Bertoxxulous
(God of Decay, Disease, and
Suffering)
Divine King of Rot
Great Lord of Plagues and Pestilence
Most Adored Master of Those That Creep
Symbol:
A
hand crafted from black iron with a fly etched into or punched through the palm.
Description:
The
customary image of Bertoxxulous is horrific, the most hideous of all the gods.
He is human from the waist up, though with four arms and the head of a stag
beetle. From the waist down, Bertoxxulous has the body of a giant slug-like
creature, which exudes a thick, odious slime. He is the god of all things
hideous and loathsome (slugs, leeches, slimes, oozes, and all manner of insects
and spiders), as well as the dark places they scuttle. Worse, however, is his
power over disease and plague. Through his priests, the Children of the Plague,
Bertoxxulous seeks to reshape the world according his own twisted design, using
illness and pestilence to eliminate the “weak” and “worthless.”
Worship:
There
are few people in civilized kingdoms that actively seek worship of Bertoxxulous.
It is not uncommon for people to occasionally make a prayer or a sacrifice to
the god to appease him (to, say, escape a plague or keep a disease from
worsening in a loved one). But otherwise, only those with disturbing agendas or
vile goals look to serve Bertoxxulous.
Temples
:
Temples
to Bertoxxulous are usually found underground, in natural caverns or cave
complexes. The Children rarely alter the caves, though they augment them with
doors, traps, and other features appropriate to a temple. The shrines and
temples of Bertoxxulous are replete with various fungi and crawl with insects,
spiders, oozes, and similar unsavory creatures. It has been learned that the
primary temple to Bertoxxulous is located in a place called Ghazoloth. Where or
what “Ghazoloth” is not known, but it is generally assumed to either be a
large, subterranean cavern system or an underground city.
Clerical
Raiment’s:
Children
of the Plague dress in robes of green and black. These robes are often (though
not always) decorated with images of insects, spiders, or oozes.
Holy
Days and Times:
The
“Revelry of Decay” (Sun’s Dusk 30th) is the most sacred day of the year to
the Children of the Plague. On this day, the priests celebrate the “gifts”
that Bertoxxulous has bestowed on the world, and praise the day he emerges from
the Underworld to lay claim to the surface realms. Bertoxxulous grants his
priests an increase in their profane powers during the Revelry. During the rest
of the year the Children pray for their spells during the hours of Nightfade.
Relationships:
Like
most evil churches, the faith of Bertoxxulous is not well liked by the followers
of other religions or members of secular organizations. They themselves are
fairly indifferent to others (assuming that a plague will take them at some
point in the future), though they have a particular hatred for priests of Vanya,
due to their penchant for curing.
Essence
of the Faith:
•
Spread contagion and plague wherever you go – the weak and the unworthy must
be purged to make the rest stronger.
•
Emulate the sacred diseases that enter the abscesses of the living body by
dwelling in the grottoes of the earth’s body.
•
Do not fear that which oozes, drips or creeps – for these are your brethren.
•
Destroy the non-believers, and use their remains to destroy their cohorts.
•
Ally with the Underworld races; they are stronger and more powerful than those
who live on the surface, as they dwell in the sacred caverns of Bertoxxulous.
•
Attack the surface during the night, as evening is the ally of the cavern just
as sunlight is its enemy.
Factions and Orders:
The
Church
of
Bertoxxulous
is divided into two major factions: the Ravagers, an “overt” organization
which acts in a direct and obvious capacity for the religion, and the Order of
the Creeping Death, which operates in a clandestine fashion to further the
Church’s goals. Neither group has a central location from which they operate;
both act on behalf of each individual temple.
Game Information:
Allowed Alignments:
Any evil
Domains:
Disease, Evil, Suffering, and Undeath
Favored Weapon:
Heavy Flail
Favored Class:
Necromancers
Holy Day Powers:
On their holy day, the clerics are granted an allotment of spells as if they were two levels higher than they actually are (example: A 3rd level cleric with WIS 13 normally has a spell array of 4 / 3+1 / 1+1; on their holy day, the cleric’s spells run 5 / 4+1 / 2+1 / 1+1). All spell effects based on level are still as the cleric’s actual level (using the previous example, if the cleric casts detect law, the duration would still only be limited to a maximum of thirty minutes, not fifty). Additionally, granted powers are either doubled in effect or may be used twice as often that day (whichever is more appropriate).
Divine Gifts for Laity:
Once per month, characters with this god as their patron may cast inflict minor wounds. On their holy day, they may cast grease.
