Post on 10-May-2023
1
“In this realm, every belief is represented by a
symbol, and every symbol holds much meaning
for those who cleave to it tightly. A cleric’s holy
symbol is among their most prize possessions,
portrayed boldly for all to see. This is how to
know it is a religion and not a cult.”
- Bishop Ungart of Mistwoodshire County,
Veland
HOLY SYMBOLS
2
Aeridian, Surna, Eohdra, Braegemtur 3
Tobasu, Leunea, Raovinder, Qar 4
Vahrtoum, Hibast, Urdanzer, Ryow 5
Otha, Baluh, Dwalovur, Protheneron 6
Malishaen, Vurvain, Caasimolar, Vogaramthra 7
Vanknor, Mnemthu, Shroad, Groshtt 8
Cults: Voad, Vagobanter, St. Ibsom, The Mask 9
Symbols of the Saints 10
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
3
An arrow points to the sky and is met
by the horizons of land and sea in this
simple, powerful sigil borrowed from
the North Wind also known as Ushal.
Aeridian is also often represented by a
gleaming sword with a shining nimbus.
Members of the church elite may also
have this nimbus in a circular fashion as though the
edges of a star, a throwback to ancient Balgar.
Secret societies of Star Keep and Inquisitors also
use ancient Enochian runes.
AERIDIAN
The sun goddess is adored with any sun
like symbol, preferably but not necessarily
with wings. Any shining star or sun or light
rays are all markings of Surna. The clergy
of Surna simply have bishops in cathedrals in major
populated regions. Churchs are always constructed
such that the morning light of the east shines in
through such symbols. Most commonly, temples
will have a great dome with an oculus that reveals
the majesty of Her Radiance. A few rare sects
portray a spiraling sun.
SURNA
The gold dragon is glorified on armor, weapons,
holy symbols, crests, architecture and other items
with a curved mark of broken infinity, representing
the time when he will fight Vogaramthra in the Final
Battle. The faithful of Eohdra often wear markings
and tatoos of dragons of all kinds. Since Vog’s
symbol is much different it becomes easy to
recognize a worshipper of the Gold Dragon God.
EOHDRA
Borrowed from the Zibu angelic symbol revealed to
Debbie Zylstra Almstedt in 2002, this curved symbol
looks Celtic but in fact is not. Braegemtur is also
popularly honored with spears and other weapons
pointing to the right relative to the observer, as if to
indicate “the future”. Therefore the clergy of the
God of New Beginnings is a patron of adventurers,
and frequently portrayed in roadside shrines as The
First Angel, a guardian of those who quest anew.
BRAEGEMTUR
4
Abundance, completion, cooking, endings, fullness,
fortune, seasons, all represent aspects of Tobasu,
the Great Oracle, Lord of fullness, artifice, good
magic, and more. Tobasu represents prosperity that
begins within. Prosperity according to His clergy
acknowledging beauty within opens doors for good
to arrive in fullness. Common symbols include
books or scrolls near candles. His Church is one of
the friendliest of the faiths, although it is said they
are also amongst the best battle clerics as well.
TOBASU
Borrowed from the ancient silver
alchemy symbol, it represents Leunea
on the tatoos of many rogues and
followers of the Lady of Luck. Silver
relates to the goddess because of her
silvery light, but also the effect she has
upon lycanthropes. Other obvious
symbols include any moon symbol, or the
purification of silver symbol shown on the left.
Other symbols include various Celtic-style crescent
moon symbols, or even dice.
LEUNEA
Borrowed from the Gaelic symbol of
poetic inspiration and spiritual
illumination. Three rays of illumination
shining out from three singular points
represents the muse, prophesy, song, knowledge
and inspiration. Its also represented during the
healing acts of its clergy in the three pointed rays
that shine from divine healing magic. The clergy of
Raovinder celebrate in temples of joyful pleasure,
and acolytes are marked with a harp tattoo.
RAOVINDER
Borrowed from the mighty Norse god
Thor, the hammer and lightning bolt
represents Qar, Lord of War. The ancient
Thor rune also serves to mark its followers
holy items. This faith has no organized church,
however fervent worshipers can be found
throughout the realm. Qar is often honored in times
of war, storms, or cataclysm. It is said he hears the
plight of those who fight.
QAR
5
Clerics of Vahrtoum always wear headbands that
serve as blindfolds or masks. During executions the
headband slides over the eyes as they proclaim,
“justice is blind, let justice be done”. These
blindfolds also unravel to become a mask when
hunting down criminals or while performing a task
in the name of a sovereign or noble. The church’s
ties to civilization often show bas-reliefs in the
architecture of an old blind bearded man. If a
pardon must be given, one eye is uncovered.
