Added the Bearded God to the front page. Adding here too for convenience:

The Bearded God
The Lawgiver, He of the Long Axe, Lord of Iron

Alignment: ???

Domains: Courage, Mysticism, War

Known Supernatural Servitors: ???

The Church: The Bearded Priests of Norvos serve a god whose name is known only to them, though beyond the temple's hallowed grounds they act with what they term straightforward honesty and their foes call 'blunt as an iron cudgel'. The wise man might consider that they have ruled Norvos ever since its founding, regardless of the machinations of its nobles. Beyond the wearing of beards as a distinctive sign of their calling, all the priests of Norvos are required by their faith to bear an axe, ever ready to defend the faithful of the Lord of Iron from those who would wound or yoke them. Once each year, all priests are expected to take part in ceremonial duels against newly-inducted Hearth-Guards, the city's slave soldiers. While they are not expected to win, especially when a priest becomes too old to 'bear the axe with honor' as judged by his peers, they must surrender all signs of authority and power within the church and withdraw into silent meditation and fasting until the end finds them. While some priests find this to be a shameful way to meet their god, instead preferring death in battle, others argue that to live until 'your hand can no longer carry the axe' is the ultimate proof of one's skills as a warrior and protector of the city.

Tenets of the Faith: Above all else the Lawgiver proclaimed upon the world, the virtues of honesty, courage, temperance, and humility in the face of both the divine and one's fellow man who are all made in the image of the god. Austerity is thus a good guard against sins and excesses of the flesh, with the measured lives under the voice of the Three Bells marking the broad bounds of a life of virtue. Truly great sins can only be expunged through pain suffered during the hardships of battle or as self-inflicted trials in times of peace, most often in the form of self-flagellation. While the Faith of the Lord of Iron has no true universal mandate to convert the world, apostasy among his chosen, those saved from the debauchery of Valyria and the fires of the Doom, is harshly punished.

Worshipers by Region: Norvos and its domains.

Infrastructure: Grand temple in Norvos, Major temples in all its vassal cities
Here's an edited version of the entry, DP.

BTW, here's a couple spells which might be considered sacred among the Faithful of the Bearded God; Ironbeard, Silverbeard.
 
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Inserted tally
Adhoc vote count started by Goldfish on Jun 27, 2020 at 6:30 AM, finished with 48 posts and 11 votes.

  • [X] Offer them some good trade contacts in various ports of call in the Imperium, either your own personal ones or people you know will mesh well with the kind of industries they have their hands dipped into, the type of inside information one who did regular monitoring of publicly traded stock via ACSEC might have access to, as well as some expensive gifts with an aim of being more samples of the type of otherworldly or just far-off exotic goods that Silver Serpent traders carry in their manifests (it being specialized in perishables which are stored via magic or just high-end luxury items exploiting the foreign markets of the Planes). 5,000 IM should be enough to get a good idea of the quality and variety of things that pass through your customs.
    -[X] Tender a more direct relationship once the Imperium has established relations with Norvos more formally (which is basically thinly veiled for implying you will annex it sooner or later, and the nature of your business relationship will vary depending how you approach that prospect).
 
Part MMMDLXXIX: By Harsh Paths
By Harsh Paths


Twenty Eight Day of the First Month 294 AC

You meet Belfir, Lord of House Malthor, not in a study surrounded by fire furnishings and the treasures of his house, but in a courtyard where a fountain carved in the likeness of twin dolphins burbles quietly to the high walls and the patch of sky visible overhead, the sun pale and wan as the face of the ailing lord. Though he cannot have seen more than fifty years he moved to greet you with a hesitant step, and not just because of trepidation at your true identity and those of your companions. In a land that that counts a great virtue the strength and hardiness of being a warrior he was not granted much respect, you gather as much from what he does not say and from what he does.

He tensed when Tyene offered to heal him, but accepted kinship however distant having gained her that much trust. When the magic proves her true to her words he is much more at ease in your strange and unexpected company, and much more happy to talk of trade and the profits thereof.

