The Grippli Pantheon
Grippli respect a pantheon of beings which they believe to be the ultimate empaths. These gods do not manifest themselves on the Prime Material Plane as individuals, but exist within an entire species; each animal and plant has a portion of divinity within it. An exceptional member of a species is often regarded by the grippli as a representative of one of the gods.
Grippli do not have the same concept of the afterlife that many intelligent beings share. Rather than images of paradise or hell which some races look forward to when they die, the grippli believe that they become part of a spiritual web of life called the cr'ohkala, or Forever Tree. Upon dying, the grippli believe, the spirit travels to meet the gods, who help it become part of the Forever Tree. Whatever role the grippli took in life, there is a part of the Forever Tree that will accept him; there is a branch for warriors, a branch for nurturers, a branch for gatherers, a branch for craftsmen. Even mute animals and plants become a part of the Forever Tree, often becoming one with the branch that represents their unique role in the world. In grippli theology, the gods are simply branches of the Forever Tree that have become unusually powerful and actively influence grippli life.
There are thousands of gods that the grippli respect, but here are the most widely recognised and powerful:
Mother Sah, the Frog;
Lesser Power, "She Who Makes Herself Fertile"
Gender: usually female
Home Plane: The Beastlands/Krigala
Description: Great Mother Sah a benevolent mother-being who is believed to be the progenitor of the grippli race throughout the Prime Material Plane. She is the most highly respected goddess of the grippli; fully 50% of grippli priests will worship Sah. Her image, that of a bloated frog, is often carved in soft stone in a grippli sacred site. Great Mother Sah is a symbol of fecundity, rain, and a hospitable environment. Songs sung to Sah during the breeding season sometimes include Scented Call in their verses; often, they do not, as Sah is believed to be able to birth divinely gifted grippli without the aid of a male.
Role-Playing Notes: Sah is maternal but demanding. She does her utmost to support the grippli and to protect them, but demands that they work for their own well-being as well. Sah is not a complacent goddess, and demands much of those who would follow her.
Motivations: Great Mother Sah wishes to protect and nuture the grippli; they are her creation, and they please her with their tribal way of life and celebrations to win her favour. Sah keeps an eye on priests of other grippli gods; she does not want them to weaken, thus weakening the grippli; nor does she want them to grow more powerful than she. Great Mother Sah plans to spread her worship to other amphibious races. She has had some limited success with bullywugs, but the cruel nature of that species is distasteful to her.
Statistics:
Great Mother Sah's Avatar (Druid 10):
Sah appears as a mottled brown, vaguely humanoid frog, and is sometimes mistaken for a strange slaadi by planewalkers. Sah sends her avatar to protect favoured grippli tribes or to visit the other grippli gods.
She can purify water by her touch. If threatened, Sah will gate in 1-20 grippli and 1-6 bullywugs to protect her at a 100% chance of success. She can attempt to gate in a froghemoth 1/day with a 30% chance for success; if this fails, she cannot use her gate ability for 24 hours.
Duties of the Priesthood: The priests of Sah are the most important members of any tribe that they belong to, and will usually act as elders and advisors. They are usually present at any tribal event of importance, such as celebrations or battles. Priests of Sah can move silently through swamps and jungle as though they were rangers of equal level.
Father Fish
Lesser Power, "He Who Swims Slowly"
Gender: male
Home Plane: Elysium/Belierin
Description: Fish ('Gr'oakel' in the grippli tongue) is an ancient father being who symbolises the ancient mysteries of grippli faith. He is often a silent god, like the carp that swims noiselessly through deep, dark waters. Followers of Fish know that everything thst the god does say will be important, and wait patiently for these times. Fish is also a god of ancestors, those who have died and become art of the Forever Tree. It is believed that it is through Fish that long-dead grippli can speak to their young once again.
Role-Playing Notes: Fish is silent most of the time. He usually swims close to the one who is to hear his message, and waits patiently for the mortal to listen. When the mortal is ready, Fish will speak, shortly and sucintly, and then quickly swim away. Not everythig that Fish communicates with his mortal followers is immediately understandable, but it is always valuable.
Motivations: Fish wants the grippli to become part of his branch of the Forever Tree, as he knows that it best suits the grippli. However, many need guidance to achieve the spiritual state to join Fish on his branch; thus, Fish tells them just enough to make his followers think, knowing that the grippli will grow all the more for finding the answer themselves. As a result, Fish has the closest connection with the souls in his branch of the Forever Tree; thus, he has assumed a minor role as the god of ancestors among the grippli.
Statistics:
Father Fish's Avatar:
Gr'oakel's avatar takes on the form of a large, freshwater fish. he sends his avatar to answer particularly pressing questions on the Prime Material, or simply explores the waterways of Elysium's second layer.
