Quorlinn, the Woeful Beggar, the Resentful Watcher, the Denied Deity. The God of the Kenku, of Denial, Poverty, Guile, Jealousy and Crime.
He is known to be a careful, quiet and cynical deity. He seeks to rid the world of poverty and usurp those bloated with far too much wealth.
Church of Quorlinn
Worshippers
He was worshipped by the kenku as their patron and their creator deity. But his worship is widespread and various. He is also the popular patron of those failed by society, the impoverished, those who commit petty crime, the poor and penniless, beggars, the homeless, the deprived, the unemployed, those that have been denied, outsiders, the jaded innocent, spurned lovers, broken friendships, the scorned, the cunning merchants and thieves, robbers, kidnappers, bandits and spies.
He is the degradation of society, the voice of the people's frustrations, the divide between the elite and the downtrodden poor.
His priests and shamans were the most cunning and deceitful of kenku kind. They worked as spies, masterminded kidnapping operations, and set up traps and ambushes, but also worked to rescue kenku slaves, which they were bound to do. Cells and spy rings of priests gathered up and hoarded all kinds of secrets, though most of them were petty, and refused to share with other groups with childish stubbornness. Priests of Quorlinn were also capable thieves.
Quorlinn’s faith is secretive, often remaining hidden within the shadowy underworld of large cities and among deep forests and vales outside urban environments. Alliances vary with locality and circumstance, with one cult allied to local cults of thieves and shadows, with other cults rivalled to the same sorts of cults. Regardless, all of their outside dealings are handled with deep suspicion, and alliances typically only last as long as the Quorlinnar faith deems it profitable.
Novices of Quorlinn are called
Beggars, while full priests of the Filcher are known as the
Masked Ones. Quorlinn’s priesthood uses no formal titles, but ranking within the clergy is strictly based on age. Specialty priests are known as F
ilchers.
Quorlinn’s clergy plot and plan devious actions to gain treasure and information, masterminding kidnappings, robberies, ambushes, and traps, nearly always utilizing disguises. Different cultic cells specialize in different activities, and they are just as likely to target rival kenku tribes as that are to target the humans and humanoids they live amongst. They are not murderous, but have compunction against cracking some skulls in order to complete their plans. They hoard secrets and information, but don’t differentiate between secrets that are significant and those that are trivial. Due to their dubious activities, they often act as black marketeers and information brokers, although their goods and information can rarely be trusted; they never work with other cultic cells, however. If the clergy learns of kenku in captivity, they will do anything within their power to rescue them.
The clergy of Quorlinn do not hold any particular attachment to locales or relics, seeing such things only in terms of how they gain a benefit from them. They do not undertake pilgrimages, and temples and shrines are constructed for an individual tribe’s usage, and they guard them jealously even against other cultic cells.
Priests of Quorlinn wear double-layered belted robes as their ceremonial garb, with the under robe having sleeves and the outer robe being sleeveless. The robes are usually in sombre colours, with the outer robe being a lighter colour. The most common colours are brown, grey, black, and tan, with mustard yellow being uncommon; any other colours are fairly rare. Openings are left in the back for the priest’s wings. A thin sash is worn around the neck and falling down the chest in a light colour such as beige or white, and adorning this sash are four fist-sized pompoms of varying colours which denote an individual priest’s rank. Finally, priests carry a staff of five to six feet tall topped with an ornate ring; four smaller rings hang off the bottom of the ring, two on either side of the shaft. Ornate short swords may also be worn, but these are not strictly part of the vestments. The holy symbol used by the priesthood is a string of beads with a pendant of a humanoid face mask with a long nose, commonly painted red or blue, although unpainted pendants somewhat less common.
Orders
Temples & Shrines
Temples and shrines dedicated to the Filcher are always underground, be it in a building’s basement, inside a city’s sewers, or in a mountain cave. Often part of an extended community complex, temples are divided into two sections; the outer room or area is for public worship functions, and the much smaller inner area is devoted to storage of relics, secrets, and other objects that must be hidden from the greater community to preserve their power or significance. This inner sanctum is nearly always filled with decoys and fakes to deter spies and thieves, and may in fact contain nothing of value at all, and all items and information are fake. Quorlinn’s priesthood has no qualms lying to their tribes about the nature of these objects, and the lay followers expect the priests to weave fabrications to protect their secrets.
Realm
Residing within the
Filchnest, in the Beastland's.
