Kreios was the early leader among the Titans, before his brother Kronos was born. However, he recognized his sibling’s superior leadership skills and took on the mantle of ordering the seasons instead. He also works closely with Kronos on agricultural matters, focusing on livestock.
Kreios (PDF Version)
(Great Lord, the Ram of Heaven, the Ruler of Seasons)
Intermediate Power of Carceri, LE
Portfolio: The measure of years, constellations, the order of seasons, livestock
Aliases: Krios, Crius, Megamedes
Domain Name: Othrys/Mount Othrys (Megamedion) and Colothys/Megamedion
Superior: Kronos
Allies: Eurybia, Chronos, The Titans
Foes: Athena, Ouranos, The Olympians
Symbol: Ram constellation
Wor. Align.: Any
Third-born of the Twelve Titans, Kreios was the early leader of Ge’s children before the birth of Kronos. With the transfer of kingship, he took up the mantle of ordering the seasons and years through the cycles of constellations through the night sky. He ensures that the seasons happen in their proper order. He also has stewardship over domestic livestock, ensuring they produce milk, fleece, and other products at their appointed times.
In the mythology of the Titans, the Ram of Heaven set the precedent for peaceful transfers of power when he abdicated leadership in favor of his brother Kronos. He chose this out of his wisdom, recognizing Kronos’s superior ambition and skill and holds no animosity toward his sibling. For this reason, he is still known as the Great Lord, for he ruled well but recognized when it was time to give up that role to a younger, more appropriate individual.
With this power transfer, the Ruler of Seasons took it upon himself to ensure the regular progression of seasonal changes took place, tying them to the rising and setting of heavenly constellations. He works closely with Chronos to ensure the seasons match up with the days and months and they are predictable to the mortal mind. Through this work, and his own affinity for rams, he came to be seen as a shepherd god, watching over flocks and other domestic animals and with Kronos being the two most important rural agricultural gods of the Titan pantheon.
Of his brothers, Kreios was the first to join with Kronos when their mother came to request, they punish their father for his crimes against their sibling Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires. His support ensured the further aid of Iapetos, Hyperion, and Koios in the act. When the time came to ambush their father, he took up the southern position and so has long been associated with southern lands and phenomenon for the followers of the Titans.
When his siblings began to marry in celebration of the defeat of their father, Kreios looked outside their lot for his wife. He wooed and won the heart of his half-sister Eurybia, daughter of Ge and Pontos. With his beautiful bride he became the father of three sons named Astraios, Pallas, and Perses; however, like many of his siblings, he was a less than devoted father. Because of this distance, Pallas and Perses were drawn to their uncle Iapetos, learning the arts of weaponcraft and warmaking at his feet. Astraios showed interest in his father’s concerns, but only those of a stellar nature, and like his brothers he found much to learn from an uncle as well, this time Koios.
Still, despite his distance from his children, Kreios cares deeply for them. He was pleased and celebrated with his wife Eurybia when each in turn took a wife and had children of their own. This delight turned to black anger as each of those grandchildren sided with his hated foes, the Olympians. His anger deepened into outright hatred during the Titanomachy when Pallas faced Athena in battle and was slain, with his goat-hide skin used to form her Aegis. Before his banishment to Carceri, he took up his son’s ram horns and affixed them to his own head, swearing to use them to slay Athena one day.
Kreios spends his days brooding over his revenge, and his temple-realm on Carceri reflects his personality. It is dark and gloomy, save for the chambers reserved for Eurybia and her handmaids. She does what she can to steer his dark moods towards forgiveness and brighter emotions, and her efforts keep the temple from becoming a place of pure darkness and anger. Still, some brave souls risk the ire of the Ram of Heaven in search of boons or passage through his realm to the different layers of Carceri, and despite his black moods, his followers are known to raise some of the finest livestock on the Lower Planes.
The fetters of Carceri prevent Kreios from sending his avatars directly to the Prime Material Plane, although rumors claim they have managed to escape the plane through normal means and stalk the followers of Athena throughout the planes. Whatever the case, his avatars tend to be dark and brooding figures who leave others alone, but even the mention of Athena or his son Pallas can launch him into a blind rage. Because of his singular focus on Athena, he rarely sends omens or manifestations to his followers.
