Temple of Takhisis

Takhisis (Greater Diety)
The Queen of Darkness
Symbol: Black crescent, Five-headed dragon
Colors: Black, iridescent black
Celestial Symbol: Many headed dragon constellation
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Night, evil dragons, hatred, control, intrigue, chaos, domination
Worshipers: corrupt nobles, evil dragons, evil fighters, goblins, noble ogres, tyrants
Cleric Alignment: LN, LE, NE
Domains: Destruction, Evil, Law, Nobility, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Morningstar
Preferred Vestments: Form Fitted black robes, Blackened plate armor

Power is all. Set your webs of deceit and lies so that the gullible may become trapped so that you may destroy them at your leisure. Take that what you need, and let those who are stupid and weak suffer the blame and consequences. Control your lessers with fine silken threads of deceit, innuendo and intimidation. The ultimate purpose of having power is to conquer and rule.

Takhisis, also known as the Queen of Darkness, the Many-Headed Dragon, The Dragon of Many Colors and None, The Temptress, and the Dark Warrior, represents the godly force of control. She brings souls under her will and encourages them to grow according to her plans for conquest. She orders souls to surrender to dominance and give way to those who are stronger. She likewise orders souls to dominate others. She is the highest power among the Gods of Evil and believes that it is her right to one day dominate the entire world. Takhisis is one of the first gods, called along with Paladine. She controls the chromatic dragons and uses them for her conquests, but is always beaten back by the forces of good, evidenced by events like her defeat by Huma Dragonbane with his dragonlance. Her celestial symbol is the constellation Many-Headed Dragon
Paladine's consort during the Age of Dreams, she is the leader of the Evil Gods. She takes the avatar form of the famous and very powerful five-headed dragon, and that of a beautiful temptress of either elven of human kind. Her colors are either a shiny or dark Black, and influences night, hatred, chaos and intrigue. Her consort now is Sargonnas, God of Fury, and has had two children: Nuitari, God of Black Magic, and Zeboim, Goddess of the Sea and Storms
Her ultimate goal is domination. She wanted to be the only creator of the first race, the dragons, and for them to bear her symbol. She drained the honor from the dragons and replaced it with a savage fury. By doing this she divided the Gods into families forever.
She then concentrated on control of the Star-Spirits, and planned to wage war against the other Gods. Thus started the All-Saints War. With her defeat she bestowed upon them weakness, plague, and death. She still strives to get back what she feels is rightfully hers, and as a result has been the main contributor to the Wars that have been fought upon Krynn.
During the Third Dragon War, The Queen of Darkness was defeated by Huma Dragonbane, and exiled from Krynn to Nine Hells where she has plotted out her return. Through the Kingpriest she was able to spread her power to even the desolate regions of Ansolan for almost a century. The other Gods had had enough, and invoked the Cataclysm. But she even turned that to her benefit. As the mountain struck Krynn, she was able to secure the temple only to place it back on Krynn in Neraka. Thus linking her plane of existence with the mortal world. After her near entrance to the mortal world it is believed that her banishment by Huma was nullified.
Takhisis' only goal is domination of Krynn. She feeds off the weakness to enslave them to do her bidding. As the embodiment of evil, she detests anything Good, and looks at cruelty as admirable trait. She constantly strives to enter the world and enslave all mortals with-in it.

Other names: Queen of Darkness, Dragonqueen or Dragon Queen (Ergoth, Silvanesti), Erestem (Taladas), Kadulawa'ah (Tarmak), Tii'Mhut (Istar), She of the Many Faces (Hylo), Lady Duerhelis (Irda), Lady of Hell's Anger (Irda), Mai-Tat (Tarsis), Matat (Ancient Plainsmen), Nilat the Corrupter (Icewall), Tamex the False Metal (Thorbardin), Lady Chaos (Mithas), Mwarg (Hobgoblins), the One God (Neraka), the Dark Warrior, the Many-Headed Dragon, Her Dark Majesty, Shadow Sorcerer, Five Great Dragons (Jarak-sinn).

Church of Takhisis -

The dark clergy of Takhisis worshipped its cruel and calculating queen almost as much as it feared her. Priestesses slavishly devoted themselves to their goddess, but betrayed one another without a moment’s hesitation. Adherents to the faith corrupted honorable knights, tortured the loved ones of the innocent, and subverted the ideals of local townsfolk to achieve their goals.

Brutal races such as ogres and goblins often joined the unholy church to gain power over their peers, but the clergy accepted anyone who wanted to spread suffering and despair. Dark priestesses were exceptionally wicked individuals who were more than ready to charm and murder foes in the same breath. The church, like the goddess herself, sought absolute power and the total domination of Krynn.

