The Nine Observers of Githas

The men of the east kingdoms of Githas are a mysterious sort, warlike and squabbling amongst themselves, but they hold to their own gods, old gods with no names of their own but titles. Clerics of the Githean Pantheon serve no particular god, but the entire pantheon, and there are no temples on Githas. Their gods are the Thief, the Blade, the Healer, the Lord, the Lady, the Crone, the Sorceror, the Builder, and the Outsider. Their pantheon are known as the Nine Observers, or just as the Nine or the Observers. All of the Nine Observers are either Chaotic Neutral or Lawful Neutral, as they each represent many aspects of their central theme. All of The Observers grant the traditional cleric major and minor spheres.

The Thief is the god of clandestine activities, of smuggling, or secrets and of plots, and of things kept in shadow. He is, as expected, prayed to by thieves, but also by any who have reason to want to keep things hidden. The Thief is the patron of the poor, the weak and the small; those who cannot take what they need by strength and must do so with their wits instead. Priests of The Thief gain 5% Hide in Shadows every level or add a one-time bonus of 10% to their Hide in Shadows score if they are already thieves. Their favoured weapons are the dagger and shortbow.

The Blade is depicted as a tall, stern-faced armoured knight, who wields a massive two-handed sword in his hands. He is the god of prowess by combat, strength in arms, and might. He is worshipped by warriors, by those who are undergoing a trial, and by those who need to leave aside subtlety and carve their own path ahead of them. The Blade grants the ability of a weapon specialisation to his priests, or an additional weapon specialisation at first level if the priest is also a fighter. Any weapon may be used by a priest of the blade.

The Healer is depicted as a tall, robed man with a stern expression, possibly an aspect of Enod. He is the god of charity, of healing and of gifts freely given. The Healer is no fool and is not bilked out of his wealth by conmen, but offers simple, hard charity to those who are in need; none will be turned aside. The Healer allows his servants to remove fear and dull pain with a soothing prayer. The Healer's clerics are restricted to weapons that can be used to entrap, entangle or knock unconscious rather than killing.

The Lord is the commander, the judge, the jury the executioner. He represents rulership, cold and hard. He is worshipped by rulers, leaders and any man who must make a difficult decision for those beneath him. The Lord advocates swift, neutral justice without the thought of vengeance behind it, and is above all a fair ruler. The Lord's priests gain the ability to improve reactions to commands or requests by one step, due to an aura of authority that they exude. They favour staves, maces and hammers.

The Lady is obviously worshipped by rulers, but also by any who wish someone protected. She is seen as the mother of all men, and all men come under her maternal protections. Women pray to her for their husbands in wars, merchant wives pray that their husbands will return by sea, and the pregnant pray that she will deliver their child safely. Priests of the Lady may used daggers or staves, and may cast Sanctuary on someone by concentrating intently. The Sanctuary is broken under the normal conditions or if she stops concentrating. All priests of the Lady are female.

The Crone is a figure which disconcerts many, but is no less revered for it. She represents wisdom and the knowledge of years. On the face of it, the Crone represents the elder, and the wisdom and knowledge that canonly be accumulated by experience. She is a guide, too wizened to have her own goals any more, but still strong enough to send others down their path; she is prayed to for guidance, understanding and wisdom. The Crone is also worshipped by the Wise Women, by those seeking ancient arcane lore. She is a witch, a crone, a norn, a fate, a weird and she holds terrifying power against those who irk her. The Crone grants her priests the power to beseech her for wisdom once per day, thouh she will answer their questions vaguely, usually only with a "feeling" for low-level priests. Priests of the Crone may use either staves or daggers, and are always female.

The Sorceror is in many ways a male counterpart to the Crone. He represents the dominion over the worlds of matter and spirit through the use of sorcery; command over the very elements themselves and mastery of the arcane ways. The Sorceror is all about control, command, mastery, even as the Crone is about wisdom and guidance. In addition to magic-users, the Sorceror is revered by anyone learning a trade or skill and by those who wish to take power for themselves. Priests of the Sorceror favour daggers and staves, and gain the ability to command summoned and extraplanar beings on the material plane as if they were undead.

The Builder is almost as widely prayed to as the Lady, for his work is part of the lives of most. He is the god of construction, of bulding, of creation and a job well done. Anyone trying to create something, be it a brick, a house, a ship or just a loaf of bread, prays to him. Anyone who wishes for a castle's walls to last, or a sword not to break, prays to him. The Builder favours hammers and axes, and grants his priests the ability to to strengthen material by grasping it. This can make items significantly harder to break, affects a door or gate as if sealed with Hold Portal, and strengthens walls and fortifications to make them harder to breach.

The Outsider is the most feared of the Nine Observers, rarely prayed to except to pay him lip service, as none wish to draw his attention. He is mystery, he is shadow, and he is the unknown. It is said that he looks into the world often, more often than any of the other gods, and plays games with the mortals that amuse him, granting them power to see what they do with it. The Outsider has few priests, but it is said that each of them have different abilities, as he grants whatever he pleases to them. His priests may use any weapon.