Kurgess
Introduction
Kurgess, the Strong Man, was once a mortal of peerless physical prowess. As legends of his sporting victories and his noble death spread across the Inner Sea region— and even other planes—athletes began looking to Kurgess as a role model, and competitions were often dedicated to him as the embodiment of honor and athleticism. Shortly thereafter, Cayden Cailean and Desna raised Kurgess to godhood, crowning him with deific powers. Why they did this remains up for debate, but more than a few scholars whisper that Kurgess might actually be the two deities’ half-mortal son. He stands as patron of and inspiration for all who engage in physical challenges. [1]
THE STRONG MAN
God of bravery, competition, and sports
Alignment NG
Domains Community, Good, Luck, Strength, Travel
Subdomains Agathion, Family, Fate, Home, Resolve, Trade
Favored Weapon javelin
Centers of Worship Andoran, Druma, Isger, the Shackles, Taldor
Nationality Taldan
Obedience Find the nearest boulder, log, or other unattended object that you can reliably lift over your head, and hold it up high for the duration of the obedience while meditating on the ennobling nature of sports and tests of physical might. If you are interrupted at any time by any creature or person, you must challenge your interrupter to a contest of strength, speed, or stamina, with the boulder or another object of your obedience used as the main focus of the competition. Regardless of who wins, you gain a +2 sacred bonus on Acrobatics and Climb checks.
EVANGELIST BOONS
1: Blessed Runner (Sp) longstrider 3/day, cat’s grace 2/day, or haste 1/day
2: Strong One (Su) You are wise enough to know that strength is a useful attribute for more than just competition and combat, and Kurgess smiles upon you for this wisdom, granting you greater strength for your everyday activities. You gain a +2 sacred bonus on all Strength-based skill checks.
3: Farmer’s Brawn (Su) Great strength finds those who need it most, granting even the weakest individuals nearsupernatural abilities in moments of panic or to rescue loved ones, and Kurgess’s evangelists are especially prone to such instantaneous bursts of brawn. Treat your carrying capacity as though your Strength ability score were 3 points higher than it actually is. Once per day, as long as you are wearing light, medium, or no armor, you can lift up to two unconscious or dead Medium or smaller creatures and their equipment onto your shoulders and still move up to your base speed, ignoring the added weight of your fallen comrades. You cannot both attack and move in the same round while carrying one or more creatures in this way. You can carry your companions in this way for a number of rounds equal to your Hit Dice; afterward, they encumber you as normal.
EXALTED BOONS
1: Holy Strength (Sp) enlarge person 3/day, bull’s strength 2/day, or rage 1/day
2: Coordinated Escape (Su) You and your allies know it is better to flee and live to continue the fight another day than to die honorable deaths that accomplish nothing.
Three times per day as a standard action, you can shout an inspirational command that affects you and any allies within 60 feet for a number of rounds equal to your Hit Dice. During this time, affected characters can use the withdraw action to move up to triple their base speed (instead of up to double their base speed).
3: Break the Anvil (Su) You don’t believe it is enough to shame your enemies by relieving them of their weapons—if possible, you must shatter those weapons so they can never again stand against you. Once per day, you can perform a disarm or sunder combat maneuver with a +4 competence bonus against an adjacent creature and a weapon it holds. If you succeed, the creature’s weapon is simultaneously damaged and disarmed, as though you had succeeded at both combat maneuvers simultaneously. If you exceed the target’s Combat Maneuver Defense by 10 or more, the target drops the items it is carrying in both hands, but you only sunder the weapon you initially targeted. If you don’t have either the Improved Disarm or Improved Sunder feat or a similar ability, this attempt provokes attacks of opportunity as normal; however, if you have one of the feats or a similar ability, this attempt does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
SENTINEL BOONS
1: Master of Games (Sp) true strike 3/day, bear’s endurance 2/day, or heroism 1/day
2: Reveal Frauds (Sp) Like Kurgess, your keen sense of honor will not allow you to brook cheats among your ranks, and the insight bestowed by your devotion to your ideals has taught you to spot a fraud based on a hunch. You can use discern lies, as per the spell, for a number of rounds per day equal to your Hit Dice. These rounds need not be consecutive. Activating this ability is an immediate action.