History of the Church -

Takhisis sought dominance over Krynn for millennia, and her church proved itself no different. Ogres began enslaving other races shortly after the first temple was built in Garantha (later known as Kernen), though their decadence brought about their own downfall. The church was nearly crippled as a result, though it eventually recovered through an influx of corrupted humans. The first and second Dragon Wars certainly worked in Takhisis’s favor, but the church would not form a unified front until the onset of the Third Dragon War. For the first time, Takhisis gathered her myriad forces with one goal in mind, but her plans were thwarted by Huma Dragonbane. The church faltered with the goddess’s banishment, and was nearly hunted to extinction during the reign of the Kingpriests.

The impending Cataclysm was a brilliant opportunity for Takhisis. Her schemes began anew, and she rebuilt her forces in preparation for what was to become the War of the Lance.

Places of Worship -

As the dark pantheon’s dominant member, Takhisis often demanded the construction of elaborate structures in her name. Temples constructed to her in the Age of Dreams were wondrous affairs that held the same dark beauty possessed by the goddess, but the secrets of their construction faded with the fall of ogre civilization. Some cathedrals were built for defense, while others, such as the cube-shaped temple in Palanthas, have yet to reveal their secrets. After the Second Dragon War, Takhisis acquired a fondness for desecrating other temples and using them for her own benefit. Both goddess and church considered this a reminder of the Dark Queen’s supremacy, and this practice continued until her demise. Shrines were little more than poor substitutes for temples, but were necessary in locales strongly dedicated to Light or Balance.

Cleric Training -

Potential converts simply dedicated themselves to serving the Dark Queen, then received their medallions of faith, suffering only the mental molestations of other clerics who telepathically investigated their intent. Despite this quick rite of conversion, all clerics soon underwent the first of many tests of faith. A cleric’s first duty often involved the ritual murder of a lover or family member, reinforcing the belief that Takhisis came first and last.

Takhisian priestesses carefully studied the darker emotions of anger and betrayal, though few could ever understand the concept of love. Desire and lust were tolerated and sometimes encouraged as useful tools, whereas love was a weakness that could not be tolerated. The church encouraged its members to make use of every asset, and some disciples practiced the arts of seduction to draw potential converts.

Preferred Vestments -

Takhisis’s dark pilgrims wore black-hooded robes emblazoned with the black crescent, and a blackened silver medallion of faith.

Prayers and Rites -

Most prayers to the Queen of Darkness were of a self deprecating nature and espoused the supremacy of Takhisis while belittling the individual priest. Clerics received their spells through the Litany of Might, performed during the midnight hour. This rite praised the goddess, detailing how her dark gifts would be used in furtherance of the domination of Krynn.

Holy Days -

Celebrated on the third day of every New Year, Dark Day was an unusually quiet time for the church. Its members engaged in wicked contemplation of old plots and considered their role in the church’s hierarchy. This recent holiday also commemorated Takhisis’s eventual manifestation upon Krynn and is thus considered a dark celebration in its own right.

In stark contrast to Dark Day is a centuries-old ogre holiday known as the Crushing of Hope. The ogre nations of Blöde and Kern set aside their rivalries for three days in the harvest season so that all can participate in the sacking of human and elven settlements. Slaves are subjected to debasing contests and rituals, where the best possible outcome for the participants is a quick death.

Quests and Tasks -

Blackmail, seduction, and treachery were enforced among the Takhisian clergy. Priestesses were expected to advance their personal status however possible, and their method often included the sacrifice of friends and family. The Dark Queen discouraged the church’s usual infighting while her plans were in motion, but ingenious betrayals and plots received attention and were even praised.

Clerics from smaller locales coerced or magically compelled their targets, while others sought more direct methods of control. All members of the faith were sent out to corrupt persons of influence, from bartenders to political figures. Servants of Paladine were prized targets, though only the most devious clerics were able to crack the faith of these Revered Sons and Daughters. Above all else, the church sought a means of bringing Takhisis to Krynn. The clergy was fanatical in this regard, as it was rumored that whoever was responsible for Takhisis’s entry into the world would rule it by her command.

Allies -

The church of Takhisis had no true allies due to its selfserving nature, though it sometimes worked with other dark gods to fulfill mutual goals. These alliances frequently included the black-robed wizards of Nuitari, who were promised greater power for their cooperation. This partnership ended with the discovery of renegade wizards during the Third Dragon War, though Takhisis enlisted her son’s aid once again in preparation for the War of the Lance.

Enemies -

With the paranoia of Takhisis and the self-serving nature of her clergy, it is not surprising that all non-Takhisians were considered enemies of the church. Priestesses despised the Solamnic Knights from the moment of their inception, but utterly loathed them after it was learned that one of their kind stopped the Dark Queen’s plans. True clerics were dealt with in any number of ways, even if they followed other gods of Darkness. Metallic dragons were also reviled, though the church could do little against such majestic creatures but rely on its own dragons of red, blue, black, green, and white.

Magic -

The church viewed arcane magic as a powerful tool. Takhisis worked with her son Nuitari and his Black Robes, though she gained the wrath of the three moon-gods by redirecting their magic for her own ends.