The Lost Willow and the Last Blade

Before Time

In the great darkness, Ernalda, the green mother of all earth, was bereft of her husband-protectors. Yelm and Flamal were slain and mighty Orlanth had left to assemble the Lightbringers. No god remained to protect Ernalda's overwhelming bounty. It is said then, that a god came from the wilderness to protect her from darkness and Chaos. Yet unlike her other protectors, he had no lust for her divine fertility, and desired not to be a husband. His protection was only a matter of expediency. For if she died, all the mortal races would follow, having nothing to eat, and much would be lost in the great battle against Chaos.

Being spurned for the first time in her existence, Ernalda soon knew a great need to gather this protector to her, to ensnare him in her embrace and take him for her husband. She felt this even knowing he desired her not, and that to press the matter would drive him away forever (for even the gods desire what they cannot have). So a great plot was hatched, and by wiles and lies and the extreme innocence of her protector in these matters, she did finally know him carnally, though he understood not what she did. And a substantial portion of his true power entered within her to lay as god seed within her earthy womb. Through the war the protector did fight Chaos, and kept it from Ernalda's soft body. Yet still she became weak, for a true goddess grew within her, and drew all her power of Fertility. Soon the presence of the baby became obvious on her body, and her protector became suspicious. "Whose Child is this?" he demanded, and before his presence she could not lie. He grew wroth, and swore he would leave her to her fate. Using his great power severed all connection with her, even our knowledge of him. "The child is now thine alone, lady. For mine is not the power of Life". And with that, he left.

Ernalda was soon abed, great with child, and the raveners came and ravished her green fields, tormenting her with destruction. And when she called for aid, none came, for there were none left to save her. Seeing her fate (for the fate of the unprotected in the Wars of Chaos were certain), she cried out in dispair and collapsed weeping, having briefly the look of a child, not that of the mother of gods. Yet this did not save her. Soon one came great enough to kill even all Ernalda. Zorak Zoran, dark reaver, bloody destroyer. Slayer of Flamal, with his sap covered Axe. The head of his axe was Death itself, and with it he swung at defenseless Ernalda. But then a miracle occurred. For when the axe entered Ernalda's womb, baby Babeester Gor grabbed it, and pulled the head from its haft. (Thereafter, Zorak Zoran's weapon must be blunt.) And she sprung from her mother's womb, her utterly beautiful face filled with hate. For this and all other assaults upon her mother, she swung at Zorak Zoran, and used Death as if born to it. Only by guile and quick retreat did the Black Lord manage to avoid utter destruction, though ever since he has been fearful of her.

From there, all husbands failing, Babeester Gor became her mother's protector, and fell upon all who would attempt to ravage the earth. And with Death she slew and slew again. Never stopping even to gather ramiment about her. Yet vengeance finally grew empty, for though Babeester Gor was a goddess, she was still a young goddess. She needed love, not hate. She knew her mother's heritage was Life, not Death. So alone (for none had stood before her) in a field of dying fruit and barley, she tried to bring forth Life. Yet as she had become so seeped in Death, she failed. Bemoaning her fate, she wept alone.

Since Time Began

The cult of Babeester Gor is small, unpopular, and rarely venerated. Small temples are only found in areas with many Earth worshipers, such as the Holy Country. There the cult trains women to be independent of men. They guard Earth temples where males are forbidden. And, often illegally, they seek vengeance on those who have abused women, but through accident, bribery, or corruption, have escaped lawful punishment.

Life after Death

Babeester Gor promises her female worshipers she will call them to train with her in the bowels of the Earth, waiting for the time that once again their Axes shall be needed to protect mother Ernalda and defenseless women everywhere.

Runic Associations

Babeester Gor's Runes are Earth and Death.

Nature of the cult

Reason for continued existence

Babeester Gor's cult will live as long as there are women who are abused and have no one else to turn to. She is the goddess of revenge, the last form of justice when all others have failed.

Socio-political position and power

The cult has little power during normal times. Babeester Gor's face of vengeance is rarely liked by men, especially worshipers of the 'husband' dieties of Ernalda. Cultists often skirt the edge of legality. However, the cult has many friends among Earth cults, who use their influence to keep the temples open. In wartime, the worship of Babeester Gor becomes much more prevalent, especially when wartime atrocities become common.

