THE SERVITORS THE SERVITORSCompanions, advisors, divine will made manifest in animal form…all these and more have been used to describe the essence of the Servitors. There is an element of truth to all these assertions, but no mortal can fully explain what the Servitors really are.
The True Gods' first appearances with their Servitors are duly recorded in the Astarith. The text, however, is shrouded in ambiguity, leaving the reader wondering whether the Servitors were once flesh-and-blood creatures or were created by the True Gods.
But really, now…aren't the Gods entitled to a few secrets?
Some facts are known. While Servitors are as immortal as their divine masters, they do not require an Avatar or other proxy to manifest themselves. (This lends credence to the theory that they were all once creatures of the mortal plane). Servitors are intelligent beings, and can converse in Istari or in any worldly language. The True Gods can also perceive the mortal world through their Servitors, even when the Servitor is on Minarra and the Power is on its home plane.
Servitors are seen more often than their masters, and appear for a variety of reasons: to inspire the faithful when morale is low, to warn them against some foolish course of action, or simply to have a look about the world. The missions of the Servitors are limited only by divine imagination.
[Author's Note: you might be wondering about the lack of game statistics for these beings, especially those of you who remember the write-ups of similar creatures in the First Edition Deities and Demigods (later Legends and Lore).
The reason for their absence is simple: in game terms, Servitors are extensions of, and conduits for, the divine might of their masters. As far as the True Gods are concerned, attacking a Servitor is tantamount to attacking an Avatar—and the punishment for that offense is far too terrible to risk. Servitors have powers that are theirs alone, however, and these are described in detail.]
Jehnnah ~~ The Silver Pegasus of Rifkis
Jehnnah was a gift to the young deity from his loving parents, Serenyi and Arzamark. The Servitor's milky, sky-blue eyes glow with a soft inner light, and his hooves appear to be made of the finest alabaster. Its silver fur and feathers were meant "to gleam so bright beneath Sun and Moons so that the Godling could always find his Companion" [Astarith III, 45, cxviii].
As the young god grew and mortals began to give praise to his name, the pegasus would take his master into the world to mingle with its myriad peoples. Jehnnah was more than a guide to the young Rifkis; he was also his bodyguard, mentor, advisor, and friend. As Rifkis' escort, the Servitor made sure that the young god saw the whole of Minarra—not only the beauty and horror of the natural world, but of the mortal soul as well.
It was during the great wars of the waning days of the Astarith that Jehnnah first assumed the duties of Rifkis' war mount. Whenever Rifkis' peaceful heart would shy from combat, the Silver Pegasus would firmly remind him of his duty, and that the ideal of worldly peace must sometimes be set aside to defend what is right.
Of all the Servitors, Jehnnah is the one least likely to enter the world without his master or to reveal its true form. But while the Servitor is usually content to assume its warhorse form, his personality still shines through. Jehnnah is a spirited, proud, and highly perceptive creature, gentle with children and defiant of those who do evil in his presence. Whether the Servitor will take overt, offensive action if provoked is dependent upon circumstances. The Servitor will allow himself to be ridden by mortals, but only to serve the House of Light.
Unique Powers: Jehnnah can imbue any beast of burden with a sliver of his own unearthly fortitude, which effectively doubles either their carrying capacity or the length of time they can work without food, water, or rest. The Servitor can imbue up to 500 animals at a time for up to four straight days and nights. The Silver Pegasus uses this power to assist in evacuations, relief efforts, and forced marches.
Jehnnah can also enhance the
performance of up to 200 beasts of war for the duration of a single
day's battle. The Servitor can raise the morale rating of any
fighting mount to 18 (or, in the case of warhorses, a 95% chance
of keeping their cool on the battlefield). Further, each creature
gains one of the following boons:
Jehnnah cannot augment the abilities of dragons with this power.
Kelsiev ~~ Illovia’s Faithful Ki-rin
Kelsiev is by far the oldest of the Servitors, seeing how his first appearance is in the Second Book of the Astarith. The incident occurs on the heels of Daskaandolon's warping of the animal kingdom into creatures both monstrous—chimera, leucrotta, and their ilk—and wondrous…unicorns, pegasi, and the like. (Today's descendants of these creatures bear little resemblance to their primal forebears, for the same moral awakening that sundered draconian society transformed many of these species as well.)
Seizing any opportunity to strike back against her hated rival, Gyula crafted a host of plagues for these new creatures to carry. But wherever her agents went, "a Beast of Blessed Dawn, a Dancer upon the misty Hills of Aretakis, descended from the Sky at Illovia's bidding. And with his Radiance, Kelsiev seared the flesh of Gyula's minions and burned away the Plagues they carried" [Astarith II, 27, xix].
