Semuanya
| Greyhawk Deity | |
|---|---|
| Semuanya | |
| |
| Semuanya, as depicted in Deities and Demigods (1980). Art by David S. LaForce. | |
| Title(s) | The Breeder, the Watcher, the Seeker, the Survivor |
| Home Plane | Concordant Domain of the Outlands |
| Power Level | Lesser |
| Gender | Hermaphroditic |
| Class(es) | Fighter 13/Wizard 9/Priest 9 (avatar) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| Portfolio | Fertility, the Hunt, Lizardfolk, Swamps |
| Domains | Animal, Fate, Healing, Plant, Water, Protection, Renewal, Scalykind, War |
| Alias(es) | |
| Superior | None |
Semuanya is the chief deity worshiped by lizardfolk. The symbol of Semuanya is a single reptile egg. Its sacred animal is the alligator.
Contents
Description
Semuanya appears as a large lizardfolk warrior of indeterminate gender wielding a great club with sharp shells at the tip. During times of peace, lizardfolk call her the Breeder; during times of hardship they call him the Watcher or the Seeker.
Relationships
Semuanya is an aspect of the "World Serpent" deity worshiped in different forms by the various reptilian races. His worshipers are enthusiastically slaughtered by the cultists of Sess'innek, but to date Semuanya has not elected to care.
Realm
The great bog where Semuanya dwells can be found on the neutral plane of Concordant Opposition. Semuanya's Bog lies at one end of the great sea Tir fo Thiunn, spireward of the gate-town of Curst. The bog is an untamed, primordial place and is filled with lizardman petitioners, reptiles of all types and what will eventually be their meals. At its center lies the lethargic Semuanya itself.
Dogma
Semuanya is solely devoted to the survival and propagation of the lizardfolk race, and is completely neutral in alignment. If something is not directly related to survival or propagation, Semuanya considers it irrelevant.
Worshipers
Clergy
Semuanya's priests are unorganized, acting as general caretakers for their tribes. They are required to breed every season, and those who become infertile lose their spells and generally commit suicide. New shamans learn at the feet of the previous generation, and replace them when the older shamans grow infertile. Semuanya's priests distinguish themselves from their fellows with kilts of blue-green hide.
Temples
The lizardfolk do not normally build temples to this god, worshiping him instead at stone shrines.
Rituals
In times of strife, prayers to Semuanya take the form of efficient hisses and reptilian barks. In times of peace and plenty, lizardfolk take the time to intone longer chants and epic poems in the Draconic tongue. Hunting prizes are sacrificed to Semuanya monthly, when Luna is full.
Holy days
Semuanya's holy days are the times of the full moon.
Myths and legends
Kecuala
Before the dawn of history, in the time of myth, it is said that Semuanya had a mate, Kecuala by name. Both were hermaphroditic entities, both filling every social role. While Semuanya was concerned only with survival and propagation, however, Kecuala was distracted by more abstract and cerebral matters. Eventually it grew so distracted by its disparate thoughts that it split in half, becoming two entities, male and female. These were the first lizardfolk. Semuanya watches over the lizardfolk to this day, hoping one day they will eliminate their abstract thoughts and become Kecuala again.
Creative origins
James M. Ward created Semuanya for the 1980 D&D supplement manual Deities and Demigods.
Gallery
Bibliography
- Redman, Rich and James Wyatt. Defenders of the Faith. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
- Sargent, Carl. Monster Mythology. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
- Scott, Amber E., and F. Wesley Schneider. "The Ecology of the Lizardfolk." Dragon #335. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
- Ward, James, and Robert J. Kuntz. Deities and Demigods. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980.
