Karalis

the Doom-Speaker, Goat-Killer, the Liberator

Karalis is the god of wisdom, doom, and madness, and he serves as the chief of the gods. He is the embodiment of cruel, fickle Unreason. His oracular foresight and tremendous knowledge make him a natural leader, but even the other gods often wonder his motives, for those, not even his wife, Sëra knows. While aspects such as doom and madness might appear “Evil,” he is not particularly malicious. He often grants victory in battles, and through his gift of madness, he drives men to great achievements. While Karalis is widely worshipped, he does things for his own reasons, regardless of sacrifices and prayers. It is believed that Karalis’ power is most strongly felt in living juices, such as blood, sap, and especially wine. Indeed, his rites typically include the consumption of a great deal of wine and numerous blood sacrifices that culminate in a saturnalia. It is during this ritual madness that worshippers give in to their madness, releasing it and permitting them to maintain a firmer grasp on sanity in their daily lives. This is the mystery of sanity through madness often mentioned by his dedicated priests. Karalis is the patron god of diviners, madmen, and berserkers. He often appears as either an old, bearded man in a broad-brimmed hat and rough cloak or as an attractive, androgynous youth. Other times, he manifests as a raven or a great, black cat.

Morality

Karalis is no more Good or Evil than fate itself, so he tends to patronize as wide a variety of followers as fortune may favor. That said, they do tend to share certain qualities – those with Addictions or Alcoholism from the rituals of release, Compulsive Carousing for those who worship the Liberator habitually, Sense of Duty (the Oppressed) for those who back their beliefs with action, Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism or Mysticism) for those devout who pray and sacrifice regularly and observe the many lesser rituals of the Doom-Speaker, and of course the latent wildness that so embodies Karalis’ divine madness, best represented by Berserk. Finally, priests of Karalis make regular blood sacrifices, which if done with often enough, could qualify as a Trademark.

Divine Servitors

Most divine servitors of Karalis have Wisdom; although, many who represent his frenzied nature have Madness, instead, and those who represent fate will have Chaos. Divine servitors who represent Karalis’ roll as the decider of battles take War, and his invisible hands of fate take Deception. It is worthy of note that his servitors specifically do not take Good or Evil – fate is indifferent on such matters.

Shrines

Shrines to Karalis are often found in brothels and drinking establishments as a nod to the god and to encourage wanton spending by the patrons, but his real shrines are located beyond the edge of town in the margins of the wilderlands. The typical shrine is atop a hill or ridge and consists of little more than a ring of stone pillars surrounding an alter for ritual sacrifice. The floor is grass, and the roof is the stars. Dedicated temples to Karalis are not known.

Divine Favor

Karalis answers prayers for luck or fortune in battle, wisdom, or frenzy. Especially frenzy. Most of his learned prayers revolve around providing information or the unstoppable divine frenzy of his holy warriors. Direct attacks are few and involve inflicting madness or intoxication. Advantages marked with an asterisk (*) have Temporary Disadvantage, Berserk (12). Abilities Affliction, with any modifiers to represent madness, drunkenness, or frenzy; Common Sense; Damage Resistance, with Tough Skin*; Danger Sense; Dark Vision; Enhanced Move*; Extra Attack, with Multi-Strike*; Fearlessness; Hard to Kill*; Hard to Subdue*; High Pain Threshold; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance, with Damage Reduction*; Intuition; Luck; Magic Resistance*; Magic Resistance, with Limited, Ingested Potions Only (-60% Night Vision; No Hangovers; Oracle; Psychometry; Resistance or Immunity to any physical hazard*; Resistance or Immunity to Ingested Poisons; See Invisible (Ghosts Striking ST*; Super Jump*; Terror (Confusion or Fear Unfazeable; Unkillable 1*; Wild Talent, with Limited, Knowledge Skills Only (-40%).