Kelsiev was also the first Servitor to interact with the New Races. Throughout the Age of Mists, the ki-rin traveled the length and breadth of Minarra, instructing mankind and their near kin in the arts of healing and herb lore. During the great Wars of the Astarith's Fourth Book, Kelsiev labored valiantly to help stem the epidemics that wars inevitably bring. When the Barrowqueen would summon armies of undead, their mortal lives cut short by her own foul handiwork, a proud and defiant Kelsiev would lead the charge.
With the close of the Age of Mists, Kelsiev largely withdrew from the world, and today is rarely seen by the public at large. That is not to say that the Servitor has abandoned Minarra—far from it. According to the Highest of the Order of the Sun, Kelsiev still comes to the world to instruct Illovia's faithful and to fight against the infectious horrors Gyula brews in her sickening cauldron. In these tasks, it is said that Kelsiev usually comes alone.
Kelsiev is the most serene of all the Servitors. His voice is soft and melodic, and his manner is patient and gentle. Even his demeanor in combat is calm and composed—though there is a fiery determination in his eyes that no mortal being can deny or ignore.
Unique Powers: Kelsiev's powers are designed to halt the plagues Gyula nurtures and destroy the undead she commands.
The ki-rin has two potent tools to deal with the former. The Servitor can select up to 60 mortal "caretakers" and render them invulnerable to any and all non-magical diseases. This protection lasts up to three Minarran months (108 days), and during that time, these blessed individuals can likewise protect two "assistants" of their own choosing. Thus the Servitor creates a nucleus of caregivers to help treat plague victims or casualties of wars and natural disasters. Those who receive this boon need not be in Illovia's service.
Alternately, Kelsiev can shield a given locale before an epidemic can strike. The area can encompass up to 500 square miles, and will remain protected for up to three Minarran months (108 days). This allows the protected area to become a base of operations for relief efforts. Only one disease can be neutralized at a time by this power.
Though infected individuals entering the protected area remain infected, their conditions do not worsen. Furthermore, the disease becomes non-communicable for the duration of the Servitor's blessing.
When an unclean, undead host
threatens a population, the Servitor can help steel the living
for the struggle. Kelsiev can imbue up to 100 ordained servants
of the House of Light with the following powers for up to 24 hours:
Koller ~~ The Silver Rat of Vetch
The true form of this unsavory Servitor is that of a silver-furred sewer rat some three feet in length from snout to tail, but can appear as an "ordinary" rodent as small as a mouse to as large as a mastiff. Whatever his form, the Servitor's eyes are black as obsidian and its incisors are unnaturally white and razor sharp. Koller's forepaws and tail are quite capable of holding onto any bauble that catches the Servitor's beady little eyes.
Koller's first appearance is in the Third Book of the Astarith. When an Avatar of Vetch was being pursued by a mortal posse imbued with the power of the Peacekeeper, "a great Rat stood to face the Servants of Rifkis, and to their wonder, began to speak. And, despite all their wisdom and distrust, the Men were led astray by the Rodent's words, and the Crimelord made good his Escape" [Astarith III, 83, cxxiv].
Whether Koller was a Servitor or something else at that moment, no living being can say, but from that day forward, Koller was the Crimelord's constant companion. The Servitor would spy for its master, and watch his back when he was on the job. The only instance where the rat failed in its service was when Jehnnah, the Servitor of Rifkis, pinned the creature's tail under its hoof as Rifkis took the Crimelord's left hand in that most celebrated battle. Koller's fur took its silver sheen just to mock his much larger rival, while his tail remains slightly bent from Jehnnah's great weight.
Of all the Servitors, Koller is by far the most likely to be encountered, and also the one most likely to be traveling the world alone. A sociable creature in his own way, the Silver Rat lives for the thrill of the heist and the danger of the chase if it goes badly. The Servitor has been known to steer the derelict and the desperate towards a life of crime, to accompany the master thief on his greatest exploit, or to simply taunt and mislead the forces of Good.
Koller has lost none of his persuasiveness over the millennia; indeed, time has only honed his talents. Indeed, he will often deal with mortals without resorting to any divine influence, just to see how far he can lead them astray.
Unique Powers: Koller's powers are perhaps the "weakest" of all the Servitors. They are quite effective in their own way, but are often overlooked by the general public—until it's too late.