Particular likes and dislikes

The cult officially hates Zorak Zoran, but most members have never met a Zorak Zoran cultist, much less been offended by one. Vengeance is usually sought more close to home, especially from wife beaters, child molesters and rapists.

Organisation

Inter-cult organisation

The temples to Babeester Gor's face of vengeance keep as close contact with each other as is possible. But the cult is small, and it is not often that visiting cultists come from other temples.

Intra-temple organisation

Babeester Gor's temple has a standard hierarchy. The High Priestess runs the temple, with various Priestesses, Acolytes, Initiates and Lay members taking up lesser duties. As the cult is small, there are always positions open in a temple for higher rank, except High Priestess. The goddess is not powerful enough to support a separate Runelord status, but any quest of vengeance is considered "temple business", and not counted against the 90% cult time restrictions.

Centre of power, holy places

Babeester Gor's center of power is the Holy Field in Esrolia, where the goddess was born and defeated Zorak Zoran. Her rotting field is another holy spot but the location of it has been lost.

High Holy Days

Babeester Gor's holy day is on Fate Day, Death week, Dark Season, when she was born.

Lay membership

Requirements to join

Lay Members of Babeester Gor's cult must be unmarried women. They must not worship any male god, and must not be an initiate of any non-earth goddess. They must pay 10 SP if they have it, and swear to defend the temple with their life. Non-humans are not usually allowed to join, but they may if they can show they are in need of protection against males of their kind.

Requirements to belong

Lay Members of Babeester Gor, called Candidates, must enter a training program run by the temple. This teaches them self sufficiency in a male dominated world. Candidacy training lasts 6 weeks, and the candidates must stay in the temple, away from all men for this time. Only after this training has been successfully completed are candidates considered true Lay Members, called Sisters. Only Sisters are allowed the full benefits of Lay Membership.

Note: Candidacy has a 60% dropout rate. But it is assumed that Player Characters have the fortitude to complete the training.

Sisters must sacrifice all but one magic point each Holy Day. Yearly, they must donate 10% of their income to the temple, or 500 SP, whichever is less. They may never marry, or have a continuing male suitor for more than one season.

Mundane benefits

Sisters are given a ceremonial (but functional) hand axe to commemorate their completion of Candidacy. There is a ceremonial parade of all new Sisters once candidacy training is complete. They may be employed as outer guardians of Earth temples, a lower middle class job. The vast majority of Sisters eventually leave the cult to marry.

Skills

During candidacy, the following skills are learned to 30%: Hand Axe, Battle Axe, Shield, Throwing Axe, and Cult Lore. Each Candidate also has a: (21 - STR) x 3 percent chance for STR to increase by 1; this is a one-time benefit.

Sisters may train in any Axe, Shield, and throwing Axe attack or Parry for half price. Other skills available (at full price) are: Scan, Brewing, Taste Analysis, Tactics, Sneak, and Escape Bindings. Free training is often given as a prize for those who participate on cult missions.

Magic

After they complete candidacy training, Sisters gain a one Battlemagic (Spirit) spell from the following list: Bladesharp, Glamor, Protection, Strength, Shimmer, Fanaticism, Demoralize, Disruption, Vigor. These cult spells are available from the temple for full price. Participation in a cult mission usually qualifies the Sister to purchase any one of them for half price.

Initiate membership

Initiates are called Axe Sisters. To become an Axe Sister, applicants must be a Sister in good standing, abiding by all Lay Member restrictions. They must have an Axe attack of 50%, and Axe or Shield Parry of 50%, and must also not be an Initiate of any other god or goddess. They must have been a Sister for one year, or participated on a cult mission; doing both adds +20% to their chance for acceptance.

Applicants must then convince the High Priestess they are worthy. This is abstracted as (STR + CON + Best Axe Skill/5) * 2 as a percentage. Those who fail must either wait 1 year, or participate on a cult mission before trying again. When accepted, they must sacrifice one point of POW to Babeester Gor.