Talk of a more direct relationship once the Imperium has established relations with Norvos more formally are met with seeming incomprehension to the implications. The instincts of a cautious man. You can respect that, even when it is not in your favor. Ultimately you did not come here to lay the foundation for the conquest of Norvos, but to find out who the Hells thought it was a good idea to seed sedition and banditry in your realm.

As it transpires you barely have to go through the full account before Belfir spits: "Harrowers, only ones mad enough to try, I'd stake my right hand on it."

"Who or what are Harrowers?" Dany asks frowning faintly.

To his credit the Norvoshi lord does not take being questioned by a child poorly, beyond a single bemused look. "Fanatics who think a Second Harrowing is coming, or perhaps the end of days." He pauses, obviously taking in the lack of understanding. A touch awkwardly he continues, "The Doom of Valyria, the Century of Blood, we call it the Harrowing of the Lord of the Long Axe, when the true metal was parted from the dross, the righteous following the Path of Iron and the wicked, like those who follow the Beast of Qohor, falling into the flames. The Harrowers are the ones who think it is happening again and you are, er..."

"Valyria come again," you interject, raising an eyebrow in askance. "I will admit to the dragons, but those were hardly unique to the Freehold. One would think the end to slavery might be some indication that I do not intend to make the Freehold's mistakes."

"That does not make you more pleasing to the Harrowers, Your Grace," Lord Malthor shrugs. "They say you are a creature of the Red Devil, come to rain down fire on us all. Madness of course. What else are you to do but leave them be? If you would drive them from their temples your cities would be ablaze in a fortnight." From the way he speaks of R'hllor it is clear he has no great love of the Red God even though he does not fear Him as much as these 'Harrowers'.

"There is no god held above another in Sorcerer's Deep," Garin offers, speaking up for the first time. Among all of you he alone had not given his full titles in greeting and so he had not been much in the lord's eye, just as he preferred. All the better really, 'High Inquisitor' may give the wrong impression.

"Ah, but you see that only makes you more akin to Valyria of old, a way to deceive the decadent heathen magisters before they are fed into the flames," Belfir scoffs before taking another long drink of the Dornish Red he brought out in honor if Tyene. "A fertile ground for deviltry they call it. How the Lawgiver can favor such fools with his miracles I shall never know..." the words, the near blasphemy, are spoken enough that merely human ears would have struggled to hear them.

A brief conversation by brazier with Golden Shores confirms that the mages who worked against you indeed consider themselves 'Heralds of the Second Harrowing', which leaves you in something of a conundrum. On the one hand you could speak to the Voice of the Lawgiver, the head of the cult, about the outrage perpetrated upon your realm and ask that he censure his followers. On the other you could take your complaint directly to the First Axe of the City and currently leader of the Harrowers, but from what you hear of his reputation he is unlikely to take any challenge from heathens well. This is also the man responsible for persecuting the Red Faith in Norvos. You do not mistake the reason Dany wants to meet the man.

"Do they have trial by combat in Norvos? I'm betting I could beat him," she confirms your suspicion.

"Warrior's balls," Sandor cruses under his breath, drawing a laugh from Waymar.

What do you do about the knowledge that a public and politically influential faction in Norvos helped sow dissent and banditry in your lands?

[] Speak to the Voice of the Lawgiver

[] Publicly confront the First Axe

[] Write in


OOC: And here we are, one piece of the puzzle you were missing because your inquisitors are not exactly well read on current Novoshi religious factions.
 
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I was just doing some lore research on Aboleths. One click lead to another, then another, an eventually I found Basrakal.

I know we already have our hands full, but this seems like it could be a very interesting and useful place to visit, and one which wouldn't end up making us new enemies or drawing us into long side plots. It's a huge independent city that exists out in the Maelstrom and is populated almost entirely by Outsiders (about 713,400 of them) who have rejected their innate Alignments; Fallen Angel, Enlightened Devils, Chaotic Inevitables, etc. I don't think we could find a better place to recruit Outsiders to our cause or find survivors of the Breaking who might have useful information about the Void and what brought it to Heaven.
 
