Rudd
| Greyhawk Deity | |
|---|---|
| Rudd | |
| |
| Rudd, the Luckbringer, as depicted in Dragon #265 (1999) | |
| Title(s) | The Charm, the Duelist, the Great Gambler, Luckbringer, Lady Luck, the Laughing Goddess, Smiley, Queen of Cards |
| Home Plane | Ysgard |
| Power Level | Demigod |
| Gender | Female |
| Class(es) | Thief 20/Fighter 15/Mage 10/Cleric 15 (avatar) |
| Alignment | Chaotic neutral (chaotic good) |
| Portfolio | Chance, Good Luck, and Skill |
| Domains | Chaos, Competition, Destiny, Luck |
| Alias(es) | Blue Eyes, "That girl that wins all the time," Cheater, Card Shark |
| Superior | Olidammara |
Rudd is the Oeridian goddess of Chance, Good Luck, and Skill. As the Great Gambler, she knows every card game invented. Rudd avoids completely cerebral games like Dragonchess, finding them too easy. Rudd's holy symbol is a bull's eye target.
Description
Rudd is depicted as an athletic, trim, Oeridian woman (though with some obvious Suel blood) garbed in form-fitting clothing with a long cloak of blue. She is young and invariably smiling. She has short black hair. She wields a rapier named Keleshe, a stiletto, and shortbow.
Relationships
Rudd is on good terms with her mentor, Olidammara, and Norebo (said by some to be her father), but opposes Iuz, Zagyg, and Ralishaz. She doesn't get along well with Istus, as Rudd has a big problem with the idea of predestination.
Realm
Though she has an outer planar realm—the House of Cards in Ysgard's first layer—Rudd is often found wandering the Flanaess, searching for games of chance and skill. She also spends time in the realm of Brightwater in Arborea. In Brightwater, Rudd is most attuned to the Quarter of the Great Wheel, where games and tests of chance and skill abound, and the inhabitants are bold and reckless. Ye'Cind is also said to spend much of his time in Brightwater.
Dogma
Rudd's priests advocate "making" their own luck by relying chiefly on their skills, yet they'll never rule out the long shot. Her clerics don't abide cheaters, but teach secretly that cheating is acceptable if you don't get caught, as successfully cheating can also be a skill. In Rudd's theology those who are able to recognize and take advantage of good luck may become heroes, while those who mistake bad luck for the good are merely fools.
Worshipers
Rudd's faith has become very popular since the 570s CY, particularly with adventurers.
Clergy
Rudd's clerics engage in games of chance that allow them to hone their skills, and often working in gambling houses. They can also be found in archery and fencing schools. They adventure for the thrill of it, and enjoy beating the odds. Clergy of Rudd wear bright clothing in the latest fashion. Their favored weapons are the rapier and the shortbow.
Temples
The largest of Rudd's shrines, in the Crossed Blades Gambling Hall, is located in the city of Peacekeep on the southern border of Bissel. The priests run the hall, while her shrine lies in the outermost of the hall's chambers.
Holy days
Rudd's mortal birthday is celebrated on the 10th day of Planting. This is not an official holiday of the church, but her clerics in Bissel often recognize it as such.
One legend has it that on her eighteenth birthday, Rudd successfully fended off an entire battalion of bugbears using only a cake and a spoon. A food fight is held in honor of this event every Planting 10 in Bissel.
History
Rudd was born in -400 CY, supposedly in what is now Bissel; she was a mortal woman who was sponsored to godhood by Olidammara. In 505 CY, Rudd was one of the nine demigods of opposing alignments captured in the Godtrap by Zagig Yragerne in his own bid for godhood. Rudd eventually escaped, but not before her mentor was himself briefly captured by the archmage.
Gallery
Bibliography
- Brown, Anne. Player's Guide. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:[1]
- Gygax, Gary. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
- Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K. Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
- Miller, Andy. "The Oeridian Lesser Gods, Part III: Telchur and Rudd." Dragon #265. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999.
- -----. "Campaign Holidays." Dragon Annual #4. Renton, WA: TSR, 1999 (pp. 18-19).
- Perkins, Christopher. Warriors of Heaven. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999.
- Reynolds, Sean K. "Core Beliefs: Olidammara." Dragon #342. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
