The Iron Lord’s Lesson
There is a legend, or maybe a joke, that when Aroden first arose to divinity, he found Gorum in a small inn. Gorum was a god, and wise Aroden knew gods could not become inebriated. So he asked Gorum, "Why do you drink ale? We both know you can not get drunk."
Gorum replied, "Because."
"Because is not an answer, Gorum," Aroden said.
It was at this point the other patrons finally took notice that they had two of the greater divine in their midst. After the initial exclamations of reverence and surprise, one young woman who was more curious than wise asked, "Please your worshipfulness, I’d like to know. Why do you drink among us?"
Gorum grunted. The crowd, which had grown quite large by this point, stared at Gorum aflame with curiosity, but too wise to anger the god of battle. They waited.
Aroden grinned, as a former mortal he well knew the experience of intoxication. Clever Aroden knew that Gorum would not attack the townsfolk for their impertinence. It went against mighty Gorum’s code to attack those weaker than himself. Besides Aroden was curious as well.
Gorum said nothing. Instead he swept his blade from its scabbard and swung.
At seemingly nothing.
Everyone stared. The god of battle had missed! It was an article of faith that he never missed!
Open mouthes concealed minds working quickly to solve the divine riddle. While the mortals did so, Gorum stepped forward and held out his hand to Aroden. Aroden stood to his feet, as his pants plunged to his ankles. His belt buckle pinging as it clattered to the floor in two pieces.
The wise god laughed at the jest and shook the Lord of Iron’s hand.
Both priests of Gorum and the clergy of Iomedae still tell the tale although with different emphasis. Iomedae’s followers stress that hubris is a sin and that assuming you know how things will turn out will hurt you in the end. Gorum’s faithful instead, use the parable to show the cunning and wisdom of their master.
The Real History
After the divine beings went on their ways, the young lady who had the temerity to question a god found the pieces of Aroden’s buckle and forged them into a holy symbol of Gorum. She used the power of the symbol and the blessings of the Iron Lord to found a short lived dynasty in what is now the River Kingdoms.
The symbol belonged to your mother before you lost her as a child. At least you think so. Your memories of that time are hazy at best. You just knew that the symbol made you feel strong and not so helpless.
Rules
The symbol is a both a relic of Gorum and confers his blessing upon you. So long as you wear it you are never without a weapon. When in battle if you are disarmed or without a weapon in hand you can spend an action to summon the nearest one to your hand. The weapon will fly unerringly to you, and you may use it on your next action with no penalties. This ability does not give you any proficiencies you lack or the traits needed to actually use an item.
As the symbol was once Aroden’s belt buckle it is still inextricably bound to the dead god of humanity. If you ever wield it against an innocent human the symbol will shatter forever. It also empowers your magic when wielded on humans. It adds your Wisdom Modifier to heal spells used on humans. If using the area version of heal you must use this bonus for all humans in the area — even those who oppose you.
The Iron Lord’s Lesson also hates aberrations. If it is ever touched by such a creature it will lose all powers and cease to function as a holy symbol for one day, but the offending aberration will lose half its maximum hit points. This can kill the monster if it had half or less remaining.
| The Iron Lord’s Lesson | Holy Symbol of Gorum | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | - | Bulk | L |
| Aspects | Earth, Life | ||
| Gifts |
|
||