By Harsh Paths

Twenty Eight Day of the First Month 294 AC

You meet Belfir, Lord of House Malthor, not in a study surrounded by fine furnishings and the treasures of his house, but in a courtyard where a fountain carved in the likeness of twin dolphins burbles quietly to the high walls and the patch of sky visible overhead, the sun pale and wan as the face of the ailing lord. Though he cannot have seen more than fifty years, he moved to greet you with a hesitant step and not just because of trepidation at your true identity and those of your companions. In a land that that counts a great virtue the strength and hardiness of the warrior, he was not granted much respect, you gather as much from what he does not say as from what he does.

He tensed when Tyene offered to heal him, but eventually accepted. Kinship, however distant, gained her that much trust. When the magic proves her true to her words, he is much more at ease in your strange and unexpected company, and much more happy to talk of trade and the potential profits it might bring.

Talk of a more direct relationship once the Imperium has established more formal relations with Norvos are met with seeming incomprehension to the implications. The instincts of a cautious man. You can respect that, even when it is not in your favor. Ultimately, you did not come here to lay the foundation for the conquest of Norvos, but to find out who the hells thought it was a good idea to seed sedition and banditry in your realm.

As it transpires, you barely have to go through the full account before Belfir spits, "Harrowers, only ones mad enough to try, I'd stake my right hand on it."

"Who or what are Harrowers?" Dany asks, frowning faintly.

To his credit, the Norvoshi lord does not take being questioned by a child poorly, beyond a single bemused look. "Fanatics who think a Second Harrowing is coming, or perhaps the end of days." He pauses, obviously taking in the lack of understanding. A touch awkwardly, he continues, "The Doom of Valyria, the Century of Blood, we call it the Harrowing of the Lord of the Long Axe, when the true metal was parted from the dross, the righteous following the Path of Iron, and the wicked like those who follow the Beast of Qohor falling into the flames. The Harrowers are those who think it is happening again and you are, er..."

"Valyria come again," you interject raising an eyebrow in askance. "I will admit to the dragons, but those were hardly unique to the Freehold. One would think the end to slavery might be some indication that I do not intend to make the Freehold's mistakes."

"That does not make you more pleasing to the Harrowers, Your Grace," Lord Malthor shrugs. "They say you are a creature of the Red Devil, come to rain down their fire on us all. Madness of course. What else are you do do but leave them be. If you would drive them from their temples, your cities would be ablaze in a fortnight." From the way he speaks of R'hllor, it is clear he has no great love of the Red God, even though he does not fear Him as much as these 'Harrowers'.

"There is no god held above another in Sorcerer's Deep," Garin offers, speaking for the first time. Among all of you, he alone had not given his full titles in greeting and so he had not been much in the lord's eye, just as he preferred. All the better really; the title of 'High Inquisitor' may gave the wrong impression.

"Ah, but you see that only makes you more akin to Valyria of old, a way to deceive the decadent heathen magisters before they are fed into the flames," Belfir scoffs before taking another long drink of the Dornish Red he brought out in honor if Tyene. "A fertile ground for deviltry they call it. How the Lawgiver can favor such fools with his miracles I shall never know..." the words, the near blasphemy, are spoken so softly that merely human ears would have struggled to hear them.

A brief conversation by brazier with Golden Shores confirms that the mages who worked against you indeed consider themselves 'Heralds of the Second Harrowing', which leaves you in something of a conundrum. On the one hand, you could speak to the Voice of the Lawgiver, the head of the cult, about the outrage perpetrated upon your realm and ask that he censure his followers. On the other, you could take your complaint directly to the First Axe of the City and current leader of the Harrowers, but from what you hear of his reputation, he is unlikely to take any challenge from heathens well. This is also the man responsible for persecuting the Red Faith in Norvos. You do not mistake the reason Dany wants to meet the man.

"Do they have trial by combat in Norvos? I'm betting I could beat him," she confirms your suspicion.

