Segojan Earthcaller

Segojan Earthcaller: Earthfriend, the Rock Gnome, Lord of the Burrow, Digger of Dens, the Badger, the Wolverine

Symbol: Glowing cut gemstone
Home Plane: The Golden Hills
Alignment: NG
Portfolio: Earth, nature, the dead
Domains: Earth Good
Worshipers: Druids, elemental archons (earth), fighters, merchants, miners
Aliases: N/A
Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG
Favored Weapon: Crystalline rod (heavy mace) - "Earthcaller"

History/Relationships: Segojan Earthcaller (SEH-goe-jann URTH-cahl-ur) is the gnome god of earth and nature whose primary concern is creatures who dwell within the ground and burrow through the earth. He is a friend to all living animals that move above and below the earth and one who speaks to the very rock itself. Segojan gifted rock gnomes with the ability to comrnunicate with burrowing animals and taught them how to befriend moles, badgers, and other subterranean creatures. Much like Urogalan of the halfling pantheon, the Lord of the Burrow has assumed oversight of funerary rituals and the dead, for the Forgotten Folk inter their fallen kinfolk in his domain. Segojan was one of the first gods to be worshiped by the gnomes of the Realms, second only to Garl Glittergold. Some scholars of other races have postulated that the Lord of the Burrow has declined in influence and power over the centuries. In truth the emergence of other powers-Baervan Wildwanderer, Bar avar Cloakshadow, Callarduran Smoothhands, and Flandal Steel-skin-who took over responsibility for aspects of gnome life that Segojan once oversaw is more an indicator of the maturation of gnome religious beliefs than a suggestion of weakness on the part of the Lord of the Burrow. Segojan is widely worshiped by those who dwell within the earth, particularly rock gnomes, and to a lesser extent, deep gnomes. The Lord of the Burrow is revered by gnome miners, jewelers, illusionists, and artificers, but most members of these professions venerate Flandal Steelskin, Garl Glitter-gold, or Baravar Cloakshadow, respectively. With the notable exception of Urdlen, Segojan is closely allied with the rest of the gnome pantheon, for his areas of control overlap the portfolios of the other gnome powers. Segojan works closely with Baervan Wildwanderer, the gnome god of forests, travel, and nature, and their shared oversight of the natural world is divided between burrowing animals of the deep earth for Segojan and forest animals and plants for Baervan.

Similarly, the Lord of the Burrow is closely allied with Callarduran Smoothhands, and their shared oversight of those who dwell within the earth is divided between creatures of the shallow earth for Segojan and creatures of the deep earth on the Deep Brother's part. To a lesser extent, the portfolios of Segojan and Flandal Steelskin overlap as well, for (he Master of Metal governs mining by the Forgotten Folk, a particular type of burrowing. Both powers work closely together to ensure the safety of gnomes engaged in extensive tunneling beneath the earth. In addition to his oversight of earth and nature, Segojan was once venerated as a gnome god of magic as well. The growth of Baravar Cloakshadow's cult in the Realms and the predominance of specialists in the school of illusion/phantasm among gnome spellcasters-gnome artificers being a rare exception-has led to the Sly One being revered as the sole gnome god of magic by the Forgotten Folk. Segojan is no longer seen as having influence in this aspect of gnome life. Nevertheless, Segojan and Baravar work closely together overseeing the development of gnome wizardry. Outside the ranks of the gnome pantheon, Segojan is most closely allied with other gods of nature and the earth, and to a lesser extent, death.

He has a particularly close relationship with many of the Animal Lords of the Beastlands. He is an ardent foe of the kobold gods and often battles the various humanoid powers. The ancient enmity between Urdlen and the gnome pantheon unfolds in large part in endless battles between Segojan and the Crawler Below, for of all the gnome gods, Segojan's area of concern is most directly threatened by Urdlen's campaign of bloody terror and destruction. Much more than the other members of the gnome pantheon, Segojan and Urdlen are engaged in an ongoing and brutal war of attrition.

Segojan is an earthy and pragmatic deity who always communicates in a direct and straightforward fashion. Although he attempts to defuse and avoid conflicts if possible, he is a fierce opponent if he or his followers are attacked, particularly when he or his followers are threatened in their homes. The Lord of the Burrow is only likely to dispatch an avatar when gnomes who dwell within the earth are threatened, usually in situations when interactions between rock gnomes, deep gnomes, and other races who inhabit the Underdark conflict.

Dogma: The earth is the heart and soul of the Forgotten Folk. From its nurturing embrace spring forth the children of Garl on its surface and amidst its tunnels and caves they dwell in life, and beneath its silent shroud they rest in death. Many are the treasures, both living and mineral, that Segojan has hidden beneath the earth's surface; preserve and protect the natural world that lies beneath the roots of those who dwell on the surface. Dig burrows, tunnel, and explore, for Segojan welcomes all gnomes into his domain. Beware the evil that ensnares those blinded by avarice and the destructive impulses from the Crawler Below. The Lord of Burrows shall protect those who dwell in his demesne and live in harmony with his teachings.