Requirements to remian initiated.

Axe Sisters have all requirements that Sisters do. In addition, they must devote their lives to Babeester Gor, and take vengeance upon all those who offend her. They must pay 20% of their income to the cult, or 5000 SP, whichever is less. Unless questing for personal vengeance, they must obey the orders of their superiors in the cult.

Axe Sisters must also accept both a Gift and Geas.

Mundane benefits.

Axe Sisters are respected for their battle prowess despite their sex, and are sought after as inner-sanctum guardians of Earth temples. While Axe Sisters are not above the law, sentences for crimes of vengeance is sometimes reduced due to pressure from other politically powerful earth cults.

Skills

All skills offered to Sisters at half price may be learned by Axe Sisters for free (at twice normal time to learn). All skills offered to Sisters for full price, are offered Axe Sisters for half price.

By requesting a gift from the goddess, Axe Sisters may learn the special cult skill: Sense Rapist.

Sense Rapist

Perception (Base 10%)

This skill allows the user to identify rapists and despoilers of the Earth. The user must be close enough to see the target's mannerisms and hear his voice for at least one minute. A fumble means an incorrect assessment is made; no further rolls are allowed. Sense Rapist is only half as effective at detecting female despoilers.

Magic

Babeester Gor's Divine Intervention cannot Resurrect or cause runic healing (Regrow Limb, Heal CON, etc). Spirit magic healing is possible, so if a cultist has lost a limb, before 2 minutes are up a D.I. may reattach it. Babeester Gor does not forbid cultists from getting healing elsewhere.

All Spirit spells offered Sisters, are offered to Axe Sisters for half price. Cultists can learn Healing from Ernalda temples for full price. Axe Sisters also may learn the spell Preserve Loins for 2000 SP.

Preserve Loins

Range-- Touch Magic Point Cost: 3
Type -- focused, passive, permanent
This spell preserves the loins of a man who has been parted from them, and prevents the target from growing new ones via any magical means. (If the target later recovers his loins, they may be reattached via Healing.) The caster must overcome the man's Magic Points if he is still alive. The loins are hung about the neck of the Axe Sister as a trophy and warning to others who would harm women or despoil the Earth. The loins also act as 3 points of Magic storage for the caster while the rapist remains alive; when he dies, they loose this power.

Gifts and Geases

Babeester Gor requires Initiates to come closer to her divine form by taking gifts and geases. The cultist has a choice. Lesser gifts are chosen, and have one corresponding geas. A lesser gift may not be chosen more than once. Greater gifts and geases are chosen by the goddess (rolled randomly), and have two geases per gift. An initiate gets one free gift/geas, but may ask for additional gifts/geases from the goddess by sacrificing one point of POW at any temple. If a cultist gains a gift or geas already possessed, then it is rerolled on the greater gift/geas table until a different result is obtained.

Typically, only the most devout Axe Sisters sacrifice for Greater Gifts and Geases as Initiates.

Axe Priestess Membership

General statement

Axe Priestesses are the embodiment of Babeester Gor on both the mundane and the magical plane. She is priestess, arms mistress, protector, avenger, organizer, and teacher. She is responsible only to the high priestess of her temple and her goddess. Due to the cult's small size, there is no rune status other than this one.

Requirements for acceptance.

Axe Priestess applicants must be a Axe Sister in good standing, and have been with the cult for at least 1 year. She must have killed at least one enemy in one-on-one combat, preferably male. She must be 90% of three cult weapon skills, and proficient (75%) in three other cult skills. She must have an 18 POW (in RQ 3 roll POW x3) to get Babeester Gor's notice, and must then convince the goddess she is worthy.

This test is abstracted to a test of: (STR + POW + Best Axe/5) as a percentile; each act of bravery (GM's opinion), major gift, or recommendation from a high priestesses adds +5% to the roll. Applicants who fail must either wait one year, or lead a cult mission before trying again. Those who succeed sacrifice one point of permanent POW to the Goddess.

