Simurgh
by Marco Dalmonte English translation by Gary DaviesPatron of the Life Cycle, Patron of Flyers and Travellers, Keeper of the Flow of Time
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 18th (Celestial), NG, Time
Symbol: the face of an eagle seen from the side
Portfolio: protection of living species and the flow of time, health, wisdom, flight, travel
Worshipped in: Great Waste, Known World (Sind) and in many cultures escaping disasters
Appearance: a giant bird with the head of an eagle coloured silver, his beak armed with two rows of teeth, the body and the legs of a lion, two pairs of wings of metallic orange feathers, and the tail of a peacock.
History: PROBABLE THEORY: Simurgh is an immortal creature whose origins remain mysterious. His first apparitions in the history of Mystara goes back to the time of the first Beastmen and the carnifex, but no one knows if he was a mortal being before he ascended to become an Immortal. Although he has a proper home plane, he was rarely found in the Multiverse, and even seemed to vanish for entire centuries, only to return to manifest as the prelude to great calamites and catastrophes, with the declared aim of helping mortals and cultures to survive the events. Khoronus is his most loyal supporter, and he affirms that Simurgh is a native being of the temporal plane that gained Immortality in the Sphere of Time in time immemorial, and who normally lives within the flow of time. Some suspect instead that Simurgh is an emissary of the Old Ones, the creatures that live on the other side of the Dimensional Barrier, and that he emerges from the Vortex as he should whenever something’s wrong in the Multiverse, acting thus to repair the errors of mortals and Immortals. What is certain is that from when he first appeared, in the prehistory of Mystara, his level of power has never changed despite his efforts to protect different species and cultures, and this (together with his long absence) has induced the Immortals to believe that he is totally disinterested by the Immortals hierarchy of power, or that he has not even influenced by them (although continues to operate in accord with the hierarch of Time).
Personality: Simurgh is a affable being that fundamentally tries to act to preserve the life cycle and the existing cultures in the Multiverse, having already seen over time the loss of worlds and entire continents. For this he incites his followers with visions, dreams and apparitions, helping the most worthy with gifts (among which the fabulous Claw) and miraculous generosity, but carefully avoiding to intervene in more direct ways on the affairs of the mortals. He didn’t approve the creation of the Hollow World partly by Ka: for him every race has the right of selecting its own destiny and for the belief of his sphere preserving a culture forever in the same static and stratified form represents an aberration. In this way of seeing things he has always found faithful allies both in Khoronus and in Fugit. Simurgh is worshipped as protector of life and bearer of health, patron of travellers and flight in different parts of the Multiverse, while the intelligent flying species like rocs and giant eagles consider him their own ancestor.
Patron: unknown (probably none)
Allies: Khoronus, Fugit
Enemies: none (antipathy on the part of Ka)
Alignment of followers: any; clerics must be Neutral
Favourite weapon: dagger (allowed mace and thrown weapons)
Clerics’ skills and powers: power of transforming into a giant eagle once per day (gains the physical characteristics of the eagle, keeps his own mental characteristics, THAC0 and ST, cannot use any of his special powers), free train animals (flying) skill
Domains: Time, Good, Protection, Healing, Travel
Preferred weapon: dagger
Source: Master and Immortal set