Orlag, the Keeper of Secrets

“So much knowledge has been lost to the ages, it is our job to recover what has been forgotten or die trying.”

—    Professor Agrippo Gorinus Fludinus, high priest of Orlag

Alternate Names: Cyfrin (elf), Eruditio (gnome), Gealdor (halfling), Meduuts (dwarf), Tudok (orc)

Expanded Domains: Air, Artifice, Earth, Exploration, Knowledge, Language, Rune

Portfolio: divination, history, knowledge, language, restoration, ruins, secrets

Knowledge (religion) DC 10:

God of knowledge both known and hidden, Orlag is beseeched by scholars, researchers, and archaeologists alike for blessings and insight. Known as the Keeper of Secrets and Archivist of the Gods, it is said that Orlag knows all that there is to be known and that no secrets can be kept from him.

     Orlag is most often portrayed in art as a weathered human male with a trimmed goatee and mustache in rough clothes suited for long digs. No temples or churches to Orlag exist, but every library, museum, and archaeological dig site has at least one alter for prayers.

Knowledge (religion) DC 15:

Orlag’s demands of offerings from his worshipers are very simple: he requires a burning of incense during study, research, and digs. The recovery of lost artifacts and knowledge is far more important to him than elaborate rituals and prayers.

     Divination magic is considered to be the first gift that Orlag gave to the mortal races. Nicknamed Orlag’s Wind, divination magic gives the feel of being in the center of a wind funnel, the strength of the wind determined by the strength of the spell, as what they are seeking is revealed. In all but the weakest of spells, divination magic influences the winds around the caster. The rare hurricanes that hit the Green Coast are believed to have been caused by divination rituals with a dozen or more participants.

     While no temples or churches dedicated to Orlag exist, every gambling den outside of the hobgoblin empire is run by a priest of Orlag. The biggest prizes are always the funding of an archaeological expedition, leading to gnomes being some of the biggest gamblers in the Green Coast.

Knowledge (religion) DC 20:

Once, many eons ago, Orlag approached Maidanaa to resolve a bet with Tetsuor. Whispering to the goddess that he knew her darkest secret, Orlag did not expect her response to be as violent as it was: slapping him in the face five times before storming away. Approaching Tetsuor, Orlag conceded that the sea god was correct in his prediction of her reaction.

     Maidanaa however, spent the next several years in seclusion fuming. For years, the silver moon would not appear in the sky. Finally, after several decades Orlag approached the still furious Maidanaa and apologized for his behavior. Though she accepted his apology, she calmly told Orlag that he wasn’t forgiven.

     Though Maidanaa left seclusion, she still occasionally feels the need to be by herself lest she do something to Orlag that she regrets. In these times, the silver moon is absent from the night sky. Occasionally, Aelma will try to get the siblings to reconcile, but Maidanaa can hold a grudge longer than Moros. When feeling particularly furious, Maidanaa will sometimes meet with the Eternal Laughter to discuss possible means of vengeance. The first time this happened, the King of Beasts approached Orlag the next day and asked what he was thinking angering Maidanaa, some of her ideas for vengeance even creeped him out.

Knowledge (religion) DC 25:

The upper echelons of Orlag’s clergy are told of a terrible, horrifying secret. Certain caves in the mountains go deep down to caverns and tunnels that stretch the breadth of the Green Coast and beyond. Dwelling within this underground realm are vast kingdoms of dark, twisted, ravenous, undead entities.

     These ghoul kingdoms stretch further than any surface kingdom in recorded history, and if they were to come to the surface then they would overrun the Green Coast in a matter of days. Though no signs of such have been found, some believe that the ghoul kingdoms are opposed by some enemy that manages to survive the Undercrypt, as the first discoverers dubbed it.

     The strongest evidence is simply that the ghouls haven’t invaded the surface to feast on the living. Divination magic has revealed the aristocracy of these kingdoms feasting on living flesh, but any opposition seems to employ some means to counter scrying.

Organization: Association for the Advancement of Alchemical Knowledge (Alchemist’s Society)

“There are a few means of advancing knowledge, with the Manius Method being the best that we have discovered thus far. That is, provided the bleating of close-minded, ignorant sheep doesn’t drown us out.”

— Professor Numerius Suedius Olympicus, high standing member of the Alchemist’s Socierty

The Alchemist’s Society

Founded around one hundred fifty years ago by a group of alchemists employed by the University of Woodfall, the Alchemist’s Society is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in all its forms. While they work closely with the Order of the Hospitar, the Alchemist’s Society is entirely funded by the clergy of Orlag.

     The original form of the Society was much humbler than the extensive research facilities and libraries they use today: it was a group of seven co-workers meeting at the bar and complaining about their jobs. While drinking, they would gripe about experiments that weren’t working and others would comment with things that they knew or had discovered independently. At the time alchemists and researchers in general hoarded their secrets. After a few years of meeting over drinks, the founding seven brought their apprentices with them. Everything snowballed from there.

     After several years, the young Alchemist’s Society was having difficulty securing funding to continue their research independent of the university. When one of the original apprentices came to work bemoaning that his entire paycheck was lost on a single game of dice, one of his fellows had an idea. Taking his idea to the head of the Society, the clergy of Orlag was soon approached by one of the apprentices with a proposal: in exchange for sharing everything that they discover, the clergy of Orlag would give the Alchemist’s Society all the required finding for their research and experiments.

     It was one of the easiest decisions that any priest of Orlag had ever made.

Code of Conduct: Paladins of Orlag

“I was starving in the village green, when this knight with a feather etched into his armor came through town. He took one look at me, and led me into the woods. He showed me how to choose a good wood, how to tie a string, how to make a hook, how to catch a fish, how to clean it, and how to cook it. I’ve had food in my belly every night since.”

— Homeless man in the village Lumberhall, just north of the Black Ash River

The following applies to those that would call themselves paladins of the faith, not just any follower of Orlag.

-          Preserve knowledge in all its forms, regardless of how deplorable or vile that knowledge is. Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

-          Share knowledge that you uncover. Do not hoard it to yourself.

-          Be generous yet frugal with your lifestyle. Give money to causes that need it, do not spend it on yourself beyond what is needed.

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