Restrictions

In addition to maintaining all initiate restrictions, Axe Priestesses must aid any free woman who requests refuge from a man, unless they know the woman to be chaotic, a despoiler of the Earth, or an ex-cultist who spurned the goddess. They must defend all non-chaos Earth temples, and do what is in their power to avenge any wrongs done against the Earth. They must spend 90% of their time in temple business, typically running the candidate training program, providing protection, and fighting on missions of vengeance. Axe Priestesses must also accept one Greater Gift and its attendant Geases.

Benefits

Axe Priestesses are looked to as the protectoress of women in society when all other protectors have failed. They are respected by earth cults, and are often given gifts for the services they do.

Due to their martial lifestyle, Axe Priestesses are not restricted to DEX x 5 in any skill, and also may go above 100% in all cult weapons and skills. They rune magic is reusable, and call upon Divine Intervention as a Rune Lord, subject to initiate restrictions on healing.

Rune spell compatibility

Babeester Gor priestesses know all standard spells from Runequest. (In RQ 3, they know Shield, D.I., Divination, Absorption, Spirit Screen, and Spell Teaching). They may summon Small and Medium Gnomes.

Cult special rune magic

The following special rune magic spells are available:

Slash

Cost -- 1 MP
Range - 160 metres
Duration - 15 minutes
Stackable (to 4 in RQ 2)
Reusable
This spell adds +1d6 damage to any axe it is cast upon. Weapons so treated gain a copper-gold sheen.

True Parry

Cost -- 1 MP
Range - 180 metres
Duration - 1 melee round
Non-stackable
Reusable
From the instant True Parry is cast until the same segment the following round, the recipient will parry all attacks (including missiles) directed against her with whatever she holds in her hands. She will even parry attacks she cannot normally sense. The recipient cannot block area attacks (e.g. acid spray or boiling oil) with weapons or small shields, or prevent excess damage from getting past the parrying weapon/shield/arm. The recipient must be willing.

Berserk

Cost -- 2 MP
Range - 160 metres
Duration - 15 minutes
Stackable
Reusable
Babeester Gor's version of this spell reserves its double weapon skill boost against "despoilers" not Chaos. These include known rapists, Zorak Zoran cultists, invaders of Earth Temples, Vampires, and Krarshtkids, but does not include passive and/or non-threatening Chaos (Lunar cultists, or Nysalor worshipers). In addition to being dispel resistant, as all Berserk spells are, this Berserk cannot be calmed by Chalana Arroy cultists.

True Dodge

Cost -- 2 MP
Range - 180 metres
Duration - 15 minutes
Non-stackable
Reusable
This spell causes all unparried normal attacks to miss the recipient. Opponents must Special (roll 1/5 their attack) to cause any damage. Normal attacks which are parried and have excess damage get past the weapon or shield armour can damage normally. This spell does not affect damage done by specials or criticals, unless the recipient is entirely nude, in which case a special becomes a normal hit, and a critical becomes a special.

Seize Death

Cost -- 2 MP
Range - Personal
Duration - Special
Stackable
Reusable
Whenever a death spell (Sever Spirit or Disruption) is thrown at the priestess, she may invoke this spell regardless of any other actions she takes that round. On casting, the entire death spell, including Magic Points used to back the spell up, is diverted into the melee weapon held by the Priestess. It expends against the next target the Priestess successfully strikes with that weapon; if no one is struck in the next 15 minutes, the death spell dissipates. Multiple death spells may be seized with multiple Seize Deaths, in which case the stored spells all expend on the next successful strike until the target is dead.

Great Parry

Cost -- 3 MP
Range - 180 metres
Duration - 15 minutes
Non-stackable
Reusable
Great Parry makes an axe or shield unbreakable for the duration of the spell. This negates all damage from weapon boosting spells used against the weapon or shield (such as Bladesharp, Truesword, Damage Boosting, Crush, etc). Base weapon damage and damage bonus remains however, so it doesn't make the shield's wielder immune to very large creatures or weapons.

