Brelish holy war [Archive] - Wizards Community

Brelish holy war [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
fletch137
04-23-08, 06:33 PM Are there any significant religious leaders in Breland? The topic is kind of glossed over in Five Nations and I don't have Faiths of Eberron where it might be discussed.

I'm thinking of having my Breland campaign have a civil war of sorts. While my first thought was of Lord Ruken ir'Clarn and his schemes against the crown, I'm kind of intrigued with the idea of a religious split of some sort. Off the top of my head I was thinking a proposal to reunite the Dark Six with the Sovereign Host would lead to a great inner-church conflict that would really take advantage of the "gray" status of Faith in Eberron.

Of course, that would only work if there was a head of the Sovereign Host church in Breland that had the authority to issue such a proclamation. If it was just the local priest in Ardev, fer instance, I doubt it'd have the impact.

Barring a "patriarch" in Breland, is there any other nation that would offer this sort of opportunity?
Mystrich
04-24-08, 12:05 AM Well, Sharn: City of Towers lists a High Priest (Cleric 10), who runs most of Sharn's religious services, but he isn't statted, nor does it seem he is the highest in the church of Breland. It doesn't list much about him either, other than he is a Dwarf Cleric 10.

If you're looking for a Church take over, you're much better off with the Silver Flame, whether actually done by the Church or Thrane would also be up to you.
ChaoticGood
04-24-08, 03:44 AM There is a cult in Faiths of Eberron which worships both Onatar and the Fury, the Spark of Life or something like that. If I recall correctly, it is based in Breland and is the cause of much grumbling in the more orthodox hierarchy of the Church of the Sovereign Host. Generally speaking, they don't look too kindly on people who regularly and openly mix their traditions with those of the Dark Six.

At first, the conflict would manifest itself in the form of some overzealous clerics of Aureon or Dol Arrah attempting to root out the evil hiding in their own church. This could escalate into a full-fledged purge, drawing the ire of clerics of Onatar, who may be swept up and purged accidentally. Violence between different groups of Vassals starts to erupt as sects begin to form.

Lord ir'Clarn and several other Brelish officials demand that King Boranel put an end to the bloodshed by force. The King sees the sporadic, small-scale violence as a minor church matter that should be be resolved by Church officials - and he meets with high-ranking Sovereign Host clergymen to tell them so in no uncertain terms. Nevertheless, the King's political enemies spin his refusal to act as a sign of weakness and political stratification begins to occur as well.

Then comes the night that the civil war begins: mysterious explosions rock the High Temple of the Sovereign Host in Wroat, and when the smoke clears, there is little left but rubble. The Lords blame the King for not intervening, the King blames the Church for not stopping the violence, the various sects of the Church blame one another for stooping so low, and there is panic in the streets.

Where are the PCs in all of this? I imagine that I would cast them as Dark Lanterns, first investigating the cult to ensure that it is not as dangerous as the Church claims it to be (or maybe it is?), then protecting the King during his visits with various ranking clerics to demand they take action, and finally, right in the thick of the action when the temple falls, trying to get the King out of Wroat before the castle is beseiged by mobs of Vassals or assassins sent by his political enemies.
fletch137
04-24-08, 03:24 PM Dang, CG, that's awesome. I only had a loose idea of what I wanted and you managed to hit all the points and then some. If my arc doesn't turn out to be just like you described, I'm sure it'll be something close to it.

And to Mystrich, I did consider using the Silver Flame instead (the possibility that the voice from the flame is a demon rather than the coatl is a great hook), but in the end the position of the Speaker as the Thraney head of state would just turn that one into political civil war. I was hoping to avoid the "collapse of government" events.
ChaoticGood
04-24-08, 11:44 PM Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, fletch. :D

A few corrections and clarifications:

- The cult is called the Forge of the Sacred Spark, and information about it can be found on page 48 of Faiths of Eberron.

- As presented, the cult is actually based in Aundair. However, the sentence that places it there begins, "This small shrine stands in Ghalt, Aundair..." To me, that seems to indicate that the shrine presented there is only one of several, and even so, there is nothing particularly "Aundairan" about it.