Avatar/Manifestations: In keeping with his penchant for plain-speaking, Segojan rarely sends omens to members of his clergy, preferring to either dispatch an avatar or manifest in the form of a magic mouth spell that speaks directly to one or more of his followers. When discretion is required, the Lord or Burrows dispatches a small burrowing animal to communicate in a fashion similar to that of a messenger spell.

Sometimes Segojan manifests as a newly constructed tunnel. In most cases, such tunnels move with the intended traveler, collapsing behind him and opening before him as he moves through the earth. In other cases such tunnels are permanent and can be traversed in either direction as desired. In rare situations, when a follower is besieged by a potentially deadly opponent, the Lord of Burrows has been known to manifest as an earthen pit that suddenly appears directly beneath the opponent, enabling the gnome to flee.

Agents/Petitioners: Segojan is served by aurumvorae, badgers, earth elementals, galeb duhr, groundhogs, moles, raccoons, shrews, stone golems, stone guardians, weasels, wolverines, and voles. He demonstrates his favor through the discovery of small tunnels dug by burrowing animals, the discovery of gems of any sort (but diamonds are especially favored) in the soft earth or other types of ground where they do not occur naturally, and by gentle zephyrs that blow through tunnels opened by gnomes bringing fresh air and the god's good will. The Lord of Burrows indicates his displeasure by causing tremors in the earth that lead to localized cave-ins and by causing gems to change to water and soak into the earth.

The Church of Segojan Earthcaller: The church of Segojan holds a prominent position in most rock gnome communities for the god is the patron of this subrace and his priests are involved in nearly every important aspect of gnome society. Although the clergy of Callarduran Smoothhands and Baervan Wildwanderer occupy more prominent positions in deep gnome and forest gnome communities, respectively, Segojan's church serves an important secondary function and works closely with the other clergies. In particular, forest gnome priests of Segojan emphasize their god's oversight of the natural world, while deep gnome priests of the Lord of Burrows emphasize their god's interest in the earth. Segojan's temples are always constructed underground in a series of linked caverns connected by twisting passages. Such houses of worship share the traits of both a museum and a zoo. The creations of generations of gnome artisans adorn nearly every surface and include metal sculptures, sparkling jewels, elaborate illusions and others. Running wild amidst the displays of gnome craftsmanship are hundreds of small animals, ranging in size from tiny shrews to giant badgers.

Novices of Segojan are known as the Unearthed. Full priests of the Lord of Burrows are known as Earthcallers. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Segojian priests are Shrew, Mole, Vole, Ermine, Groundhog, Wolverine, Badger, and Aurumvorax. High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as earthfriends.

Day-to-Day Activities: Members of Segojan's clergy work closely with the priesthoods of other gnome gods. In conjunction with the clergy of Baervan Wildwanderer, they work to preserve and protect the natural world, particularly the diverse ecology found beneath the surface. In conjunction with the clergy of Flandal Steelskin, Segojan's faithful supervise mining operations and oversee the safety and protection of gnome miners. In conjunction with the followers of Callarduran Smoothhands, they work to forge ties between gnomes who dwell on or directly beneath the surface and the deep gnomes of the Underdark. Segojan's priests go further than others in actively seeking to protect boundaries between the various races of the Underdark whose tunnel' and cavern homes lie deeper underground than gnomes usually explore. Rock gnome priests, who form the core of Segojan's clergy, often serve as emissaries to deep kinfolk on behalf of surface communities of gnomes, and many seek to establish and maintain trading between the two subraces. In accordance with their god's supervision of the dead, the priests of the Lord of Burrows preside over most funerary rituals for the Forgotten Folk, interring the mortal forms of gnomes in his domain.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Segojan is venerated at quarterly holy days that mark the first day of each new season. His faithful gather in plainly adorned earthen dens and offer up gemstones, both worked and unworked, in honor of the treasures of the earth that the Lord of Burrows provides. Such treasures are then placed in small holes dug by badgers before covering them with dirt. Segojan is said to command small burrowing animals to move the jewels elsewhere for gnomes to discover anew. Those corrupted by the taint of Urdlen have occasionally returned to the burrows where Segojan is worshiped in hopes of stealing the offerings. Despite timely excavation, none of the buried offerings have been found where they were buried.

The Earthen Embrace is a relatively widespread funerary ritual observed in most gnome communities, particularly among rock gnomes. Gnome customs regarding the interment of the dead are believed to date back to the enslavement of the Forgotten Folk by the Netherese before their emancipation in the latter half of Netheril's Silver Age in 1472 NY. In gnome communities, the bodies of the fallen are rarely placed in any form of coffin or sarcophagus (except for some communities of forest gnomes who employ wood coffins). Instead gnome corpses are slathered with a thick coating of specially prepared mud by priests of Segojan. This coating dries and hardens over a period of three days until it achieves the consistency and strength of stone. During the three days it takes to prepare an earthen mummy, gnome illusionists work small magics into the hardening earthen shell to replicate the image of the deceased as she or he appeared in life.

