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====== Noloth ======

**Alignment: Neutral**

**Domains:: Death, War, Good, Evil**

The god of death, this deity possesses a split personality. On one side, he eases those who are aged into the passage to the next life. In this way he is a benevolent force that ends the pain of those who suffer. His other personality is much darker, and revels in the chaos and violent death created by war. In these times he brings pain and despair, as hundreds of thousands die in painful ways from wounds and disease and pestilence caused by war. Those who seek a peaceful death are left bereft during these times, as Noloth’s bloodlust utterly consumes him. The priests of Noloth are equally split, as one faction seeks to calm Noloth and bring forth his benevolent and peaceful personality, while the other seeks to stir up conflict and war in order to bring out his bloodlust.\\ —-\\ 

===== Description =====

Noloth, the god of death, is an insane deity that suffers from having a split personality. Originally, in the times before large groups of men, death to violence was a rare occurrence. During this time Noloth was a peaceful god, easing those who suffer or whose time had come into the afterlife, providing rest and relief to their souls. This was a pleasant duty, as those souls that passed beyond were no longer tormented by life, making their passing into Noloth’s awareness a calm and gentle event. In time, the tribes of the sentient races grew, met, and intermingled. Inevitably conflicts occurred, and the first deaths to war entered Noloth’s consciousness. The pain, agony and anguish of those souls hurt Noloth, though he was able to deal with the pain and continue his work for a time. Eventually, as always happens in the history of the sentient races, two great empires came to war, and the initial battle sent thousands of those tormented souls to the afterlife because of their violent deaths. The intensity of the pain, the violence and the death overwhelmed Noloth and droving him mad, splitting his personality into two separate halves. The peaceful side became repressed, replaced by a ravening creature that drew pleasure from the death agonies of those killed in the acts of war. This violent side relishes in all forms of painful death. Famine, pestilence and war all contribute to the blood thirst; this drives Noloth to greater and greater lengths to feed his need for the pain of those suffering souls. Only when both empires eventually fell, completely wiped out except for those few that managed to escape the slaughter did Noloth’s madness fade and his old personality return. Noloth has managed to make both enemies and allies among the other gods, as the two sides of his personality make alliances and friendships. Serena is among the gods that spends the most effort in making sure that Noloth’s mad side does not resurface, as her healing services can keep many of those who would die violently from passing into the afterlife. Paragor tries to bring forth Noloth’s violent side, as the wars and death that inevitably follow feed his strength and provide him with more bodies to serve in his undead legions.

Because almost all the sentient races had been wiped from the continent after that first great war it was assumed that Noloth’s warlike personality would never emerge again. This changed with the arrival of the refugees from Benzor, as once again the sentient races began to spread out and occupy the land. Noloth’s more violent personality has been gaining strength, as the bloodlust begins to resurface at the potential for more pain and suffering brought forth from these new arrivals. Only the relatively peaceful expansion and exploration of the new lands by these refugees has managed to keep the violent personality from becoming dominant once again, and it is feared that any major conflict will again see the rise of the ravening side of Noloth.

===== Temple Structure =====

There are two types of temples to Noloth, one hidden, one public, each associated with one side of Noloth’s personality. The public temples are places of peace and repose where bodies of loved ones are prepared for ritual burials or cremations depending on the wishes of the families. Here souls are cherished and eased into the afterlife, in the hopes that these peaceful transitions will help keep Noloth’s violent side suppressed and at bay. In these temples the priests are organized into tiers, each assigned their own tasks. The lowest tier first learns how to prepare bodies for their final disposition. This includes examining bodies to determine the way they died so that the higher tiers may do what is necessary for the soul’s transition. The second tier of priests communicate directly with the souls of the dead, they assist in putting ghosts to rest, conveying last wishes as well as ensuring that those souls enter their final rest. The third and highest tier of priests governs the domains of life and death, drawing those souls back who should not have passed to their material body. They will also provide this service for those tortured souls they determine are too volatile and may bring forth Noloth’s violent personality. They bring these souls back so they may be counseled to find peace in their remaining life so they will not disturb Noloth.

The secret temples are those dedicated to bringing forth Noloth’s warlike aspect. These temples are dark and bloody places where unfortunate souls are tortured and killed in the most vile and violent ways possible. These pained souls are sent to the otherworld in the hopes that their pain will bring out the warlike personality of Noloth. The only power structure in these temples is what you can take from the others, and bloody duels are commonly establish superiority. Strength is the only measure of control, and death in its most violent forms is common practice.

===== Worshippers =====

Like the deity itself, two separate factions commonly worship this god, those interested in keeping him passive, and those trying to bring out Noloth’s violent side. The first faction is typically Neutral Good in alignment, seeing death as simply passing one state to the next and such passing should be a relief. Worshippers in the second faction are most often Chaotic Evil, sacrificing anyone necessary to bring out Noloth’s anger and violence. Many races follow this side, believing that the coming of Noloth’s violence would allow them to take power.

© 2003, Geoffrey Quick, All rights reserved.
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