Pantheon Monday: Dinismayl, the Winter Queen

(the Winter Queen, the Bitch Queen, the Queen of Hunger, the Queen of Want)

Greater Goddess, NE

Portfolio: Winter, ice, snow, cruelty, greed, sorrow

Aliases: None

Domain Name: The Vale of Ice, Nullia

Superior: None

Allies: Glyrea

Foes: All good gods, Vodei

Symbol: An icy skull

Worshipper Alignment: Any evil

Dinismayl (DIN-iz-male) is one of the ancient gigantine Aspect Gods who has survived into modern worship. She is the one and only god of the Frost Giants, who are her servants. Her worship has spread throughout the evil and depraved men of the world.

She is a cruel and brutal goddess with no love in her heart at all. She is known to appear amongst the giants who follow her and also to manifest to confront Vodei, with whom she has a long-standing war over who commands the storms of winter. Her five Blizzards follow her in attendance, challenging Vodei’s Sturms and ravaging the land with ice and snow.

There are three other handmaidens who stay close to her as well: Sorrow, Want, and Hunger. She is the patron of all sorrows and starvations, though she rarely answers prayers from those who seek relief from these horrors (and if she does, it is with terrifying consequence for the petitioner).

In appearance Dinismayl is a beautiful but frigid frost giant, clad all in furs and crowned with a circlet of crackling ice.

The Church

Clergy: Speciality priests, crusaders, fighters

Clergy’s Alignment: NE, CE

Turn Undead: No

Command Undead: Yes

The temple of Dinismayl is one that has been quite clever about keeping out from underfoot. They never make power plays in the light of day, nor do they countenance giving the authorities any reason to ban her worship in the towns and villages, unlike (say) the Necromancer’s clergy. Thus, granite temples of Dinismayl may be found in many major cities. Their style is of ancient gigantine make, with massive nude human figures often serving as supporters.

In the wild, the Frost Giants and lonesome priests who worship Dinismayl build a different kind of temple. Unhewn stone sprayed with blood, monoliths from ancient days, and skulls piled into great pyramids are the hallmark of her wild temples. Those priests who serve in the wilderness are far less likely to pretend towards civilization and may attack travelers for the simple joy of sacrificing their shrieks and fear to the Bitch Queen.

Organizationally, the Winter Temple finds itself serving at the pleasure of the great Frost Giant priests in the north. The most powerful of the Winter Temple’s representatives below the Frost Giants (who maintain a separate, over-hierarchy not described here) are the Masters of Ice and Snow.

Masters of Ice and Snow are those members of the clergy who either serve as the chief priests of great temples, or who rule (through terror or appointment) large numbers of wilderness priests. These creatures—I do not say men, for all manner of unpleasant humanoids (and even some demihumans) worship the Winter Queen and serve as Masters—command great numbers of followers and are permitted to convene with the Frost Giant priests on matters of faith.

Dogma: Whatever must be done to survive, should be done. The primacy of strength is above all things.

Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Dinismayl spend their hours harassing poor peasants and serfs with fear of the coming winter. They take up collections in almost every great city in the north, and many rove from town to town to impress the locals with their might.

Additionally, many Dinismaylian temples engage in politics and mercenary work. The litany of strength and brutality has served them well in the creation of corps of dangerous Dinismaylian mercenaries who hire out to do bladework. Indeed, some of the more fearsome monstrous regiments are staunchly Dinismaylian.

Major Centers of Worship: The Iron Temple of the Pagoi, located in the north of the north, is the center of all Dinismaylian prayer and worship. It is run entirely by Frost Giant ministers and the three high priests known as the Masters of Sorrow, of Hunger, and of Want.

Affiliated Orders: Monstrous and frost giant orders abound.

Priestly Vestments: Dinismaylian priests wear a complex habit comprised of a long ankle-length pale blue tunic and a bolt of dark blue cloth that serves as a sash. This is completed with a mantle of ermine and a cloak of black cloth. On top of all is the badge of the icy skull.

Adventuring Garb: Dinismaylians out on adventures prefer their ceremonial plate armor and helms.

Winter Priest

(Specialty Priest)

REQUIREMENTS: Wisdom 9, Constitution 12, Strength 14

PRIME REQ: Constitution

ALIGNMENT: NE

WEAPONS: Any blunt, whip, scourge

MAJOR SPHERES: All, elemental (water, air), divination, combat, healing, healing (reversed)

MINOR SPHERES: Weather, travelers

MAGICAL ITEMS: Any available to warriors or priests

REQ. PROFS: Endurance

BONUS PROFS: Survival (any one)

As the Queen of Winter, Dinismayl provides her servants with the ability to endure cold or endure heat once per day.

At 3rd level, the Winter Priest causes an additional 1d4 damage with any reversed healing spell used if it deals a set amount of damage. Otherwise, the target has a +4 penalty to their saving throw made against it.

At 5th level, the Winter Priest may encase 1d4 foes in an icy prison once per day. This ability works like a hold person, but it also deals 1d4 points of damage per round as the targets are held in a film of ice.

At 7th level, the Winter Priest becomes immune to cold (magical and mundane) and the deleterious effects of exposure.

At 11th level, the Winter Priest may use weather summoning 3/week to call forth a blizzard.

At 15th level, Winter Priests may conjure an earth elemental of 24 HD that will slavishly obey him with the use of an hour-long ritual. It may only be used on ground covered in hoarfrost or snow, and the spell lasts for one hour per level of the priest.

MAGICAL ITEMS
Armor of Winter

This ceremonial plate armor is made from giant-forged steel, generally colored a pale icy blue. Being granted a suit of this armor (and here granted is a loose term, since the priest is generally expected to give 5,000 gold to the local temple in exchange) is the mark of a true priest of winter.

In addition to being a hardy set of plate covered in figural designs and ornate etchings, the armor of winter is also freezing to the touch. This has the effect of granting a +2 bonus to saves vs. fire, fire-magics, and heat based attacks. If the save is made, the wearer takes no damage from the attack. If it fails, he still takes half damage.