The gods of Krynn act through their agents to spread their divine messages and influence. Let’s take a closer look at what it takes to be a messenger of the Gods, who the Holy Orders of the Stars are and how they worship.
Transcript
Cold Open
We’ve covered Krynn’s pantheon of deities in the Gods of Krynn episode. Let’s now take a look at those orders that worship them.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about the Holy Orders of the Stars. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can support this channel by becoming a Patron on Patreon, a Member of this YouTube channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance Gaming materials, using my affiliate link. All links are in the description below. I will be referencing the Dragonlance setting sourcebooks for this information, but I may miss something or err in my delivery of that information. Please let me know if you notice anything by commenting below.
Discussion
Entering into the service of a god is a bit more than simply desiring it. You must first be aware of the gods, which in the Age of Despair and the Age of Mortals could be an issue. You must then be able to connect with an existing worshipper, be accepted into the service by that worshipper and their god. From time to time the instructing priest may require a test to be performed in order to prove loyalty to the god. Only then will you receive your Medallion of Faith, and be able to commune with your new god. Medallions of faith cannot be crafted, they are only created from other medallions of faith. They are not magical items in the traditional sense, but are required by the faithful to manifest their god’s power. They bear the symbol of the god worshipped and can manifest a medallion for any god, even of opposite alignments though this is admittedly rare. THe Medallion cannot be removed from the devotee. Those who attempt will suffer divine damage.
We’ve gone over the fickle nature of Krynns gods before, sufficit to say, they require strict obedience from their worshippers. If a cleric strays even slightly, there are repercussions which can range from loss of power to loss of experience levels! Acting in contrast to your character’s alignment shifts your alignment as tracked by the Dungeon Master, which in turn could lead to a fall from grace. You are similarly punished if you willingly decide to change your god of worship. Even good aligned gods show a bit of vengeance from those who turn their backs on them. Remember the cataclysm? If you do commit acts against your god or alignment, and are truly repentant, you can regain your ability to manifest their powers, at times after penitence.
The Holy Orders of the Stars are the three celestial families of deities. We see the number three frequently in the construction of this campaign setting. The three families represent the three pillars of Good, Evil and Balance. It is important to note that every race, society and culture on Krynn has a different creation story, name and method of worship for the gods. This is fully accepted by each god and they do not differentiate in their blessings to their devotees. I will be referring to the orders and gods themselves as is common in Solamnia and revealed by Paladine to Elisan. These are also confirmed by our favorite aesthetic, Astinus of Palanthus.
Priests of the Order of Good practice preserving and defending life. They believe in protecting and promoting the positive welfare of all, and live to embody the principles of good in all of their acts. They actively promote the renouncement of selfishness, and the performance of merciful acts for others. The Order is led by the ‘Chosen Prophet’, a priest of Paladine who is assisted by six Prophets of each of the other deities. Only one Chosen Prophet can sit in authority at a time, and only one Prophet can represent their gods at a time. There may be similarly powerful clerics, but not with the title and position, this is reflected in the other orders as well. The Order of Good venerates the gods of good, represented by Paladine and his partner Mishakal. Their twin sons Kiri-Jolith and Habbakuk. And their cohorts Majere and Branchala from Beyond.
Priests of the Order of Evil scheme to dominate their fellow mortals–Even their own brothers and sisters of darkness. They lack interest in those who do not bend to their will, or those they cannot exploit. Priests of the order of evil do not have ethical qualms about trickery or murder, as long as it benefits them in some degree. They are cunning in their deception and are not martyrs to their evil cause. The order is led by a Nightlord, who is assisted by six Nightmasters, one from each god of evil. The Nightlord is a priest of Takhisis, and there can be only one sitting in power at a time, as is the way of his or her N ightmaster assistants. The order of evil venerates the gods of evil composed of Takhisis, the Queen of Darkness, her partner Sargonnas. Their daughter Zeboim, and their cohorts Morgion, Chemosh and Hiddukel from Beyond.
Priests of the Order of Neutrality work to maintain balance between the orders of good and evil. They view the order of good to be too idealistic and impractical, and the order of evil too destructive and treacherous. They will willingly partner with one side or the other in their attempt to maintain balance, though they will not fight for either order. Instead they will combat both sides when the free will of the denizens, or nature itself of Krynn is in jeopardy. The Neutral order is led by a Starmaster who is a priest of Gilean, and assisted by six Archmasters who are representatives of each of the gods of neutrality. Only one Starmaster and Archmaster can sit in power at a time. The order of neutrality worships the gods of balance whose patriarch is Gilean. Zivilyn and Chislev are companions as are Sirrion and Shinare. The four along with Reorx came from Beyond.
Unlike the Orders of High Sorcery, the Holy Orders of the Stars do not work together in any capacity and are openly hostile to each other when the situation requires it. To collaborate would be to stray from their rigid god’s path, which would lead to severe consequences. Fallen priests or heathen priests do not have any divine power and must resort to prestidigitation, primal sorcery, mysticism, fakery or shams when showcasing their ‘power’. You will find these priests often as cult leaders, cult members or snake oil salesmen.
The gods of krynn’s power is absolute. The very rare mortal that can ascend to levels of power high enough to challenge the gods, can only hope to banish them from Krynn temporarily as they heal and prepare to return to wreak vengeance. Only Raistlin Majere was strong enough to go toe to toe with a god, and then learned that in doing so would lay waste to that which he sought to control.
Though the gods take an active interest in Krynn and it’s populous, they prefer to act through their priests so as to allow a semblance of free will. The authors of the campaign espouse this but we can see more than a few notable moments when the gods stepped in to interfere directly. The creation of Krynn and it’s people being the first such instance. Then gathering worshippers from among those creations. The foundation of Magic throughout the world with Solinari, Nuitari and Lunitari. The formation of the Knights of Solamnia in the Whitestone Glade. The assistance to Huma Dragonbane in the defeat of the Queen of Darkness in the Third Dragon War, The Night of Doom when all true clerics vanished from Krynn prior to the mountain falling onto Istar in the Cataclysm. Mishakal’s return, by revealing herself to Goldmoon and gifting her the Disks of Mishakal. And The War of the Lance with the Queen of Darkness returning to build her portal in the Temple of Neraka. They played major roles in the fifth age as Takhisis once again interfered by stealing the world and after she healed, began the war of souls. With all of these examples, and even more not mentioned, perhaps they directly interfere even more than the authors of the saga would like to admit!
Outro
And that is all I can cover about the Holy Orders of the Stars in this video. I will return in future installments to dive deeper into the subject. Do you have a favorite god to worship? Do you think the reliance on alignment as a game mechanic is too difficult or time consuming to track? And have you ever had a cleric that changed it’s god of worship? Leave a comment below.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can support this channel by becoming a Patron on Patreon, a Member of this YouTube channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance Gaming materials, using my affiliate link. All links are in the description below.
This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:
Palado Calib me iromas, tus ban abam drifo. Blessed Paladine, clear my path, that I may walk it without fear.
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