Maals Divine Servants

Servants of Maal

Maal’s companion and servitor is Wisdom, an owl who sits on his left shoulder when he holds court. From time to time, Wisdom delivers messages from Maal to the Material Plane. The god’s kingdom also teems with celestials who aid souls in their transition from the mortal sphere to eternal life, guide reborn souls back to the Material Plane, take chosen souls to new homes with their patron gods, and escort the souls of the wicked to the infernal planes. Chief among these servants are the Four Riders, who were in the past sent to the Material Plane on great and terrible steeds, to enact the will of their lord. Ever since the Compact, the Four Riders have rarely entered the mortal world. The riders also act as the wardens of the four halls, where souls who performed great deeds in life are rewarded with eternal bliss.
Issama, Counselor to the King Issama is Warden of the First Hall, the resting place of those who are wise and good of heart. She stands to the left of Maal’s throne, and advises the King of Souls on matters as varied as elven customs, legal loopholes, and contemporary marriage practices. She keeps abreast of the mortal sphere, though she rarely travels there on the back of her grey steed.
Fratricide, Retribution of Blood The only member of the Four Riders who still ventures into the Material Plane regularly, Maal sends Fratricide to punish those who kill their kin. This doom is as old as the gods’ fratricide, when Tinel and Terak slew one another, and Maal’s father was born. While many who kill their own blood face mortal justice, Maal might still send Fratricide to punish such criminals, whether they’ve been apprehended or not. No one knows why some receive divine justice and others do not. Fratricide fetches these villains and hurls them into the pits of Hell. Fratricide is not a single figure, but an office inhabited by a living, loyal servant of Maal for one hundred years and a day, after which time the servant experiences the rest of his mortal life, and after dying, becomes one of the captains of Maal’s kingdom. Fratricide rides upon a flaming, blood red steed.
The Retribution of Blood also acts as the Warden of the Second Hall, wherein reside the souls of those who committed great acts of valor and loyalty. When Fratricide rides abroad former bearers of the mantle, who have died and become Maal’s captains, oversee his hall.
Remorse, Weeper for the Wronged
No one knows how Remorse came into Maal’s service, but her role in the kingdom of the dead is quite clear. When souls come before Maal who have been grievously wronged, Remorse asks the King of Souls to right the wrong, and give the wounded succor. Essentially, Remorse petitions on behalf of the most pathetic of the dead. Sometimes Maal ignores Remorse’s pleading, but more often, responds by sending the soul to the Third Hall. Sometimes the tale of sorrow angers the King of Souls so much, he sends Fratricide to right the wrong if it is a blood crime, or names a talesman to do so (see holy orders below). Remorse rides a black steed, and is Warden of the Third Hall, where those who suffered such horrible pain in life reside, so that they need never return to the mortal sphere.
Maal’s Voice, Herald of the Court If Maal’s Voice ever had a name, it is long forgotten, but it is said he was once great among the div, and thus was chosen to be Maal’s first servant. When Maal sits upon the Throne of Judgment, any word he utters is a lasting law or judgment, so for lesser matters of the court, Maal’s Voice speaks for his master. Riding a white steed on the rare occasions he travels forth, Maal’s Voice is Warden of the Fourth Hall, wherein reside those who brought great beauty into the world. Any spell that allows casters to speak with Maal, such as commune, is answered by Maal’s Voice

Type

Religious, Divine Host