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    Churches in the City of Greyhawk: Zilchus
    Posted on Wed, September 05, 2001 by Tizoc
    MerricB writes "A look at the Church of Zilchus in the City of Greyhawk which may or may not correspond with accepted canon.

    Author: MerricB



    Zilchus By: MerricB (merricb@yahoo.co.uk)
    (Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.)

    It should come as no surprise to anyone that the God of Wealth is extremely popular in the merchant-city of Greyhawk, and possesses not only a main temple in the Garden Quarter, but also several smaller shrines attended by lesser priests (Clr2-4) around the city.

    Services on Godsday are well attended, though it is unsure of how devout most merchants are. The need to get any advantage they can over their competitors keeps them coming to the temple - and making donations.

    As a result, the Church of Zilchus is the wealthiest and most influential in the city. The great masses held on each of the four festivals (Richfest, Brewfest, etc.) are extremely popular, and are invitation only - the invitations coming by the donation of a sizable amount of money to the coffers of the Church. These four services are the one time you can see all of the Oligarchs of the city together, as they all make it a point to attend. (It it possible, nay, even likely, that some send look-alikes rather than attending themselves, but all give the appearance of attending.) The Patriarch of Zilchus has often been a member of the Oligarchs himself; this is certainly the case at the moment with Stakaster Villaine (Clr10) (Note: In a 3E campaign, giving Stakaster a level of 14+ may be appropriate.)

    The church provides a constant source of employment for men-at-arms and lower-level adventurers, as merchants often need a military escort through some of the more lawless areas surrounding the Free City. Adventurers most often deal with Father Eras (Clr6), who provides details of current commissions.

    It might seem that the church would keep a permanent force of men-at-arms available and patrolling the immediate area to keep down bandits. However the Captain of the Guard (a follower of Heironeous) has kept such reponsibility firmly in the hands of the City. Whilst two or three of the merchant-princes on the Oligarchy might grumble, they do at least see the sense of such a move - keeping the powers of Church and State separated.

    On occasion, the church sponsors an expedition into the ruins of Castle Greyhawk or one of the tombs in the Cairn Hills in search of treasure. The temple takes 50% of any treasure found, but provides healing and resurrection (if needed) to the adventurers free of charge.

    Zilchus' congregation is made up primarily of those in positions of power and the merchants of the city; the common folk tend to worship Norebo, Pelor and St Cuthbert.

     



    Note: Churches, Urban, Zilchus"
     
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    Re: Churches in the City of Greyhawk: Zilchus (Score: 1)
    by Taras on Wed, September 05, 2001
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    Why are there invitation-only rites? And just what is it that goes on at these invitation-only rites during the festivals? Or is all that a campaign secret you're unwilling to reveal at this time?



    Re: Churches in the City of Greyhawk: Zilchus (Score: 1)
    by MerricB on Wed, September 05, 2001
    (User Info | Send a Message) http://merricb.com
    Heh heh heh. Wouldn't you like to know. :-)

    Actually, these events tend to be full of the glorification of wealth: acrobats, fireworks, illusionists, musicians and performers of all types plus many other things that just prove to those lucky enough to attend how wonderful it is to be rich and powerful.

    They are invitation only because there is a limited amount of space in the church and they don't want the riff-raff attending. When I say invitation it's more of along the lines of "you have to buy a ticket to attend", though certain powerful people like the Oligarchs are automatically granted invitations.

    Cheers!
    Merric, the Dreamer-Minstrel




    Re: Churches in the City of Greyhawk: Zilchus (Score: 1)
    by Man-of-the-Cranes on Thu, March 14, 2002
    (User Info | Send a Message) http://www.ManoftheCranes.com
    I would argue that in the post-war days, when commerce is likely to be flagging that Zilchus is THE most influential church in the city - I would think an arguement could be made for the more martial faiths.

    Although its congregation would indeed lend it much clout, and as Taras points out this is a religion as much concerned with influence and power as it is, cash and commerce.

    This made me think though, Zilchus is not a faith often used in my own game, but perhaps it should be. I liked the hook of the church dangling the carrot to sponsor adventuring expeditions, even if the tithe is a mite high.

    Cheers
    Man of the Cranes




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