Greater Power of Acheron, LE

* Portfolio: Goblinkind, rulership, war
* Aliases: Maglubiyet
* Domain Name: Avalas/Clangor
* Superior: None
* Allies: Eloéle, the goblin pantheon
* Foes: Belinik, Cuiraécen, the dwarven pantheon, Erik, Haelyn, Kostchtchie, Laerme, Torazan, Yeenoghu
* Symbol: A bloody battle-axe
* Wor. Align: Any non-good

Kartathok, much like his dwarven enemy Moradin, is the chief deity of his own pantheon -- in his case, the gods of Cerilia's goblins. As the goblins of Cerilia are all one race, not having split into goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears as on many other worlds, such a division is not evident in their religious beliefs either. Kartathok is undisputed master of a united pantheon. He is worshiped in all regions of Cerilia, save Brechtür, where only a handful of his followers dwell.

kartathok's avatar

When Kartathok appears to his followers, he takes the form of an immense goblin of terrible aspect. His skin is as black as a moonless night, though his eyes burn with rings of blood-red flame. Kartathok's teeth and claws are made of the sharpest steel, and his powerfully muscled arms are able to uproot trees with ease. Kartathok has the fighting skill of a 16th-level fighter and can cast spells as a 12th-level priest, tending to use spheres
such as combat, charm, elemental earth and fire, law, necromantic, and war.
While Kartathok will dispatch an avatar to assist in the final destruction of an enemy race's realm, he is much more likely to send omens such as blood seeping from a warrior's axe or the odd behavior of the wolves
his followers keep as mounts. These omens are Kartathok's way of showing either his good will or displeasure. If he needs to communicate a message to his followers directly, he is usually much more blunt; he will possess the mind of one of his high priests, and tell his worshipers exactly what he
wants them to know.
Kartathok commands legions of baatezu, brambles (petty faeries), bugbears, Cerilian goblins (common, elite, and huge), dire wolves, goblins, hobgoblins, imps, incarnates (of anger and pride), maelephants, mephits,
reaves, sword spirits, tieflings, wolves, worgs, and vampiric wolves.

the church

* Clergy: Shamans, Specialty Priests, Witch Doctors
* Clergy's Align: LN, LE, NE

While most other races are disgusted with the little they know of Kartathok's worship, and rarely seek to know more, the goblin priests of his temples in such realms as Kal Kalathor, Thurazor, and Urga-Zai have grown so powerful that the lords of those realms will rarely do anything of import without consulting, or at least appeasing, one of Kartathok's high priests. The majority of his priests are shamans (55%), with lucky tribes having a witch doctor instead (25%). However, practically every blooded scion in his temples in Cerilia is a specialty priest (20%). Like all of goblin society, a priest's personal strength determines how high he climbs within the temple ranks; most priests of Kartathok are elite goblins (60%), while the
remainder are either common (25%) or huge (15%).
     Dogma: Kill all who stand against you. Enslave those who are not worthy to die. Take the lands around you and make them yours. War is glory. Riches should be taken from the undeserving. Dominate those around you, for rules and regulations prove who should rise to the top. Remove all opposition, overtly or subtly as you see fit. That which belongs to the tribe, belongs to you. Look out for your own interests above all else, as opposition could be anywhere.
     Day-to-Day Activities: If not the leader of a tribe or nation themselves, Kartathok's priests will always seek to be close advisors of those who are. When not busy with internal matters, they constantly seek to
ready their followers for war with outsiders. Business such as keeping goblin tribe together, recording their history, and caring for the sick and injured are left to priests of the lesser goblin deities. Priests of Kartathok must sacrifice a sentient being to him at least once a month, with the following order of preference: elf, dwarf, human, humanoid, or if nothing else is available, a low-level member of their own temple.
     Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: Every month, under the dark of the new moon, the goblin priests of Kartathok perform incomprehensible and enigmatic rituals in honor of their god, climaxing in blood sacrifice and promises of the destruction of his enemies. Most other Kartathokan ceremonies are just as dark, if not more so. However, there is one surprisingly light holiday celebrated by the goblins of Cerilia -- the remembrance of the goblin uprising against the elves, their slaying of Sidhe Braelachhiem and the ruining of the elves' Golden Age. This uprising took place c. -2968 to -2911 HC; not many goblins know the exact date. The remembrance is celebrated sometime during the weeks before or after the Day of Rebirth, depending on which goblin realm one is in. Great feasts, the burning of elves (mostly in effigy, as live elves are still hard to come by in most goblin realms), and the telling of outrageous goblin legends (mostly lies) are the main traditions.
     Major Centers of Worship: The Tower of Wrath lies within Kal-Murthan, the capital of the Great Goblin Kahnate of Kal Kalathor in Vosgaard. Ruled by the high priest Gorren Splittongue, this fortified amalgamation of earth, stone, and wood is truly a terrible sight to behold for outsiders in the Goblin City. All of the minor goblin deities have shrines nearby, as does the human deity Elyal (known to the Anuireans as Eloéle). No temple in Urga-Zai, Markazor, or even Thurazor comes close to the awful magnificence of this evil structure.
     Affiliated Orders: There are no military orders specifically devoted to Kartathok; the goblins just don't care about his desires that much. During wartime, when Kartathok's priests are most influential (due mainly to their battle and realm spells assisting the troops) many an aspiring young goblin will flock to the temples' call for warriors.
     Priestly Vestments: Kartathok's priests are expected to be war leaders of the goblin peoples, and therefore are constantly armed and armored. While his shamans and witch doctors tend to decorate their garb with dark feathers, small skulls, and the blood of either animals or their enemies, Kartathok's specialty priests tend to keep their equipment spotlessly clean. Red-stained leather and black homespun tend to make up the remainder of their attire.
     Adventuring Garb: There is practically no difference between what the
priests of Kartathok wear when in the field and when they are at home. Most,
however, tend to wear either more or heavier armor, as well as carry a few
extra weapons.