High Priestesses

High Priestesses are called Axe Mistresses. They must have 15 points of sacrificed rune magic, and killed or castrated at least 15 men alone in combat. They must have permission from their current Axe Mistress (almost always given), and must have at least 20,000 SP saved, or on Temple credit (part of the 90% donated to the cult). If this is done, then the new Axe Mistress may go to found a new temple school elsewhere, or take the place of the current Axe Mistress if she is retiring. The 20,000 SP is used to purchase temple grounds.

At this time the Axe Mistress must take another Greater Gift and 2 random Geases. They gain access to the following special Temple defense spell:v

Axe Trance (Death Axe)

Cost -- 1 MP
Range - 180 metres
Duration - 15 minutes
Non-stackable
Reusable
This spell may only be cast upon a copper axe. It adds +10% for each Magic Point put into it when first cast. For instance, casting 100 MP into the Axe, makes the axe +1000% to hit. Axe Trance may only be cast in a Temple to Babeester Gor, or an Earth cult, and will stop if the Temple guardian spirit is destroyed, or the temple altar is desecrated.

Subservient Cults

Boa

In the chaos wars, Babeester Gor saved her half sister Boa from destruction. Boa is a child of Hykim and Ernalda, and is mother of giant snakes. For saving her life, Boa promised to serve Babeester Gor; statues often show her wrapped about the Blood Goddess. Boa's powers complement Babeester Gor's perfectly, for while Boa is slow and cold blooded, she is also wise, subtle, and magically adept.

Boa provides the cult's allied spirits, and also acts as the Spirit of Retribution.

Allied Boa Constrictor

STR 2d6+6 CON 3d6+6 SIZ 2d4+4 INT 1d6+12 POW 3d6+6 DEX 1d6 (APP 3d6)

INT worth of Battle (Spirit) Magic

Armour: 3 pts Average Hits: 13

Oratory: 50%, Fast Talk: 60%, Tactics: 70%, Earth Tongue: 80%

The Boa constrictor may wrap around the cultist, protecting 1/2 its SIZ worth of hit location die pips (round down) on the chest, abdomen, and/or legs. For instance a SIZ 9 Boa, protects 4 locations; it chooses: 9, 10, 11, and 12 (abdomen and chest). When the hit location die is rolled, any strike on those locations hits the snake instead; the Boa does gets the benefit of any Protection/Shield spells cast on the cultist. An allied Boa wrapped about the cultist does not count as clothing as per geas or spells.

Spirit of Retribution - Curse of Timidity

Boa sends curses against those who offend Babeester Gor. She sends nightmares against those who mildly break restrictions or geases. Against those who spurn the goddess, Boa sends the Curse of Timidity.

The Curse has a POW of 2d6+12, which declines one POW per year. To perform any act of courage, such as entering battle or even attempting simple self defense, the former cultist gets one roll of POW (MP) vs Curse POW, to act. If she fails, she will be too terrified to take any action, and will allow the attack, beating, robbery, rape, enslavement, or even murder to happen without struggle.

Associated cults

Ernalda

Babeester Gor gains no spell from Ernalda, she is too different from her mother now. However, she allows cultists who wish to marry to leave her cult in peace if they join the Earth mother cult. Ernalda, for her part, allows the bride to join at equivalent status. Initiate becomes initiate. Priestess becomes priestess. All Gifts and Geases disappear upon changeover, except increases in APP, which remain. Runemagic remains, but becomes one-use.

Maran Gor

Babeester Gor gains command of this spell from her aunt and occasional battle companion.

Crevice

Cost: 1 MP
Range: 180 metres
Duration: Instant
Stackable
Reusable
This spell acts like a single Earth elemental attack vs. one target, doing 4d6 damage to each of the target's legs (armour protects). The target may avoid the damage by rolling under the average of DEX and SIZ multiplied by 5 on percentile dice. The caster may stack Crevice to either add +1d6 damage, or lower the dodge multiple (x4, x3, x2, to a minimum of x1). A Crevice cannot be created on stone, bog, sand, or anything but normal earth.

Miscellaneous Notes

Holy Weapons

Babeester Gor wielded a copper axe, and since that time copper axes have been holy to the cult. These axes may be enchanted for +1 armour/+1 damage per one point of POW; the extra damage only works in the hands of cult initiates.