- Try to present the cult as non-evil, because they truly aren't. They revere the Fury in her aspect of fervor and passion, not as a god of destruction. If you choose to add an Adept or Cleric and want to include one of the Fury's domains, I would strongly suggest you use Passion. I could also see choosing Madness, combined with Artifice from Onatar, to create a benevolent-but-misguided mad-scientist sort of priest.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
fletch137 04-23-08, 06:33 PM	Are there any significant religious leaders in Breland? The topic is kind of glossed over in Five Nations and I don't have Faiths of Eberron where it might be discussed. I'm thinking of having my Breland campaign have a civil war of sorts. While my first thought was of Lord Ruken ir'Clarn and his schemes against the crown, I'm kind of intrigued with the idea of a religious split of some sort. Off the top of my head I was thinking a proposal to reunite the Dark Six with the Sovereign Host would lead to a great inner-church conflict that would really take advantage of the "gray" status of Faith in Eberron. Of course, that would only work if there was a head of the Sovereign Host church in Breland that had the authority to issue such a proclamation. If it was just the local priest in Ardev, fer instance, I doubt it'd have the impact. Barring a "patriarch" in Breland, is there any other nation that would offer this sort of opportunity?
Mystrich 04-24-08, 12:05 AM	Well, Sharn: City of Towers lists a High Priest (Cleric 10), who runs most of Sharn's religious services, but he isn't statted, nor does it seem he is the highest in the church of Breland. It doesn't list much about him either, other than he is a Dwarf Cleric 10. If you're looking for a Church take over, you're much better off with the Silver Flame, whether actually done by the Church or Thrane would also be up to you.
ChaoticGood 04-24-08, 03:44 AM	There is a cult in Faiths of Eberron which worships both Onatar and the Fury, the Spark of Life or something like that. If I recall correctly, it is based in Breland and is the cause of much grumbling in the more orthodox hierarchy of the Church of the Sovereign Host. Generally speaking, they don't look too kindly on people who regularly and openly mix their traditions with those of the Dark Six. At first, the conflict would manifest itself in the form of some overzealous clerics of Aureon or Dol Arrah attempting to root out the evil hiding in their own church. This could escalate into a full-fledged purge, drawing the ire of clerics of Onatar, who may be swept up and purged accidentally. Violence between different groups of Vassals starts to erupt as sects begin to form. Lord ir'Clarn and several other Brelish officials demand that King Boranel put an end to the bloodshed by force. The King sees the sporadic, small-scale violence as a minor church matter that should be be resolved by Church officials - and he meets with high-ranking Sovereign Host clergymen to tell them so in no uncertain terms. Nevertheless, the King's political enemies spin his refusal to act as a sign of weakness and political stratification begins to occur as well. Then comes the night that the civil war begins: mysterious explosions rock the High Temple of the Sovereign Host in Wroat, and when the smoke clears, there is little left but rubble. The Lords blame the King for not intervening, the King blames the Church for not stopping the violence, the various sects of the Church blame one another for stooping so low, and there is panic in the streets. Where are the PCs in all of this? I imagine that I would cast them as Dark Lanterns, first investigating the cult to ensure that it is not as dangerous as the Church claims it to be (or maybe it is?), then protecting the King during his visits with various ranking clerics to demand they take action, and finally, right in the thick of the action when the temple falls, trying to get the King out of Wroat before the castle is beseiged by mobs of Vassals or assassins sent by his political enemies.
fletch137 04-24-08, 03:24 PM	Dang, CG, that's awesome. I only had a loose idea of what I wanted and you managed to hit all the points and then some. If my arc doesn't turn out to be just like you described, I'm sure it'll be something close to it. And to Mystrich, I did consider using the Silver Flame instead (the possibility that the voice from the flame is a demon rather than the coatl is a great hook), but in the end the position of the Speaker as the Thraney head of state would just turn that one into political civil war. I was hoping to avoid the "collapse of government" events.
ChaoticGood 04-24-08, 11:44 PM	Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, fletch. :D A few corrections and clarifications: - The cult is called the Forge of the Sacred Spark, and information about it can be found on page 48 of Faiths of Eberron. - As presented, the cult is actually based in Aundair. However, the sentence that places it there begins, "This small shrine stands in Ghalt, Aundair..." To me, that seems to indicate that the shrine presented there is only one of several, and even so, there is nothing particularly "Aundairan" about it. - Try to present the cult as non-evil, because they truly aren't. They revere the Fury in her aspect of fervor and passion, not as a god of destruction. If you choose to add an Adept or Cleric and want to include one of the Fury's domains, I would strongly suggest you use Passion. I could also see choosing Madness, combined with Artifice from Onatar, to create a benevolent-but-misguided mad-scientist sort of priest.