FAQ

The Church of Troimoira

Worshipped God; Troimoira.
Portfolio; Fortune and endeavour. Troimoira is also the patron of Adventurers.
Symbol; The Flaying Wheel; a wheel with six bent spokes which poke through the rim and end in spikes.
Representation of the God; Troimoira is usually depicted as a woman in armour, carrying a longsword either in hand or sheathed at her side. She usually carries the Flaying Wheel, or has it displayed upon a shield. She is also sometimes shown with symbols of fortune or ill-luck - a pair of dice, a handful of coins, a riven helm, a crown and a noose are all associated with her image.

Troimoira, goddess of Fortune is recognised throughout the region around Angleston, and indeed, has given her name to the area in the minds of many. However, the details of the worship of this goddess vary widely, and there can be significant differences in organisation and even doctrine between individual temples. Although most worshippers recognise the temple in Angleston as the most important in the region, it does not represent the central authority of the church. Although some efforts have been made to unify the church of Troimoira in recent times, worship of the goddess of fortune is still very individualistic and can heavily depend upon the character of the clerics in high authority in any particular area.

The following description of the "Church of Troimoira" is therefore a generalised view of the worship of this goddess throughout the region of Troimoira's Fane. Regional peculiarities of particular interest are also noted.

The Church's Social Standing
The worship of Troimoira is undeniably popular in Angleston and the surrounding area - it has even gained considerable popularity among non-human sections of the population. But the church's almost complete lack of unifying organisation means that although particular Temples (and notably those of Angleston and Cyrtlan) hold a lot of influence on a local scale, the church as a whole does not have the wide scale power of, say, the Church of Ariadne.

Clergy of Troimoira can be particularly influential in borderland settlements and regions engaged in warfare with invaders or civil disputes. The goddess of fortune thrives in uncertainty, conflict and hardship. It is through such tests that her worshippers can rise to power - or be torn to pieces by her cruel wheel.

Church Personnel
Current Head of the Church; There is no over-all head of the church, so the highest authority in any area is the High Priest (or Priestess) of the local temple. The two most influential clergy of Troimoira in the region are Haddan Brock, High Priest of the Angleston temple, and Eanflæd, High Priestess of the Cyrtlan temple. The two have rather different interpretations of the goddess' gifts and trials, and their clashing attitudes and personalities have been a major obstacle to attempts to unify the church.

Lower Orders; Besides the High Priest, most temples of Troimoira recognise only two other stations. Priests hold the duties of maintaining temples and shrines dedicated to the goddess, and of carrying out the services expected by the local population. Knights of Troimoira are wandering clergy who carry out the goddess' work and seek enlightenment through the trials that lie at the edge of civilisation (and often within its grasp as well). Most clergy of Troimoira are Knights, and many of them join with adventuring bands.

The temple in Angleston recognises a further post - that of the High Templar. The High Templar is second only in authority to the High Priest, and it is his duty to organise and direct the Knights of his local region. The current High Templar is Ceolred Scar, the second holder of the title. He has a great deal of influence on the selection and training of Knights in the area, but his ability to control the Knights in the field is still rather limited, largely due to the lack of organisation in the church.

Clerical Garb; Priests of Troimoira usually wear deep blue robes, the style of which varies from temple to temple. There is no uniform dress for a Knight of Troimoira, though they usually try and incorporate a deep blue item somewhere, be it a cloak, tunic or simply a scarf. Both Priests and Knights display their holy symbol openly.

The robes of a High Priest are usually just a more elaborate and highly decorated version of the Priests' robes.

Military Organisation; Although most of the clergy have at least some skill as warriors, there is no organised military wing of the church. Given the lack of unity in the church, it would be a lengthy and difficult process to mobilise a force of any size. However, the introduction of the High Templar by the temple in Angleston is clearly an attempt to organise a military wing - which is probably why the reform was opposed by local political powers at the time of it's instigation.

The Clergy in Detail
Requirements; Most clerics of Troimoira are still human, but she is gaining considerable popularity among the other races as well. In theory a member of any of the major races could become a cleric in her church, but it is most likely among Orcs, Half-Orcs and Half-Elves.

Clerics of Troimoira must be CG, CN, CE or N in alignment.

Domains; Luck, Protection and Travel
Favoured Weapon; Longsword

Codes of Behaviour; Clergy of Troimoira are expected to trust their luck and be able to cope with any situation that their goddess may test them with.

Followers of Troimoira deliberately seek out challenges - placing themselves in difficult situations leaves them at the mercy of their goddess, and gives them a chance to grow through adversity.

(NB: Players choosing to create clerical characters will receive similar details regarding their chosen deity before the start of the campaign).