VAHRTOUM
A phoenix or flames of fire, borrowed
from the Anglican concept of the holy
spirit as a fiery dove, represents the fire
in which our soul it tested. The clergy of
Hibast uses titles such as Soultester,
Firechild, Transmuter, and Alchemist
describe souls like metals turning into
gold. Time is the hearth where we are purified or
destroyed by our choices and actions. Challenges
are attributed as gifts from the Lady of Fire.
Followers often wear a metallurgic symbols.
HIBAST
A royal scepter and crown, global
cruciger, or coinage—obvious prizes for
worshipers of Urdanzer. The clergy of
Urdanzer are known as Bloodliners and
research the history and heraldry of nobility. They
are known for making a fine wine as a practice of
peace in between battles, either to drown the
sorrow of loss or proclaim the victory of Urdanzer
over his enemies. “Urdanzer says otherwise,” is a
common phrase, and most clerics will reference the
Urdanzer Doctrine, a rigid set of codes followed.
URDANZER
Borrowed symbol from Sylvanus, God of plants,
druids, dryads, and untapped nature, the leaf or a
stemmed with leaves of any kind typically
symbolizes Ryo (RYE-0h). Clergy involves the Circle
of Nine and their respective area followers,
including the wildlife in sacred groves, and including
all gentle guardians of them. The triskelion and the
triquetra are also common symbols. Father
Strongbow, as Ryo is known, can also be
represented by arrows, or a bow pointing upward.
RYO
6
Often found as a plump woman sometimes
represented by spirals. Perhaps best known
is the woman figure with wide hips and
arms outstretched. Borrowed from pagan sources,
this symbol is easily recognized as the Earth
Mother. Ancient panopticons dot the landscape and
thus circular symbols or vesica pisces or interlocking
thumb-forefinger with remaining touching fingers
can be found commonly as well. Its clergy are
unorganized so other symbols such as a common
crossed circle may also be found.
OTHA
The symbol of Baluh has been expunged from
history—kept secret by expert thaumaturgists and
seers. It is said her symbol is both simple and
complex, found everywhere yet difficult to see.
Those who understand the symbols of Baluh, begin
to fathom the source of all magic. Due to misuse of
her symbols throughout history, it is kept secret
and safe. Some hints are found on powerful
artifacts, and in the halls of the gods.
BALUH
The god of the hunt, survival, individuality, fertility
also represents the Fey, nature, passion, and
trickery. An upright arrow represents fertility and
forward movement and freedom by its sword-like
appearance. Dwalovur is sometimes represented
with horns of any kind or cloven hooves. Where
trickery or crime is involved sometimes a
black hand can be found at the scene, a
connotation that the deeds were done
with the blessing of this CN trickster god.
DWALOVUR
Along the shores of continents one finds the most
followers of the God of Storms, and in seaside
shrines and caves one finds temples
bearing the tri-pointed mark, borrowed
from Neptune. A tri-point with a circular
serpent, however, represents immortality
of the deep, great leviathans or undead
pirates. A circular swirl on the other hand,
is a more ancient version denoting
Protheneron’s worshipers are nearby.
PROTHENERON
7
Beauty, cold, chaos, loneliness, longing, and
madness—The Icemaiden is all these things.
Borrowed slightly from the Norse symbol of
protection, this hexagonal snowflake is a marker
that the followers of Malishaen are nearby.
Sometimes sects use symbols of ice, frost, and wear
blue to purplish colors. Snowflake symbols of any
kind, along with hex-shaped iconography are
common for ‘cults of malishaen’. This religion is
often called a cult since they wish to bring such
chaos that it includes their own destruction.
MALISHAEN
Agony, pain, suffering, and torment are represented
by the Skinrazor’s blade or a skinless skull of any
kind. Often flames of torment accompany the skull.
Hooded skulls, skull and blades, or bloody skulls are
all common marks indicating followers are nearby.
Ceremonies are conducted with great secrecy,
typically followed by a murder spree or torture of
innocents with elaborate, painful rituals.
Torture chambers are usually marked with
an X, representing torture devices where
hands and feet may be are bound.
VURVAIN
Borrowed from the D&D sorcerer’s symbol, the
mark of an evil magical eye is appropriate for the
red eye of the black dragon god, Vog. The Church’s
sects wear dark black armor with many spikes.
Priests of Vog are endowed with sorcerer abilities,
making their eyes glow red, the color of the
Bloodmoon. Various cults of Vog involve crime,
murder, and evil magic. Other symbols include an
all seeing eye, or variations on that theme or the
theme of a black dragon claw.
