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In the Gods War the Golden Lands were broken up, but Lodril was always with his followers. In each place his leadership proved critical to survival. In compiling the stories about him, we can see that he was many places at once, sometimes in many different forms: a magical demigod among the Kralori, successive members of a dynasty among the Dara Happans, and an ancestor who regularly possessed his descendants in Caladraland. Lodril never wavers in his efforts to aid, protect, and cheer his frail flock of humans, whether he is leading the masses to safety as celebrated in Darjiin, or just building a strong house to weather the Thunderstorms of Rock, the Ocean Rainstorm, or the Winter of Entropy when the other gods hid, sleeping like cats upon the warm hearth.
Lodril has a secret power smouldering deep within him. His heart is the source of the Wildfire, an untamable demon of conflagration which once threatened to destroy all of creation until silenced by Lodril. Lodril has since used that power many times, notably in the Holy Country, exploding and destroying his foe both with hot lava, where the Vent volcano is still visible for many kilometers above the sea, and with the fall of ash, which buried both friend and foe in the place called the Footprint, where the Stone Forest's petrified creatures maintain an eternal stance against their undying chaos foes.
Lodril's protective nature coordinated the preservation of the families and clans who survived the many disasters of the darkness. When the sun rose, and Yelm again returned to his duty, Lodril's children and followers were patiently waiting for him.
Lodril has no cosmic ambitions or pretenses. He knows his job, enjoys it, and does not care whom his overlord is. He is willing to give a share to the noblemen, soldiers, and priests; that is his duty. Respect for the commoners' traditions is required, however.
After death, good Lodril men and women go to his warm paradise under the Earth, where all the good things in life are found. After a time, they return to the world. Deceased cultists are normally buried.
Lodril's Runes are Heat and Disorder.
Lodril's Holy Days
Rich Earth Day
Sea Season, Fertility week, Clayday. This holiday celebrates the Grain Goddess (Pelora, Teshna, etc., depending upon locale), other local earth spirits, and Lodril the Farmer. At dawn, the people view a dance, "Rasala's Song of Thanks," followed by a humble meal of food left over from winter stores. The men go out to check their fields and the women check their garden plots, orchards, and fishponds. Everyone gathers the first fruits of the year. After everyone returns, another half day of ceremony called "How the Gods Made Life" ends with a meal of the first fruits, followed by everyone's dispersal (including unmarried men and women) to fields and gardens to sow the first seeds of spring.
In Teshnos, the cult of Furalor is the only fire cult worshiped at this time, and all honor goes to him.
Other Aspects and Subcults of Lodril
Monster Man
This creature is the dark side of Lodril. He incarnates everything fearful: seething rage and eternal pain without solace. He is the final rebellion of decency distorted by impossible pressures. The spell he offers is only available at Lodril's great temples, and once cast must run its full course.The Spear
Lodril first fell to Earth in the form of either a spear-wielding warrior or a spear itself to stab a chaos enemy (usually recognized as Krarsht). Lodril's subcult of The Spear commemorates that first deed, which resulted in the world's first volcano and the famous Petrified Forest. The subcult is only found in great temples and gives a spell good for protecting militant farmers against their enemies.
The young man, whose name is revealed only to initiates, seized the ruined spirit of the rebellion and preserved its truth in secret. He took it to Gustbran, who forged the Invisible Spear of Manhood so that anyone who dares to carry it can conceal it. Thus, hidden among the masses are men who sneak off at night to train in secret with masked leaders -- not to rebel against their rightful rulers, but to attain the full potential of their god.
Other Notes
The Brotherhood of the Invisible Spear
Among the peasants of Peloria is a persistent belief in the secret Brotherhood of the Invisible Spear. It was started in the First Age by a young man who survived the Rebellion of Growth. This movement insisted that all farmers must be allowed to reach their full potential by bearing spears in warfare, sacred to the god. At the time, the ruling class were newly installed native Yelm warlords who had recently driven out barbarians from the south and who gloried once again in battle. Despite their courage, the peasants were crushed, and the sacred objects gathered together and sent to temples in Dara Happa.