Agaleus

The Deity
The Church
Clerics
Holy Warriors
Prestige Classes

AGALEUS, god of Law and Justice

Agaleus is known as the King of Souls and the Final Judge, for all those who die must come before his throne to be judged. He is the patron of judges, lawyers, guardsmen and all those who love the law.

Associations

Agaleus is not generally a popular god.  Most live more in fear of his justice than in hope of it, though this is more a comment on the mortal condition than on the god himself, who is completely fair.  He is most popular in those societies where order is revered.  Human, halfling and dwarven cities often have a temple to Agaleus, while this is rare among the other races.  Nonetheless, all are aware that they will stand before him in the end.

Alignment

Agaleus is Lawful Neutral. However, his laws promote goodness and punish wickedness, so some philosophers argue that he is in fact "good".

Representations

Agaleus is represented as a middle-aged unsmiling man with long black hair and piercing eyes.  He most often bears the Scales of Judgment in his left hand and the naked Sword of Justice in his right.

As a symbol, Agaleus is most often represented by the Sword and the Scales of Justice.  

Among animals, he is represented by a wolfhound, loyal and noble.

Purpose

Agaleus is the judge of mortal souls.  Those who lived lives of great goodness may go on to live with the gods in Heaven, or to reside in bliss in the Fifth Hall of Agaleus, while the extremely evil are sent to the demons of the Abyss.  But most will reside in the halls of Agaleus, his or her afterlife determined by their actions in life, until at last they are reborn into the world.

Agaleus is impartial and just in all his actions.  He knows no prejudice and no lie remains hidden from his probing questions.  On extremely rare occasions, his wife Valendria may move him to pity or mercy, but these are legendary events.

Servants

Of all the gods, more of the Celestial Host is engaged in the service of Agaleus than any other.  They watch over the lives of mortals, shepherd the souls of the dead to his court, and aid in the eventual reincarnation of mortal souls.  Chief among them are:

Hellebore, Malbor's Advocate - This is the only member of the Infernal Host allowed into Heaven.  It is Hellebore's vocation to inform the Judge of Souls of all the evil, petty, secret acts in the life of a mortal who comes before him, and advocate that this or that mortal should be given over to the Abyss.

Farikh ben Al'soud, Soul's Advocate - The greatest mortal jurist who ever lived, Farikh was also of pure heart, and strove to see the good in all who came before him.  Thus, at his death, Agaleus brought the great judge to his court, where he speaks on behalf of each soul to be judged, speaking all the good, noble and noteworthy acts of each life.

Midhael, the Angel of Retribution - When a wrong occurs that is so epic and terrible that the gods demand immediate punishment for the wrongdoer, Agaleus sends his warlike servant Midhael to punish the wicked.

Coram, The Soul Forger - This mighty celestial was once the greatest of Agaleus's apprentices, and now works for Agaleus, reforging the souls of those that are to be reborn.  Prayers for the dead often include an invocation to Coram, pleading for a better life in the future. 

Adhmaer, Master of the First Hall - Adhmaer is he who rules the First Hall, from whence souls may from time to time return to Theeurth.  It is to him, as well as Agaleus, that prayers of raise dead and resurrection are directed.

THE CHURCH - The Courts of Agaleus

Church Description

The church of Agaleus, known as the Courts of Agaleus, is closely concerned with the administration of law and justice in mortal societies.  In most cases, these societies have secular legal systems, but frequently consult with the clerics of Agaleus, who are known to be learned and unbiased. In some cases, the Courts of Agaleus are the justice system.

In many of the nations of the Successor States, although systems of justice are secular, administered in the name of the king, only the Courts of Agaleus are given the power to judge the kings or the royal families. 

The Courts maintain strong ties to the other lawful churches, particularly the Great Church.

Church Structure

The Courts of Agaleus are a strict hierarchy, each Justice or Vigil reporting to a higher, clearly defined, authority.  Each Court has one or more Justices, each of whom fall under the authority of a Prothonotary, usually based in a large city.  Each Prothonotary reports to the single Prolocutor for his nation or region.  The Prolocutors are responsible only to the High Justiciar, who is the supreme patriarch or matriarch of the Order and whose palace is in the Conorrian city of Adamos.

The Vigils are closely tied to the Courts and take their orders from the Prothonotary.  In addition, there are small groups of Inquisitors and Bloodhounds who work within the church.

