Tiresias
by Marco Dalmonte(Dallbard)
Patron of Dreams and Visions, Patron of Bards and Seers, Master of Poetic Inspirations
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 9 (Temporal), N, Thought
Symbol: a golden harp
Portfolio: dreams, prophetic revelations, poetry and music, astrology, legends
Worshipped in: Known World (Thyatis, Karameikos), Isle of Dawn, Davania, Hollow World (Milenia, Traldar Kingdoms)
Appearance: an elderly human clad with a simple linen robe, with a long white venerable beard and white long hair, whose eyes are covered by a strip of grey leather, holding a small golden harp with his right hand and a gnarled but sturdy staff in the other.
History: LIKELY THEORY: Tiresias was a very talented bard who became famous for his divination skills during the Traldar era. After being falsely accused and condemned for treachery by the jealous wife of a Traldar King he was serving as counsellor, he was blinded and then exiled. Thanks to his skills, however, he was able to survive and music, dreams and words became his only companions. Tiresias foresaw the coming of the gnolls and he tried to rally the hutaakas (who had formerly schooled him in the magical arts) to defend the Traldars. However, he faced the stern and uncompromising decision of the Hutaakas to stay out of the war, and he was escorted out of their secluded valley.
Tiresias dreamt of a fertile and riche land beyond the southern sea, and he judged this an omen sent by the Immortals to guide his people to a better place. With this knowledge he came to Halav's court, and he tried to convince him of the great threat which was about to wreak havoc on the Traldar Kingdoms, suggesting that the only way to survive was to migrate southwards beyond the Sea of Dread. Halav did not take him for a fool, but he clearly stated he would have never abandoned his homeland. So Tiresias travelled long to warn all of the Traldar Kings about their fate, until finally one heard his pleas and followed his advice: King Milen.
Thanks to Tiresias's foretelling powers, Milen's expedition reached Davania, and Milen's descendants founded the Milenian Kingdom. Later Tiresias undertook the Path of the Epic Hero, and in his travels he went as far as the Isle of Dawn, where he recovered the Harp of Turlock and became famous among the duns as Dallbard MacCrubach, and later went to Hel's reign to destroy an artifact of Entropy. It was after this epic deed that he achieved immortality in the Sphere of Thought in BC 780.
From that moment he became patron of poetry, dreams and prophecy among Traldars, Milenians and their descendants (the Thyatians and Traladarans), as well as among the people of the Isle of Dawn and the Hinterlands (as Dallbard).
Personality: Tiresias is a good friend of Halav and Petra, after succeeding in persuading them to protect and respect the Milenians, and a staunch ally of Taroyas, with whom he shared the first years of the Kingdom of Milenia in the outer world. He is also in good terms with Odin, although not a member of the Norse pantheon.
Despite being calm and thoughtful most of the time, Tiresias burns with rage just when someone mentions Thanatos and Ranivorus, who are responsible for the invasion of the Beastmen who caused him to abandon his homeland and suffer so much. Tiresias loves to be surrounded by a sense of mystery and wonder about his past, so he always comes up with a different story every time he is asked. He loves to create legends, which are much more stimulating and interesting than simple truth. This is part of his personality, a love for mind games and tricks that leads him to come up with interesting lies, riddles and metaphors instead of giving simple replies to answers; this way, he says, he helps people to think more. His interests lie in music, good stories and ballads, poetry, dreams and the wonders of language. For this reason he often associates with frivolous Palson and stern Guidarezzo alike, and competes with young and daring Harrow to become the true master of Dreams.
Patron: unknown [likely: Tyche]
Allies: Halav, Petra, Taroyas, Guidarezzo, Palson
Enemies: Thanatos, Ranivorus
Classic D&D Stats:
Followers' alignment: any; Clerics must be Neutral
Favoured Weapons: none (allowed all bludgeoning weapons)
Clerics' skills & powers: +1 bonus to Wisdom, +2 bonus to any one of the following skills: astrology, play an instrument, fortune telling, singing, writing, dreamwalking
D&D 3E Stats:
Domains: Thought, Oracle, Dreams, Arts
Preferred weapon: quarterstaff
Sources: IM3, WotI