I stumbled across this old post from Gary Holian, re: Saints of Oerth. Note the red text.
Quote:
Hey Guys,
I'm the author of the article in question (serialized in Dragons 290 and
291, I believe, with other tidbits posted on www.canonfire.com). I'm
pleased there is so much interest in the subject. It was certainly fun
to work on!
I can confirm what various greytalkers have already said. The "Death
Knights of Oerth" are definitely a synthesis of the original Fiend Folio
entry, Saintly Standards by the esteeemed Scott Bennie (Dragon 79, Best
of Dragon vol. IV), and my own work on the Greyhawk Setting (expanding
the Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom and other orders and cults of
the Flanaess) going back nearly 20 years. While they might have become
iconic to the Dragonlance setting, they are clearly of older origin and
there's no reason Greyhawk can't tap on those resources as it was the
only published AD&D campaign at the time!
I believe we can derive alot of value by incorporating old threads into
new works, so as to pay homage to the old, while taking them to a whole
new level. That is what we have tried to do in some respects in the LGG
and in the articles which have followed in Polyhedron, Dragon, and
Dungeon. Call it "old school" if you like, there's nothing wrong with a
little throwback from time to time. Like the Maure Castle article in
Dungeon 112, we can't forget the work that built this game.
You can consider the whole article by Bennie, "canonized". I believe
all of the saints (which you can consider on par with quasi-deities for
the purposes of power) have been mentioned in recent works, save St.
Eleador, who is being saved for a special occasion. Here are some GH
notes about them:
St. Ceril the Relentless is over 250 years old and is one of the
founders of the Pale. After an early tragedy near the Troll Fens
destroyed his village, he eventually defeated his enemies and became the
young nation's defender and patron saint. While he no longer lives in
the Pale (though he occasionally walks the Prime Material Plane) he is a
member of the Lords of the Gloaming: an uber-powerful and secretive
group of clerics, paladins, and warriors dedicated to Pholtus. They
"stand between the darkness and the light" and fight primarily against
the encroachment of extraplanar chaos and evil in the material world.
St. Bane the Scourger is a follower of Pelor, the Sun God, and has a
cult within that church. He is a powerful Hero-Deity, like Kelanen, and
is close to achieving demigod status. He is patron saint of undead
hunting and has a widespread cult spanning most of the Flanaess (think
wannabe Van Helsings or would that be Van Richtens? ;-). Centuries ago,
he slew a witch-ghoul known as Khuul, a powerful servant of Orcus who
rose up in the northern barrens and wastes of the Flanaess and was
terrorizing the nomads there (this material can be tied in with the
Bloodstone Saga in the Greyhawk setting for those who would like to).
He is now primarily a wanderer of the Planes of Existence, though he
will materialize in the Flanaess, when the need is greatest. It is
believed he was once a member of the Whiteguard and still maintains an
alliance with that order. Rumors in supernatural circles in the
Flanaess, indicate that he may have recently slain Orcus himself.
St. Kargoth was a paladin in the Great Kingdom, circa the late 2nd
Century CY. He was one of the most puissant members of the famed order
of the Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom (briefly mentioned in
GttWoGH 1983 p79). However, he turned traitor in a mad bargain with
Demogorgon that saw him, along with 13 damned compatriots (who were
transformed into the original "Death Knights", though only their master
was forewarned and willing), attempting to steal or destroy the Great
Seal of the Great Kingdom (an object known as the Orb of Sol) and
unleash a demonic horror on the land. The Demonic Horror (some claim
this was a vast "Abyssal Dreadnought") was defeated by the Knight
Protectors of the GK at great cost (including a good portional of the
royal family of Rax), whence began a long hunt for the traitors and
their leader. St. Kargoth (who has some importance within the church of
Hextor and to other Blackguard and Anti-Paladins) is now 450 years old,
and he had his material form driven from the Oerth more than two
centuries ago, but he still roams the planes and sometimes materializes
on Oerth. And yes, he is badass, meant to be nearly the equal of a Demon
Lord.
I will say no more on St. Eleador right now, save that he is a very
young and special saint that has a unique connection with the gods of
Greyhawk. He is not yet widely known in the Flanaess.
Finally, I would like to note, St. Benedor of the Ashen Hand (not
included in the original Bennie article, but my own creation) patron
saint of the order of the Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom and St.
Kargoths sworn foe. He was blinded by the Orb of Sol and his hand was
seared by the artifact, which was in his possession for many centuries.
It granted him long life and the strength to oppose his enemies, though
he remained mortal. He disapppeared for a time and it was only recently
learned that he was raised to the ranks of the immortals and is now
believed to be a full demigod (portfolios: Valor, Self-Sacrifice,
Underdogs, Perserverance).
Well, those are some notes, for those who were wondering. It might be
fun to one day construct a module around this stuff.
-Gary
This was posted back in 2004. Was anything ever done with St. Eleador?
His stat-block and background story are in the Scott Bennie article from Dragon 79 that Gary mentions.
Briefly, he was elevated to sainthood by the gods while still young and relatively weak (i.e. low-level) for helping defeat "a monstrous evil." It's hinted that this may have had something to do with his (un)natural ability to see the past and future in his dreams. He prefers peaceful resolution to combat, in which event he wields the Mace of Auru (+3 mace of disruption). He is a particular foe of the undead.
His stat-block and background story are in the Scott Bennie article from Dragon 79 that Gary mentions.
Briefly, he was elevated to sainthood by the gods while still young and relatively weak (i.e. low-level) for helping defeat "a monstrous evil." It's hinted that this may have had something to do with his (un)natural ability to see the past and future in his dreams. He prefers peaceful resolution to combat, in which event he wields the Mace of Auru (+3 mace of disruption). He is a particular foe of the undead.
Yeah, I have that. I was just curious about the "special occasion" to which Gary had referred. It seemed there were some plans to develop this mysterious saint further....
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Canonfire! is a production of the Thursday Group in assocation with GREYtalk and Canonfire! Enterprises
