Temple of Ptah

The priests of Ptah are among the most forceful proponents of religion in the Known Spheres. In their gray robes trimmed with scarlet, they are found throughout the Spelljammer universe preaching the superiority of their god. Priests of Ptah are fanatical in their zeal to convert people to the way of Ptah. They use the fact that they can receive their clerical spells in all the spheres to prove the superiority of Ptah over other gods. Others, more cynically, point out that as the priesthood of Ptah has been in space for a long time, they have simply been able to establish bodies of worshippers in all of the spheres, which allows them the same access as followers of any other god. Ptah priests tend to equate Ptah with whatever ruling god they happen to encounter to show that Ptah is the true ruler of the pantheon. In Realmspace, for example, the priests of Ptah proclaim Ao, the high god of the pantheon of the Realms, as an avatar of their god, and in Krynnspace Ptah is known (according to his priests) as Paladine. These proclamations are usually disturbing news to the followers of these gods within their spheres. Thus, while the worshippers of Ptah are pandemic, they are not popular with the established local churches in any of the spheres.

Culture

The spacefaring priests of Ptah use the traditional symbol of a mummified hand. The priests of Ptah claim their god created all of the crystal spheres, therefore they have chosen no one spot as a supreme headquarters, but the largest temple is on Bral in Realmspace. To become an avowed follower of Ptah is extremely easy. Nearly every sphere contains a flock of priests eager to help you convert. There is traditionally a small donation (10-20 gp) for the conversion, although the petitioner may substitute a small hand-crafted item made by his own hands. The Temple of Ptah is open to beings of any race, although Ptah's worshippers are predominately human. Most members of other races who join are viewed as pragmatists taking advantage of the special magical benefits that accrue to the followers of so wide-ranging a god. So long as they make regular donations, however, they are treated as well as any human member. Followers of Ptah can count on the assistance of its clerics, much the same way that members of other religions can. However, as the faith of Ptah is so widespread, this benefit is highly valuable to spelljamming characters who wander frequently from sphere to sphere. For all their dogmatism, the priests of Ptah are surprisingly easy to get along with once you have converted. Members of the temple must donate a small work of art (purchased for 5-10 gp, but works made by the member's own hand are preferred) to the temple upon leaving or entering a sphere. This is usually done during brief ceremonies in which the member says good-bye to his old priest and introduces himself to the new ones. Further donations of 1-2 gp per standard month are also required, but these may be waived if the member is not able to pay. Members are also encouraged to find others who wish to join the temple, and they can establish themselves as intermediaries between these new converts and the priests. They collect the temple donations from the members they introduced, and keep 10% of the new members' donations for themselves. Non-members, mindful of Ptah's origins, refer to this as a pyramid scheme.

Foreign Relations

The faith of Ptah has few steady allies. The Seekers are in frequent contact with Ptah's priests as their wide access to many spheres makes them a prime source of general knowledge, but the Seekers are justifiably suspicious of the priests' information when it turns to theological matters. The Shapers have supported the priests of Ptah in the past, and there are a number of spaceports where a Shaper monopoly on wizardry is paralleled by a Ptah monopoly on priestly magic. Both groups see themselves as bringing order to the cosmos, and taking the "wild" out of wildspace. When the priests of Ptah turn to force as a way of converting recalcitrant peoples, they often employ the Trading Company, as its businesslike attitudes mitigate any conflict with the priests. Many people find the priests of Ptah irritating, but few truly hate them. The Pragmatic Order of Thought finds the monochromatic theology of the priests of Ptah stifling, and this has caused some friction over the years, even spilling over into the Pots' relationship with the Trading Company. The Xenos hate the priests of Ptah (of course, they hate just about anyone) because Ptah accepts demihumans into his priesthood. While the priests of Ptah have verbally attacked the Celestians on theological grounds, the Celestians have only ignored these protestations.

Mythology & Lore

In spheres where the Egyptian pantheon is worshipped, Ptah is revered as the god of artisans. However, most spelljamming priests of Ptah are spaceborn and look down on their groundling cousins as having lost sight of Ptah's true glory as the creator of the universe. Ptah priests tend to equate Ptah with whatever ruling god they happen to encounter to show that Ptah is the true ruler of the pantheon. In Realmspace, for example, the priests of Ptah proclaim Ao, the high god of the pantheon of the Realms, as an avatar of their god, and in Krynnspace Ptah is known (according to his priests) as Paladine.