Duties of the Priesthood: Priests of Fish protect the sacred burial sites and waterways of the grippli. They frequently become wise ones of the tribe, answering important concerns and acting as liason between the living grippli and the Forever Tree.
Old Mother Spider
Demipower, "She Who Devours Her Young"
Gender: female
Home Plane: Pandemonium/Phlegethon
Description: Old Mother Spider ('Rheigg'r' in the grippli tongue) is a powerful spirit of peversity. She is mistrusted by the other grippli gods, yet they do not oppose her, as she has helped them in the past. Old Mother Spider spins webs of deceit and trickery that seem to serve no purpose except to hide even more half-truths; it is believed that she lies for the sake of lying. Old Mother Spider is a great, bloated thing, surrounded by the shells of her slain children and rotted food, all snared in her web of blackness. Old Mother Spider is not truly evil, simply insane by the standards of the grippli. She fouls good food, and eats the strongest of her young whilst allowing the weak to survive. She is the dark, crazed side of the grippli soul.
Statistics:
Old Mother Spider's Avatar:
Rheigg'r sends her avatar to "claim" parts of Pandemonium and the Prime Material Plane by webbing them up with blackness, before abandoning them entirely and moving on, never to return. Occasionally she will appear when her worshippers call her, but grippli legends claim that this is purely coincidence. Rheigg'r's avatar conforms to the statistics for a Darkweaver from the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II except where noted below:
Duties of the Priesthood: Priestesses of Old Mother Spider are almost exclusively female, although occasionally a male grippli serves her for no apparent reason. They usually dwell on the outskirts of the grippli tribe, and are disliked but accepted; almost every member of the tribe needs a priestess of Rheigg'r at some time in their life.
Demipower, "She Who Is"
Gender: female
Home Plane: The Outlands/Semuanya's Bog
Description: The Deep One ('Draugh'ger') is unknown and unknowable. She dwells in the slimy darkness at the bottom of a deep lake, and in the inky blackness at the bottom of the grippli soul. She sleeps, but her dreams are the dreams of all grippli, and all females know her intimately. The Deep One is an enigma that is rarely spoken of in the tribe, but whose presence is keenly felt.
Role-Playing Notes: The Deep One seems not to take actions herself; her presence influences those who are close to her, and they act for her. She is a paragon of subtlety.
Motivations: Unknown. The Deep One holds her secrets close.
Statistics:
The Deep One's Avatar: It is unknown whether the Deep One even has the ability to create an avatar. She has never seen fit to make use of one.
Duties of the Priesthood: Priestesses of the Deep One are usually trusted with secrets and sacred matters by the tribe. Priestesses always officiate at ceremonies sacred to the females of the tribe. They have often taken upon the role of arbitrator in disputes and the keeper of laws. In lieu of knowing what their goddess requires of them, the priesthood of the Deep One has become a force to preserve the tradtional grippli way of life.
Demipower, "He Who Strikes Himself"
Gender: Male
Home Plane: Carceri/Cathrys/The Poisonous Swamps
Description: He Who Strikes Himself appears as a scorpion-like creature with a long, eel-like body, dozens of jointed legs, a segmented tail at the tip of which is a deadly sting, cruel pincers, and a scorpions' head that spits venom. He dwells in the plane of Carceri, where he was imprisoned by the other gods of the grippli pantheon in fear that he would infect the rest of the Forever Tree with his madness. He is considered to be the spawner of monsters and the inspirer of rage. He Who Strikes Himself is considered to be one of the children of Old Mother Spider, the other being his onetime mate, Wearer of Many Legs.
Role-playing Notes: He Who Strikes Himself is insane. He spends most of his time planning to avenge himself on the other gods, only to fail at some minor task that he set for himself and tear his own flesh with frustration. He trusts nothing, not even himself.
Motivations: The Scorpion is a murderous, mutated creature that encourages the darker side of the grippli psyche. He believes that if he freely grants power to those grippli who are rash enough to take his gifts, then he will extend his influence through the ForeverTree and eventually escape his prison.
Statistics:
The Scorpion's Avatar (Ranger 10):
The avatar of He Who Strikes Himself appears to be a grippli warrior with burning eyes and venom dripping from his mouth. It is sent to the prime Material Plane in order to interfere with the affairs of the other grippli gods, or to strike out in anger against those who have threatened the grippli race. Occasionally He Who Strikes Himself will desire the death of one of his priests in a fit of paranoid rage, and send the avatar to claim his life.
Duties of the Priesthood: Priests of the Scorpion are all male. They must feed and protect scorpions at all times, and not allow others to harm them. Usually, priests of He Who Strikes Himself are resistant to the frequent scorpion stings they receive, but this is not always the case. They are considered less than sane by other grippli.