Deity’s Avatar (Fighter 32, Druid 32)
Kreios appears as an enormous human male with a pair of great bronze ram horns curving back from his temples. His black hair and beard are curly and well-kept, and his deep blue eyes sparkle as if they hold stars. He wears fine clothing in styles typically worn by sages or rustic herdsmen, usually in a shade of blue so deep it is nearly black. Over the course of one round, he can easily alter his height between that of a normal human and his full stature. He draws his spells from all spheres.
AC −1; MV 36; HP 213; THAC0 −10; #AT 7/2
Dmg 6d6+15 (staff +3, +10 Str, +2 spec bonus in staff)/4d8 (headbutt)
MR 55%; SZ M–G (6 feet tall to 100 feet tall)
Str 22, Dex 20, Con 23, Int 21, Wis 22, Cha 23
Spells P: 13/13/13/12/11/9/8
Saves PPDM 2; RSW 5; PP 4; BW 4; Sp 6
Special Att/Def: Kreios isn’t afraid to engage in melee if faced with hostile forces, and does so wielding Kalurops, a hooked shepherd’s staff +3. Any creature touched by this staff must make a saving throw vs. paralyzation or be paralyzed for 1d6 turns. The staff can also invoke a mass charm spell against normal and giant animals within 120 yards, affecting a total of 120 hit dice. In addition to his weapon attack or spellcasting, the Ram of Heaven can headbutt any similarly sized creature for the above listed damage, and any creature struck must make a saving throw vs. paralyzation with a −6 penalty or be knocked prone for 1 round.
The Great Lord can cast animal summoning I, II, III, and conjure animals each once per day. He can control any domesticated animals within sight as if affected by a domination spell in addition to any other actions and can unleash shooting stars (as the ring) once per hour.
The Ram of Heaven can only be struck by +2 or better weapons. He is immune to size-affecting magic and all mind-affecting magic and psionics, and no creature of animal or semi-intelligence will willingly attack him. Finally, he is unaffected by normal or magical darkness, being able to see as if under a bright starry night sky.
Other Manifestations
Like most of the elder Titans, Kreios rarely manifests his power on the Prime Material Plane. On those occasions that he chooses to do so, it always takes the form of stellar phenomenon, especially with unusually bright stars leading a follower towards safety, a specific goal, or some other location of importance to the Great Lord. When stars aren’t visible, he also sends ghostly, star-filled apparitions of zodiacal creatures to lead followers just as a bright star would. Such creatures are completely insubstantial and cannot be attacked or destroyed.
The Titans call on asuras, lesser titans, and monsters of legend as their preferred servants, but Kreios is also served by bulls, constellates, dogs, firestars, herdsman tasked genies, gorgons, maelephants, rams, domestic animals of all sorts, and any creature represented in a given crystal sphere’s zodiac. The Ram of Heaven is not known to display his favor through the appearance of any objects but does show his displeasure through the appearance of disease-wracked livestock.
The Church
Clergy: Clerics, specialty priests, monks, mystics
Clergy’s Align.: LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE
Turn Undead: C: No, SP: No, Mon: No, Mys: No
Cmnd. Undead: C: Yes, SP: No, Mon: No, Mys: No
All clerics, specialty priests, monks, and mystics of Kreios receive religion (Titan) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
The church of Kreios is one of the more popular and accessible faiths among the rustic folk of lands that worship the Titans. They offer blessings for herds and flocks and are consulted for the best times for breeding to ensure the healthiest animals are born. They are also believed to serve an important role in ensuring the seasons come and go with regularity.
