Cyndor (SIN-dohr)

The Keeper of Infinity, the Sage of Epochs, the Illimitable One

Time, Continuity, Infinity

Lesser god of Mechanus, Lawful Neutral

Aliases: None
Domain Name: Mechanus / Path of Time or Mount Celestia / Mertion /Rempha or Temporal Prime / Tempus Cidatus
Origin: Oeridian
Superior: None
Allies: Lendor (sometimes)
Enemies: Lendor (sometimes)
Symbol: An hourglass on its side, per the symbol for Infinity
Worshipper's Alignment: Neutral, Lawful Neutral

Time is, quite literally, of the essence. As 0erth's celestial governor of Time and infinity, Cyndor the Illimitable oversees the invisible clockwork of man's past, present, and future. His primary sphere of influence - that of Time - is both mysterious to contemplate and vital to the continuing cycle of life throughout the Flanaess. However, Cyndor does not have a lot of followers in the Flanaess.
The discrepancy between the weak devotion of humans towards Cyndor and the extreme importance of his role in the cosmic balance, explains his very particular divine status. Indeed, although recognized as a minor god, Cyndor has the powers of a major god.
More concretely, it is only in the Temporal Prime (the fourth dimension, often called the Plane of Time, by analogy with the Ethereal Plane because it also "touches" any point of the Prime Plan) that Cyndor can exert all his power. This allows him, from the labyrinthine corridors of his impregnable fortress Tempus Citadus, to perform three endless tasks simultaneously.
Its first task is to constantly meditate on the imponderable aspects of spacetime and how such and such manipulation of this continuum can alter the composition of the multiverse.
Its second, more concrete task is to record in writing the doings of all the creatures of Oerth, at every moment of their existence. The absolutely unimaginable record of all these reports is known as the Libram Perpetualis. Cyndor sparingly reveals excerpts from this work to his priests during their prayers.
His last task is to protect the course of time from powerful beings who might alter it to take advantage of it. In doing so, Cyndor rarely intervenes directly, but directs the actions of the creatures he has commissioned to be protectors of the flow of time and guardians of the past and future.
Cyndor dwells in the Temporal Prime, better known to the sages of the Flanaess as the Demiplane of Time, this alternate dimension serves as the highway for those rare spellcasters able to taverse the conduits which connect yesterday to tomorrow. For a further explanation of Temporal Prime and complete details of its denizens and geography, consult the Chronomancer sourcebook.
Inside the mazelike corridors of his unassailable abode, the Tempus Cidatus, Cyndor simultaneously pursues three separate and never-ending tasks. First, he devotes himself to meditating upon the imponderable aspects of time-space and how further manipulation of this continuum might alter the composition of the multiverse. 0n the more practical side, Cyndor is also in a state of continuous prose, as he records every act of every creature throughout every moment of its existence on 0erth. The text in which he compiles this unimaginable record is known simply as the Perpetual Libram. Excerpts of this sacred work have appeared on the Prime in the form of piercingly accurate histories secreted in Cyndor's austere temples. Finally,in addition to his unceasing efforts as a temporal theorist and chronicler of 0erth's ongoing history, Cyndor also directs his proxies in their work as protectors of the timestream and guardians of future and past.
Though these guardians are primarily creatures of a divine nature, a small group of mortal chronomancers (wizards who specialize in time-related spells) known as the Monitors of Infinity secretly defend Oerth's fragile timestream from interference by outside forces. Every living creature and inanimate object bears a special signature on the Demiplane of Time called a lifeline. If these lifelines were to be altered indiscriminately, the lives of thousands of people throughout Oerth would be dramatically altered. Thus the Monitors have taken it upon themselves to protect these lifelines from harm. Cyndor is the adjudicator of the elusive and faceless Monitors, aiding them in their pursuits and offering divine guidance when necessary.
Epochs have passed since Cyndor last set foot upon the Prime Material. It is suspected that his avatar was present during the ancient Suloise-Baklunish conflict; myths surrounding the event place him as acting either with or against Lendor, the Suloise god of time. In those rare instances when he manifests himself, Cyndor appears as anything but a normal mortal man. His avatar form is that of a towering humanoid with a featureless face and odd rectangular limbs of terrible strength.
Anyone tinkering with Oerth's timestream by either magical artifact or chronomancy spell risks invoking the ire of the mysterious Monitors of Infinity or, if the infraction is serious enough, the wrath of Cyndor himself.
Though the Illimitable One rarely confronts such violators personally, he has been known to direct a variety of temporal creatures for these purposes. He is served by temporal dogs and time dimensionals, among other, even more extraordinary beasts.

