> There are still worshipers of Azrai, and he's dead--but many of
> them get spells as well. Is it the Cold Rider, Belinik, Kriesha, or some
> other force we know nothing about? That's something we (the designers)
> chose to let you all hash out in your own campaigns. A debate on this
issue
> could be very interesting ...
>
>
> -- ->-- ->-- ->--@
> Ed Stark
> Game Designer, Wizards of the Coast/TSR Division
> Asst. Brand Manager, BIRTHRIGHT/GREYHAWK/MARVEL Group

Well, the recently released Dead Gods adventure makes it clear that dead
gods dont always stay that way. Death is funny like that in AD&D. There
is still plenty of his "essence" still in the world (hence his bloodline
derivation) and maybe it is some residual effect of that lingering divinity
that allows his remaining followers to cast spells. Surely, though,
Belinik and Kriesha wouldnt spend their own divine power granting spells to
Azrai's remaining priests unless they were at least a little bit concerned
that Azrai is not quite ALL the way dead, as it were. I think it most
likely that in those areas where Azrai is still worshipped, such as the
Gorgon's Crown, the Azrai-worship is actually a thin veil used by powerful
Awnsheghlien to help them promote themselves to divine status, at which
point the pretense of Azrai-worship would be discarded in favor of the
religion the Awnshegh had always had in mind - worship of itself.