Temples dedicated to the Ram of Heaven are rarely in urban areas; most are constructed in rural lands near good pasturage. They follow the plans typical of those built to honor the Titans, but the stone used for Kreios’s temples tend to be darker and the paints used favor common muted shades found in rural areas. The friezes and metopes of the temple feature scenes with domesticated animals and herding interspersed with constellations and images of the zodiac. The interior of the temples hold a sacred idol of Kreios himself, often paired with a representation of his wife Eurybia. Poor temples usually feature idols carved from wood and clothed with rural finery, while wealthy temples will have exquisite statues of gold and ivory. Images and friezes of the Ruler of Seasons and his family can often be found decorating the interior walls.
Novices in the service of the Ram of Heaven are called the Hornless, while full priests of the Great Lord are called Horned Keepers. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by the priesthood of Kreios are Chickenherd, Swineherd, Sheepherd, Goatherd, and Oxherd. High ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests in the service of the Ruler of Seasons are called flocklords. Specialty priests (30%) and clerics (55%) dominate the priesthood of the Great Lord, with a small number of mystics (9%) and monks (6%) making up the remainder. Males (72%) dominated the clergy of Kreios; females (28%) are not often called to his service.
Dogma: Tend to the flocks and teach those who keep animals the best practices for raising them. Animals are the most desired sacrifice of the gods; thus, they should be cared for with skill to ensure the gods get the best animals people have to offer.
Day-to-Day Activities: While members of the Kreion clergy are interested in ensuring the wellbeing of flocks and herds, they rarely tend to the daily care of animals themselves, except as novices. Temples frequently own substantial collections of animals, but they either lease them out to local herdsmen or employ skilled men or lay followers to look after them directly. Many members of the priesthood own their own livestock as well, and in many sanctuaries, an individual priest’s herd size is directly correlated with their rank within the clergy. The priesthood also maintains seasonal calendars to help local herdsmen know when to move their livestock between pasturage; these calendars are sent out to all the nearby towns and villages on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. These calendars are based on the positioning of the stars and moon, and include any omens the clergy has discovered in their observations. Many members also travel among the local herds and flocks to provide blessings, but always for a price.
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: The most important ceremony for the clergy is a three-day feast and celebration at the start of spring, as governed by the rise of certain constellations. The name of the ceremony varies widely throughout the Prime Material Plane; it is typically named for the constellation that heralds its beginning. During the ceremony, all local farmers who raise animals are encouraged to donate to the feast and sacrifice to Kreios. While there is no formal penalty for not doing so, failing to do so usually means the priesthood neglects to visit their farms and is slow to arrive when summoned for emergencies. Regardless of whether an owner has donated or not, all are allowed to bring two of their animals to the ceremony where they will be blessed by the priests for good health, ample production, and healthy offspring. Once the blessings are carried out, which normally takes two of the three days of the ceremony, omens for the coming year are read out and stories and fables are told to entertain those who’ve come to the sanctuary to participate. Finally, as evening begins on the third night, a great sacrifice and feast is held, with all visitors allowed to partake.
This ceremony is the only time farmers can get their animals blessed free of charge, at least nominally. The rest of the year donations or even bribes must be made to get priests to bless more than the two animals allowed at the springtime festival.
Major Centers of Worship: Greatspace was once home to a great number of temples of Kreios, but with the suppression of the Titan faith, virtually none remain. Rumors persist that one can still be found in the underdark of Thesalys, populated by humans and minotaurs, and hosting considerable herds of deep rothé.
Affiliated Orders: The Wanderers of the Celestial Ram is a small order of mystics who travel throughout rural lands, blessing flocks and herds at random. They seek no compensation for this work besides shelter for the night and supplies for their travels; for this reason, they are looked upon by the rest of the clergy as oddities at best. The worst they suffer at the hands of their brethren is scorn and derision, however, and all members of the Wanderers will find a roof over their head for the night at any of the Great Lord’s sanctuaries. The Wanderers travel by whim, and there is rarely a rhyme or reason for their visitations; most are Chaotic Neutral. They are just as likely to attend to a healthy flock as they are one riddled with disease, and just as likely to pass up a herd suffering plague as they are to pass by one with nothing but healthy individuals.