The Church

Cyndor is worshiped only in urban areas, cities where educated men reside, such as the Free City of Greyhawk, the center of knowledge in Flanaess.
Most of the scholars and mages who pay homage to him do not show deep and faithful devotion. If they sometimes come to attend a mass or make a pilgrimage to one of its isolated monasteries, it is above all in the hope of obtaining revelations.
Priests of Cyndor are very aware of the magnitude of their deity's charge, and as such often seem aloof, if not downright holier-than-thou. Like Cyndor himself, priests tend to speak in riddles, refusing to reveal the full secrets of their knowledge of Temporal Prime and the lifelines that abide there; they collectively scorn charlatan fortune- tellers and other mountebanks.
Cyndor's priests are hard to pin down, as their peculiar ideology is as elusive as the seconds that slip like sand from man's desperate grasp. For the most part, it is assumed that priests of Cyndor have been placed upon Oerth to act as counselors for a world that would otherwise be lost in a meaningless struggle for survival. They regularly serve as advisors to monarchs and university sages. All men seek the wisdom of augury, and all wonder what might hold. By consulting with a prophet of Cyndor, a person might gain insight — however vague — into the hand that time holds for him or her.
Followers of Cyndor see life not as a series of choices, but rather as a linear journey from one predetermined encounter to the next. To such thinkers as these, free choice and personal achievement are but illusions; in truth, everything that ever will be has already happened — at least for Cyndor, who has seen the beginning and the end. The invisible, temporal concept which man calls "time" is really nothing but a way for man to reckon that which he believes he is experiencing. This theory can be proven when one looks at the construction of the Demiplane of Time itself. In this plane, so-called "time" is simply a means of traveling from point A to point B. Ergo, all of man's choices are really nothing but immutable paths along a lifeline which Cyndor has already foreseen.
Clerics of Cyndor converge near sites of pending importance or disruptions in the time-flow. They study old lore to plot the course of history and learn the future, and many work as advisers or seers. They debunk charlatan fortune-tellers and other false prophets. They travel with people whom they perceive will have interesting futures.

Dogma

"There is no need to worry about the choices we make, because all are decided in advance and everyone's destiny is engraved in the marble of time."
Time is not a static thing, but rather something liquid that stretches from the forgotten past to the present and into the distant future. Events of the past cause events in the present, which have consequences that last far beyond the lifetimes of their progenitors. There is no need to worry about the choices one makes in life, for all actions are determined and your fate is set based upon those choices. Augury is useful only as a moral balm to allow realization and acceptance of one’s place in the stream of life.
Cyndor's followers see life, not as a series of choices, but rather as a linear journey leading from one destined encounter to another. For them, free will and personal success are only illusory. In truth, everything that will ever be has already happened, at least for Cyndor who saw the beginning and the end of everything.
Every creature and every object bears a specific signature in the Temporal Primary: its universe line (a sequential path of events, with time and place as dimensions, which mark the history of the creature or object ). If any of these universe lines were to be altered indiscriminately, the lives of thousands of Oerth's inhabitants could be dramatically altered.
Time is nothing but a means of bringing order to the events that punctuate a man's life. To be convinced of this, it suffices to observe the structure of the Temporal Primary. In this dimension, time is simply a means of travel from point A to point B. Therefore, everyone's choices are nothing but unchanging paths along their universe line.