VOGARAMTHRA
The downward pointed spear represents
an unholy triad. Other symbols such as the
down-pointing pentagram,
symbol of Lucifer, and the
Church of Satan are all
common symbols of the
Church of Caas. Its new
churches feature the horned
crescent with three
downward points, borrowed
from the Iron Kingdoms RPG.
CAASIMOLAR
8
The master of the undead, and the font of poison
and plague, the Godslayer is represented by the
black sun (sonnenrad—sun wheel). The clergy of
Vanknor long for the next deity-death at the hands
of Vanknor who has already slayn several saints,
deities, and demi-gods. To deaden hearts is to make
followers produce hideous evils in the world, and
this secretive church is often responsible for the rise
of undead. The number 12 has special meaning to
this faith, evident by their symbols and crypts.
VANKNOR
Possibly borrowed from Resident Evil, this symbol
reminds of a monster. The clergy of Mnemthu often
gather in old warehouses, abandoned buildings,
underground dungeons, or other structures to
perform monster summoning, experiments, or
begin expeditions to uncover or release a monster
upon civilization. Sometimes the monster devours
them, but more often than not the monsters do the
bidding of the Church of Mnemthu, making this
religion among the most dangerous of all.
MNEMTHU
The Elder Eye watching from within a seven-pointed
star, or a lone eye within another geometric form
both represent Shroad, the formless one.
Sometimes His Eye is contained within symbols of
chaos or anarchy. His clergy use magic to see
through amorphous liquids at great distances,
always watching for ways to bring Shroad’s
malevolent evil upon the land. Darkness,
destruction, mentalism, and aberrative slime are
also represented within a formless blob with an
singular All-Seeing Eye.
SHROAD
The old Dwarven God, Groshtt is said to
have been the first dwarf, an ancestor of
all dwarven creatures and master of the
heavenly forge. His symbol, like other
popular dwarven gods is borrowed from Moradin.
Runic markings are popular amongst dwarves and
the sigils of the Norse mythos are especially
prevalent in temples or other shrines of worship to
this Old God. Also popular is the earth sign with an
arrow upward, as in creation from earth or crafting.
GROSHTT
9
Little is known of Voad except that he derives
entropy from all things new, and chaos from order.
The cult has geologic ties, continuously searching
for meteors and skymetal. This dead god was slayn
by Vanknor. Still, in his name great robberies
unfold, and theft of precious jewels or geologic
items continue across the realm. This fan-made
image is similar to Magic The Gathering symbol.
CULT OF VOAD
A group of loosely related researchers who typically
work alone, or a group of homeless travelers who
worship a dead abandoned god, this cult is capable
of heinous deeds whenever they do work together.
They pit all the willful scheming of masterminds
together with the muscle and will of those with
nothing left to lose with incredible effect to further
the cult’s own aims, or the aims of undefined voices
inside their heads.
CULT OF VAGOBANTER
Borrowed from the Sword of St. Michael, the Cult of
St. Ibsom The Curemaker is steeped in alchemical
lore in an effort to recreate the elixirs once made by
the Saint. Vanknor destroyed St. Ibsom but it is said
his elixirs may be found speckled through
dangerous dungeons and dragon hordes the world
over. They are based on the City of Roguehaven
across the Mare Crytharum on the continent of
Aerinnan. This symbol, a mace, or an X marking the
spot is often used to represent St Ibsom.
CULT OF ST. IBSOM
This secretive cult is typically found amongst the
more well-to-do. Their rituals involve wearing
masks to conceal their identity so two persons
involved in the cult may not actually know each
other. Behaviors in rituals involve anything from
scheming plans for wealth and profit, to plans of
murder and crime. Also certain pleasures are
enjoyed such as illegal drugs or other societal faux
pas. Cults are run by their individual leaders,
without whom their organizations collapse.
CULT OF THE MASK
10
It is said the Saints listen to mortals and may be summoned with blood magic. Be
warned however, calling upon supernatural powers may have dire consequences.
The Avenger, St. Arthurus A1
The Blood Angel, St. Elothian A2
The Chaste One, St. Sanctimeon A3
The Crestfallen, St. Bothus B1
The Curemaker, St. Ibsom B2
The Dark Angel, St. Mar B3
The Detailer, St. Galena C1
The Diviner, St. Pithra C2
The Greenman, St. Ahnktimeon C3
The Inspiress, St. Sidadari D1
The Heirophant, St. Trivineus D2
The Pathfinder, St. V’Lore D3
The Poison Arrow, St. Sasserine E1
The Radiance, St. Riefann E2
The Revealer, St. Mogana E3
The Risen Angel, St. Gazrille F1
The Squire, St. Sir Theatrian F2
The Widow, St. Caasprievian F3
By Thomas Grzep 2017