Church of Galdaruhn (Gaul-Dar-Un)

Galdaruhn - The Arch-Mage - TN

Balance, Magic, Prophecy

Galdaruhn has been here millennia, long before the creation of the spheres, though their presence was often not seen as they were never in the forefront, as for the longest time Galdaruhn was but star-stuff hidden away within the vast void of the Astral Sea, floating throughout the cosmos without purpose, but as the divine began to grow in knowledge, a spark filled within the heart of Galdaruhn, and from this spark Mana formed. A shockwave of magical energy burst throughout the galaxy filling a void that was never seen as empty, but now all could feel this hole filled as magic begun to flourish. It is from this spark, this coalescing of mana that the spheres were formed, the positive and negative energy planes of existence, these two spheres that form all magic within the universe, was but a beating heart of Galdaruhn.
Though never truly a being so much as simply magic itself, the entity known as Galdaruhn was truly formed when the shattered magics of the two spheres conjoining as one during the event that sparked the Age of Omens, giving physical form and life to this spark, forming this entity and restoring hope to all those peoples who once felt empty without the spark of life that fueled them. Though still young to the world as this entity, Galdaruhn's vision stretches far, for it is from their eye that they can see the branches of the Tree of Fate, and from these branches prophecy is formed. Galdaruhn themselves seeks to harness this power, fueling would be diviners with this gift and showing them the way lest another Conjunction of Spheres were to occur, and though prophecy is a tricky path to walk, with thousands, perhaps even millions of different branching paths, it is from the tree of prophecy that the faithful adhere to, seeking out answers and preserving magic in all its forms, for there is a balance in everything, especially magic.

• Domains: Arcana, Balance, Fate, Knowledge, Time
• Oaths: Glory, the Crown, the Watchers
• Sanctioned Orders: Apostate, Marshal, Witch Hunter

Symbols of Galdaruhn

• Galdaruhn's holy symbol is that of two moons crashing into each other, surrounded by a ring of force.
• Galdaruhn favors Owls and Penguins and views blink dogs as sacred.

History

A character that has Lore (Galdaruhn) reduces the DC of these checks by 5, this stacks with other DC reductions. A character that has Proficiency in History reduces the DC of these checks by 2, this stacks with other DC reductions. A character with lore (Spheres of magic) reduces the DC of these checks by 5, this stacks with other DC reductions. A character can use passive knowledge to gauge their base knowledge of this deity, Passive Knowledge in this case would be a character's Intelligence (Religion) skill total + 5. Checks to learn about a deity are cumulative, should you achieve a DC 15 result, you would likewise receive the results of DC 10 and DC 5 respectively. Histories above DC 20 are located in the Secrets section of this deity.

• [Religion DC 5] - Galdaruhn is the god of magic and prophecy.
• [Religion DC 10] - Galdaruhn is the spark of divine will made manifest from the prayers of mortals when magic was snuffed out during the Conjunction of the Spheres, though Galdaruhn is much older than this, their astral form was only raised to deity status upon the Age of Omens, long after they were first given life during the beginnings of the universe.
• [Religion DC 15] - Galdaruhn was for the longest time imprisoned within the space between positive and negative energy planes, and was freed when the spheres conjoined causing the Conjunction of the Spheres. It is during this event that while the Arch-Mage was freed, so too were the arcane manifestations of his will, as new monstrosities and magical beasts surged into life upon the material plane, but so too restoring life to other creatures that were once extinct or otherwise dying out. Those that know this believe that these beasts are tied to Galdaruhn in a more meaningful way, and thus seek out these creatures for study, and experimentation, for good or ill.
• [Religion DC 20] - Galdaruhn is said to have no memory of his time imprisoned between the spheres, it is this loss of memory that is most sought after by scholars and the faithful, as with it perhaps they could learn the true meaning and nature of the arcane, and perhaps at last, rebuild the ancient magics that were alive before the Astral Divergence occurred.

Dogma

Galdaruhn teaches the need for balance between all things, holding magic as the cornerstone of life, for without it much would fall, lost in a rushing wave of death and despair that would see many extinct upon its conclusion should magic not be protected in all its forms. Though many view certain magic with distrust or perhaps with vile revulsion and hatred, it is through magic that much still lives throughout the realms. Magic or Mana is a finite resource fueled by the two Spheres of Nakārāt and Hakārāt, the negative and positive energy planes, it is from these two spheres that all magic is formed, both good and ill, and it is from these two spheres that live is given meaning. Magic, as is taught throughout the faith of Galdaruhn, is to be protected at all costs, for just as magic was once birthed into this world, the Conjunction of the Spheres has shown that it can and will wane, perhaps even be snuffed from existence entirely; at least this is one such branch upon the tree of prophecy that many high priests dedicate their lives to study.
Through this desire to see Magic held high, the faithful teach the importance of research and creation of new magic, whether these be paths towards destruction or paths of protection, so long as the magic is preserved through these new creations and this new desire to see it flourish throughout the realms, all magic is to be preserved, and for those who wish it, to be taught of its majesty and sworn to its use. Though this preservation of magic does not mean all magic is safe or designed for the betterment of the future; it is for these darker magics, those that would seek to destroy everything that has been built, that they are to be contained, hidden away and studied to determine their true purpose among the tree of prophecy.