Day-to-day Activities

Most people familiar with the religion assume that the Eternalists were placed by Cyndor on Oerth to act as advisors to a world that would otherwise be lost in a meaningless struggle for survival. All men wonder about their future and all are attentive to omens, good or bad. By consulting a prophet of Cyndor, a person can get a glimpse, however vague, of what the future holds. Eternalists are therefore regularly given an advisory role to monarchs and other powerful people of this world. In the universities, the sages do not hesitate to ask them for help.
Cyndor's clerics spend a great deal of time consulting ancient sources and studying the paradoxes of history, including predicting the future and anticipating attempts to alter it. They do not hesitate to undertake long journeys, sometimes perilous, to reach sites where they suspect that disturbances in the course of time have taken place or will take place.

Important Ceremonies

Services to Cyndor include the sounding of airy wind instruments and the casting of arcane spells by way of such material devices as magical mirrors, hourglasses, and looms. Cyndor is worshipped in urban places where learned men gather, such as the Free City of Greyhawk, the center of education in the Central Flanaess.

Major Centers of Worship

One known site of periodic chronomantic activity in the Flanaess can be found at the standing stones of Tovag Baragu.
The Eternalists show great interest in the fabled City of the Gods, the ruins of which are probably buried under the black ice of the far north, north of the Cold Marshes. Several priests have established a congregation in the Cold Marshes, and apparently manage to survive in these inhospitable lands, sheltered behind the walls of their abbey at Blackvale. The abbey exerts a greater influence than one might expect in these relatively uncultivated lands. Priests are highly respected as soothsayers, even outside the church of Cyndor, but they refuse to praise their services.
Temples to Cyndor are quite rare. Somber structures of smoothed stone, the monasteries of the Illimitable One rise from the ground in seemingly illogical locales, storied places of ancient or future power. The Eternalists of Cyndor have a great interest in the doings of Blackrnoor's City of the Gods, and likewise can be found in the eastern Abbor-Alz hills, scouring the ruins of ancient Sulm.

Associated Orders

In the Outer Planes, Cyndor's philosophy is readily accepted by members of the linear-thinking Fraternity of Order, while the Indeps of the Free League despise the notion of predestination, and the Dustmen find it difficult to reconcile their nihilistic beliefs with the apparently contrary evidence found in the lifelines on Temporal Prime.

Priestly Garb

When traveling, priests of Cyndor tend to wear clothing of contrasting colors, especially back and white (white capes over black robes are common, though red and gray is also a popular combination). They have been known to paint their faces with similar color schemes, and decorate their clothing with talismans, amulets, and other cryptic devices.

Specialty Priests (Eternalists)

Requirements: Wis 15
Prime Requisite: Wisdom
Alignment: Neutral, Lawful Neutral
Weapons: Boomerang, dagger, dart, hand-held crossbow, lasso, net, staff, and whip Armor: All armor types up to and including chain mail, no shield
Major Spheres: All, Astral, Charm, Divination, Healing, Thought, Time
Minor Spheres: Creation, Guardian, Numbers, Protection
Magical Items: As clerics
Required Proficiencies: Read/Write (Common)
Bonus Proficiencies: Religion (Common), Time Sense (see below)

Granted Powers

• At 2nd level, eternalists may cast delay image (see below) once per day.
• At 7th level, eternalists may attempt to slow a single opponent once per day (as per the 3rd level wizard spell, though the victim saves at -6).
• At 10th level, eternalists have become so synchronized with the movement of the timestream that they age at half the normal rate, effectively doubling their maximum age limit.
• At 15th level, eternalists become completely immune to aging-based attacks, such as the touch of a ghost.

Priests of Cyndor have access to the special proficiency Time Sense, as well as the first-level chronomancer spell delay image.

New Proficiencies

Time Sense

Relevant Ability: Wisdom
A priest with the Time Sense proficiency has an internal clock, a natural sense of the passage of time which permits him to know to within 3d10 minutes the exact time of day without the aid of mechanical devices, magic, or the stars.
A successful check indicates that the priest has pinpointed the time from within 3 to 30 minutes of accuracy, while failure indicates that the priest's estimation is incorrect by 1d2 hours. The priest also can use this ability to "program" himself to awaken at a predetermined hour. The proficiency check is made ata -1 penalty, with failure meaning that the priest oversleeps by one hour for every point by which the check is missed, up to maximum of four hours.

Cyndorian Spells

First Level

Delay Image