Koller's favorite trick is to
find a bandit gang or thieves' guild that's down on its luck and
give its members a little extra boost—at least for awhile.
The Servitor can grant up to 80 mortal servants of the Crimelord,
clergy or lay follower, any one of the following:
These boons, dubbed "Koller's footprints" by the faithful, come at a price. For the duration of the gift (from two days to two weeks), the recipients' Intelligence and Wisdom scores drop by 1d4. This tends to make the thieves careless and even reckless, but the lure of rich pickings normally beyond their reach drives the faithful on. (There are some, however, who believe that the real purpose behind the footprints is to "cull the herd"…)
The Servitor's other power is far more troublesome, since it doesn't impair the judgment of the mortals that benefit from it. Koller can locate and identify any and all treasures beyond a certain value (usually about 200 g.p. or thereabouts) and create a "laundry list" for any enterprising thief to use. These lists are casually dropped in places where thieves, brigands, pirates, or other lowlifes can easily find it. The lists themselves are unmistakable: made of sheets of pure gold foil, the text is "engraved" with divine skill. Koller then loiters about the area where he dropped the list, just to see what will happen next…
Zharnii
[Soloi] ~~ The Bronze Mount
of Sha’rhiz [Ooglik]
Alone among the Servitors, the Bronze Mount of the Lord of the Wastes has more than one true form. To those who dwell in Minarra's vast deserts, the Mount is known as Zharnii (zhar-NEE), a large and powerful camel. To the inhabitants of the remote polar wastelands, the Mount's name is Soloi (so-LOY), a majestic frost deer (Minarra's great caribou) the size of a bull moose. In both incarnations, the Mount appears not as a creature of flesh and blood, but as a "bronze golem" of unearthly perfection. The Mount's eyes flare with the glaring harshness of the desert sun or the icy sharpness of its arctic counterpart.
Zharnii has other forms, the most common being an animated bronze sculpture of a sleek but powerful warhorse (for reasons still unclear, this form only appears in desert surroundings). On rare occasion, the Mount has manifested himself as an ordinary camel, warhorse, or frost deer.
The first mention of the Bronze Mount in the Astarith is in the final chapters of the Fourth Book. Zharnii is the first to appear, the only witness of the creation of the first isak. It was the True God's will and hair taken from Zharnii's warhorse mane that gave the isak their unique bodily mark among the New Races. Soloi's first mention is two chapters later, as Ooglik is personally guiding the first of the Selawik isak to their new home.
The Bronze Mount is a reluctant speaker. Instead, the Servitor prefers to communicate through animal vocalizations and body language, and most keen observers can discern his intentions. He is also a master of communicating through empathy, but when all else fails, the Servitor speaks aloud with a deep, slow, resonant voice that instantly rivets the listener's attention.
On the occasions that Sha'rhiz is astride the Mount (as often as not), the Mount is quite often the very model of placidity. When alone, however, the Servitor tends to be bold and assertive in word and deed, as if the Mount is making up for the absence of his master.
Unique Powers: The powers of the Bronze Mount are rarely used for the benefit of an individual or small group; rather, they are meant to aid the inhabitants of the wastelands as a whole.
The first is brought forth by a blast of air from the Servitor's nostrils. This gesture rouses the very air and ground of the True God's domains into a fierce and unstoppable weapon. For a period lasting from several hours upwards to a Minarran week (6 days), a hellish sandstorm or blizzard shall tear through the desert or frozen earth, swirling and writhing at the Servitor's will.
These storms are intended to overwhelm, delay, or at least muddle the direction sense of any enemy that threatens the True God's followers, though sometimes they are used as a barrier to give locals time to evacuate or redeploy. Any being caught within will be deprived of a cumulative 1 point of Strength and Constitution (or in the case of animals, 1 hit die) per 12 hours of exposure. 90% of all spells and command words end up being garbled by the shrieking, gale-force winds, and accurate missile fire is impossible.
The Servitor's other power, the yith'rik (from the isaki word meaning "bounty"), is far more pleasant, and can be brought summoned forth by a few simple gestures. For example, Zharnii might dig a small trench in the sand with his hoof, and a spring of fresh water will flow from it. Then, with a whisk of his tail, the cracked earth will provide just enough grass to keep a herd of desert sheep from starving as they move to better pastures. Or, on the shores of a faraway arctic sea, Soloi might lower his head and brush the surf with the tip of his antlers…and there, far out to sea, long-empty nets would fill with fish. The yith'rik is rarely, if ever, used as a reward, but rather to keep the faithful from perishing when nature simply cannot meet their needs.