Church of Melethis
Melethis is the Lord of the Gods, The Greater God or The Mystical One. All religious people who follow the New Gods play lip service to Melethis. As God of Magic he is the worst enemy of Darkness that menaces to corrupt all his followers. His church is known to be the richest of all, with great temples and cathedrals.
Dogma
Melethis is a distant deity who promotes no special agenda, except proclaiming magic the most important force in the world—morevital than good, evil, law, or chaos. Most of his clerics observe strict neutrality. One missal advises Melethis’s followers to seek balance above good, evil, law, or chaos and to push back encroachments of good or evil.
This steadfast moderation in political, ethical, and philosophical affairs earns Melethis and his followers few friends. Never-theless, Melethis’s worshipers are respected for their knowledgeand magical prowess, and their advice is valued (if not alwayscompletely trusted).
Knowledge, particularly the raw knowledge of ideas, is supreme. An idea has no weight, but it can move mountains. The greatest gift of humankind, an idea outweighs anything made by mortal hands. Knowledge is power and must be used with care, but hiding it away from others is never a good thing.
Stifle no new ideas, no matter how false and crazed they seem; rather, let them be heard and considered. Never slay a singer, nor stand by as others do so. Spread knowledge wherever it is prudent to do so. Curb and deny falsehoods, rumor, and deceitful tales whenever you encounter them. Write or copy lore of great value at least once a year and give it away. Sponsor and teach bards, scribes, and record keepers. Spread truth and knowledge so that all folk know more. Never deliver a message falsely or incompletely. Teach reading and writing to those who ask (if your time permits), and charge no fee for the teaching.
Scriptures
--tbd
Worshippers
All followers of Melethis recognize each other as brothers or sisters of the god of knowledge. His human followers are commonly referred to as Pilgrims whose base is the Temple of the Scribe, in the city of Kel Arn.
Pilgrims swear to uphold the Rule and dedicate themselves to acquiring, administering, and protecting knowledge. Members of the Temple might remain cloistered in temples in cities or venture into the more rural temples to assist in spreading literacy. The Elven followers are expert astronomers, studying their passing and constellations to understand the great workings of the gods above. According to myth, he set a single star in the night's sky to guide all of his followers on their travels; the Pilgrim's Star.
His gnomish followers are commonly referred to as Sages. His dwarven followers are commonly referred to as Rune Singers.
Clergy
Duringwar, Melethis’s clerics happily sell magic items to all sides. Manyof Melethis’s clerics keep busy rooting out bits of magical lore,recovering lost magic items, and investigating mysteries. Theyadamantly oppose any attempt to destroy a magic item or any magical place.
Melethis’s temples are usually located in urban areas. They are always well fortified to withstand outside interference, and they house extensive libraries. Most are also well equipped with various scrying devices. The clergy use themto spot infiltrators and keep an eye on the surrounding area.Visitors to a temple of Melethis usually get a cool greeting at best and are never truly wel-comed unless they have some unusual magic item to offer for examination or money to spend on spells, magic items, or information.
Paladins
Those who have become Oathsworn to Melethis have the following restrictions to weapons and armor:
- No metal armor (cloth / leather only)
- No edged weapons (only maces, clubs, staves, etc.)
Paladins of Melethis gain the following additional abilities:
- Comprehend Languages
- Aura of Holy Light
These are a few of the oaths sworn by those who would become Paladins of Melethis:
- Protect the Halls of Knowledge and those within them.
- Educate the ignorant.
- Defend the weak.
- Uphold the law.
- Preserve knowledge.
Monks
--tbd
Clothing and Symbols
Melethis’s clerics favor purple garments with gold trim; many arecleric/wizards or cleric/sorcerers. Most remain aloof fromworldly affairs and devote themselves to magical research and toformulating prophecies. They share their knowledge of the future only sparingly, lest someone get the upper hand and upsetthe balance. Melethis’s clergy actively creates magic items, whichthey usually sell to anyone with the cash to buy them.