Doctrine

Justice Comes to All, in This Life or the Next.  The Agaleans believe that no one escapes justice in the end.  While they tirelessly pursue evildoers and lawbreakers in the mortal world, they live in the firm belief that those who escape justice in this world meet their fate at the hands of Agaleus.  For at least one faction within the Courts, justice in this world is therefore a kindness of a sort - it does somewhat to cleanse the soul of the wrongdoer before he is judged at the Final Throne.

Judgment is the Right of All.  Every soul has a right to be judged.  Only the soulless may be slain without a trial and evidence, unless there is no other means to apprehend them or end their wickedness.

Vengeance Belongs only to the Gods.  If everyone were to seek redress for the wrongs committed against them, there would be no justice.  Blood feuds, vendettas and vengeance killings are all strictly against the laws of Agaleus.

Death is a Gift of the Gods. The Courts teach that death is a gift, an end to toil and sorrow, and a chance either for a new life or the rewards of the old one.  It is therefore highly evil to create the undead.

Holy Days

Agaleus has two holy days, The Day of the Dead, and the Day of Atonement.  

The first, celebrated on the 2nd day of the year, is a remembrance of the dead, and is marked by solemn processions to Agalean shrines, and then private ceremonies in the home in honor of one's ancestors and fallen loved ones.  

The second is the day after Midsummer, and it is a day when the faithful pray to Agaleus for mercy and forgiveness of their sins.  On this day, it is believed, Valendria has the most influence over her husband, and so many also sacrifice to her in hopes of her intercession on their behalf.

Preferred Weapon

The preferred weapon of both the Justices and the Vigils is the longsword, the image of the Sword of Justice.

CLERICS - The Justices

The Order

All of the Justices of Agaleus are well-educated and trained in the law.  Their primary duty is to assist in the administration of the law and their counsel is often sought by local leaders.  As such, only those characters who have spent years steeped in the training of the law may become Justices of Agaleus.

Justices are only infrequently be found as adventurers.  When they are, it is often in the wild lands, where order and justice are still primitive, or on a quest involving an important aspect of the Agalean faith.

Titles

Priests of Agaleus are generally simply referred to "Justice" (as in "Gavan, Justice of Agaleus").  However, when being formally introduced or addressed, their full title (prothonotary, prolocutor, etc) will be used.

Domains

A Justice may choose any two of the following domains for his divine spells: Protection, Law, Judgment and the Dead.  The "Judgment" domain is adapted from that in The Divine and the Defeated by Sword and Sorcery Studios.  

Judgment Domain 

Granted Powers: Sense Motive is a Class Skill for you.  In addition, you may make a true strike (as the spell) once per day against anyone who has wounded you within 24 hours.  Invoking the true strike effect is a free action, although you must declare it before you make your attack roll.  True strike is a spell-like ability for Justices.

Judgment Domain Spells:
1. Prevarication's Bounty*
2. Agaleus' Balance*
3. Discern Lies
4. Mark of Evil**
5. True Seeing
6. Divine Talion*
7. Forcecage
8. Shibboleth**
9. Imprisonment

* = Spell found in Relics and Rituals by Sword and Sorcery Studios
** = Spell found in The Book of the Righteous by Green Ronin Publishing.

Spells

The divine spells of the Justices are laid out on this page.

Alignments

All Justices of Agaleus are either Lawful Neutral or Lawful good.  Few of the good-aligned Justices ever rise very high in the hierarchy of Agaleus, though they are somewhat more common among the adventuring Justices.

HOLY WARRIORS* - The Vigils

The Order

The Vigils of Agaleus are dedicated to the pursuit of evildoers.  They bring justice to those who would otherwise be beyond the reach of mortal laws.  They are also adamant foes of the undead and those who seek to create them.  They often work closely with the paladins of the Great Church and the holy warriors of other lawful churches.

Titles
Most vigils are simply referred to as vigils, and addressed as "Sir" or "Dame."  

At tenth level, a vigil gains the title of "Sword".  At this point, any bonds with a particular church are usually severed and the Sword wanders Theeurth, righting wrongs and dealing justice. Swords continue to be addressed as "Sir" or "Dame".

At 15th level, a Sword must travel to Adamos and undergo "The Judgment", a ritual about which none who survive it will speak.  Those who survive are known as "High Vigils" and are thought to have an insight into life and death not possessed by other mortals.

