One of my players is converting a Forgotten Realms cleric of Red Knight to my Pathfinder campaign. Looking through the setting, it seems as though the dead god Arazni is a good approximation, except, you know, dead and evil. Which is cool. We've decided that having her play a worshiper of Arazni who holds Iomedae as a surrogate matron deity is a pretty awesome backstory.
There's very little mentioned in the Campaign setting about Arazni... so tell me about her? And what do you make of using her as a stand-in for Red Knight?
(not just asking the Paizo staff, but also knowledgeable or creative board members, please!)
Her current occupation is not so well, but I can vouch for her former work. Her replacement is quite nice as well - she has my job now that I take a break from this deity thing.
Not that much is known about Arazni, except that she was Aroden's herald until the Whispering Tyrant killed her. Later, Geb (the wizard) stole her body, lichified her, and made her his Harlot Queen. She actually rules Geb (the country) now that Geb (the wizard) isn't around any more.
I don't think she qualifies as a deity any more. She was the Red Crusader, so the name would have fit.
Still, I agree with corpsy here: Iomedae could work, if you want a valorous goddess. If you want a lawful deity of strategy, you can go with Torag, though he's a dwarf.
Not that much is known about Arazni, except that she was Aroden's herald until the Whispering Tyrant killed her. Later, Geb (the wizard) stole her body, lichified her, and made her his Harlot Queen. She actually rules Geb (the country) now that Geb (the wizard) isn't around any more.
I don't think she qualifies as a deity any more. She was the Red Crusader, so the name would have fit.
Still, I agree with corpsy here: Iomedae could work, if you want a valorous goddess. If you want a lawful deity of strategy, you can go with Torag, though he's a dwarf.
Actually, I'm in love with the idea of a stalwart cleric waiting for her goddess to return. That said, Iomedae works as the actual source of her powers.
Is the whole "ruler of Geb" thing likely to crop up in a Legacy of Fire campaign? If so, more's the better!
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a cleric holding in hope for her goddess to come back or to be revived as a goddess? its ok I can live with that, if she keeps the faith and works hard for the crusade, no complains on whit whose name she end her prayers.
Still I have some hopes for the Red Crusader, her fall was painful... still is even more painful to know her degraded (cof actually I learned from a good source that she called herself the Harlot Queen of Geb... Geb didn't gave her any other title except Queen)
Creative Director
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Not that much is known about Arazni, except that she was Aroden's herald until the Whispering Tyrant killed her. Later, Geb (the wizard) stole her body, lichified her, and made her his Harlot Queen. She actually rules Geb (the country) now that Geb (the wizard) isn't around any more.
I don't think she qualifies as a deity any more. She was the Red Crusader, so the name would have fit.
Still, I agree with corpsy here: Iomedae could work, if you want a valorous goddess. If you want a lawful deity of strategy, you can go with Torag, though he's a dwarf.
Actually, I'm in love with the idea of a stalwart cleric waiting for her goddess to return. That said, Iomedae works as the actual source of her powers.
Is the whole "ruler of Geb" thing likely to crop up in a Legacy of Fire campaign? If so, more's the better!
Nope; Geb is barely mentioned at all in Legacy of Fire.
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Geb is barely mentioned at all in Legacy of Fire.
Not nearly enough mention of Geb through this whole "Pathfinder" drek, you ask me. And I ought to know, having been here through quite a bit of it, sonny!
@Iomedae: Don't think I've forgotten about you, little sister of the faith. But to call a girl "degraded" just because you don't like some of the things her boyfriends have been doing is just rude.
There's a bit more on her in Gods and Magic. She no longer has any divine power. Iomedae is your best bet now.
Not divine?! Sean, that's not what you said last Friday night. But then, you also said you'd call me...
Well, 'ras, it's because you smell funny. And I don't mean haha funny. We go a long way back, so I feel I have to tell you. Gentle Repose isn't a high-level spell or anything, and it can improve your social life.
Not that I know from personal experience mind you.
I'm not dead!
You're mistaken, sweetie. I said "Our time together was divine." Not the same thing. ;)
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You're mistaken, sweetie. I said "Our time together was divine." Not the same thing. ;)
Even if the corpse says yes, it's still necrophilia, you know. ;-P
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"Oh, fair and beautiful Arazni, our Red Crusader, what have you allowed to happen to yourself. Do not let your divinity be idly despised by undeath! Shake off this evil and rise again."
Members of the Order of Arazni are often secretive cult members devoted entirely to the resurrection and purification of the Red Crusader. As before, her holy symbol incorporates a golden winged sword, with a ruby cabochon centered on the crossguard. The cult has added two serpents twining on the sword: a red one reaching upward and a black one reaching downward, biting each other's tails. The red serpent represents the divine blood of Arazni, while the black serpent represents the undead corruption of her divinity. Arazni is also sometimes symbolized by a phoenix, representing the birth of divine life from the ashes of her old godhood, as well as the divine healing powers for good.
Knights and priests of Arazni now meet in the Temples of Aroden, or hold secret meetings to hold rituals and divinations to bless Arazni's lifeforce and discover what must be done to resurrect her. In some ways, the knights and priests of Arazni may be willing to act against the established religions and orders of the day, if it will help their order's cause.
The Order of Arazni is actually three knighthoods.
The Knights of the Phoenix, The Knights of Ozem, and the Knights of the Serpent. "Priests" of Arazni are often arcane spellcasters and adepts.
