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Calliope
(Muse of Poets, The Charming One, Lady of the Dance) Demipower of Arborea, LN PORTFOLIO: Eloquence, poetry
Calliope (CALL-e-op-A) is the muse of poets and eloquence in all its forms. As a muse, she is an immortal who has the ability to inspire greatness in mortals. She cannot create an avatar like other deities of other campaign settings; however, nor can she be destroyed. If Calliope is brought low, she simply disappears, only to reform the next night of a new moon at full strength. Calliope�s Avatar (Bard 25, Enchanter 25)
AC �2; MV 12; HP 120; THAC0 8; #AT 1
* Numbers include one additional enchantment/charm spell per spell level. Special Att/Def: Calliope rarely needs to enter physical combat, as she can enthrall any intelligent being (one with an Intelligence of 3 or more) as per the charm person (1st-level wizard spell) spell, useable at will, with the victim suffering an additional �4 penalty to their saving throw vs. spells (elves and others with other resistances against this effect also have their resistance penalized by �40%). In addition to her enchanting presence, Calliope can also recite a poem of magnificence; any such poem is always finished with the final word, which can function as any power word spell allowed in the campaign (like power word blind, power word kill, etc.). She wields a staff +5 that is engraved with countless sonnets and causes all mortals who view it to cry from the beauty it holds. The Church
All clerics and specialty priests of Calliope receive religion (Redemption) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Calliope actively wanders the darkened world, recruiting followers and teaching others the gifts of language. Thus far she is worshiped by all bards in some respect and is often the Muse most commonly called upon for blessings by the aristocrats of many cities. The Horsemen sometimes take great pains to rid an area of worshipers of Calliope, as they teach the written word to everyone who wishes to learn, and this helps organize the masses, which makes them more difficult to keep track or and control. Calliopes clergy is comprised of about 40% specialty priests, 20% clerics, and 40% bards. Her followers maintain small shrines, with most worshipping through performance, thus minimizing the need for a specific location of worship. Dogma: Language is art, and thus the followers of Calliope actively initiate conversation and promote freedom of speech. They recognize the power of art to have influence over people and politics, and they actively use that to free up more opportunities for themselves and others. Artistic expression is encouraged in all people regardless of their race or creed. They always seek to perfect their speaking and talk with flowing and sometimes rhyming banter whenever possible. Day-to-Day Activities: Calliopites typically travel through their area spreading their knowledge and love of language. They teach poems and help others with their grammar as they meet others. All members of the clergy initiate others in conversation whenever possible and they tend to create gatherings to recite poetry or stories. Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: There are no specific ways to worship Calliope, other than the expansion and thriving of the arts of language, particularly in written forms. No calendar-specific rituals are held, however, whenever 4 or more Calliopites are in the same region they come together and hold a Gathering of the Moonless Night. This gathering is a celebration of life and art, where all involved seek to create a poem or other great written work to dedicate to their goddess. Major Centers of Worship: There are no major centers of worship to the wandering bard goddess, but it is rumored that a large playhouse and theatre is secreted underground in the city-state of Tarsus. Affiliated Orders: A group of noble fighters call themselves the Defenders of the Spoken Word and actively challenge the rule of the Horsemen, yet skillfully behind masks and illusions. Otherwise only the clergy serve Calliope with any devotion that warrants a mention here. Priestly Garments: Priests of Calliope wear anything that typical bards wear, and some even try to appear as common as possible, as they are often hunted for fighting for the rights of free speech, and thus defying the will of the Horsemen. Most clergy also carry an engraved ivory scroll case, in honor of their goddess�s holy symbol and to carry their precious writings. Adventuring Garb: Priests of Calliope wear almost the same outfits in the field as they do to ceremonial functions, as most are spontaneous social occurrences anyways. They never leave on a quest without a white or ivory scroll case containing their works, which can double as their holy symbol if it bares ivory in any amount. Specialty Priests (Lyricist) REQUIREMENTS: Wisdom 12, Charisma 15
Calliopean Spells All of these spells are both priest and wizard spells; they work identically for either class, with the exception of their casting times. The casting times for the wizard versions are noted in parentheses next to the priestly casting time. 3rd Level
This spell is the priest version of the dispel silence spell presented in Pages From the Mages. This spell negates the effect of magical silence within the area of the dispel silence for the duration of the spell. Following the casting of dispel silence, all spellcasting, speaking, and actions can proceed normally. For the duration of the spell, the area protected by dispel silence is proof against silence spells; they do not function within the area of the dispel silence. The area of effect is immobile, however, and does not move with the caster. The material components of this spell are a pinch of powdered diamond worth at least 50 gp that is flung into the air and the holy symbol of the casting priest. Skywrite (Pr 3; Wiz 3; Alteration)
This spell is the priest version of the skywrite spell presented in Pages From the Mages. A less subtle version of the message spell, skywrite creates words in thin cloud formations above a point chosen by the caster. One word per caster level can be created; the words are spelled out one letter at a time at the rate of ten letters per round. The spell must be cast in daylight so that the white cloud letters can be seen; it does not work against a cloudy sky. The letters appear about 100 feet above the ground and are each 10 feet tall. Everyone below the skywritten message can see what it says; this could be an entire city. Of course, the caster has no control over the actions of those seeing the message, so judicious choice of words is recommended. "Attack enemy's right flank" probably is not a wise message, nor is "Treasure below statue in Town Square," unless the caster wants to mislead an enemy or wreak havoc. While the spell is active, the clouds remain in place, despite strong or even magical winds. They are harmless and insubstantial. When the spell's duration expires, the clouds begin to filter away on the wind, slowly dissipating to nothing. The spell requires chalk and a slate, upon which the message is written. If the caster is interrupted in his writing, whatever portion of the message was written appears in the sky. "Attack us at your peril" would be an entirely different message if interrupted after the second word. 6th Level
This spell is the priest version of the legend lore spell presented in the Player's Handbook. The legend lore spell is used to determine legendary information regarding a known person, place, or thing. If the person or thing is at hand, or if the wizard is in the place in question, the likelihood of the spell producing results is far greater and the casting time is only 1d4 turns. In only detailed information on the person, place, or thing is known, casting time is 1d10 days. In only rumors are known, casting time is 2d6 weeks. During the casting, the wizard cannot engage in activities other than the routine: eating, sleeping, etc. When completed, the divination reveals if legendary material is available. It often reveals where this material is�by place name, rhyme, or riddle. It sometimes gives certain information regarding the person, place, or thing (when the object of the legend lore is at hand), but this data is always in some cryptic form (rhyme, riddle, anagram, cipher, sign, etc.). Naturally, a legend lore spell reveals information only if the person, place, or thing is noteworthy or legendary. For example, suppose Delsenora came across an extremely well made sword. It radiates magic, but when she used an identify spell, she could not learn any information. Even giving it to a trusted fighter didn't work, as the sword did not reveal any special powers. Finally, she cast a legend lore spell, hoping to gain more information. Since the sword is at hand, she completes the spell in three turns. In her mind comes the message, "Once this was the sword of he who waits till Albion's time of greatest peril, when unto his hand it shall fly again. Fair was the hand that gave me and fair was the hand that reclaimed me." Clearly, Delsenora realizes, this must be a very powerful item, since her spell only gave a cryptic answer. But who is he who waits? And where is Albion? For more information, Delsenora is going to have to cast more spells. But now the process will take much longer, since she has only the vaguest of clues to follow. The legend lore spell is cast with incense and strips of ivory formed into a rectangle, but some item of value to the caster must be sacrificed in addition�a potion, magical scroll, magical item, etc. | ||
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