Races - Any race may choose to be a Vigil, though dwarves and humans are the most common.

Hit Die - d10

Class Skills - The Vigil's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: , Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex) and Sense Motive (Wis).  

Weapon and Armor - Vigils are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light, medium and heavy armors, and with shields.  

Righteous Fury - Once per day, the Vigil may call upon the righteous fury of Agaleus to smite the wicked for one round with one normal melee attack. He adds his Charisma modifier (if positive) to his attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per level. This only works for an enemy whom the Vigil is bringing to justice and as such, may only be used against a being with a soul.  It is not enough that the opponent is evil - he must be wanted for a specific crime. 

At 5th level and at every five levels beyond that, the Vigil may use Righteous Fury one additional time per day, to a maximum of 5/day at 20th level. Righteous Fury is a supernatural ability.  

Save Soul - Any ally of the Vigil who is within 10 times his Charisma modifier feet is marked as protected and does not easily cross over into death.  When he would otherwise die, his soul is not parted from his body.  This also applies to negative energy attacks that would reduce the character's Constitution to 0.   The spirit will remain at rest within the body so long as it remains within range of the Vigil.  If returned to a Court of Agaleus, special rituals (equal to a raise dead spell, but Theeurth does not allow the raising of the dead) may reinvigorate the body and allow the spirit to live again.

Gaze of Justice - At 2nd level, the Vigil gains a piercing stare that sees deep into the mortal heart.  Gifted by Agaleus, the Vigil is able not only to better discern peoples' intent, but he is also able to make those with guilty consciences feel that they are caught and judged.  The Vigil gains Intimidate as a class skill, and gains a bonus to both Intimidate and Sense Motive equal to his Charisma modifier.

Turn Undead - A Vigil may begin to turn Undead at 2nd level, and can turn undead exactly as a cleric of one level lower.  He may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier.  However, when he reaches 4th level and gains the "turn undead" power that other holy warriors receive, he may begin to double his charisma modifier when rolling his turning damage.

Shield of Righteousness - When the Vigil of 3rd level or greater is in battle with known criminals, he is protected by the just will of Agaleus.  As such, he receives a +4 bonus to his armor class and all saving throws for the duration of the combat.  This only works for an enemy whom the Vigil is bringing to justice and as such, may only be used against a being with a soul.  It is not enough that the opponent is evil - he must be wanted for a specific crime.

Counterspell: Necromancy - Once per day per Vigil level, the Vigil may chant prayers to Agaleus.  So long as he continues to chant, he and any allies within 10 feet times his Charisma modifier receive mystic protection against necromantic spells. They receive a bonus to their saving throws equal to the Vigil's Charisma modifier against all necromantic spells.  If a saving throw is not normally allowed, the Vigil and his allies receive special saving throws, but without the Charisma modifier bonus.

The Counterspell is even more effective, however, against the following spells when cast by an evil caster: a cleric's Death Domain "death touch" ability, and the spells death knell, slay living and destruction.  When the evil spellcaster touches his target, the blasphemy catches up to him and is reversed, affecting the caster instead of the target.

Gift of Agaleus - Beginning at 6th level, the Vigil can discern lies once per week, as the spell.   He can use this ability one additional time per week for every three levels thereafter (twice at 9th, three times at 12th, etc.)

At 12th level, the Vigil may use a discern lies or a mark of justice effect, interchangeably. 

Spells - Beginning at 4th level, the Vigil gains the ability to cast a few divine spells, listed here.

Mount

Vigils of Agaleus may call upon a heavy warhorse for their special mount.  

Code of Conduct

Vigils of Agaleus never lie, cheat, steal or allow an injustice to be done, however small.  In cases where an injustice will result no matter what, the Vigil must simply do his best to minimize the damage.  Vigils obey all legitimate laws, but will disobey unjust laws if necessary.

Associates

Vigils are concerned with the goodness and justice of their companions, but understand that not everyone can live as they do.  Those who oppose injustice even while breaking unjust laws are acceptable associates for a Vigil.  Those who flout just laws are not.

Alignments

All vigils are lawful good.

PRESTIGE CLASSES
of the Agalean Faith

Inquisitor - Seeking out the enemy within

Bloodhound - In tireless pursuit of the wicked

* The Holy Warrior Class is derived from The Book of the Righteous by Green Ronin Publishing.  Details can be found here.