Meriadar
Encyclopedia
In many campaign setting
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game
, Meriadar is a deity of patience, tolerance, meditation, and arts and crafts. His symbol is an artistically decorated bowl, which is used for sacramental feasting and sharing food with others.
(1992), including details about his priesthood. His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground
(1996).
's ears, a dwarf
's nose, a human chin, an orc
's jaw, and a gnome
's eyes. Other details of his appearance—height, build, skin tone, and so on—change from moment to moment. He can also appear as a tall figure of any humanoid race. He wears simple brown robes.
Meriadar frequently sends omens in the form of automatic speech and speaking in tongues during philosophical debates, sudden artistic inspiration, automatic drawing and sculpting, strange scents, and smoky, vaporous images emerging from bubbles in bowls of soup.
Meriadar, being poorly disposed toward chaos, has a particular antipathy for the gods of the bugbear
pantheon.
Meriadar's greatest enemy is Stalker
. Stalker, a demigod of death, despises goblin-kin and similar humanoids for driving him from his domain during the time of creation. Meriadar seeks to instill these creatures with a respect for life, and as such has Stalker's eternal enmity.
Meriadar formally lived on the layer of Nemausus before it shifted from Arcadia to Mechanus. His old realm is still there, but abandoned by all of its former inhabitants save one: an orcish
woman called Feryli Krenurum who still serves Meriadar's interests in the fallen planar layer.
Meriadar teaches that arts and crafts are an important avenue for exploring peacefulness. Those who respect one anothers' creativity and skill are unlikely to act violently toward one another, he reasons.
Meriadar is mostly pacifistic, though he will send avatars to defend mongrelfolk communities that are in danger of being wiped out completely. He will generally not act to prevent more ordinary suffering, as he believes that suffering can be a road that leads to greater spiritual enlightenment.
Another tenet of Meriadar's dogma is the concept of the "eternal now." This is a complex and subtle philosophical idea that parallels the act of drawing sustenance in a spiritual sense. Hunger, the most basic drive, is also the most immediate one, and is therefore akin to the awareness of the present, which is unchanged by past or future.
and goblinoid
s, or provide a place of refuge for those of them not drawn toward evil. He particularly prizes bugbear followers, being glad to keep them away from their own chaotic gods. On the plane of Arcadia he is served by a female bugbear who wanders near the realm of Clangeddin, preaching peace to the dwarves there.
Meriadar's clerics preach peace, though like their god they are not entirely pacifistic. They will defend their communities if they are attacked. They are active in mongrelfolk politics, getting close to chiefs and other community leaders to help determine policy. As the priests of a lawful faith, they support hierarchies, laws, and established leaders who are not grossly unjust. They preach the need for tolerance of goblinoids and other races. They believe all living things have their place. They work to bring about a more ordered society and a more ordered world.
The worship of the Hidden God is connected to the ritual of "feasting," which is the consumption of the flesh of dead humanoids. As a result of this ritual, future generations of mongrelfolk take on some of the characteristics of all those species their ancestors have consumed. Many mongrelfolk believe that once they have consumed enough different species, the Hidden God will restore their fabled ability to shapechange, while others believe he will restore this ability regardless, but they will only be able to take the forms of those beings their ancestors have consumed.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, Meriadar is a deity of patience, tolerance, meditation, and arts and crafts. His symbol is an artistically decorated bowl, which is used for sacramental feasting and sharing food with others.
Publication history
Meriadar was first detailed in the book Monster MythologyMonster Mythology
Monster Mythology is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Released by TSR in 1992 and written by Carl Sargent, with interior illustrations by Terry Dykstra, John and Laura Lakey, and Keith Parkinson, Monster Mythology was released as a companion volume for...
(1992), including details about his priesthood. His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground
On Hallowed Ground
On Hallowed Ground is an accessory book for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, for the Planescape campaign setting.-Contents:This book contains information about deities' planar domains from 20 separate pantheons...
(1996).
Description
Meriadar is a patchwork creature like his chosen race. He is portrayed with an elfElf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
's ears, a dwarf
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
's nose, a human chin, an orc
Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
's jaw, and a gnome
Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, gnomes are one of the core races available for play as player characters. Some speculate that they are closely related to dwarves; however, gnomes are more tolerant of other races and of magic, and are skilled with illusions...
's eyes. Other details of his appearance—height, build, skin tone, and so on—change from moment to moment. He can also appear as a tall figure of any humanoid race. He wears simple brown robes.
Meriadar frequently sends omens in the form of automatic speech and speaking in tongues during philosophical debates, sudden artistic inspiration, automatic drawing and sculpting, strange scents, and smoky, vaporous images emerging from bubbles in bowls of soup.
Relationships
Meriadar is opposed by many evil humanoid gods, as he seeks to convert their followers to his more gentle philosophy. He is not able to accept help from the good-aligned gods of humans and demihumans, for any sign that he was allied with the gods of the hereditary enemies of his chosen races would hurt his efforts in converting them.Meriadar, being poorly disposed toward chaos, has a particular antipathy for the gods of the bugbear
Bugbear (Dungeons & Dragons)
The bugbear is a type of fictional monster for player characters to encounter in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.A bugbear is depicted as a massive humanoid distantly related to goblins and hobgoblins...
pantheon.
