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Player's Guide to the Pale

5/26/03, version 1.12

Welcome to the Theocracy of the Pale! This guide introduces Living Greyhawk (LG) players to the unique land of the Pale. When you created a character using the "Living Greyhawk Character Creation Guidelines," you chose a home region. In Northern California or Nevada, your default home region is the Pale - the land that we develop and administer.

The Pale differs greatly from a generic landscape in a fantasy setting. You may face some significant, but enjoyable, challenges depending upon what type of PC you choose to create. If you create a chaotic character, your PC will need to learn to respect the law or soon be thrown in prison. PCs who worship gods other than Pholtus must suppress the expression of their beliefs and show respect for Pholtus, or face imprisonment (or worse). Nonhuman PCs should expect to be looked down upon and have their ability to gain power limited within the organizations of the Pale.

Life in the Pale

The Pale is a theocracy - a nation governed by the church. The Pale is ruled by the Church of the One True Path, devoted to Pholtus. Pholtus is the Lawful Good god of Light, Resolution, Law, Order, Inflexibility, the Sun, and the Moons. Pholtus has Lawful Neutral tendencies, and the Pale embraces this. The Pale is a very rigid nation, with a well-trained military and an orderly system of law. Civil liberties and religious freedom are seriously curtailed.

The faithful of the Pale believe that Pholtus is the one true god, despite the fact that there are many gods in the World of Greyhawk. While it's impossible to deny the divine abilities of clerics who worship other deities, the faithful dismiss them for various reasons. Some believe these pagans limit their spiritual growth by worshiping lesser gods that in some incomprehensible way play a part in Pholtus's grand plan. Some believe pagans have been duped and actually get their powers from nefarious sources. Others think that these pagans actually worship Pholtus, but in an image they've constructed that is impure and distorted.

Regardless of why the Pale believes Pholtus is the one true god, the fact remains that the only sanctioned worship is of Pholtus. PCs may devote themselves to other gods, but they must not preach their beliefs or attempt to sway others to their faith. All PCs must show the utmost respect to Pholtus and the Church of the One True Path. The Church is very efficient at identifying, apprehending, judging, and sanctioning heretics.

Pagan PCs who keep their beliefs to themselves and show respect to Pholtus will have no official actions taken against them. Nevertheless, in an unofficial capacity, private citizens treat pagans differently. Depending upon a Pholtan's personal beliefs, a pagan may be despised, feared, or pitied. Some may choose to treat pagans very coldly, while others may embrace the pagan and attempt to save the pagan's soul. But, a pagan who is respectful, discrete, and watches her tongue should not fear any physical harm from law-abiding citizens.

All arcane spellcasters are treated with suspicion in the Pale. It is commonly whispered that the wielders of these magics consort with demons and devils. To cast spells within the Pale, arcane spellcasters must be registered with the Theocracy. Registration takes no time and costs no money, but allows the Theocracy to track the actions of these people. All PCs who cast arcane spells are assumed to be registered automatically. While registration is mandatory, membership in the Arcanist Guild meta-game organization is optional and provides additional benefits to the PC as listed in the document describing that organization.

The Pale has a few cities, but it is very much a frontier land, protected by a well-run military. The weather is cold and during the summer crops are grown with difficulty. The denominations of currency are the Bright (pp), the Gold Glory (gp), the Silver Moon (sp), and the Basic (cp).

The Palish embrace community, loyalty, family, and dedication, while they eschew luxury, frivolity, and waste. They do not believe in moral relativity and ambiguity. Knowledge is both feared and respected. Those who study in order to serve Pholtus's glory are respected, while those who study with a purpose not rooted in faith are feared, for knowledge is a power that corrupts.

Some Palish still hold on to superstitions and pay respects to pagan gods. Such is generally done in secret, and predominantly by those of Flan blood who live in the farmlands.

Pholtus

Pholtus of the Blinding Light is worshiped throughout the Flanaess, but nowhere more fervently than in the Pale. Pholtus's portfolio is Light, Resolution, Law, Order, Inflexibility, the Sun, and the Moons. His clerics' domains are Good, Knowledge, Law, and Sun.

Pholtus believes he is the authority on Law and on the Natural Order. The sun rises and sets, the moons wax and wane, the seasons progress - all in a very ordered, regular fashion because this is the structure created by Pholtus.

Pholtus has presumed to place himself at the pinnacle of the Greyhawk pantheon by claiming authority on the Natural Order. This presumption creates significant friction with the other deities, particularly with St. Cuthbert of the Cudgel, god of Common Sense, Wisdom, Zeal, Honesty, Truth, and Discipline. The faiths devoted to Pholtus throughout Greyhawk conflict with those devoted to other gods. Pholtans attempt to convert unbelievers and preach a scripture that, at best, minimizes the importance of other deities.

Pholtus encourages his worshipers to follow a strict path towards righteousness known as the One True Path. Evil and Chaos are enemies of equal concern to the faithful. Pholtus's faithful must devote themselves to order, community, justice, and a strict adherence to his faith. Tolerance of people who believe differently is not encouraged. The faithful must not give into decadence or indifference; they must fight against evil and chaos, from without and within.

Outlook on Nonhumans

Humans are the dominant race within the Theocracy and Pholtus is a human god. 96% of the population is human, with Oeridian and Flan lineages most prevalent.

