Heironeous
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Greyhawk Deity | |
|---|---|
| Heironeous | |
| Title(s) | The Archpaladin, the Invincible, the Valorous Knight |
| Home Plane | Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia |
| Power Level | Intermediate |
| Alignment | Lawful Good |
| Portfolio | Chivalry, Justice, Honor, War, Daring, Valor |
| Domains | Law, Good, Nobility, Planning, War |
| Alias(es) | none |
| Superior | none |
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and the default pantheon of deities for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Heironeous is the Oeridian god of Chivalry, Justice, Honor, War, Daring, and Valor. His holy symbol is a silver lightning bolt, often clutched in a fist.
Contents |
[edit] Description
Heironeous appears as a tall human man in fine chainmail with auburn hair. His skin is a coppery shade, and impervious to all but the mightiest weapons due to a secret solution known as meersalm. His signature weapon is the longsword.
[edit] Relationships
The half-brother and sworn enemy of Hextor, Heironeous is the son of Stern Alia, the goddess of Oeridan Culture, Motherhood, and Law. Another brother, Stratis, is mentioned in literature for the Chainmail miniatures game in Dragon Magazine #285, but he is deceased. Hieroneous considers all other gods who stand against evil to be allies, while those deities who promote suffering and evil he regards as foes. His strong adherence to Law sometimes brings Heironeous into conflict with Trithereon.
[edit] Dogma
Heironeous sees the world as deadly place, filled with perpetual challenges and trials for those who battle for justice and defend the weak and innocent. His followers should strive always act with honor and chivarly, and to uphold justice. Danger is to be faced head-on, with calm and resolve. Those who defeat evil are rewarded with Glory, while those who uphold the tenets of the Archpaladin are rewarded with Virtue.
[edit] Scriptures
[edit] Worshippers
The faith of Heironeous is a very militaristic one, launching crusades against evil and championing causes. As one would expect, many soldiers, city watchmen, mercenaries, and others who make their living by the sword find themselves honoring the Archpaladin.
[edit] Clergy
Priests of Heironeous often travel the world on orders from their superiors to seek out and destroy evil. Older priests often work as strategists, military instructors, or judges. Several of the faith's most powerful clerics, seeking to gain the benefits of meersalm, have had themselves embalmed alive with the substance, though some have not survived the ritual. Their favored weapons are the longsword and battleaxe.
[edit] Paladins
Large numbers of paladins in the Flanaess follow Heironeous, as he himself is one. Because of this, and his utter dedication to Law and Good, paladins of Heironeous can be among the most devout, albeit overbearing, people on the Material Plane. The ancient Oeridian hero Arnd of Tdon is credited with establishing the first order of paladins among the Oeridian tribes before the Great Migrations. The hero-deity Murlynd was also paladin of Heironeous, and his order of White Paladins is actually part of Heironeous's ecclesiastical hierarchy.
[edit] Temples
Temples, chapels, and shrines to Heironeous can be found throughout the Flanaess. His church is the favored state religion of Nyrond and the Shield Lands, and his faith is also strong in Bissel, Furyondy, Gran March, the Free City of Irongate, Keoland, Sterich, and the County of Urnst. Notable houses of worship include the Sanctum of Heironeous in Greyhawk City, as well as a chapel at Diamond Lake.
[edit] Myths and legends
[edit] Sibling rivalry
Heironeous and his half-brother Hextor were both born to Stern Alia, called the Shield Mother, goddess of Oeridian Culture, Motherhood, and Law. Alia had many lovers, and was often out visiting them even after the births of her sons. When Heironeous was born, his skin was anointed with a special salve called meersalm that made him virtually invulnerable. Hextor was not given this salve, and as a result he was always weaker in battle than his brother.
Even so, at first the brothers were not enemies, though their differing temperaments gradually became clear. When Savnok, a servant of the brothers, stole the armor of Stern Alia and used its power to set up a dictatorship in the mortal world, Hextor's instinct was to hide Savnok's body (after he had killed him with one of his mother's arrows), put the weapons and armor back, and pretend nothing had happened. Heironeous' instincts were to tell the truth to his mother and face the consequences, but his desire to protect his weaker brother caused him to uncomfortably acquiesce to the scheme.
As they grew older, their opposite natures made them rivals. Frustrated at his relative weakness, Hextor made a bargain with the Lords of Evil, gaining two new pairs of arms grafted on to his torso. From then on, he and Heironeous were equals in combat.
Initially, their rivalry was viewed as healthy for the Oeridian culture. The followers of the respective gods would struggle to outdo one another, to prove that their respective philosophies were superior. This would drive the culture as a whole to greater and greater heights. Since the Turmoil Between Crowns (437-446 CY), a civil war in the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, the faith of Heironeous has been marginalized there, powerful champions of Heironeous have defected to Nyrond and other neighboring states, and the two brothers have become patrons of different nations locked in hatred for one another.
[edit] The Chalice of Heironeous
What is probably the nadir of their rivalry is told in a secret myth known only to the highest echelons of the Order of the Chalice, a branch of the knights of Heironeous. Most believe the Chalice to be a powerful relic of Heironeous's faith somehow lost to Dispater. The masters of the order, the Lightning Councilors, know that the Chalice of Heironeous is actually the daughter of Heironeous, a young goddess-angel kidnapped by Hextor and given over to Dispater in order to shirk responsibility for his deed. The Order of the Chalice was founded a thousand years ago in order to find a way to rescue the Chalice and reunite her with her father.
[edit] Creative origins
Heironeous was created by E. Gary Gygax for his World of Greyhawk campaign setting. Heironeous, with his invulnerable skin, is somewhat inspired by Achilles of Greek myth. His brother Hextor, then, is somewhat of a pastiche of Hector, also from the Iliad, though reinterpreted as a force of evil to Heironeous's good.
[edit] References
- Holian, Gary. "Paladins of Greyhawk." Dungeon #104 (Paizo Publishing, 2003).
- Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (Wizards of the Coast, 2000).
- Moore, Roger E. The Adventure Begins (TSR, 1998).
- Niles, Douglas, and Carl Sargent. The City of Greyhawk (TSR, 1989).
- Noonan, David. Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004).
- Noonan, David. Player's Handbook II (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).
- Pramas, Chris. "The Armies of Thalos." Dragon #287 (Wizards of the Coast, September 2001).
- Pramas, Chris. "The Empire of Ravilla." Dragon #285 (Wizards of the Coast, July 2001).
- Redman, Rich, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Deities and Demigods (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
- Reynolds, Sean K. "Core Beliefs: Heironeous." Dragon #354 (Paizo Publishing, 2007).
- Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes (TSR, 1992).
- Sargent, Carl. Ivid the Undying (TSR, unpublished). Available online: [1]
- Sernett, Matthew, and Ari Marmell, David Noonan, and Robert J. Schwalb. Tome of Magic (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).
