Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl is the Olman god of Air, Wisdom, Birds, and Snakes. He is also a patron of the arts and the founder of metallurgy. His symbol is a feathered snake with wings. Ehecatl is the name of his aspect as god of the wind.
Quetzalcoatl is depicted with pale skin, a dark, full beard, wearing long, concealing robes or the feathered garb of a noble.
In his own realm, Quetzalcoatl appears as a talking snake with green feathers. He has a bewildering number of other forms; in some of these, he may act in chaotic or evil ways, making it very difficult to assign him an alignment. He cannot be harmed by creatues in the same form that he is using, so if he is in the form of a dragon, he cannot be hurt by any kind of dragon, and if he appears as a magic-user he cannot be harmed by magic spells.
Quetzalcoatl's claim to be the mightiest god in his mythos is disputed by the followers of his enemy, Tezcatlipoca. It is not known if he has any relationship with Jazirian, the god of couatls.
According to Legends & Lore (1990), the Aztecs, whose gods are often also Olman gods, believe in a "world above" and a "world below." The world below is the home of the dead.
Deities & Demigods (1980) says that all of the Central American gods dwell on a parallel Prime Material Plane. The Scarlet Brotherhood (1999) says that the Olman gods were originally worshipped on a parallel world, while the errata for that book (originally available on the TSR website) says that they still dwell there.
Quetzalcoatl makes his home on the planet Venus on this parallel plane.
Quetzalcoatl's priests teach adherence to social conventions, kindness to others, and peaceful relationships with neighbors. They teach that civility separates humans from beasts, and that it is through civilization that humans achieve perfection.
Followers of Quetzalcoatl often go on quests to do things like help a good prince to become king instead of his evil rivals, protecting villages from monsters, and foiling the schemes of Tezcatlipoca and his minions.
Quetzalcoatl's otherworldly herald is a 20th-level cleric with pale skin and a full beard. His allies include hound archons, couatls, and planetars.
Clerics of Quetzalcoatl strive to maintain the ideals that Quetzalcoatl embodies. As with most Olman priests, priests of Quetzalcoatl must choose a direction to pray to at the beginning of their careers. Clerics of the east wear red, clerics of the south wear yellow, clerics of the west wear black, and clerics of the north wear white. Their favored weapon is the dagger (or the mace according to Dragon #352).
Clerics of Quetzalcoatl must have knowledge of civics and literature, and are expected to pass along their wisdom either as advisors to noble rulers or as teachers in the calmecac, or religious school. They are leaders and administrators who promote their god through political means. They expect their orders to be followed by all non-priests and by younger priests of other gods. They carve elaborate sculptures and fabricate metal items.
Temples of Quetzalcoatl have distinctive circular shapes, unusual in a culture that favors rectangular buildings. They are found in cities and on the summits of tall mountain peaks. The clerics there maintain them in pristine condition in preparation for the Feathered Serpent's return.
Rituals to the Olman deities are typically performed every 20 days, corresponding to the various "signs" of the divinatory calendar. Each sign is ruled by a different deity. Sacrifices may take many forms, depending on the god. The public is required to attend every ritual, held at the temple of the appropriate god.
Celebrations honoring Quetzalcoatl are brightly colored and filled with dance and music. Quetzalcoatl does not demand human sacrifice, unlike many others in his pantheon. A watch held at all times by Quetzalcoatl's clerics looks toward the sea, waiting for signs of their god coming back to them.
Prayers to Quetzalcoatl often begin with a plea for his swift return.
The Creation of the World and the Theft of the First Sun
Although powerful individually, only by working together could Quetzalcoatl and Tecatlipoca create the world, lying the goddess Coatlicue in the waters below and fashioning her body into various forms of terrain. After completing this task, they fought over who would be the sun. Tezcatlipoca, dark as shadow, stole the sun and tied it to his waist, but because of his dark nature he could light only half the day. Eventually Quetzalcoatl knocked Tezcatlipoca from the sky with a gigantic stick, and so he became the second sun.
The Tools of Civilization and the Exile of the Feathered Serpent
During his reign as the second sun, Quetzalcoatl took on human form and lived among mortals, teaching them agriculture, crafts, governance and piety. Tezcatlipoca grew jealous of the esteem in which mortals held Quetzalcoatl and took on human form as well, using his powers to spread mischief and discord. He enthralled whole villages and led them to acts of self-destruction. With the aid of his sister Tlazoteotl, Tezcatlipoca tricked Quetzalcoatl into getting drunk and debasing himself, which so shamed Quetzalcoatl that he ordered a city razed and all its treasures buried. Then he sailed into the sea on a raft of snakes, vowing to return one day and reclaim his kingdom. Without Quetzalcoatl's influence, Tezcatlipoca was free to work his evil unhindered; many look forward to the day when Quetzalcoatl will get over himself and return.
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