Rituals & Traditions
- Metal: Copper or bronze
- Animal: Owl
- Season: Autumn
- Element: Air
- Prime Hour: Night
Melethis is honored with magical research and experimentation, with the burning of incense, the reading from books of arcane lore. Each creation of a new spell or magic item is celebrated (usually once a year, in the holiday known as Great Discovery). High-level followers of Melethis make pilgrimages to other planes of existence.
Prayers to Melethis utilize florid and elaborate language, signifying great erudition, labored formality, and a robust vocabulary.
Places of Worship
Melethis's temples are described as being fortified structures with vast libraries, and are usually sited in urban locations.
Melethis's temples are generally tall, round towers, although the one in Greyhawk City is a pyramid. Some temples of Melethis are guarded by pious templars who combine arcane magic with martial training. Services performed by Melethis's temples include the identification of magical items and other divination spells.
Holy days
Celestial Conjunctions. As many clerics of Melethis are astrologers, profound conjunctions of the stars, moons, and Wanderers are observed by the church with the uttering of prophecies and other various complex ceremonies.
Great Discovery. Celebrated early in the year, this holiday honors the magical discoveries made in the previous year. Every five years, the holiday is expanded to include testing for magical talent and expeditions to rediscover lost lore.
The Last Rite of the Prophet. When a powerful cleric or other devotee of Melethis dies, a somber eulogy is held (as was done for Riggby recently). In addition, some of the magical power is drawn from the corpse to empower a magic item.
Relics
The Rod of Reversal looks like a length of unbending steel chain. It reflects spells cast on its wielder.
Melethis's Blessed Book is a thousand-page tome that allows spells to be inscribed into it without the usual costs.
The Tome of Ancient Lore was allegedly written by Melethis himself and stolen from his Library of Lore. It is said to contain every spell that will ever be conceived, but the index is deliberately difficult to use.
Darvax's Staff was owned by a wizard at the Great Crusade times. Darvax disappeared on his 40th birthday on an expedition to other planes of existence, but his staff - carved from the thighbone of a black dragon and topped with an adamantine symbol of Melethis - is occasionally seen in Neamara to this day.
The Razor Bands of the Archmage is a steel orb that rotates around its owner's head like an ioun stone. It can be ordered to attack like the Iron Bands of Bilarro.
The Sphere of Time Scrying is a blue-hued crystal ball that seems to have been made using the wizardry of the ancient Suloise. It can be used to divine the past.
Myths and legends
Melethis and the Demon PrinceAccording to this myth, Melethis once outwitted and bound a mighty demon prince for a thousand years (the identity of this prince varies from tale to tale, but most believe that it was Fraz-Urb'luu and that Zagyg used this to impress Melethis to ascend to divinity), using the enslaved demon to counter the plans of a celestial paragon. This myth teaches the importance of the Balance, and how planning and knowledge can be used to overcome a more powerful foe.
The Wizard and the SpellfountainOnce upon a time, a wizard came across a fount of powerful magic. He used it greedily, however, sharing it with no one, and eventually its reservoir ran "dry."
The moral of the story is that sources of magical power last longer if more people use it, each distinct spell pattern adding to the reservoir of energy. Magic must be used and shared, not hoarded.
Not so much a myth as a prediction, this story foretells the end of all magic on Valenor. In the myth, a great spell exists that can prevent this calamity, but it is not found in time due to the laziness and shortsightedness of wizards. The story-prophecy is retold often to encourage scholars of magic to keep up with their research.
Open your Eyes to Knowledge
| Clerics of Melethis | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | A Globe with an Eye |
| Favored weapon | Spears, Staffs and Axes |
| Deity Domain | Law Domain
Knowledge Domain Magic Domain |
| Rituals | Every Evening, To thank for the new knoledge to gained today
Before opening a Book, a quick blessing At the beginning of a Tribunal session, to open the eye to the truth. |
| Granted Powers | Every faithful present at the evening prayer recover immediately all the spell energy (like a Long Rest) |
| Holy Items |
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