Home Plane

Galdaruhn began as an outer being within the vast void of the Astral Sea, eventually forming the Positive and Negative Energy planes of existence, though these two spheres were their home for the longest of time, upon being given physical form, their manifested body of Galdaruhn could no longer live within the Spheres, and instead drew forth this energy and formed their divine realm elsewhere, instead building within the plane of Sigil, their arcane tower known as The Spire of Arcanum.

Appearance

Galdaruhn is depicted as a lithe human man with silver skin, dressed in thick furs and leathers of white and brown, they bear with them draconic-scaled plated adornments. He has a rugged leather eyepatch over his left eye, thick locks of salt and pepper hair and his one good eye is an empty void of black with small semblances of starlight found within. He is often depicted with arcs of lightning sparking around him, or along a massive tree, with books for leaves. Floating around his head is the Ioun Stone artifact--Spark of Time--a tiny sphere of clockwork that sparks with lightning throughout its small form. This stone is said to hold the power to see into the future and perhaps turn back time itself.

Relationships

Galdaruhn is open to most other deities, aiding those who he best believes would most favor the Spheres continued renewal, as such he is a fairly approachable deity by others in their ventures, remaining neutral for the most part in the cosmic schemes of good versus evil or law versus chaos, instead he focused on those request dealing in magic, regardless of its benevolence or nefarious result, so long as it does not harm the Spheres themselves. Though he remains neutral for the most part, there is one other deity that Galdaruhn holds a soft-spot for; the deity Kah'Dentu, Matron of Undeath and forbidden knowledge, is often feared by the other deities, but not Galdaruhn, he understands her need for knowledge, and seeks to help her whenever he can, sometimes blinding him to his deeper goal of preserving the Spheres.

Temples and Shrines

The temples of Galdaruhn often take the shape of an arcanists tower and laboratory, or grand library, they are a hall of learning, often coinciding directly with arcane universities and colleges of the magic arts. They are staffed by knowledgeable individuals and prophets, mages and priests alike, and though the pursuit of magic is the goal of the faithful, some magic is best left to those with the skill and forethought to better wield it, thus while these temples often act as grounds for knowledge to the common folk, they also act as bastions and vaults of forbidden knowledge, secreting them away so as to study these lost magics and learn from them. All temples hold within the entry hall a large carving of a tome, bearing the tenets of the faithful, along with some form of library section and deeper vaults protected magically and mechanically from would be thieves.

Regions of Popular Worship

Galdaruhn holds churches and cults throughout the lands of Kaidryn, but his faithful are centralized in the realm of Calbesh, Fhumdilan, and Pelegar, though other realms within the world do hold some adherence to the Arch-Mage. It is often found, even in areas with little influence from Galdaruhn, that those halls of magical learning hold at least some small shrine to the Arch-Mage, giving praise to the master of magic.

