In Which The Warlock Gets Down to Brass Tacks...

It's been a busy, busy week, oh devoted followers. Just as the school year is about to kick up again, here I am, taking on even more projects.

I would have announced this earlier, but now that I'm done with it, I can finally talk about it a little: I just finished up editing the last few chapters of El Willy's next WEGS 101 book, "Dice Rule". The book focuses more on the Kreator/Minion Master aspects of the game, and how to keep the action fast and furious around the WEGS table. I can't wait to see it hit print--great stuff in there!

Also, I've been working on putting things together for our weekly Pirates of the Underdark game. Our devoted crew has just finished their first ship-to-ship combat, stealing some spider silk from some duergar shippers, as they're en-route to Gracklestugh with their mysterious passenger, Thulmir Quent. We'll see if they're ready for all the chaos once they get there, though!

And, on top of all this...I'm heading back to Blackfall! Yes, I decided to start updating my Wittenberg-infamous city to 4e, with an introduction to the Cathedral of Erudition--the high church in Blackfall's Inner Ward. I'm about 1500 words in, and more's coming. As for now, though...Here's a preview:

The Cathedral of Erudition

The coupling of various gods within one church has never been an uncommon occurrence. Rather, wherever the humanoid races have gathered and mingled, so too has the worship of their gods, sharing one roof and one holy sanctum. So, too, this occurred within the infamous city of Blackfall, at the Cathedral of Erudition.

The combination of faiths at the Cathedral was comprised of three primary faiths: that of Moradin, Erathis, and Ioun. While shrines to other deities were kept and maintained, the Cathedral proper dealt specifically with those three primary deities. The precepts of the the worship of each faith, as well as the doctrine of their combined worship, will be listed below.

One feature of note, before our discussion continues, is the seemingly odd occurrence of the worship of certain evil deities within the Cathedral of Erudition. More specifically, one evil deity continues to be actively worshipped within the Cathedral: Bane. Bane’s portfolio deals specifically with organized warfare, with battle tactics, and with duty and, as such, is not entirely anathema to the precepts of the Cathedral. While Bane’s more negative aspects (tyranny, brutality) are well-known to the populace, these aspects are typically overlooked when he is worshipped within the sanctity of the Cathedral. Warrior-priests of Bane are typically welcomed at the door, but kindly asked to stow their weapons in the cloak-room.

The three primary deities of the Cathedral of Erudition—Moradin, Erathis, and Ioun—are worshipped as the triumvirate that makes civilization possible. Without the divine intervention of these three, city life would be buried under by the wild forces of nature and the evil forces that lurk without Blackfall’s walls. They are collectively viewed as guardians, as divine muses, and as patrons of the arts and sciences. In deference to this triumvirate, the Cathedral of Erudition is governed primarily by three individuals: one devoted specifically to each of the primary deities.