We fight for Arazni's purification, her resurrection, and her repentance of evil. All who repent from Evil emerge from her shadow. All who degenerate from Light into Darkness follow the path that a part of Arazni took. We strive to transmute those portions of ourselves and to engage the inner conflict as well as the outer. We seek not only strength of spirit to emerge victorious from spiritual battle, but also the courage to honor those who did not, including the Harlot Queen. Our spiritual strengths balance out that great weakness, if it was a weakness. It may be part of the Cycle of Life and Death, Good and Evil, Creation and Destruction.
There is a greater order in the Cosmos than we mortals are aware of. All that is necessary for us to know is that our struggle is with darker powers rather than with creatures of flesh. We battle the inner abomination. The Red Crusade is fought with those who embody evil, and with the parts of our selves that bring evil into our own lives. We will succeed where our Crusader failed. And by succeeding, we lift her spirit out of the dretches to which it has unwillingly been hurled. We, the Red Tongues, are the flames that lift the Phoenix. We are the Red Serpent, conquering the Black. We are gold in a world of iron.
The Knights of the Phoenix are opposed in every way to the possibility of undeath and do everything they can to prevent others from rising as such in their afterlife. They offer their services as confessors, offering advice and doing what they can to absolve the dark sins of others. Repentance and forgiveness and complete acceptance are the tenants clung to here. The knights are dangerously opposed to intelligent undead, or those who would attempt to raise the undead, and will fight to prevent this from happening.
The Knights of the Phoenix work with clerics of Pharasma as a natural or expected violent death approaches them to ensure that their deaths will not result in a natural or unnatural undeath. They are cremated upon death; the destruction of their bodies are reverently watched by the Guardians of the Pyre. The Guardians have their backs to the pyre, swords drawn in this time-honored ritual. Cremations repeat until all is reduced to ash. (Some fires have to be magically enhanced to produce flames of high enough temperature.)
The ashes are strewn onto hallowed ground, or sometimes stored in potions of healing, so that even the ashes are protected (supposedly) from negative energy.
The Knights of the Phoenix seek to find a way to bring Arazni back from the Undead, and then to resurrect her to her full divine glory. Some knights of the phoenix may also harbor a desire to resurrect Aroden.
Ring of the Phoenix
Aura faint conjuration, CL 12th
Slot ring; Price 1,500 gp?; Weight -
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Description
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This is a simple golden signet ring with a large red crystal cabochon, and a golden emblem of a phoenix set into the red crystal. While it is worn, if you are ever injured to negative hitpoints and begin dying, the ring will automatically stabilize you, as though the spell stabilize had been cast on you. This power activates up to 12 times a day, then remains inert until the next day.
If Arazni is your patron, you may use cure light wounds once per day, but only on someone other than yourself.
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Construction
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Requirements: Forge Ring, stabilize, cure light wounds; Cost: 750 gp.
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interesting indead Marcellius, Interesting, If i didn't venerated Iomedaei would think of joining such Order of the Phoenix... I must admit they have a great name.
Thanks, I haven't started working on the Knights of Ozem yet, since they're core. But I imagine that they are not as resourceful or as guarded as the Knights of the Phoenix. "Death to the undead. God wills it!" - Oh wait, that was Kingdom of Heaven. The Knights of Ozem are more likely of the mind that "if its moving when its not supposed to be, bash it until it stops", so even neutral undead are eager targets for this bone-thirsty group. They don't bear a grudge lightly and have a book of records as thick as a forearm detailing how every member of their order died and against what undead foe.
The Knights of Ozem relish combat with the undead so much that they do not completely destroy undead, and resort to a type of torture of the undead. They work with priests and wizards unafraid to raise the dead so that they can keep their militant oaths alive, and frequently break into cursed tombs and castles in an intentional effort to rile up agitated spirits. The ethics of these acts are questionable, to say the least. But with the weakened Paladin's oath, most indicate that the destruction of any undead is far more important than letting the dead rest in peace. ((Go figure.))
(This is very different from a Knight of the Phoenix, who upon encountering undead, will wait and see if the undead are intelligent. If they are not intelligent, they are turned if possible, and the Knight will leave them alone until he can find the source that animates them.)
The Knights of the Serpent are the antithesis of the Knights of the Phoenix. They venerate Arazni as the Harlot Queen, paying homage to her as the model of the undead. Her curse is one which most would willingly undergo. If the Blackguard is a core class (as some speculate), I would not be surprised if many venerated her.
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Ring of Ozem
Aura faint evocation, faint divination, CL 12th
Slot ring; Price 1,500 gp?; Weight -
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Description
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This is a simple golden signet ring emblazoned with the ancient winged sword of Arazni. While it is worn, you deal an additional 1d6 positive energy damage whenever you deal damage with a melee attack to an undead creature. This power activates up to 12 times a day, then remains inert until the next day.
If Arazni is your patron, you may use true strike once per day, but only when attacking an undead creature.
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Construction
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Requirements: Forge Ring, disrupt undead, true strike; Cost: 750 gp.
Ring of The Serpent
Aura faint abjuration, faint divination, CL 12th
Slot ring; Price 1,500 gp?; Weight -
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Description
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This is a symple golden signet ring shaped like a serpent wrapped around the finger with a large black crystal between its fangs. While it is worn, you can sense the presence of undead as though you had cast the spell detect undead This power activates automatically whenever undead are within 120 feet and remains active for up to 12 minutes per day then remains inert until the next day.
If Arazni is your patron, you may use sanctuary once per day, but only if in an encounter with an undead creature.
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Construction
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Requirements: Forge Ring, detect undead, sanctuary; Cost: 750 gp.
If i didn't venerated Iomedaei would think of joining such Order of the Phoenix...
But but... the order of the Phoenix is done for! Dumbledore is dead! Hogwarts is in chaos! And he who shall not be named runs rampant!