Maal,God of Law and Justice

Steely Eyed, the Judge, Firstborn, Judge of Souls, King of Souls,

Maal (MAHL) is the lawful neutral god of justice, law, the dead, the land of the dead, retribution, lawyers, magistrates, judges, and all others who make their living through the law, or have a special love for it. Law is everything to Maal; his laws are perfect and wise, and would be thought to be “good” were they the laws of any mortal realm.
Maal is associated with the owl, a bird said to know no partiality, sitting in judgment of the world from its bough, and with the sphinx, the first of which was born from one of his many adventures. When shown in icons, Maal stands as one of the tallest of the gods. He’s thin, with long hair, and adorned in shining black armor. He is shown to have steely gray eyes that pierce deep into men’s souls. He is always represented with Justice, his sword, either held before him with the point toward the ground, or held aloft in his right hand, tip skyward. When pointed down it means that Maal has found someone guilty or unworthy, or that he stands in judgment. The upward sword means he is pleased by an act of righteousness. Many people in the world, even those who are not adherents of Maal’s church, cheer a great deed by raising their swords aloft, tips to heaven.
Maal’s symbol is the sword Justice. Holy warriors of Maal have small silver swords, generally pointed upward, for their symbol. Clerics also use this symbol, but sometimes the sword lays sideways with an owl— Wisdom—perched on its edge, with the sword vertically behindteh owl, or otherwise arrayed with it. Justice was carved from metals created by the Nameless One, so more expensive and formal symbols are crafted from the most exotic metals the faithful can find. The sword in these symbols usually has the word “Justice” carved into it in the cleric’s native language.
Maal is most popular among humans and dwarves, both of whom often have elaborately legalistic societies. Dwarves love him further because he was the first to delve into the earth and build a home. The King of Souls is also beloved of mixed races, particularly half-orcs who reject the chaotic nature of their orc brethren. This is because Maal’s law applies to all equally, and knows no prejudice. Regardless of popularity, all mortal races worship Maal, since they all come to stand before him in the end.

Judge the Dead

Maal judges the soul of every mortal who dies, and it is through Maal the final reckoning comes for all. He stands beyond good and evil, but Maal determines whether a mortal has lived a good or evil life by listening to the tales of their lives, and then consulting the black and white ledgers of their deeds, as recorded in Gehenna and Elysium, respectively. Once he has learned all there is to learn, he hands down one of four judgments.
• The truly evil are cast down into Hell, Gehenna, or the Abyss.
• Those who led acceptable lives, but failed to distinguish themselves in thought and deed, remain in his realm until it is time for them to be reborn.
• The truly good, or those who have wrongly suffered, remain in eternal bliss in one of the four halls (see “Servants” below for details on the four halls).
• For those who led lives in total devotion to a god, their souls might find a place in that god’s realm, if the deity requests them from Maal.
Wise like his mother Morwyn, Maal saw how mortal societies could function and, as detailed in the myth above, gave mortals laws that would guide them to perfect order. However, his laws were lost by mortals and evil flourished thus, making Maal weary and filling him with sorrow. Maal wants mortals to rediscover the ancient laws, but due to the Compact he cannot simply present them on tablets. This vexes him, since he wants nothing better than for the mortal races to live in happy order.
The Compact also prevents Maal from enforcing justice in the world, except in the most egregious cases when all the gods agree he must influence the Material Plane. He swore to the mortal races long ago that justice would always prevail, given time, so Maal must provide justice, or be a liar. Thus, he steers his church and servants in the mortal sphere to advance the cause of justice, in some cases righting ancient wrongs long forgotten by mortals. When a group of adventurers happens upon the site of an ancient injustice they might set to rights, it is said Maal’s hand guided them there.
In addition to the judgment of souls and the enforcing justice, Maal is also king over the land of the dead. Most of the duties of rulership, however, he has passed on to his wife, Naryne

The Courts of Maal

Known as the courts of Maal, the god’s church has only a few dedicated worshipers (called Maalites), largely due to the rigorous rules its members must follow. Nevertheless, the court is powerful, prominent, and well respected, since the courts and their representatives are known to be unbiased and wise. In nearly every major city or center of government in human, dwarven, and mixed-race societies, there stands a court of Maal. Locals go them to resolve thorny conflicts.
Some local governments rely on the courts of Maal to serve as criminal justice systems. Even in cases where a government has its own trial system, leaders consult with the courts to help resolve important issues, especially if they involve powerful nobles. A central court heads a large network of lesser courts. The Four Justices, who comprise the high court, issue edicts for the rest of the faithful about the legal policies of various nations, the goals of the courts, and the status of the search for the Sacred Laws.
Maal gave mortals these laws at the beginning of the fourth epoch. If followed, they would create a perfect, harmonious society. These laws were all lost, except for the first: Maal’s doom against vengeance. It is therefore the solemn mission of Maal’s faithful to recover the Sacred Laws, to bring about a new age of enlightenment and peace for all. In all their years of searching, they have not found a single one, and fear diabolical or demonic influence keeps them from being recovered.
The faithful do not speak of this mission to outsiders, though some members of other churches know of it. While the faithful search, the courts maintain good relationships with secular authorities, and uphold their duties as legal arbiters and counselors. The courts also maintain fine relationships with other lawful churches, including the Great Church, which sometimes calls upon the courts of Maal to adjudicate disputes between its members when the case requires a neutral third party.
In ancient times, the courts were also places where mourners could gather and remember their dead, offering prayers to the King of the Dead to care for their loved ones. The churches of the Mormekim and Narynath have largely taken over these roles, but some still go to the courts to pray that the Judge of Souls will be kind to lost loved ones. Maal depends on his courts to carry out justice in the world. He communicates to his followers through omens, or even direct messages via his Voice, or Wisdom. Maal believes his servants are just, but is saddened when some of them fail to mete out justice, or do not understand its true meaning. Those eager to inflict terrible judgments rarely climb high in the hierarchy of his faith, for he makes sure the leaders of the courts know his disapproval.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion