Zilchus
Encyclopedia
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game
, Zilchus (ZIL-chus) is the Oeridian
god of Power, Prestige, Money, Business, and Influence. His holy symbol is a pair of hands clutching a bag of gold.
(1983), by Gary Gygax
.
Zilchus was one of the deities described in the From the Ashes
set (1992), for the Greyhawk campaign. His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground
(1996).
Zilchus's role in the 3rd edition Greyhawk setting was defined in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
(2000).
and husband of Sotillion
(and thus related by marriage to Procan
, Merikka, and the Velaeri). He is a staunch ally of Rao
and Heironeous
. He acts as a dealmaker between deities, and has many contacts reflecting his ability to establish business relationships. Typically, Rao will convince warring gods to talk, and Zilchus the dealmaker will finalize their treaties.
Zilchus became estranged from Kurell when the thief-god spurned Atroa in order to pursue Zilchus' own love, Sotillion. Kurell now lives alone with his jealousies, although it is said that the others would forgive him if only he would ask.
Xerbo
is said to sulk whenever Zilchus encroaches on his followers, but they are not said to be enemies.
, Sera (of the Birthright campaign setting
), and Shinare, all of them combining their assets for mutual benefit. The realm is a vast bazaar run by the souls who held one of these gods as their primary patron in life, continuing their occupations in the hereafter. Zilchus' quarter of the Marketplace Eternal is called the Seat of Luxury.
Temporal power is regarded among the faith of Zilchus as a sign of one's personal worth.
Zilchus' faith has been widespread through the central Flanaess
since the Great Migrations
, and remains so today. Whenever trade is brisk, honest dealings are seen as important, and Zilchus's faith thrives accordingly. Zilchus' position as a god of power and influence has been somewhat weakened since the Greyhawk Wars
with the rise of more martial faiths.
Priests of Zilchus get along well with priests of Rao, though the latter gently chide them for their worldliness.
Zilchus' favored weapon is the dagger.
, and is also strong in Perrenland
, Rel Astra, Irongate, and the North Kingdom.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, Zilchus (ZIL-chus) is the Oeridian
Oeridians
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Oeridians are a race of humans living in the Flanaess...
god of Power, Prestige, Money, Business, and Influence. His holy symbol is a pair of hands clutching a bag of gold.
Publication history
Zilchus was first detailed for the Dungeons & Dragons game in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game SettingWorld of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
The World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting and the World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting are two closely related publications from TSR, Inc. that detail the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
(1983), by Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
.
Zilchus was one of the deities described in the From the Ashes
From the Ashes (Dungeons & Dragons)
From the Ashes is a supplement for Dungeons & Dragonss World of Greyhawk campaign setting. It was published in 1992 by TSR as a boxed set of materials...
set (1992), for the Greyhawk campaign. His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground
On Hallowed Ground
On Hallowed Ground is an accessory book for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, for the Planescape campaign setting.-Contents:This book contains information about deities' planar domains from 20 separate pantheons...
(1996).
Zilchus's role in the 3rd edition Greyhawk setting was defined in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Despite the title, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is not exclusive to the Living Greyhawk Campaign...
(2000).
Description
Zilchus is a popular Oeridian god, depicted as a well-dressed Oeridian man of plain appearance. He is middle-aged, with brown hair and eyes, tanned skin, and a dignified demeanor, and depicted as smiling. His clothing is expensive without being ostentatious. He carries a gold purse and a flail with which to chastise the dishonest. Though he has little time for frivolous pursuits, he is knowledgeable about such matters because such knowledge helps him influence others.Relationships
Zilchus is the brother of KurellKurell
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Kurell is the Oeridian god of Jealousy, Revenge, and Thievery...
and husband of Sotillion
Sotillion
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Sotillion is the Oeridian goddess of Summer, the South Wind, Ease, and Comfort...
(and thus related by marriage to Procan
Procan
Procan is a fictional deity in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Procan is the Oeridian god of seas, sea life, salt, sea weather, and navigation...
, Merikka, and the Velaeri). He is a staunch ally of Rao
Rao (Greyhawk)
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Rao is the Flan god of Peace, Reason, and Serenity. His holy symbol is a heart-shaped mask with a calm expression, or a simple white heart crafted of metal or wood...
and Heironeous
Heironeous
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and the default pantheon of deities for the third edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Heironeous is the Oeridian god of Chivalry, Justice, Honor, War, Daring, and Valor. His holy symbol is a silver lightning bolt, often clutched in a...
. He acts as a dealmaker between deities, and has many contacts reflecting his ability to establish business relationships. Typically, Rao will convince warring gods to talk, and Zilchus the dealmaker will finalize their treaties.
Zilchus became estranged from Kurell when the thief-god spurned Atroa in order to pursue Zilchus' own love, Sotillion. Kurell now lives alone with his jealousies, although it is said that the others would forgive him if only he would ask.
Xerbo
Xerbo
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Xerbo is the Suel god of the Sea, Sailing, Money, and Business...
is said to sulk whenever Zilchus encroaches on his followers, but they are not said to be enemies.
Realm
The realm of Zilchus is the Marketplace Eternal. He shares this domain with several mercantile deities from other worlds, including WaukeenWaukeen
Waukeen , is the fictional goddess of coins and wealth in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:...
, Sera (of the Birthright campaign setting
Birthright (campaign setting)
Birthright is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting that was first released by TSR in 1995. The setting based on the world of Aebrynis on the continent of Cerilia, in which the players take on the role of the divinely-empowered rulers, with emphasis on the political rulership level of gameplay...
), and Shinare, all of them combining their assets for mutual benefit. The realm is a vast bazaar run by the souls who held one of these gods as their primary patron in life, continuing their occupations in the hereafter. Zilchus' quarter of the Marketplace Eternal is called the Seat of Luxury.
Dogma
Zilchus teaches that the desire for power, prestige, influence, and money can be overwhelming in the world of mortals, but this desire must be tamed in one's own life so that it can be more easily exploited in others. The profit motive is viewed as something that improves the quality of all endeavors. Worshipers of Zilchus should strive to recognize the opportunities to increase their power, prestige, money, and influence and seize hold of them in order to one-up the competition. Zilchus teaches that politics and war are only aspects of trade, using words or lives as currency rather than precious metal, and should therefore be approached in the same way. One's own currency, whatever its form, should be spent more wisely than ones' rivals spend theirs.Temporal power is regarded among the faith of Zilchus as a sign of one's personal worth.
Worshipers
Zilchus is revered primarily by those who are fair, honest, and scrupulous in their dealings; shady merchants are more likely to look to his brother Kurell instead.Zilchus' faith has been widespread through the central Flanaess
Flanaess
The Flanaess is the eastern part of the continent of Oerik, one of the four continents of the fictional world of Oerth in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. The Flanaess has been the setting of dozens of adventures published between the 1970s...
since the Great Migrations
Great Migrations (Greyhawk)
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Great Migrations is a general term applying to the migration of great hordes of Oeridians and Suel humans into the Flanaess from western Oerik...
, and remains so today. Whenever trade is brisk, honest dealings are seen as important, and Zilchus's faith thrives accordingly. Zilchus' position as a god of power and influence has been somewhat weakened since the Greyhawk Wars
Greyhawk Wars
In the Dungeons & Dragons World of Greyhawk campaign setting, the Greyhawk Wars raged across the whole of the Flanaess from 582-584 CY.-History:...
with the rise of more martial faiths.
Clergy
Zilchus' clerics are ruthless in business, often viewed by others as emotionless souls, though of unimpeachable honesty. They involve themselves heavily in both business and politics, conducting deals above or below the table depending on their dispositions. They might work for powerful merchants, trade and crafts guilds, politicians, or nations, making transactions for their employers and accumulating prestige and currency for both their employers and themselves. Many are themselves merchants or nobles, or in some other position of temporal power. His priests are listened to by most rulers because of their honesty and diplomatic skills. Neophyte clerics are given less glamorous positions, such as managing caravans or remote businesses, or being hired as smugglers or adventurers.Priests of Zilchus get along well with priests of Rao, though the latter gently chide them for their worldliness.
Zilchus' favored weapon is the dagger.
Temples
Zilchus' church is the state religion of Ahlissa and DyversDyvers
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Dyvers, the "City of Sails," is a free city and political state in the central Flanaess...
, and is also strong in Perrenland
Perrenland
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Perrenland, properly known as the Concatenated Cantons of Perrenland, is a political state of the Flanaess.-Geography:...
, Rel Astra, Irongate, and the North Kingdom.
Rituals
Services to Zilchus involve incense burning, small offerings of goods, sermons, and homilies.Additional reading
- Brown, AnneAnne Brown (game designer)Anne Brown is a writer and editor in the role-playing game industry.Brown began working as an Assistant editor for Dragon magazine in 1989, on issues #147 to #151 . She was later transferred to TSR's Games Division...
. Player's GuideGreyhawk Player's GuideThe Player's Guide, also known as the Greyhawk Player's Guide or the Player's Guide to Greyhawk, is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. Written by Anne Brown, the work was published by Wizards of the Coast under its TSR imprint in 1998.-Contents:The Player's Guide contains...
. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998. - Conforti, Steven, ed. Living GreyhawkLiving GreyhawkLiving Greyhawk was a massively shared Dungeons and Dragons living campaign administered by RPGA that ran from 2000 to 2008. The campaign setting and storyline were based on Gary Gygax's World of Greyhawk setting, and used the Dungeons and Dragons Third Edition rules...
Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LG_Deities.zip