Ralishaz

The Unlooked For, God of Chance, Ill Luck, Misfortune, and Insanity

Symbol: Three sticks of bone
Home Plane: Limbo (Kiss of Happiness)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Chance, ill luck, misfortune, insanity
Worshipers: Gamblers, the insane, risk-takers, Xaositects, bandits
Cleric Alignments: CN, CE
Domains: Trickery
Favored Weapon: Club

Ralishaz (RAL-ih-shaz) is ever-changing (hideous to beautiful, female to male), but he usually appears as an oddly dressed beggar. He carries nothing but his wooden staff; his holy symbol is three sticks of bone, derived from divination and gambling tools. He rewards or punishes those that rely on chance or take great risks, seemingly at random. He is the god of insanity; many debate whether his appearance and whims are truly random or just madness. He shuns other gods, although he does not seem to be hateful of them.

Appearance, Manifestations

Ralishaz is ever-changing. His appearance constantly shifts and changes, one moment beautiful the next hideous, one moment male the next female, or any other such combination of opposites. However, he usually appears as an oddly dressed beggar and carries nothing but his wooden staff.

Relationships & History

Ralishaz is allied with Kurell, despised by Norebo, and opposed by Rudd. Ralishaz shuns the other gods, although he doesn't appear to harbor any particular hatred for any one of them.

Dogma

Order does not exist, only randomness and chance, and the odds are stacked against you. While you may have a good run against the odds, eventually the universe will balance itself out against you. Randomness and insanity go hand in hand, and sometimes those who are the most insane are the ones who are closest to the true nature of the universe. Kindness and prosperity are illusions, as misfortune comes to all sooner or later.

Worshipers, Clergy & Temples

Victims of misfortune may try to placate Ralishaz; gamblers invoke him; those in peril beseech him; those planning speculative, high-risk adventurers will make offerings to him. His cult grows and ebbs with the misfortunes of the world.
Clerics are a curious combination of fatalism and recklessness, stoicism and wild endeavor, depending upon how they feel their place is in the world at that moment. Clerics are said to suffer misfortunes only rarely, but when they do, they are grave indeed. They preside over places of gambling, although most patrons are unsure if their presence wards off bad luck or draws it. They travel when their divinations indicate they should, or at the roll of a die. They are often mean-minded or cruel, not seeing the point of friendliness to someone who will eventually be cursed by bad luck.
Clerics like to torment people who have a tidy life, have fun making those who believe in their glorious destiny doubt, and take sadistic pleasure in manipulating weak minds which have principles that are too rigid.
Men and women are equal in the eyes of Ralishaz and his clergy. However, in practice, men are more numerous and occupy most of the high ranks. Women often find it difficult to find their place in a clergy where men give free rein to their instincts.

Vestments

The priests wear multicolored robes, made of various materials, asymmetrical blended together — the finished attire is very heterogeneous. The colors are always discordant. Priests abandon these outfits only when they have to exercise discretion.

Hierarchy

The clergy are devoid of any central organization. Each temple has a strong propensity for independence and, even within it, it is rare for priests to help each other unless forced to do so.
The functioning of each temple depends solely on its high priest and the goodwill of his subordinates. Everyone thinks that their point of view is the best and does not hesitate to give their opinion and criticize the decisions made. Fortunately, this rarely turns into violent conflict, the priests preferring to rely on chance or divination to settle disputes.

Temples

Places of worship most often boil down to a simple altar placed in the back room of a gambling establishment or under a tent erected hastily by an itinerant priest. The rare temples are found in big cities or on the contrary in isolated areas, far from civilization.

Holidays

The main holiday dedicated to Ralishaz is the Night of Masks, on Hearthseek 13. During the Night of Masks, people dress in costume and go door to door looking for treats, usually a piece of fruit or sweets. Those homes that don't pass out "treats" are subjected to various "tricks". Once a solemn night where the priests of Ralishaz were petitioned to keep their lord away, the Night of Masks has taken on a playful tone over the years, with children joining in the ceremony. The tricks played by good-natured treaters tend to be harmless fun, but priests of Ralishaz still partake of the ritual, and woe to any who fall prey to their tricks.

Rituals

Worship services to Ralishaz include playing semi-random notes on musical instruments, babbling paeans, casting augury spells, and wild interplays of complete opposites; light and darkness, heat and cold, noise and quiet.

Divine Classification

Intermediate God