"Warrior's balls," Sandor curses under his breath, drawing a laugh from Waymar.

What do you do about the knowledge that a public and politically influential faction in Norvos helped sow dissent and banditry in your lands?

[] Speak to the Voice of the Lawgiver

[] Publicly confront the First Axe

[] Write in


OOC: And here we are, one piece of the puzzle you were missing because your inquisitors are not exactly well read on current Novoshi religious factions. Not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.
 
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We'd have to send a group, can't go there ourselves without breaking the first of their very, very few laws.
Viserys doesn't know he can grant Divine magic yet, I think. He's not done so up to this point, at least.

Even if we had to send a group without Viserys, it could still be a very fruitful trip. I bet it would be a great interlude series.
 
[X] Crake
While turning half the city to cinders and their priests into memory works, point here is not looking like Valyria re-imagined. Going to the First Axe is like Asmy claiming umbrage fiendish plots were disrupted.
 
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Most people would reconsider their plots if Old Red personally stands on their doorstep.

I picked Asmy for exactly that simile, yes. Too powerful to spit in our face and they know it, yet too alien to ever make peace with. We'd intimidate some peeps, receive some insincere affirmations.. And then what? Leaning on them more is war on the spot. Are you in a conquering mood, right here and now?
 
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Сan we confront both of them at the same time?

We are important enough for both to meet us at once, and I daresay our social mojo can impress on both of them the gravity of the situation well enough.
 
[X] Arrange to meet both under the circumstances, at the very least if the First Axe dares to challenge you it will be before you have made precipitous announcements like how unworthy prosecuting an undeclared war against those who aren't even soldiers was.
-[X] Which, incidentally, would rather punctuate how total, brutal and sudden your suppression of the bandits and mages by the tread of your Legions was.
-[X] It will also clearly show him to be undermining the head of the cult in about as outrageous a fashion as you can think of, by challenging a foreign head of state in front of his head of faith.
-[X] You are more than happy to give them the opportunity to make a spectacle of themselves.
--[X] As things stand, and how you intend to approach both, you have little use for subtlety as these two likely do.
--[X] You have decent enough physical evidence and they both have understanding enough of divination that unless they would like to risk sounding incompetent. It should be simple enough to lay out the claim of Norvosi provocateurs fighting an undeclared war in the Eastern Flatlands. Perhaps they were preparing to do the same elsewhere, before your violent response at any rate.
--[X] They will make restitution toward the communities damaged by this campaign of madness.
--[X] If prompted for your 'or else what?' you will state that to start Norvos will face serious sanctions, harshly raised tariffs, and ultimately a complete embargo on trade with them. It depends on how long they dither.
--[X] Should the raids continue however you will do much worse.
 
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[X] Arrange to meet both under the circumstances, at the very least if the First Axe dares to challenge you it will be before you have made precipitous announcements like how unworthy prosecuting an undeclared war against those who aren't even soldiers was, which would rather punctuate how total, brutal and sudden your suppression of the bandits and mages by the tread of your Legions was. It will also clearly show him to be undermining the head of the cult in about as outrageous a fashion as you can think of, by challenging a foreign head of state in front of his head of faith. You are more than happy to give them the opportunity to make a spectacle of themselves.
-[X] As things stand, and how you intend to approach both, you have little use for subtlety as these two likely do. You have decent enough physical evidence and they both have understanding enough of divination that unless they would like to risk sounding incompetent, it should be simple enough to lay out the claim of Norvosi provocateurs fighting an undeclared war in the Eastern Flatlands, and perhaps preparing to do the same elsewhere, before your violent response at any rate.
-[X] They will make restitution toward the communities damaged by this campaign of madness. If prompted for your 'or else what?' you will state that to start Norvos will face serious sanctions, harshly raised tariffs, and ultimately a complete embargo on trade with them. It depends on how long they dither.
-[X] Should the raids continue however you will do much worse.

So, save for Qohor, we control all their neighbours. We can really do a lot of damage with trade embargos.

[X] Crake
 
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