* Priests of He Who Strikes Himself roll 1d10 for hit points at each level, and have a +2 bonus to save vs. poison and paralysis. They may move silently and backstab as a typical thief of the same level.
Young Warrior Lizard
Demipower, "He Who Loves the Sun"
Gender: Male
Home Plane: Acheron/Avalas
Description: The Lizard is the grippli god of the sun and the heat of day, and acts as the protector of their race. He is the son of Fish and Sah. In grippli art he is represented as a gigantic reptile, the eye of which is the blazing sun, with a maw vast enough to consume all the enemies of the grippli people.
Role-playing Notes: The Lizard does not think; he instinctively knows. He is an unemotional creature, who always acts to fulfill his duties and cares little about that which does not involve him. The Lizard will grant power to those who do his work, but those who displease him are abandoned without hope of explaining themselves. Those who anger him are consumed without thought.
Motivations: The Lizard wishes to preserve things as they have always been. He is the defender of the grippli, and they give him due respect, and that is the way that it should be. He will almost always oppose a scheme that changes the status quo.
Statistics:
The Lizard's Avatar (Paladin 8, Priest 8):
The avatar of the Lizard is usually sent only to combat some force that threatens a whole tribe or more. Occasionally the Lizard will send his avatar to destroy a priest who has betrayed him, but this is only known to happen in legends. The avatar of the Lizard appears as a lizardman tattooed with symbols of the sun. In the presence of enemies of the grippli race, such as undead, he will burn red like the sun.
Duties of the Priesthood: Priests of the Lizard are expected to be vigilant against the enemies of their tribe, and to lead the tribe in times of war. They greet the rising sun each day with a croaking song of victory against the forces of the night.
* Priests of the Lizard roll 1d10 for hit points at each level. Starting at 2nd level, they gain the ability to climb walls as a thief of the same level.
Old Master Snake
Lesser Power, "He Who is Known Only to Himself"
Gender: Male
Home Plane: Beastlands/Karasuthra
Description: The Snake is a primal god that receives much respect and fear from the older, wiser members of a grippli tribe. He is depicted as being an invisible serpent that moves silently in the dark, knowing all the secrets of the world but being unable to speak them due to the deformity of his split tongue. The Snake is the son of Old Mother Sah and the Fish.
Role-playing Notes: The Snake is one of the wisest creatures in the universe, but can only communicate his knowledge through the primal instincts of the grippli. At the same time, the Snake is dangerous, for he will devour one of the grippli without warning or explanation why; perhaps the wisdom that he bears is just as dangerous, and he seeks to warn his followers. Or perhaps he is simply hungry. No-one knows.
Motivations: Unknown by mortals, and apparently unfathomable. It is for this reason that the Snake is so fascinating to the grippli, and so terrifying.
Statistics:
The Snake's Avatar (Priest 12):
The Snake's avatar appears as a huge serpent, striped in brown and yellow. It is sent to the Prime Material Plane as an omen, occasionally swallowing some offender before returning to the Beastlands.
Duties of the Priesthood: Priests of Snake must be at least middle-aged before they will be granted any spells or powers by the god. They speak rarely, and seem to exist only to remind the tribe that Snake exists. Some believe that they have received some insight into the god that others lack, but this is not true; the priests of Snake are just as mystified, and indeed terrified, as anybody else. They all speak a secret language which is never taught to outsiders, in which they discuss the strange visions that they're god semds them, trying to understand it all.
The Swarm
Lesser Power, "He/She Who is Multitude, The Many Together"
Gender: Male and Female
Home Plane: Arcadia/Melodia
Description: He/She Who Is Multitude is not an individual being, but a community of less powerful spirits which exist symbiotically in the same branch of the Forever Tree. Included as part of the Swarm is the Ant, the Wasp, the Termite, the Cockroach, the Flea, and others. Together they have formed a conglomerate entity which is far more powerful than any of them could have become individually. They are the spawn of He Who Strikes Himself and Wearer of Many Legs.
Role-playing Notes: He/She Who Is Multitude acts in perfect accord with itself, planning for every eventuality and never giving up. Defeat is not only unthinkable; it is impossible in the face of such unity and strength. The Swarm considers everything to fall into three categories: beneficial to the whole, and thus protected; harmful to the whole, and thus destroyed; and irrelevant to the whole, and thus ignored.
Motivations: He/She Who Is Multitude wants the grippli to work together in harmony, thus creating a strong and united tribe. Those tribes which possess a priest of the swarm among their number are invariably strronger than those who possess a priest of He Who Strikes Himself.
Statistics:
The Swarm's Avatar:
The Swarm manifests as an army of ants, wasps, and stinging insects that remain together in a 10' diameter cloud. The Swarm can speak with a buzzing, clicking voice created by hundreds of insect bodies rubbing together.