Meriadar's greatest enemy is Stalker
Stalker (Dungeons and Dragons)
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Stalker is the goblinoid deity of hate, death, and cold. This god has no true worshippers, and is an enemy of all things that live...
. Stalker, a demigod of death, despises goblin-kin and similar humanoids for driving him from his domain during the time of creation. Meriadar seeks to instill these creatures with a respect for life, and as such has Stalker's eternal enmity.
Realm
Meriadar lives in Arcadia in his realm, The Hand of Peace, located on the layer of Buxenus. The Hand of Peace is hidden from those who have not learned to look beyond the appearance of things. Meriadar is also the protector of the hidden Arcadian town known as Ghetto, a refuge of sorts from the often intolerant Arcadian militias.Meriadar formally lived on the layer of Nemausus before it shifted from Arcadia to Mechanus. His old realm is still there, but abandoned by all of its former inhabitants save one: an orcish
Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
woman called Feryli Krenurum who still serves Meriadar's interests in the fallen planar layer.
Dogma
Meriadar teaches patience and respect to all creatures. He expects open-mindedness and compassion, and expects his followers to attempt to meet and befriend other races. He encourages the mongrelfolk to blend in with other races when they can, remembering that they represent the logical conclusion of a mixed society.Meriadar teaches that arts and crafts are an important avenue for exploring peacefulness. Those who respect one anothers' creativity and skill are unlikely to act violently toward one another, he reasons.
Meriadar is mostly pacifistic, though he will send avatars to defend mongrelfolk communities that are in danger of being wiped out completely. He will generally not act to prevent more ordinary suffering, as he believes that suffering can be a road that leads to greater spiritual enlightenment.
Another tenet of Meriadar's dogma is the concept of the "eternal now." This is a complex and subtle philosophical idea that parallels the act of drawing sustenance in a spiritual sense. Hunger, the most basic drive, is also the most immediate one, and is therefore akin to the awareness of the present, which is unchanged by past or future.
Worshippers
Meridar's chief worshippers are mongrelfolk and non-evil humanoids of any type. He seeks to redeem evil humanoids such as orcsOrc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
and goblinoid
Goblinoid
Goblinoids are a category of humanoid legendary creatures related to the goblin. The term originated in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, in which goblins and related creatures are a staple of random encounters. Goblinoids are typically barbaric foes of the various human and...
s, or provide a place of refuge for those of them not drawn toward evil. He particularly prizes bugbear followers, being glad to keep them away from their own chaotic gods. On the plane of Arcadia he is served by a female bugbear who wanders near the realm of Clangeddin, preaching peace to the dwarves there.
Clergy
Priests of Meriadar teach mongrelfolk the ways of the races they live among, help establish and maintain hidden communities, and see to the welfare of the misshapen ones who cannot pass as other races. Non-mongrelfolk priests of Meriadar are very rare, but they can belong to any humanoid race, including humans and demihumans.Meriadar's clerics preach peace, though like their god they are not entirely pacifistic. They will defend their communities if they are attacked. They are active in mongrelfolk politics, getting close to chiefs and other community leaders to help determine policy. As the priests of a lawful faith, they support hierarchies, laws, and established leaders who are not grossly unjust. They preach the need for tolerance of goblinoids and other races. They believe all living things have their place. They work to bring about a more ordered society and a more ordered world.
Rituals
The ritual sharing of food is an important rite in Meriadar's faith. Decorated bowls are passed from person to person, symbolizing the sharing of life itself. The belief is that those who share life are unlikely to share death through violence.The Hidden God
"The Ecology of the Mongrelman" in Dragon #242 has a very different take on the god of the mongrelfolk. In that article, the mongrelfolk worship a deity they call the Hidden God, who they believe is testing their patience by granting no spells, sending no omens, and displaying no evidence that he even exists. The mongrelfolk pray that their god will one day return and restore their days of glory. Each community generally has a single priest of the Hidden God (in slave societies, these priests keep themselves nearly as hidden as their deity is said to be). Unfortunately, the tragic truth is that the Hidden God does not exist at all. Rather, he is a distorted memory of the long-dead wizard who originally created the mongrelfolk race.The worship of the Hidden God is connected to the ritual of "feasting," which is the consumption of the flesh of dead humanoids. As a result of this ritual, future generations of mongrelfolk take on some of the characteristics of all those species their ancestors have consumed. Many mongrelfolk believe that once they have consumed enough different species, the Hidden God will restore their fabled ability to shapechange, while others believe he will restore this ability regardless, but they will only be able to take the forms of those beings their ancestors have consumed.
Additional reading
- McComb, Colin, and Wolfgang BaurWolfgang BaurWolfgang Baur is an American game designer, best known for his work with Dragon magazine. He designs role-playing games and also is known for his work at Wizards of the Coast.-Biography:...
. Planes of Law. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995.
- Noonan, DavidDavid Noonan (game designer)David Noonan is an author of several products and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast.-Role-playing games:...
, Eric Cagle, and Aaron RosenbergAaron S. RosenbergAaron S. Rosenberg is an American novelist and game designer.-Biography:Originally from New Jersey and New York, Aaron Rosenberg returned to New York City in 1996 after stints in New Orleans and Kansas...
. Races of DestinyRaces of DestinyRaces of Destiny is a supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Contents:This book deals with races that live primarily in urban settings, specifically humans, half-orcs, and a new race called the Illumian, whose most notable features are the sigils that constantly...
. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.