Ranald (Warhammer)

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Ranald is the fictional trickster god in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, similar to real trickster gods such as Loki or Hermes.

1 Background
2 Symbols
3 Areas of Worship
4 Source

[edit] Background

Ranald is described as the god of cunning, sharp dealing, luck, traders, lesser merchants, thieves, gamblers, non-violent criminals, and all those who live by their wits. The god is presented as a popular deity despite a lack of official support and general disapproval by authority. As a trickster and criminal god, Ranald is opposed to traditional authority, law, and dedicated to overturning natural social order.

He is portrayed as a charming rogue with a wicked smile, always ready to take advantage of a situation. Unlike most of the Warhammer setting deities, Ranald is described as a god who may actually intervene in the lives of characters, for good or ill. Unusually for the Warhammer setting, Ranald is asserted to be a non-violent deity who finds murder and assault disgusting. He is accordingly not given much attention in the highly combat oriented Warhammer games, outside the role-playing game.

[edit] Symbols

Ranald is symbolized by crossed fingers, the mark “X”, the crow, the cat, and other symbols of luck. Anyone who wishes Ranald’s favor (good luck) might wear a charm with an X on it, and this is described as so common that it is not suspicious.

[edit] Areas of Worship

Ranald is apparently worshipped throughout the Old World, mainly by the lower classes and those who wish to get lucky and improve their situation.

The cult of Ranald is highly decentralized, with no main temple and no structured organization. The few temples that exist are described as careful to emphasize Ranald’s role as a patron of trade. A large temple to Ranald is in the city of Marienburg, but most Ranald worship is organized around local shrine clubs. Priests of Ranald are often mobile, and train initiates on an ad hoc basis. The cult has no formal orders.