Divine Domains
Life - Trickery
Holy Books & Codes
Divine Symbol
A mask with a large false nose.
A string of beads with a pendant of a humanoid face mask with a long nose, commonly painted red or blue.
Tenets of Faith
- The world does not share its wealth, that is the true crime - the rich stay rich, the poor stay poor. So take what you can, or others will take all from you.
- Stand on your own, use all of your potential to your advantage, remain anonymous.
- Rules are meant to be broken, for they do not allow change, only stagnation.
Dogma
- Stand on your own; you won’t always have allies or protectors who can save you.
- Utilize all the tools at you disposal to survive.
- Disguise can save your life; enemies can’t catch you if they don’t know who you are.
- Trick and trap those who would do you harm; surprise them with you ingenuity and eliminate their ability to harm before they realize what is happening.
- In a direct fight, magic can turn the tables on your foes, especially if they do not suspect it of you.
- Gather secrets, information, and treasure, for the more you know and the more you have, the better prepared you will be to face life’s dangers.
- Freedom is the most important element of life; never let a member of your community languish in captivity.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
He wishes to be left alone, and to no longer be a god, but he wishes to be stronger - he does not believe that he is worthy of his children, the Kenku. He cannot aid them the way he wishes to. He cannot aid everyone in their plights. He wishes to steal the essences of those that do not share their power or their wealth, and savour it for himself. He wishes to provide what he can to whom he can, when he can. Taking riches from the opulently rich, and grant it to the poor. He cares not whether they gain a better life or make a better choice - he can teach what he can, and it is up to those who listen how to use it, as they are ultimately free to choose their fates, unlike he.
Personal History
It was said that a certain deity, a potent, non-lawful sky god, had experimented in creation, but the effort was a failure, producing only the strange god Quorlinn. The sky god was too embarrassed to own up to this. But after a series of legendary and dubious misadventures, aided by Craevan the Dark, in which Quorlinn used disguises, thieving, trickery, and guile, in which he lost a few tail feathers in the bargain, he finally proved his worth to his creator, who rewarded him with a race created in his own image: the kenku.
Unfortunately, Quorlinn was less than excited by this. He didn't want the responsibility of being god to a whole race. So he taught the kenku the arts of disguise, theft, and magic, so they could look after themselves.
Though he arrived after the Great War, and rose to prominence in the Arcane Era - his people, the kenku, had no place in the world, and was denied homage wherever they went. So, he tried to make a place for them the best way he knew how. Crime.
He played a minor role in the Cataclysm, but he had great rivalries between Zehir the Cloaked Serpent - as murder is not in his purviews, but falls under crime; and many gods believed that they worked together at times. But this is not the case, sometimes Quorlinn and Zehir's goals aligned - under the promise of stealing divinity, but Quorlinn was just as likely to steal Zehir's powers of darkness, as Zehir would murder him for pure joy. But he aided in Pelor's extermination of the Yuan-Ti, and to use his guile to trick the being into becoming banished.
Quorlinn was in good relations with Craevan the Repentant One, as he started amassing his own fellowship - Quorlinn was often jealous of the deity, of how he maintained such sacrifice and redemption - but respected him also. It inspired him, and it is said that he is one of two deities that he could call his ally. When Quorlinn makes the notion of being alone, he would begrudgingly invite Craevan to follow him.
At the end of the Cataclysm, he was gladdened to retreat from his mortal plane - finally given rest and peace... but even so, his duties were still tiring, listening to the constant gnatter of the deprived, the denied and the impoverished.
He grew in provenance and in action against the Dragonborn of the Dragonaught citadels, as they pillaged and raided against the continent of Zigaura. Though it did not fall under his purview, he did not accept the by-laws and discrimination that fell through to these Lizardfolk that called this land home... their lands pilfered like it was scraps off a dinner plate for Dragonshards, leaving it devastated. He aided in a strange contract between Odile and Quorlinn, in efforts to combat the spread of civilisation - he gained a certain following of more civilised and enslaved Lizardfolk that were taken from these lands. Inciting a rebellion in the mid-5th Century with his blessing.
In the times after the Divergence, through his actions and interventions in the mortal world led to the rise of crime, and drew the ire of Erathis, Venarion and Avandra. Erathis and Venarion were always accosted and tricked by this deity, always managing to get away from their sight and smiting due to his masterful disguises and arts of thievery.
He tended to try and steal the treasures, jealous of the hoards amassed by the great dragon, that resided within Venarion's great hoard in his Dragon Eeyrie, and other deities.