Nonhumans are generally spoken of as being separate - they have their own laws, culture, and religion. Nonhuman religions are for nonhumans and are no threat or concern to the souls of humans. Thus, provided a dwarven cleric of Moradin passing through the Pale didn't try to convert humans to his religion, the Pale would officially respect the cleric's practices. As long as nonhumans are respectful of our beliefs, and preach only to their own kind, the Pale will respect their concerns.

In practice, most humans in the Pale don't fully respect nonhumans. While their religion is separate from ours, the light of Pholtus does not shine through their souls. Unofficially, nonhumans are treated in various negative ways by different people: they may be mistrusted, treated coldly, pitied, or patronized. In most meta-gaming activities within the Pale, players of nonhuman PCs should expect to have their opportunities for advancement limited because of their nonhuman status.

Exceptions exist. A few nonhumans have thoroughly embraced Pholtus, and some of those have actually become clerics or hold other positions of distinction. Half-elves in particular have advanced within Palish society. Elves are treated with significant respect, primarily because they occupy the Phostwood to the west, strategically located between part of the Pale and Tenh. An alliance with the Phostwood elves a few years ago benefited the Pale greatly in its war against the Iuz-occupied Tenh.

Map of the Pale

Below is a small map of the Theocracy of the Pale, listing a few of the more prominent settlements.

Key

  1. Rakervale
  2. Tristor
  3. Atherstone
  4. Spiral
  5. Wintershiven
  6. Holdworthy
  7. Coldriver
  8. Landrigard
  9. Hatherleigh
  10. Eltison
  11. Hawkburgh
  12. Ogburg
  13. Stradsett
  14. Woodsedge

Conflicts Between PCs and with Authorities

As you might expect, some PCs may act in a way that violates the laws and morals of the Pale. Other PCs and the authorities may feel compelled to act against another player. Here's some guidance on how players and judges should handle such conflicts.

If a PC commits an act which would force other PCs or the judge to take action, step "out of character" for a moment. Explain to the player why acting this way in the Pale will cause severe problems - imprisonment or even execution after a fair trial. Let the player explain and reconsider his PC's actions. Only if the player decides to continue should action be taken. Physical conflicts should be rare and should only happen when all parties are aware of the consequences of their acts.

When PCs or NPCs act to stop a PC from committing an unlawful or immoral act, the goal must be to use the minimal amount of force necessary to turn the person over to the authorities. Preventing loss of life must be paramount. The Pale is a very Lawful state and the state should be adjudicating such matters.

Note that though the Pale is a state ruled by the Church, PC clerics are not authorized to make decisions on behalf of the Church. PC clerics may not officially judge pagans as being heretics - they must turn in pagans to the Church. NPCs make determinations of heresy, blasphemy, and crimes against the Church.

Favors of Pholtus

When adventuring in the Pale, a PC will often be awarded a Favor of Pholtus. Favors of Pholtus are influence points granted to PCs for services rendered to the Church of the One True Path. These influence points may be "redeemed" in a variety of ways. Favors are needed for advancement within certain meta-game organizations. At the Judge's discretion, Favors can be redeemed with various organizations to get assistance or information needed to resolve an issue in a scenario. Favors can also be used when a PC is obtaining divine spells from an NPC cleric.

For information on obtaining divine spells and Favors of Pholtus, see the document Special Rules for the Pale.

RPGA Membership

Living Greyhawk is a game created by the Role Playing Gamers Association (RPGA) Network, an organization devoted to promoting roleplaying. Membership in the RPGA is free, and all LG players ought to become members of the Network. For more info, go to the RPGA Web site at:

http://www.wizards.com/rpga/

Contributing to the Campaign

The Theocracy of the Pale is our region, to be developed and enjoyed by us. Playing is a lot of fun, but please consider giving back to the campaign so that your friends can continue to enjoy adventuring within the Pale.

The best way to do this is to volunteer to write a regional event. You get fame! You get fortune! (well, $50) Consider the satisfaction of developing part of the World of Greyhawk. Think of the gratitude of your fellow players. Best of all, your example encourages other players to write modules for you to enjoy.

Never written a scenario before? Don't be intimidated. Any creative D&D player who can compose a coherent email message can write a scenario, if you put your mind to it. You can do it! Here's how you can get started:

1. Think of an idea. Keep thinking.

2. Get the Scenario Writer's Pack, available from the Pale Web site in the Downloads section at:

http://www.theocracyofthepale.com/downloads/

Pay close attention to "Writing in the Living Greyhawk Campaign" and "Writing Good Scenarios." These are awesome documents!

3. Given what you've learned, think more about your idea.

4. Contact the Triad and outline your idea. Ask for suggestions and criticisms. Ask for plot hooks to add into your idea. Ask if you might be able to get a copy of one or two LG scenarios you've already played - reading the work of other authors is a great way to learn. Ask how to proceed.

To communicate with the Triad on scenario ideas, send email to the Pale Point-Of-Contact at palepoc@yahoo.com.

5. Begin writing the event. Good luck!

Other Resources

To better develop your character, take a look at these resources:

  • Living Greyhawk Gazetteer

    • This book contains a lot more detail on the Pale and the rest of Greyhawk. For $20, it's a steal. Pick one up at your local game store!

  • Living Greyhawk Journal

    • The first six issues of this magazine come to all Magazine RPGA members. Subsequent issues of the Journal will be published in Dragon magazine.

  • Theocracy of the Pale mailing list

    • Go to the following URL to chat with your fellow players:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePale

  • Theocracy of the Pale Web site

Come here for background material about the Pale, special rule options for gaming within the Pale, and to see a list of upcoming opportunities to play Living Greyhawk in our area.

http://www.theocracyofthepale.com/