Achanatyr

ACHANATYR The God of Justice, Grimjaws, The Even-Handed, The Just God

Symbol: Balanced scales resting on up-right warhammer

Home Plane: The Court

Alignment: Lawful Good

Portfolio: Justice

Worshippers: Judges, lawyers, magistrates, the oppressed, paladins, police

Favoured Weapon: Justicar (Longsword)

Cleric Alignment: LG, NG, LN

NWN Domain: Good, Knowledge, War

History Relationships: Achanatyr was a power before the time of Jhaamdath and over the millennia, was known by a multitude of different names such as Anachtyr, Arrtyr Judge Of All, The Sword of Justice, and several others. He was a member of the Jhaamdathi Pantheon and sponsored cults as well as priests. Achanatyr is known to have travelled with Ilmater, who sought to temper The Wounded Ones enactment of justice.

Dogma: Novices of Achanatyr are charged to "Reveal the truth, punish the guilty, right the wrong, and be always true and just in your actions." Achanatyr and his followers are devoted to the cause of justice, to the righting of wrongs and the deliverance of just vengeance. This is not necessarily equality or fairness, as some make the Just God out to represent, but rather the discovery of truth and the punishment of the guilty. Achanatyrrans tend to be stiff-necked about theology and to see matters in black and white terms.

Clergy of Achanatyr are sworn to uphold the law wherever they go, and to punish those wronged under the law. They are to keep complete records of their own rulings, deeds, and decisions. Through these records, a priest's errors can be corrected, his or her grasp of the laws of all lands can grow and flourish, and lawbreakers can be identified by others. No known injustice done by a Achanatyrran priest must go unbalanced. Priests of Achanatyr should also always be vigilant in their observations and anticipations, seeking to see what forces and which beings intend or will cause injustices and threaten law and order in the future. They should then act to prevent such challenges in justice in coming to pass. In short: Abide by the laws, and let no others break them. Mete out punishment where lawbreaking occurs.

Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Achanatyr serve as judge, jury, and executioner in wilderness areas where there is no law but that of the sword. When doing so, their code cleaves fairly close to "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," but does adhere to common trade custom leavened by "the mercy of ignorance." This last means that if a being is truly ignorant of the proper behaviour, minor transgressions can be forgiven once with a warning, an explanation of the proper law—and a record of the warning being written down in the priest's Book of Lawgiving for later distribution to other Achanatyrrans so that the particular being will not be forgiven a second time.

In civilized areas, Achanatyrrans, or, Tyrrans, become legal experts and serve as the lawyers by dispensing advice and "speaking for" accused persons in trials. The fees they charge go to the Church of Achanatyr. 

Achanatyrrans often go about lecturing others on their shortcomings as to following laws, rules, and regulations, but they also serve to fearlessly take complaints about such formalities to the authorities who make such rules. No Achanatyrran will enforce a law that contradicts other laws or can be shown to be unjust. Note the concern is not that it is unfair, but unjust—defined in the Achanatyrran church as out of compliance with the principles and definitions adhered to by other laws in the body of legal doctrine of which it is a part. Priests of Achanatyr also have the duty of delivering just vengeance as punishment on the part of those who cannot do it themselves. Achanatyrrans undertake formal missions to do this, making promises to those to be avenged and forcing open confrontations with those the vengeance is to be visited upon, rather than working behind the scenes or employing intrigue.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Achanatyrrans celebrate daily rituals of prayer to the God, which take the form of a sung invocation, a series of responsive prayers led by a senior cleric, a short sermon of instruction or reading of wisdom from the Sacred Judgments of Achanatyr, and a rousing closing anthem. In temples and abbeys dedicated to the God, such rituals are celebrated every two hours around the clock, with the most important offices taking place at dawn, highsun (noon), the equivalent of six o'clock, and the equivalent of none o'clock. The dawn ritual, The Awakening, is a gentle, uplifting renewal of faith. The noonday ritual, the Hammer at Highsun, is a stirring, exultant expression of the church's vigilance and martial might. The evenfeast ritual, High Justice, is a stern, proud celebration of Achanatyr's commandments and the church's purpose. The evening ritual, the Remembrance of the Just Fallen, is a haunting, softly chanted reverence for those who have laid down their lives for justice, both inside and outside the faith—a ritual of quiet dignity and respect that always leaves many witnesses, even those who do not follow Achanatyr, in tears.

Affiliated Orders: The church of Achanatyr has many affiliated knightly orders. Individual temples often have special orders or companies attached to them or supported by them, such as the Just Knights of the House of Achanatyr's Hand in Milvarune. Two church-sponsored orders of paladins are the Knights of Holy Judgment and the Knights of the Merciful Sword. The first order tends to attract those who emphasize the "lawful" in their alignment, and the second the "good." Knights from either order may join an elite order of paladins known as the Hammers of Grimjaws.

To join the Hammers, a paladin must be nominated by a member of the Hammers, and his or her nomination must be seconded by a senior priest of Achanatyr. If both these requirements are met, she or he must stand vigil in the holy sanctuary of a temple of Achanatyr all night. If the paladin is judged worthy by Achanatyr, Achanatyr sends the paladin a vision of his war hammer. If no vision appears, the paladin is deemed yet too inexperienced, but not a failure, and may be nominated again after some time has passed. If Achanatyr sends a vision of his sword, the paladin has knowingly or unknowingly failed Achanatyr in some way and must immediately complete a quest to atone. If the quest is completed, Achanatyr is pleased and forgives, and the knight is admitted into the Hammers. There is no quitting a quest under these conditions; either the paladin succeeds or dies trying.

Priestly Vestments: The vestments of Achanatyr are blue and purple robes with a white sash. A white glove or gauntlet is worn on the left hand and a black one on the right to symbolize the loss of the god's right hand.

Adventuring Garb: For everyday use, most priests of Achanatyr wear armour or practical clothing adorned on the shoulders and back with the symbol of the hammer and scales of Achanatyr.