Duties of the Priesthood: Unrevealed.
*Priests of the Swarm gain a bonus of +2 to save vs. mind-affecting and chaotic spells.
The Flower
Lesser Power, "He Who Finds a Mate, Scented Call"
Gender: Male
Home Plane: Beastlands/Krigala
Description: He Who Seeks a Mate is the god of procreation, and he is surrounded by fertility and beauty. Those who wish to please He Who Seeks a Mate grow flowering shrubs and plants around their home, thus increasing the amount of living beings in the world. He is said to have been born from the fertile ground left in the wake of Wearer of Many Leg's feeding.
Role-playing Notes: He Who Seeks a Mate is a bright, competitive god, pushing for attention amongst the other gods of the pantheon. He encourages the grippli to mate well and produce strong offspring, and is said to be the force in the ForeverTree that ensures that lesser beings procreate and live on.
Motivations: He Who Seeks a Mate wishes for all living things to increase in number, and make themselves beasutiful for each other. He cannot understand violence or evil, for such things are ugly, unattractive, and destroy life. His followers will be instructed to avoid violence and evil at all times.
Statistics:
The Flower's Avatar (Druid 8):
He Who Seeks a Mate very rarely sends an avatar to the Prime Material Plane. Only when it is vital that a particular female (such as the head of a tribe) find a mate, and there are none available, will such a momentous visitation occur. He Who Seeks a Mate appears as a male grippli of the most beautiful aspect, and offspring of the god are known for being strong, pleasing young.
Duties of the Priesthood: Priests of He Who Seeks a Mate must ensure that all grippli females receiove the best possible mating partner by encouraging competition and display amongst the males. Priests of He Who Seeks a Mate are sometimes also responsible for animal husbandry in tribes sophisticated enough to understand such things. They must be male.
The Centipede
Demipower, "Wearer of Many Legs, She Who Finds Food"
Gender: Female
Home Plane: Limbo
Description: Wearer of many Legs is a hungry force that tumbles through the chaos of Limbo consuming everything she finds. She is mindless and entropic, devouring the rotting fleash of the dead until nothing remains. Unlike her sibling and one-time mate, He Who Strikes Himself, the Centipede is a necessary force of destruction, breaking down that which has decayed so that a new living thing can grow in its place. She is one of the two children of Old Mother Spider, and birthed He/She That is Multitude.
Role-playing Notes: Wearer of Many Legs does not communicate with mortals, she simply fills her role in the ForeverTree. Those who follow her must rely upon their own intuition to understand the workings of the Centipede.
Motivations: None; she simply is. Wearer of Many Legs is a neccessary force in the Forever Tree, but one that is essentially unaware of its own existence.
Statistics:
Wearer of Many Legs, the Centipede's Avatar:
None. The Centipede either does not have the ability to create an avatar on the Prime Material Plane, or doesn't care to bother.
Duties of the Priesthood: The priestesses of Wearer of many Legs have the responsibility of disposing of the dead, and ensuring that the area in which the grippli tribe lives has not been spoiled by rotting things. To this end, they tame small scavengers and create midden piles where decaying matter can compost. They also fertilise barren or dry ground, and plant seedlings there. They must be female.
The Worm
Lesser Power, "The One That Sleeps"
Gender: Male and female
Home Plane: The Outlands
Description: The Worm is a sleeping creature that knows nothing and remembers nothing It enriches the soil through which iit passes, but does not do this knowingly or for any cause. The Worm represents in the Forever Tree that part of the world that is beneficial and good, yet does not have sentience. It is there and must be protected, but has no self to communicate with. The Worm is considered useful, but unless it is threatened little more is said about it. It is said to be the child of the Snake and Wearer of Many Legs.
Statistics:
The Worm's Avatar:
None. The Worm is not known to have an intellect capable of desiring an avatar, let alone creating one.
Duties of the Priesthood: None. There are no priests of the Worm.
Grippli Petitioners
Grippli do not have the concept of petitioners, or spirits of the dead who dwell in some kind of afterlife. They believe that, upon death, grippli spirits become one with the Forever Tree, and continue to influence the tribe. Are the grippli wrong? Actually, no, although the truth is not quite as they might imagine. Upon death, almost all grippli travel to their most favoured god, and become one with it almost immediately. thus, there are very few grippli petitioners on the planes; the only ones that exist are the rare proxies of the grippli gods. These gods seem to be maintained by a relatively small population of mortal grippli; perhaps they are supported to a greater degree by each grippli soul than the typical power. There is also evidence of a symbiotic relationship between each of the grippli gods, another aspect of the Forever Tree that the grippli priests speak of.