priests

* Requirements: Str 13, Con 10, Wis 9
* Prime Req: Wisdom
* Alignment: LN, LE, NE
* Weapons: Any
* Armor: Any
* Major Spheres: All, Combat, Divination, Healing, Law, Necromantic (reversed for 4th-and higher level spells), Sun (reversed), War
* Minor Spheres: Charm, Creation, Elemental (earth), Guardian, Protection, Summoning, Wards
* Magical Items: As priest, plus fighter
* Power Over Turn: No Undead Command: Yes (at -2 levels)
* Powers: 1) animal empathy as rangers of the same level with regards to all
varieties of wolf (common, dire, etc.); charm person 3) detect good once per
day for every two experience levels 5) strength on 1d4 believers 10) cause
1d6 weapons to automatically do double damage each time they hit for one
turn by touch once per day

proficiencies
Priests of Kartathok gain Ceremony (Kartathok) as a bonus proficiency at
first level. Other proficiencies for members of the church follow.

Approved Temple of Markazor, Goblin's Triumph
Required Proficiency: Battle axe (at 1st level)
Bonus Proficiency: Strategy (at 4th level)

Minions of Kartathok, Swords of Kartathok
Required Proficiency: Battle axe (at 1st level)
Bonus Proficiency: Survival (subarctic forests; at 3rd level)

Shrine of the Yellow Fang
Required Proficiency: Battle axe (at 1st level)
Bonus Proficiency: Leadership (at 4th level)

spells
In addition to the following spells, a priest whose power is great enough to
cast quest spells has access to wolf spirits, even though Kartathok does not
normally offer major access to its required spheres.

Kartathok's Eyes (Alteration)
Level: 1
Sphere: Charm, Elemental (fire)
Range: 0
Components: V, S
Duration: 3 rounds/level
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: The caster
Saving Throw: Special

     After casting this spell, the priest's eyes burst into magical flames
that sputter and flicker erratically. The caster is not harmed by this in
any way, though this is true fire (i.e. it casts light as a candle, can set
combustibles alight, etc.). Kartathok's eyes grants several benefits to the
caster. First, anyone meeting the caster's gaze from within 30 feet must
save vs. spell or hesitate due to the uneasy feelings caused by the spell's
effects, thereby loosing initiative in the next combat round.
     Secondly, if the caster concentrates his gaze on a bladed weapon for 5
rounds, he can heat the blade to such a temperature that the weapon inflicts
1 additional point of damage and prevents regeneration if it strikes an
opponent. This effect will last for 1 round per two levels of the caster.
Finally, while this spell is in operation, all creatures who venerate
Kartathok (including dire wolves) will be awed by the caster, deferring to
him in most situations, and granting the priest a +2 reaction adjustment.

Foebane
(Life Drain, Necromancy)
Level: 3
Sphere: Necromantic
Range: Caster's square
Components: V
Duration: Special
Casting Time: One attack phase
Area of Effect: One enemy unit and one allied unit
Saving Throw: Neg.

     Granted to priests of the goblin gods during time of war, this battle
spell is an expanded version of life drain, the third-level priest spell
found in the Complete Necromancer's Handbook. It allows the priest to drain
one War Card Hit from an enemy unit and immediately transfer that Hit to a
friendly unit within the same battlefield square. The stolen Hit can be used
to heal damage previously done to the allied unit, or it can boost that
unit's number of Hits beyond maximum for up to two War Card rounds per
caster level. Any damage suffered by the allied unit is taken from the
transferred Hit first. Undead units cannot be affected by this spell in any
way.

original By Taragin@sprintmail.com ; revised by Alexander MacLeod