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    Faith of Cuthbert
    Posted on Tue, August 14, 2001 by Dogadmin
    Dargarth writes "Cuthbert has been called "Saint" since the World of Greyhawk began, but to me it stands to reason that a powerful god such as Cuthbert would have his own saints that had been elevated from the ranks of his faithful. This piece is an attempt to add some flavor to the Church of Cuthbert.

    Author: Dargarth



    Saints of Cuthbert
    Author: Dargarth. Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.

    Over the centuries there have been many loyal and dedicated servants of Cuthbert, but to date only three have found favor in the God's eyes and been elevated to Sainthood within the Church. The Saints of Cuthbert form a holy trinity, and while they are not currently worshipped as separate divine beings, their names are sometimes invoked during prayers dealing with their particular sphere.

    St. Fenerant epitomizes the virtue of Dedication. It was Fenerant, as a Corrector of Cuthbert, who traveled far to the east, to the lands that would eventually be called The Great Kingdom of Aerdi, and challenged Hextor to single combat. The reason for the journey and the challenge is unknown, but most scholars believe that Hextor insulted Cuthbert's ideals and destroyed the fledgling temple that the Chapeaux Canoness Eirellis had established. Whatever the reasons, it is known that after a ferocious battle between the Corrector and the God, Hextor was forced to flee the field; and while Cuthbert's faith was never established in the east, the legend of the battle continues to this day. St. Fenerant is the patron of Correctors and the Order of the Stars.

    St. Chenrin was at one time a Father in the Order of the Chapeaux. St. Chenrin was single-handedly responsible for establishing more Churches and Shrines and baptizing more converts to the then fledgling religion of Cuthbert than any other member of the priesthood. St. Chenrin's zeal in converting the masses saw his travels take him from the southern tip of the Pomarj to the icy plains of Blackmoor in the north. And while many of St. Chenrin's converts have been lost over the centuries due to shifting political boundaries and wars, it is safe to say that without St. Chenrin's zeal, the Church of Cuthbert would have never gotten off the ground. St. Chenrin is patron of the Order of the Chapeaux.

    St. Tramden was the first Bishop of the Church of Cuthbert in the Flanaess. In the early days of the Ascension of St. Cuthbert of Rao to Cuthbert of the Cudgel, the Church of Rao was at odds with the new religion. Many of the priests of Rao saw the stepping of Cuthbert out of Roa's shadow to be a betrayal, and though Rao's priesthood could understand the reasons for the act, emotions ran high and many called for a banning of the new religion. It was Tramden, whose reputation for honesty allowed his voice to be heard, that pledged to Canon Syroon that the new Church would always be true to the ideals of Rao. So moved was Canon Syroon by Tramden's passionate and honest speech that he swore eternal aid and friendship to the fledgling religion. St. Tramden is the patron of the Order of the Billets.

    Corrector's of Cuthbert
    Cuthbert's Correctors are his frontline soldiers of the faith. These warriors are charged with defending the ideals of the Church and leading the battle against evil. The Correctors are officially sworn to the Order of the Stars and must answer to them, but they are sworn to protect and defend all of the orders of the faith and its flock.

    There are never more than twelve Correctors of Cuthbert at one time. Why this number is chosen is unknown, but it has been true since the early days of the religion. It is speculated that twelve was the number of Knights under St. Fenerant, but that hypothesis has never been proven or dismissed by Cuthbert and still remains open for interpretation.

    The Correctors are scattered throughout the Flanaess and are almost never gathered together. It is rare to see more than two Correctors together and a gathering of three or four would truly be a momentous occasion requiring many offerings and prayers to Cuthbert. This doesn't mean that Correctors are a solitary group, for they do enjoy socializing within the various Churches, it just means that the need for Correctors is so great that they rarely have an opportunity to be around other members of their calling.

    A Corrector's life is one of toil, travel and hardship. While they are not forbidden to marry, most Correctors do not have the time for a family and children. The neglecting of a family is strongly frowned upon by the practical, down-to-earth and truthful Cuthbert, and is thus not well appreciated within the hierarchy of the Church. When a Corrector does marry he is usually reassigned to a position within the Order of the Stars, taking a position as a Father or Mother.

    Holy Artifacts of Cuthbert
    The Faith of Cuthbert is still young when viewed next to many of the other religions on the Oerth, and because of that youth has not had the opportunity to empower as many artifacts as some of the older faiths. To date, the Church has only five artifacts, and only four of them are in its permanent possession. These artifacts are scattered across the Flanaess, safely secreted in the vaults of the Churches, awaiting a time when might once again be needed in the service of Cuthbert.

    The legendary Mace of Cuthbert is the most famous of the Church's artifacts, and is also the one that they do not have in their permanent possession. The Mace resides with Cuthbert to aid and protect him during his holy journeys. When the need is great, Cuthbert will temporarily give the Mace to loyal and true servant so that it might aid them in their endeavor. To date the Mace of Cuthbert has only been used twice by servants of the Church.

    The Shield of St. Fenerant is a round, medium-sized, shield of ancient design made from copper and bronzewood that has been embossed with the symbol of Cuthbert in platinum. The Shield shows many nicks, scratches and dents, but none so prominent as those caused by Hextor during his battle with St. Fenerant. The Shield has been one of the most used, and most loved, artifacts that the Church has in its possession.

    The Chapeaux of Truth was once worn by Cuthbert and then given to the new Church on the day of his Ascendancy. This crumpled green hat his highly revered by the Church for it is the only items besides the fabled Mace that has actually been in the God's possession. When worn, it is said that no lie can be told to the wearer, and if the teller attempts to lie, he will feel a strong rapping on his head until he begins to tell the truth.

    The Starburst of Banishment is a beautifully decorated Holy Symbol made from platinum and rubies that exactly matches the one worn by Cuthbert. Both the Starburst and Cuthbert's personal Holy Symbol were designed by the fabled Dwur jeweler Dhormdam Veinfinder. The Starburst was made for St. Tramden when he became the first Bishop of the Church of Cuthbert. The Starburst has the ability to Banish fiends and other unholy creatures from the Oerth plane, back to their own hellish infernal.

    The Armor of St. Chenrin is a rather plain looking suit of bronze plate-mail. The Armor consists of a Great Helm, Corselet, Gauntlets and Demi-Greaves. When worn the Armor takes on a divine glow as if radiating the sense of belief that the wearer has in Cuthbert's doctrine. It is said that the stronger the wearers belief, the greater protection the Armor will provide. The Armor also seems to inspire those around the wearer to great deeds. Though St. Chenrin was a small man of but five foot five inches, the Armor is able to shrink or expand to fit a true believer attempting to don it.
    "
     
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    Re: Faith of Cuthbert (Score: 1)
    by Taras on Wed, August 15, 2001
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    I like this. It's rare that detail of this type is given to a religion. While this type of saint may not always be of the greatest use during a game, they can add a lot of color to what would otherwise be a bland and otherwise generic encounter or temple.

    Any chance you intend to do more of these for other religions?



    Re: Faith of Cuthbert (Score: 1)
    by Dargarth on Thu, August 16, 2001
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    I actually have similar write-ups for most of the religions. Most of them haven't been even remotely edited or prepared for publication. I haven't been doing much Hawk writing, but as the site becomes more involved, I'll be submitting more of them. I just have to work them into my edit schedule.


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