Becoming a Priest

Usually an individual desiring to become a priest has received vivid dream visions from various di¬vine servants. If that person responds to some of these visions in the right ways, by desiring to see more and asking local clergy or deity-tied persons such as temple guards, paladins, and hermits about the visions or about a particular deity, more are sent. If the individual chooses to respond, he or she is on the road to becoming a priest. Since those who are not brightly loyal to a deity make poor clergy, no one is forced into worship or holy service. Stepping forward on that road often takes the form of contacting a temple or a passing preacher, or undertaking a vigil at a known holy site to re¬ceive more guidance. Someone who meditates at such a holy site might receive more vivid dreams or even a manifestation or a visible sign, such as Lathander’s holy glow coming briefly into ex¬istence around the person’s head and upon the altar, holy stone, marker, or site. Each faith—and in some cases, each temple—has its own way of taking in supplicants, should the character at that point reach out to the organized church.
It is possible for a priest to serve more than one deity, but it’s not easy, and so is rare, even among adventurers. Both the personal nature of wor¬ship and devotion and the rarity of close sharing among deities work against such double-dealing. If a character does attempt to serve two masters, the opportunity arises for extensive roleplaying, with ongoing moral dilemmas, god-sent tests, and the occasional tug of war between the two deities over the deeds and loyalties of the character.