After preparation, an earthen mummy is adorned with lifelike illusions and then carried on a carpet of furs of small burrowing animals to the central gathering spot of the community, or in larger settlements to the temple with which the deceased was most closely associated. Friends and relatives, a group that often encompasses the entire community, then gather around the body to recount favored stories of the deceased and to tell tales of his or her life. Finally, the body is blessed by the assembled clergy and borne off by the priests of Segojan to its final resting place in an earthen burial niche. Burial practices vary slightly from community to community, but generally changes to the basic ritual are performed only for gnomes who have received some measure of renown and thus entered into the rich oral tradition of gnome folklore. A fairly common practice in such cases is the placement of small gemstones and other treasures in the coating of mud before it hardens. This practice has resulted in grave robbers (including avaricious followers of Urdlen) plundering gnome burial sites in search of hidden treasures and the desecration and destruction of mummies thus unearthed. As a result, gnome burial sites are unmarked so as not to betray their location to nongnomes.

They are often located deep beneath the surface at the end of narrow winding tunnels that are then completely collapsed. Other prominent gnomes are recognized by permanent illusions that persist long beyond the three-day mourning period that may actually move about as the gnome did in life. In the rarest of ceremonies, gnomes of great renown are honored by wrapping their earthen shell in the hide of an aurumvorax.

Major Centers of Worship: The fortified village of Hardbuckler sits astride the Dusk Road, midway between the cities of Hill's Edge and Triel. Inhabited largely by gnomes, the village sits at the heart of an incipient realm of the Forgotten Folk whose small communities may be found in the neighboring Trielta Hills, Northdark Wood, and Reaching Woods. Hardbuckler's major industry is the provision of secure storage facilities, and innumerable caverns have been tunneled beneath the village's streets to house the valuables of several score merchants and adventuring bands. Deep below the storage caverns lies a hidden temple of Segojan called the Den of the Great Badger. It is said to have been the site of a great struggle during the Time of Troubles between the avatars of the Lord of Burrows and the Crawler Below. The temple stood inviolate thanks to the heroic defense mounted by its resident priests and warriors from the surrounding region in the face of the disorganized assault mounted by the ragtag army of followers of Urdlen.

Nicknamed the Impregnable Den ever since, Segojan's preeminent house of worship has been greatly expanded in the decade since it was nearly overrun. Seven primary hollows (caverns hewn from the surrounding earth) are linked to each other and the storage caverns above by a labyrinth of tunnels, most of which are barely wide enough for an unarmored gnome to pass with difficulty. Countless burrowing animals make their way through the gnome-carved tunnels as well as their own smaller passageways. Illusions and simple traps are everywhere, placed to hinder invaders but not those who dwell in the Segojan's warm embrace. In addition to the temple's resident priesthood, a large community of gnome scholars, sorcerers, and artisans, as well as their extended families, dwell amidst Segojan's hallowed halls. They seek to preserve the cultural heritage of the Forgotten Folk and to develop new modes of cultural expression. A group of tinkerers continues to experiment with the rich trove of Netherese artifacts stored within the temple, a legacy of their emancipated ancestors who took their fair share of magical trinkets in payment for generations of labor without recompense. This bustling hive is presided over by Heart of the Wolverine, Finn Hollowward, whose regal demeanor and extensive contacts among the gnome communities above has led to legends of a gnome king among visitors to Hardbuckler.

Affiliated Orders: The Watchers Below are a loosely structured order of gnome fighters, fighter/clerics, clerics, and specialty priests found in most rock gnome communities, as well as among the svirfneblin. The members form semiautonomous chapters that are affiliated with one or more gnome communities. These groups govern themselves with fairly flat hierarchies. The primary aim of the Watchers Below is to guard gnome homelands against the ever-present threat of Urdlen and depraved Forgotten Folk who follow the Crawler Below. In addition, members of this fellowship defend the subterranean borders of gnome communities against the numerous evil races of the Underdark who seek to extend their reach into gnome-held territories through conquest and raids.

Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial vestments of Segojan's priesthood include a fur cap and a suit of leather armor of gray or dark brown hue. The Lord of Burrows insists that no pan of any animal that must be hunted for sustenance go to waste, and the use of animal furs and skins in the vestments of the church is a way of abiding by this teaching. The holy symbol of the faith is a large and skillfully cut gem into which a light or continual light spell has been cast. The power of the god changes this incantation causing the jewel to glow from within for as long as it serves as a holy symbol of one of Segojan's priests.

Adventuring Garb: In times of potential danger, priests of Segojan are permitted to use any armor or weapon that is a product of the earth. As this command is interpreted by the church to include any item made of wood, metal, or stone, priests of Segojan are essentially unlimited in their choice of armor and weapons (although clerics must still abide by the restriction to use only blunt, bludgeoning weapons). At other times, members of the clergy favor leather armor and usually carry a stone or metal rod as a weapon even within the sanctity of their own burrow.