Olidammara

Olidammara

Title(s)
The Laughing Rogue
Symbol
A grinning mask
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio
Music, Revels, Wine, Humour, Tricks
Favored weapon
Rapier

Olidammara (OL-lih-DUH-mar-uh) commonly appears as a slender young man with olive skin, merry green eyes, chestnut hair, and a rakish beard. His magical mask allows him to take any form, however. His favored musical instrument, the Kanteel of the Oldest, can conjure illusions and real matter and shape the emotions of those who listen to its sounds as if they were moist clay.

Dogma

Olidammara teaches his followers to avoid predictability and routine, to delight in wine, to learn music, to seek out happiness, joy, entertainment, and the company of others. Olidammara advises his faithful to appreciate both the jokes they play and the jokes played on them. He also teaches that misery, temperance, and solemnity are the greatest poisons to the soul.

Clergy

Olidammara's clerics often have a second occupation, such as vintners and entertainers in urban areas, or as minstrels, messengers, and jacks-of-all-trades in rural areas.

Temple raiders of Olidammara are an elite cadre of thieves, their abilities supplemented by divine magic, who raid the temples of other faiths. Obviously, they don't advertise this.

Becoming a cleric of Olidammara seems simple at first glance; the initial training seems an unending series of celebrations and escapades. Initiates are actually being carefully observed by their superiors, however, who look for a rare combination of joy, mischief, and whimsy.

Vestments

There is no strict dress code but the clergy usually wear green, brown, or mix green with brown or black clothes. They prefer loose clothing, under which they can hide many things. They particularly like emeralds, the color of which recalls that of the eyes of their god, and almost always wear one mounted on a ring, pendant or earring. Their dress is not indicative of their rank in this clergy very little hierarchical, except that perhaps the highest levels often hold an emerald of great value.

The sacred symbol of many priests is a real mask, while others prefer to wear a mask only on very special occasions and have their symbol engraved on a medallion or on a large ring.

Temples

The temples of Olidammara are rare. Nevertheless, as his disciples claim, wherever there is wine, laughter and songs, it is a temple dedicated to Olidammara. In fact, shrines dedicated to Olidammara are frequently installed in performance halls and inns, unless one of the rooms in its buildings acts as a sanctuary.

Altars sometimes consist of a simple pile of stones at the edge of a country road or an alcove in a small alley. Only a distinctive mark indicates that it is an altar dedicated to Olidammara. At nightfall, people can place an offering of wine, food or a few pieces of copper there, which disappear at dawn. The theft of these gifts is not considered blasphemy if the perpetrator is particularly poor. Either way, few people care about how the offerings went.

Very often, when an inn is linked to the cult of Olidammara, climbing vines run along the walls, sometimes even inside the building.

Temples set up in honor of Olidammara often double as show houses or taverns, and many of their priests ply their talents on stage, most having some level of talent at musical performance. Such temples are exceedingly informal even during "services"; since most rituals, liturgies, and even simple prayers are encouraged to be made up as necessary (like the Ceremony of the Cork to celebrate the opening of a particularly fine wine), there's almost no ritual.

His temples exist in two forms: public places where the arts are practiced and wine is drunk (in other words: concert halls, museums and inns) and outright temples to the Rogue. The larger "temples" are almost always hidden (for example in the city's sewer system) because they often serve as a hideout for thieves. Those who know where to find such an Olidammara temple can sell/buy all kinds of stolen or illegal good there.

Ide Volcar

Hedon Hall is the largest place of worship to Olidammara in the entire world, by far. This enormous building is a recent addition, replacing half a city block. The structure contains numerous auditoriums where plays and musical performances are staged every day. At the center of the complex you can find a large, covered market surrounded by many eateries. Small shrines for private worship are dotted around the place and it is said that there is even more to find for those in the know.