Ranald, God of Thieves and Tricksters[]
Description[]
Ranald is the Trickster god, a patron of rogues and gamblers. He is generally portrayed as a Human male, a charming rogue who is an incomparable thief and con man, but can also take the form of a crow, magpie, or black cat. He is a roguish trickster rather than being evil or malicious and is ruled largely by his irrepressible sense of humour. It is said that his interest in larceny stems from his joy in the discomfiture of pompous and self-important merchants, rather than from avarice. Ranald abhors violence of all kinds and would never condone violent crime, murder, or torture. The perfect crime in his eyes is the crime which leaves no trace and which is only discovered weeks or months later.
Ranald has four aspects: Ranald the Night Prowler, the patron of Thieves and other Rogues; Ranald the Deceiver, the patron of Tricksters, Charlatans, and, by implication, Illusionists; Ranald the Gamester, the patron of gambling and luck; and Ranald the Protector, who protects his worshippers from official interference, oppression, and tyranny.
Alignment[]
Symbol[]
Ranald is represented by the sign of the crossed index and second finger. Making the sign is a sort of silent invocation or prayer and is supposed to bring luck.
For obvious reasons, clerics of Ranald do not wear any distinctive forms of clothing or holy symbols, although some followers may have a repeating 'X' design worked into their clothes. This will always be hidden in some other design and difficult to spot - an Observe test will be necessary to spot it, with followers of Ranald gaining a +10% modifier.
A metal pendant with an ornate 'X' design is a common good luck charm in the Old World and is even worn by people who do not follow Ranald. This does not normally invite suspicion except where official suppression of Ranald's worship has assumed the proportions of a witch-hunt. In any case, these charms are seldom worn openly; it is generally believed that the effect of the charm is lessened if it is openly displayed.
Area Of Worship[]
Ranald is worshipped throughout the Old World, generally in larger towns and cities. His worshippers are normally Rogues, Gamblers, and the lower classes.
Temples[]
Ranald has no formal temple organisation. Small shrines to Ranald the Night Prowler are located in a number of Thieves' Guilds. There are small public shrines to Ranald the Protector in the lower-class areas of many cities, tended either by the populace at large or by small, loosely-organised 'shrine clubs', which operate as social as well as religious bodies. There will normally be no more than one shrine per city ward, generally located in a back street or other out-of-the-way location. Illusionists frequently maintain shrines to Ranald the Deceiver in some private part of their home, and small shrines to Ranald the Gamester are often found in gambling houses.
Shrines to Ranald are never elaborate and are constructed so that they can be taken apart and concealed quickly. They usually take the form of a simple bench with a cover decorated with an 'X' symbol.
Friends And Enemies[]
There are two basic sects of enemies - the authorities, who frequently proscribe the worship of Ranald, and violent Rogues, such as Footpads and Cut-throats, who gives Rogues a bad name and tend to attract unwelcome 'heat' to an area in which they have been active. Friends tend to be all kinds of non-violent Rogues, including Entertainers of all kinds.
Holy Days[]
Ranald has no formal holy days - any day is as good as any other for the activities in which he is interested.
Cult Requirements[]
Characters must have completed one Rogue career before becoming an Initiate and they will continue to depend on this career for sustenance. Before progressing to level 1 Cleric, characters must enter and complete another Rogue career from the Career Exits list of the previous Rogue career. After completing the level 1 Cleric career, the character must enter and complete another Rogue career, and so on. Thus, a typical career path might be: Pickpocket - Initiate - Burglar - Cleric 1 - Clipper - Cleric 2 - Counterfeiter - Cleric 3 - Master Thief - Cleric 4.
In this way, characters' relationship with Ranald improve in line with their larcenous skills.
Strictures[]
Initiates of Ranald must pay a tithe of 10% of all income from thieving and gambling to Ranald's shrines, with a minimum of 10 Crowns per month.
Informing to the authorities is strictly prohibited; it is the most heinous sin of all in Ranald's eyes.
The use of violence is prohibited, except as a last resort, in self-defence. Ranald is opposed to mugging and murder - these are the sorts of crimes that give thieves a bad name.
Metal armour is prohibited and a dagger is the only permitted weapon.
At higher levels, the tithe is increased by 5% per level and the minimum is increased by 5 Crowns per level. Additionally, all thefts and gambling sessions must result in a profit of 5 Crowns per level - characters who fail to meet this stricture must undergo a Trial.
Spell Use[]
Clerics of Ranald may use the following Petty Magic spells: Marsh Lights, Open, Remove Curse, Sounds, and Zone Of Silence. In addition. all Illusion spells may be used at appropriate levels.
There are special spells which are only available to Clerics of Ranald, listed in the Spells section, under Clerical Magic.
Skills[]
Initiates and Clerics of Ranald can select one of the following skills whenever they advance a level. The choice is up to the character and the normal price of 100 Experience Points must be paid. The available skills are: Augury, Card Reading, and Dice Reading. Clerics of Ranald have a 1% chance of gaining Oracle and a 3% chance of gaining Visionary each time they rise in level; these skills cost 100 experience points each.
Trials[]
The precise nature of a trial set for a follower of Ranald will vary according to the aspect of the god worshipped by the individual in question.
Trials set by Ranald the Night Prowler mainly involve theft: a character might be ordered to steal something famous and well-guarded - perhaps even to steal it and then put it back, all without being noticed. Another typical trait is to break into the headquarters of the town watch and leave some token there.
Trials set by Ranald the Protector involve thwarting officialdom: for example, setting up an obstreperous or incorruptible watch captain or kidnapping an official and spiriting him into a cell in the town jail.
Trials set by Ranald the Deceiver will involve tricking someone, generally a merchant or an official. It might not be necessary to gain any profit - the deception itself is the important thing. If someone in authority can be made to look foolish, so much the better, but it is important that the deception should not be penetrated until the character involved decides to let it drop.
Trials set by Ranald the Gamester will always involve gambling or taking chances of some kind - taking on a rigged game in a gambling house and coming out ahead, for example.
Blessings[]
Skills favoured by Ranald include Fleet Footed, Lightning Reflexes, and Luck, while favoured tests are Bluff, Bribe, Gamble, Hide, Pick Lock, Pick Pocket, and Search.