The second order attached to the church of Kreios is the Order of the Risen Ram. These monks do most of the work within the church to track the timing of the seasons and observe over-arching omens that affect whole lands based on the movements of celestial objects. They operate in small remote mountain sanctuaries dedicated to celestial observation and send out their reports to the other nearby temples of Kreios.
Priestly Vestments: The priesthood of the Ram of Heaven wear brown or green himations with silver threading when attending ceremonies. Embroidered symbols representing the animals of their rank adorn their shoulders, and they wear fine goatskin cloaks over their other garb. Some temples also wear a headdress with a pair of ram’s horns, but this is not common, and some temples reserve such a headdress for the high priest of the temple. The holy symbol used by the church is either a small horn of a ram or an amulet depicting a pair of such horns.
Adventuring Garb: When traveling, sturdy travelers’ garb is favored by members of the Kreion priesthood. They prefer to dress in a nondescript manner to prevent herdsmen from harassing them in hopes of gaining a blessing for their animals. They rarely wear armor and favor weapons useful for hunting; however, if combat is expected or necessary they don the best armor they can acquire and favor spears, maces, slings, and bows.
Specialty Priests (Flocklords)
Requirements: Wisdom 12, Charisma 13
Prime Req.: Wisdom
Alignment: LE
Weapons: Bow, club, dagger, dart, mace, sling, spear, staff
Armor: Any
Major Spheres: All, animal, creation, divination, healing, protection, time, wards, weather
Minor Spheres: Elemental (water), guardian, plant
Magical Items: As clerics and druids
Req. Profs: Animal handling
Bonus Profs: Weather sense
- Flocklords must be humans.
- Flocklords are not allowed to multiclass.
- Unless magically compelled, no natural domesticated animal will attack a flocklord.
- Once per day, flocklords can cast calm animals (as the 1st-level priest spell).
- At 3rd level, flocklords can cast beastspite or seasonal wrath (as the 2nd-level priest spells) once per day.
- At 6th level, flocklords can cast starshine or summon zodiacal spirit (as the 3rd-level priest spells) once per day.
- At 9th level, flocklords can cast animal growth (as the 5th-level priest spell) or hasten growth (as the 5th-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 12th level, flocklords can cast conjure animals (as the 6th-level priest spell) once per day. Only domesticated animals can be summoned with this ability.
- At 15th level, flocklords can cast mass polymorph (as the 8th-level wizard spell) once per week. Creatures polymorphed may only be changed into the forms of domesticated animals.
Kreion Spells
2nd Level
Seasonal Wrath (Pr 2; Conjuration/Summoning)
Sphere: Weather
Range: 30 yds. + 5 yds./level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: Neg.
With this spell, the caster can unleash a concentrated blast of weather from one of the four seasons at one or more targets. Initially, only a single creature can be targeted with this spell; for every three levels achieved beyond third, the caster can target an additional creature provided all targets are within a 20-foot cube. For example, two creatures can be targeted at 6th, three at 9th, etc. To determine what sort of weather assaults the caster’s opponents, roll 1d4 and consult the following chart:
1d4 Effect
- Spring: A concentrated blast of allergenic pollen surrounds the target. The target is allowed a saving throw versus poison (with any relevant modifiers) to avoid being negatively affected by the pollen. If the save is failed, the target has an allergic reaction and immediately begins coughing and sneezing, and all attack rolls and saving throws suffer a –2 penalty. The allergic reaction lasts for 1d4 rounds, plus one round per two levels of the caster. Creatures that do not need to breath, and all plants, are immune to this effect. No creatures other than the target are affected by the pollen.
- Summer: Intense summer heat sears the target, causing dehydration and intense sweating. Most creatures suffer 1d3 points of damager per two levels of the caster; those immune to heat or dehydration suffer none. Creatures made mostly of water or otherwise susceptible to dehydration or heat suffer an extra point of damage per die (i.e. 1d3+1 per two levels). A saving throw versus spell halves the damage, although wearing clothing suitable to deal with the hot summer sun (such as most desert garb) grants a +4 bonus to the save.
