Goodmonth, an evening when both Luna and Celene are new and dark. This is the most important of nights for the church, when the greatest acts of revenge and theft take place. Either act, performed successfully on this night, is said to win Kurell's blessing. (A donation had also better be made to the church afterward in thanks for Kurell's help, or the god might seek some vengeance of his own.)

Major Centers of Worship

The most foreboding and unnerving of the few temples of Kurell is known as Black Wolf's Lair. This natural cave complex lies in the Burneal Forest just east of the Fler River (hex I5-68). The cave is shunned by all the Nomads save for the few shamans of the deity who live in the area. It is considered a holy place by followers of Kurell, and many vile cave paintings adorn the walls. It is said that the caverns stretch deep into the earth.
The only other established temple to the god lies in the College of Endings and Beginnings, in Atirr (on the eastern coast of the North Province of the Great Kingdom). This small chapel is often filled with the black-clothed assassins of the college, praying for luck on their next assignment. Rich silks, precious metals, and mounted jewels adorn the chapel, which has never been robbed or pilfered. Rumor has it the place is jealously watched by the god himself.

Affiliated Orders

The College of Endings and Beginnings is the only order strongly affiliated with the church. This guild/college, though based in Atirr, receives contracts from all over the Flanaess and trains its Black Shirts (or Dark Blades, as they are sometimes called) in the art of murder. The college acts as both a training ground for assassins and a guild where such can receive jobs. Although the college seems to have its fingers in everyone's pockets, it has authority in Atirr only to punish those who assassinate without the sanction of the guild.

Priestly Vestments

Clergy of Kurell tend to wear black, tight-fitting clothing. Robes are sometimes worn (usually filled with small weapons), and black half-cloaks and hoods are almost always part of the vestments. The clothing is of the finest sort (silk, velvet, and so on) and is usually adorned with small gems or precious metals.
Those that worship the god drape themselves in the finest furs or cloth available, attaching precious stones or items to their clothing. If possible, the coverings are dark or dyed black, and the head is always covered with a hood.

Adventuring Garb

Priests of Kurell wear the same clothing while adventuring, though they often wear black dyed leather armor over their other garments. Their clothing is of the finest quality they can acquire (even if this requires subterfuge or theft) in an effort to make all who see them jealous. Hoods are always worn while the individual is in public.

Specialty Priests (Quickfingers)

Requirements: Dexterity 15
Prime Requisites: Dexterity, Wisdom
Alignment: Any chaotic, but rarely chaotic good
Weapons: As thief
Armor: As thief
Major Spheres: All, Chaos, Combat, Guardian, Necromantic, Protection, Wards
Minor Spheres: Charm, Divination, Sun (reversed)
Required Proficiencies: Alertness
Bonus Proficiencies: Blind Fighting

• Only human males can become specialty priests of Kurell.
• At first level, all priests of Kurell gain the Move Silently and Hide in Shadows abilities at 25%. Upon each following level, the priest gains a 5% bonus to each skill.
• At 5th level, quickfingers can cast Invisibility once per day.
• At 7th level, quickfingers can cast Wraithform once per day.
• At 9th level, quickfingers can cast Poison (reverse of neutralize poison) once per day.