Kozah (KOH-zah)

Kozah (KOH-zah) was the destructive force of nature. He was the god of storms, forest fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and general destruction. He attracted the destroyer, the raider, the looter, the brigand, and the rabble-rouser among his followers. His actions often seemed petty and vengeful and were frequently motivated by rage, anger, and the desire to not appear weak or compromising in any way. He exulted in seeing what he or his followers can burn, break, flood, kill, or otherwise utterly destroy. He was like a malicious and twisted child whose power and wrath knew no bounds and who proved his self-worth and standing again and again by raining havoc and ruin down on those who could do little to oppose him.

When Kozah was portrayed in religious art, he was depicted as a broad-shouldered, dark-haired, bearded young man with eyes that blazed yellow and crackled with unleashed lightning. He wore a half-suit of field plate armor (without a helm) worn over smooth black leather armor and black leather gloves. He carried three staves, one of the first iron forged on Faerûn, one of the first silver smelted in Faerûn, and one carved from the first tree felled in Faerûn (said to be a shadowtop). With them he raised and hurled the winds, created storms of immense force, stirred Toril’s waters to form waterspouts, whirlpools, and tsunamis, raised and lowered the seas, rent the earth, and called forth earthquakes. His gaze was said to be able to send forth raging curtains of lightning to smite his foes at his whim.

Kozah counted among his enemies all those who dared to work magic to try to control the winds and weather in an ongoing or wide-ranging fashion, including the mortal arcanists of Netheril.

Manifestations

Kozah was usually encountered as titanic, bellowing laughter in the heart of a gale. Sometimes the laughter was accompanied by two eyes like giant blazing coals, which were surrounded by swirling maelstroms of air. In the Narrow Sea, this manifestation always meant the loss of at least one ship.

In urban areas, Kozah more often manifested as two fist-sized, swirling storm clouds. There was a clap of thunder, and lightning arced between the clouds. If Kozah was displeased, a bolt of lightning striking for 9d6 points of damage (and often forking) leapt from each cloud to strike at the beings or objects that offended him. If the god was bestowing favor, red-hued lightning crackled and shot forth from both in a straight beam (not a zigzagging bolt) to the being or item Kozah was pleased with and bestowed upon it healing or spells. The red lightning stroke could even temporarily confer such powers as infravision, the ability to fly, or X-ray vision.

Kozah sometimes worked through the presence or action of vargouilles, yeth hounds, quasits, wind walkers, and the elemental spirits known as tempests.

The Church

Kozah’s name was most often invoked by individuals who wished to escape his attentions, not suffer them; however, he had more than a few direct followers who supported and encouraged his depredations. His established clergy was itinerant for the most part and preached by warning of dooms and disasters to come. Frequently his priests were right in their predictions because either they or Kozah ensured that they came true. This didn’t make his clergy members terribly popular—yet another reason why they tended to travel a lot. The most favorable reception Kozahyn priests received was with the oppressed Netherese, whom were often encouraged to riot and rebellion by the words of Kozah’s priests.

The church of Kozah exulted in the wild destruction of nature at its fiercest. Clergy and the faithful tended to be fatalistic in nature as a result—almost self-destructive. However, priests of Kozah usually wished to take as many others with them as possible. The protections the Storm Lord conferred upon his clergy made the priesthood of the Destroyer popular with many folk who exulted in the feeling of power—or who just liked to destroy things. All would-be priests of the Storm Lord were confirmed to his service through the manifestation of Kozah as two small storm clouds. The clouds struck a supplicant with a red lightning stroke that did no harm, and it was revealed to the supplicant’s mind that she or he was indeed chosen to serve the Stormstar. This was referred to as being “Touched by Kozah.”

Specialty priests of Kozah were known as stormlords. (a title used irrespective of gender). Typica1 titles used by clergy of Kozah, in ascending order of rank, were: Storm Supplicant, Weatherwise, Talon (full, confirmed priest), Lord/Lady of Fury, Eye of the Storm, Reaver, Stormherald (high priest), High Stormherald, and Weathermaster/Weathermistress. The spells of a Stormherald relating directly to natural forces (such as call lightning and flame strike) dealt double the normal damage, and so the uppermost three titles in this list were honors bestowed and confirmed by Kozah, not ranks that priests dared to assume for themselves—for Kozah destroyed those who spoke against his will.

Many Kozahyn temples and shrines were secret because of the reputation of the church; the worship of Kozah was outlawed by many archwizards. Where there were public temples to Kozah, many of them took the form of castles or walled compounds because they often served as strongholds that the faithful of Kozah could defend against angry folk.