- Autumn: Strong winds filled with razor-sharp leaf litter buffets the target, causing 1d3 points of damage per two levels of the caster. A saving throw versus spell halves the damage. Targets wearing armor suffer less damage from these leaves; this reduction in damage is based on the purely armor portion of their AC, excluding magical pluses, shields, Dexterity, etc., subtracted from 10. For example, a warrior wearing a suit of full plate armor +1, which is AC 1 excluding the magical plus, suffers 9 fewer points of damage from the autumn blast, to a minimum of 1. Items such as bracers of defense and rings of protection offer no benefit against this effect of the spell, but spells that mimic normal armor, including armor and phantom mail, but not shield, do offer the same protection as real armor. A creature protected by stoneskin is immune to this damage.
- Winter: The icy-cold of winter cuts into a target, dealing 1d3 points of cold damage per two levels of the caster. A saving throw versus spell halves the damage received from the wintry blast. Creatures vulnerable to cold suffer an additional point of damage per die, while those wearing suitable winter clothing gain a +4 bonus to their saving throw.
For every five levels attained, the caster automatically conjures an additional seasonal blast against the same targets in the following rounds. These blasts follow the progression of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. For example, a 15th level caster rolls a 3 for their initial seasonal blast, conjuring an autumn blast. The following round on the caster’s initiative, the winter blast is conjured against the same targets, and finally on the third round the spell ends with a spring blast. The caster must focus the blast each round or the spell ends prematurely, but the effect requires no concentration and cannot be interrupted by an attack.
The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a ring or hoop of any material.
3rd Level
Summon Zodiacal Spirit (Pr 3; Conjuration/Summoning)
Sphere: Sun
Range: 30 yds.
Components: V, M
Duration: 2 rds./level
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: 1 zodiacal spirit
Saving Throw: None
This spell summons a ghostly, translucent apparition filled with sparking motes of light. This apparition is neither alive nor dead and exactly mimics the common image of a well-known celestial constellation, as chosen by the caster. This being sheds soft light as a torch but generates no heat, and the motes of light within its body are at the precise positions as the stars that make up its namesake constellation. The zodiacal spirit fights as a 5 HD creature with the same hit points as caster, and deals 1d8 points of damage per hit. If the form it takes has a natural ranged attack, it can project a piercing mote of light up to 30 feet for the same damage as a normal strike if it succeeds with an attack roll. The zodiacal spirit takes half damage from normal weapons and full damage from magical weapons and spells, although it has no biological functions and is immune to spells such as cure wounds, poison, and death spell.
The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a polished star rose quartz or a representation of the constellation to be summoned made of silver.
4th Level
Herd Blessing (Pr 4; Necromancing)
Sphere: Animal
Range: 30 yds.
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 month/level
Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: 1 herd
Saving Throw: None
By means of this spell, the caster brings a blessing upon a herd or flock of domesticated animals. This blessing lasts for one month per level of the caster and imbues all members of the herd with improved hardiness and health, and causes them to be more likely to give birth to healthy offspring. For the duration of the blessing, all animals in the herd gain an additional hit point per hit die, up to their normal maximum, and gain a +4 bonus to saving throws versus disease and poison. Offspring born while the blessing is in effect have any chance of being stillborn or being otherwise unhealthy halved. Finally, any products from these animals, such as wool, milk, cheese, and eggs, are of higher quality and fetch 5–10% (1d6+4) more when sold.
The reverse of this spell, herd curse, has the opposite effect in every way. Bonuses become penalties, halved chances are doubled instead, etc. This curse can be eliminated with a dispel magic followed by a remove curse cast by a priest of higher level than the one who cursed the herd. There is no save allowed against the curse.
Both forms only affect a herd, not individual animals. An animal sold or traded from a herd loses the blessing, and new animals added to the herd, so long as they do not exceed the maximum, gain the blessing. If a herd is split up, the blessing follows the largest remnant, while scattering the herd ends the blessing or curse prematurely.
Either form can affect a herd of up to 50 individuals. For every five levels above 10th, the caster can affect another 50 individuals within the same herd.
The material component for either version of the spell is the priest’s holy symbol.