Followers

Galdaruhn's priests are composed of clerics, paladins, and a large majority of oracles who have dedicated their service arch-mage and the study of the Tree of Prophecy. Inquisitors common among the ranks of the faithful, acting as knowledge seekers and guardians of arcane relics, even some acting as hunters of mages themselves for those that would seek to cause harm to the spheres, though these inquisitors are often distrusted and rarely seen in a good light by the other faithful. The faithful of the Arch-Mage spend their evenings in prayer, reading through new or forgotten books of lore and magic, or in the absence of such books, the scriptures of the faithful, to better prepare themselves for their future. Many of the prophets amongst this religion choose to instead spend hours at a time studying the Tree of Prophecy, learning the different weaving of the boughs and translating would be branches into new prophecies yet to be activated. Additionally, many amongst the faithful spend some time in local schools or places of learning, teaching those who would seek out magic the power of the Spheres and the understanding one must have to wield it.
The formal attire of priests within the church includes long flowing robes of fanciful design, often with depictions of the Astral Sea, or scriptures written throughout. In times of war, these robes are further enhanced with armaments, often some form of magical hardened material to allow free-movement without the added defense of the armor itself. Those of higher rank amongst the clergy rarely wear flashy robes, instead preferring to keep to a simple robe, colored-based upon their preference of magic. Regardless of the robes chosen, the higher ranks are given wide-brimmed conical hats that droop low at the tip, often giving the stereotypical "wizard" appearance to the high priests of this faith. Adventurer's who honor Galdaruhn often wear garments of a color based upon their favored school of magic--Abjuration a deep blue; Conjuration a dark grey; Divination a blinding white; Enchantment a vibrant purple; Evocation a dark red; Illusion a raven black; Necromancy a muted green; and Transmutation a bright yellow.
The faith of Galdaruhn, like his namesake would imply is a magically-inclined one, often studying the arcane arts, even for those who've dedicated their lives to the faith, it is from these studious individuals that the Mystic Theurge order was born, a combination of both arcane and divine. Additionally, The Divine Blooded sorcerer's are seen as Blessed by the Arch-Mage, being naturally able to draw forth from both the arcane and faith to fuel their magic. Beyond this, many teachers, scholars, arcane-practitioner's, and others that seek knowledge find themselves honoring the Arch-Mage, along with those who study the Tree of Prophecy, dedicating their efforts to the future and time.
Those followers of Galdaruhn that travel are often out in the wider world in search of hidden caches of magical lore or artifacts, sometimes though they are sent out to stop those that would see a return of the destruction wrought during the events that caused the Age of Omens, these faithful acting as the sword of the church, snuffing out would be cults and oblivion seekers. While many of the older priests within the faithful tend to stay on as a teachers for grand universities and colleges, or as advisors of the arcane for kings and queens, or even as guides to those communities that would otherwise have none.
Novices amongst the faithful are known as Acolytes. Full priests are given the title of Adepts, while those of ranking order the title of Savant. Those of the higher orders amongst the clergy hold the title of Theurge, finally, those of the highest order hold the title of Prophet. Amongst the holy orders of the knights templar, those devoted to their oaths, these titles are changed, but follow the order of the priests, and are as follows: Squire, Warden, Gallant, Templar, and Paragon respectively. These titles are separate from duty-titles such as pastor, minister, rector, monk, choir. In everyday use, senior priests are called Father or Mother, while lesser priests are known as Brother or Sister.

Tenets

• Preserve knowledge when found, especially that which holds magical potential.
• Teach those that would seek magic; an ignorant mind must be given room to grow, lest they turn towards destruction and despair.
• Grow in magical strength, so that you may better be capable of teaching those less fortunate and less educated.
• Adhere to the branches of prophecy, but your fate alone is yours to decide.
• Destroy agents of Oblivion that would seek the end of everything.
• Protect the Spheres of Magic at all costs.

Sins

• Destroy a magical artifact.
• Knowingly destroy knowledge when other options are present.
• Cause harm to the Spheres of Magic.
• Sever a branch of prophecy from another without their consent.

Piety Progression

Piety is a measure of a character's devotion to their faith, it favors those that stay faithful, and curses those that break away from the faith, unless Atonement is given. Piety comes in 7 tiers, with each tier offering a boon or benefit to the character. All previous attained tiers of piety boons are retained. Piety Tiers are locked behind a character's Level, and Prestige, a character's level must meet or exceed the first number indicated in parenthesis () after the Piety tier to gain the benefit of that tier. Likewise, a character's prestige score must meet or exceed the second number indicated by parenthesis () after the Piety tier to gain the benefit of that tier. If a tier lists both Level and Prestige as a factor of attaining the boon, both must be attained to receive the indicated boon.

1. Tier I (1 / 0): No Boon.
2. Tier II (1 / 0): You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill. Should you already be proficient in this skill, you instead gain Proficiency in one skill, tool-kit, vehicle, or instrument of your choice.
3. Tier III (1 / 0): You gain a bonus on Prayer rolls towards this deity equal to your Tier in Piety.
4. Tier IV (4 / 0): You gain a number of Lore's equal to your Proficiency bonus.
5. Tier V (8 / 0): You increase one ability score of your choice by 1, up to your ability score cap. This is treated as an ASI, and thus stacks with other enhancements to this ability score.
6. Tier VI (8 / 1): You gain proficiency in one Intelligence skill of your choice. Should you already be proficient in this skill, you instead gain Expertise in this skill.
7. Tier VII (12 / 1): You gain the Blessing of Galdaruhn. As an action, you can enter into a magically charged Form, granting you greater magical prowess and skill for a time. This ability can be used once, regaining its use after you complete a long rest. Once active, for the next hour, or until combat ends, whichever comes first, you gain the ability to levitate, as if you had this spell cast on you for the duration of this effect; in addition, whenever you would be required to make a Spellcasting ability check while in this form, you roll with advantage, and whenever you would cast a leveled spell, you can choose to add 1d4 to your Attack roll or DC of this spell; you can use this feature a number of times equal to the highest level of spell that you can cast, regaining these uses after you regain the use of this Blessing. Your Piety bonus on prayer rolls while in this form is doubled.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion