Servants of Maal
Maal’s companion and servitor is Wisdom, an owl who
sits on his left shoulder when he holds court. From time to
time, Wisdom delivers messages from Maal to the Material Plane. The god’s kingdom also teems with celestials
who aid souls in their transition from the mortal sphere
to eternal life, guide reborn souls back to the Material
Plane, take chosen souls to new homes with their patron
gods, and escort the souls of the wicked to the infernal
planes. Chief among these servants are the Four Riders,
who were in the past sent to the Material Plane on great
and terrible steeds, to enact the will of their lord. Ever
since the Compact, the Four Riders have rarely entered
the mortal world. The riders also act as the wardens of the
four halls, where souls who performed great deeds in life
are rewarded with eternal bliss.
Issama, Counselor to the King
Issama is Warden of the First Hall, the resting place of
those who are wise and good of heart. She stands to the
left of Maal’s throne, and advises the King of Souls on
matters as varied as elven customs, legal loopholes, and
contemporary marriage practices. She keeps abreast of the
mortal sphere, though she rarely travels there on the back
of her grey steed.
Fratricide, Retribution of Blood
The only member of the Four Riders who still ventures
into the Material Plane regularly, Maal sends Fratricide
to punish those who kill their kin. This doom is as old
as the gods’ fratricide, when Tinel and Terak slew one
another, and Maal’s father was born. While many who kill
their own blood face mortal justice, Maal might still send
Fratricide to punish such criminals, whether they’ve been
apprehended or not. No one knows why some receive divine
justice and others do not. Fratricide fetches these villains
and hurls them into the pits of Hell. Fratricide is not a
single figure, but an office inhabited by a living, loyal servant of Maal for one hundred years and a day, after which
time the servant experiences the rest of his mortal life, and
after dying, becomes one of the captains of Maal’s kingdom. Fratricide rides upon a flaming, blood red steed.
The Retribution of Blood also acts as the Warden of the Second
Hall, wherein reside the souls of those who committed
great acts of valor and loyalty. When Fratricide rides abroad
former bearers of the mantle, who have died and become
Maal’s captains, oversee his hall.
Remorse, Weeper for the Wronged
No one knows how Remorse came into Maal’s service,
but her role in the kingdom of the dead is quite clear.
When souls come before Maal who have been grievously wronged, Remorse asks the King of Souls to right
the wrong, and give the wounded succor. Essentially,
Remorse petitions on behalf of the most pathetic of the
dead. Sometimes Maal ignores Remorse’s pleading, but
more often, responds by sending the soul to the Third
Hall. Sometimes the tale of sorrow angers the King of
Souls so much, he sends Fratricide to right the wrong if
it is a blood crime, or names a talesman to do so (see holy
orders below). Remorse rides a black steed, and is Warden
of the Third Hall, where those who suffered such horrible
pain in life reside, so that they need never return to the
mortal sphere.
Maal’s Voice, Herald of the Court
If Maal’s Voice ever had a name, it is long forgotten, but
it is said he was once great among the div, and thus was
chosen to be Maal’s first servant. When Maal sits upon
the Throne of Judgment, any word he utters is a lasting
law or judgment, so for lesser matters of the court, Maal’s
Voice speaks for his master. Riding a white steed on the
rare occasions he travels forth, Maal’s Voice is Warden of
the Fourth Hall, wherein reside those who brought great
beauty into the world. Any spell that allows casters to speak
with Maal, such as commune, is answered by Maal’s Voice
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