Temple of Strife

“Ill-Luck is good to us. We provide misfortune – death here and destruction there – and he provides the foul weather to hide us as we do so. Those that have more, make better targets, as we bring them the bad luck that they deserve. Soon, we will descend upon society in great numbers, turning peaceful harmony into a vortex of chaos…”

Structure

ADVANCEMENT

Advancement within the church is granted to those who show a particularly high aptitude for wreaking havoc on society. (Minions have no rank titles.) Special Requirements: Minions of Misfortune may not marry. While far from celibate, the priesthood is forbidden from entering into marriage so that there would be no emotional restrictions on spreading misery whenever the opportunity arises. The doctrine does not prohibit pretending to be married, but emotional attachments are discouraged.

Culture

RAIMENT

The spiritual leadership of the Temple of Strife has no uniform. They wear robes or tunics of their choosing, but always put together from bright, clashing colors. Interestingly, this fashion statement hinders the religion from gaining significant ground among the aristocracy.

Worship

PLACE OF WORSHIP

Most worship takes place in temples, or outdoors on unholy days. The most important places of worship for the Minions of Misfortune are said to exist in Crandolen, Bet Kalamar, Aroroleta and Oloseta.

Minions travel as part of their doctrine. They have few temples, although the humanoid tribes they visit might have a small cave set aside for worship services. Individual clerics spend much effort building altars and shrines in isolated places (usually caves, mountaintops, or other places where trespassers are unlikely to encounter them).

SACRIFICE & FREQUENCY

Must sacrifice salt on a daily basis. A sentient being once per month, usually one who has been extremely lucky or fortunate.

Priesthood

Minions of Misfortune

The Minions of Misfortune and their congregations travel about the lands bringing misfortune wherever they roam. Members of the Temple of Strife seek to disrupt harmony and plunge Tellene into a vortex of chaos. They exist in small numbers in all nations but they are numerous in the east and seem to prefer deserts and wastelands.

Minions closely follow local weather patterns and are always present during times of foul weather. They continually seek to cause misfortune by heightening poor weather conditions. For instance, during a drought, they might pollute the wells; before a windstorm, they might secretly loosen structural supports and bonds.

Minions hate the luckier people of the world and, if given the opportunity, try to cause misfortune in the lives of such individuals. If possible, the fortunate one will be given as a sacrifice to Ill-Luck. If they cannot abduct the lucky one for sacrifice, clerics will try to cause misfortune by destroying his crops, poisoning his livestock, burning his house, etc. These actions cause paranoia. In fact, they have given rise to a gambler’s saying: “Save some luck for escaping Ill-luck.” It has even become tradition among some superstitious gamblers to deliberately lose their final three games. This is done almost universally during stormy nights.

The Temple of Strife has gained some notoriety for their ability to make favorable alliances with humanoids. Because of this, many humanoid shamans worship Ill-Luck and are often active within the predominantly human Temple of Strife. The alliances are usually geared toward making war on the local humans or humanoids.

When the Minions can muster enough humanoids to form a massive army, they will descend upon a human populace. Foul storms of titanic proportions always precede these wars and the actual assault always occurs during the height of the storm. During battle, some of the Minions of Misfortune will play bagpipes, cymbals, horns and drums. Their chaotic, disturbing tunes urge Ill-luck’s troops into the fray and announce to their enemies the strife to come.

Minions of Misfortune adventure in order to bring strife to those who have more than their fair share of luck. They steal from the rich, scar the beautiful and maim the happy. Rarely welcome in a group of peers because of the bad luck they seem to bring with them, Minions of Misfortune are usually the leaders of small groups of troublemakers.