He angered Erathis as he represented what was wrong with civilisation, the bottom line, poverty and crime - and wished to waylay these issues, but Quorlinn did not create this nature, he nurtured it - giving people the tools to be self-sufficient - but also to create a balance of wealth, he did not appreciate that the rich were so wealthy, and the poor were so poor; he cared not whether they were successful if they learned these deeds, just so that they left him alone. He did appreciate kind or respectful donations to his time, but he did not reciprocate these gifts many times.
Avandra was one of his greatest rivals, though she offers the benefits of wealth and commerce - she is also part of seedier business and underworld deals. Usually, the fall guy was the poor and penniless. Quorlinn ensured that the world should be of shared and equal wealth, or that those who wanted what they desired that others possessed, had the means of achieving it. It mattered not whether they earned that prize or not, everyone has desires, and everyone can be jealous. He was delighted when Avandra began to sell portions of her divinity - and gladly took some for himself, gaining further prominence in the present centuries and riches that could be spread across the regions.
Promethea had an odd respect and mutual relation with Quorlinn, as he represented those to which she saw as being of greater potential should they strive out of strife from their lives. But Quorlinn did not intercede nor give a second thought to them, he did what he wished, and he wished to be alone.
Maevericki was one of his oldest frenemies - both of them being great tricksters, they would often challenge one another in great schemes. Though Maevericki represented a humble and joyful life, Quorlinn represented those that did not have the same subtle joys and benefits, and were jealous of others lives. Quorlinn often wished to bring jealousy and commit crimes to and with the Humble Friend, whereas Maevericki often wished to bring joy and humility to the Master of Denial, and get him to admit that he was his best friend.
Of all the deities, few are as strange as Quorlinn the Filcher. Said to be the result of a botched experiment, he is a reclusive power that is uncomfortable with the mantle of leadership thrust upon him. His feelings and fears have made him a master of disguise and the thieving arts, which he has passed on to his followers, the kenku.
Quorlinn’s exact origins vary with the telling, but typically involve a non-lawful deity of the sky or storms from a major local pantheon. Thus, kenku who live on the edges of society.
Kenku myths about Quorlinn are remarkably consistent, outside of the specific deity that created him. In these myths, his creator is portrayed as embarrassed by the Filcher’s form, for he did not turn out as expected. Regardless, he was assigned a number of tasks, which he completed successfully in unorthodox ways, utilizing guile and deception. Almost universally, the missions are described as very close affairs, wherein Quorlinn barely escapes with his life, often leaving behind a few tail feathers. In the end, the creator deity rewards the Filcher with a race in his likeness, and grants him responsibility for their welfare. However, this was an unwanted responsibility, and Quorlinn constantly whines about being burdened by this new duty. In response, he teaches his followers magic and thievery, and in-still's within them a fierce independence that allows them to stand on their own. Kenku myths do not take time to analyse the Filcher’s mental state at this point, but some other myths paint this as a defence mechanism, as he feels himself too weak to adequately protect his new race, and he in fact cares deeply for their welfare. A small minority of external myths in fact describes the creation of the kenku not as a reward, but as a curse for Quorlinn’s irresponsibility and unorthodox actions; these myths are mostly found among the giant eagles.
Quorlinn is a loner, which has prevented him from cultivating many alliances, but has also kept him from the notice of too many potential foes. There are other deities who have made overtures of friendship towards Quorlinn, but he has yet to respond to their invitations.
Quorlinn is fickle, irritable, and irascible, but not cruel or evil. He is an asocial introvert, deeply fearing mistakes he might make where his followers are concerned, and has never been known to aid them with appearances of his avatar or omens. This may be changing after he was forced to appear on Aetheus in avatar form during the Cataclysm. His experiences in Aetha'Shar revealed to him the need to take decisive action, as he worked to avoid notice by other deities and protect his followers from the danger they were in by his very presence. How exactly these experiences will alter his outlook has yet to be seen, however.
Physical Appearance
Quorlinn appeared as a typical kenku — a hawk-headed humanoid with feathers, wings, and clawed hands and feet — wearing plain clothing and a black mask.
Quorlinn was easily irritated, bad-tempered, snappy, and fickle, but not actually evil. He whined constantly about the responsibility of caring for the kenku, complaining that it weighed him down. He was not uncaring, however; his attitude could have been a defensive one, as he might have felt himself to be too weak to be a decent protector.