3: Unchained Savior (Su) You are nothing without your teammates, and are willing to sacrifice your own safety to keep them alive. Once per day as an immediate action, if an ally within 60 feet of you would normally take enough damage to fall unconscious or die, you can move to an adjacent space and intercept the killing blow, taking the damage in your ally’s place. If the attack would have inflicted any effects other than hit point damage, those effects are negated. If the damage would bring you to negative hit points, you are brought to 0 hit points instead, and the remaining damage is negated. Any attacks of opportunity you provoke by moving in this way are resolved after you take the damage from the intercepted blow; you take any damage from those attacks as normal. [1]
UNDERSTANDING KURGESS
About 300 years ago, Kurgess was merely a strapping farm boy from Taldor, and his mortal life is well-documented.
Born to unknown parents, Kurgess was abandoned as an infant upon the doorstep of a Taldan couple who took him in. His extraordinary strength manifested before he even reached puberty—by the age of eight, he could pull a sleigh loaded with his brothers and sisters back and forth across a field all afternoon. One day, Kurgess spotted a traveling merchant on the road who had gotten his carriage stuck in a ditch. The selfless youth shook hands with the stranger before disconnecting the carriage from its train and heaving the entire vehicle out of the ditch unaided. Impressed by the boy’s wondrous brawn, the merchant extended an offer: Kurgess could join him in his travels, and together they would roam Taldor, with Kurgess competing in contests of strength and speed.
By the time Kurgess turned 20, he was packing stadiums with peasants as well as aristocrats eager to see the socalled Strong Man best time-honored champions at their own games. Unfortunately, Kurgess’s vast talent and good-natured sportsmanship earned him the jealousy and bitterness of many of his more unscrupulous rivals.
Kurgess’s final act as a mortal took place at the third annual Raptor Run in Taldor’s capital of Oppar.a Before the competition, Kurgess’s enemies laid down a vicious trap for the Strong Man and any competitors unfortunate enough to be riding alongside him. Kurgess caught wind of the scheme and sacrificed himself, crashing his chariot onto the trap and saving the other athletes. When the clerics pronounced the gladiator dead, the entire city mourned for the champion, and Kurgess became a martyr.[1]
THE CHURCH
The church of Kurgess is first and foremost dedicated to the pursuit of good sportsmanship and athletic achievements.
Kurgessans believe that strength of body and character is the key that opens the gates to Nirvana, and train day in and day out to emulate the magnificent victories and honorable deeds of their god. In addition to participating in sporting events and competitions, followers of Kurgess donate their time and muscles to good causes such as aiding the ill, building homes, and performing acts of kindness for any strangers they encounter.
Most of Kurgess’s devotees pursue a roaming lifestyle that mirrors their god’s legendary travels, chasing competitions and contests all across Avistan and Garund. Whenever Kurgessans worship or win an important personal competition at a significant site, they leave their marks by hanging gilded chains from high rafters, tall spires, or otherwise seemingly unreachable places. This practice has inspired an unspoken tradition across southern Avistan: when a Kurgessan sees one of the telltale golden chains left by a previous adherent, the latest arrival does her best to climb, jump, or otherwise mount the obstacle and reach the chain, so she can add one of her own links to it. Heavily trafficked shrines can see dozens of traveling Kurgessans each year, and the most hallowed sanctuaries of the Strong Man bear golden chains hundreds of feet long.
Members of Kurgess’s church generally fall into three categories, which are recognized by all members of the faith: champions, heralds, and laity. Champions are the most numerous among Kurgess’s devoted—these are the brawlers, strongfolk, and athletes who embody Kurgess’s strength and seek to follow in his divine footsteps.
Officiates, priests, and other servants of the church who don’t actually participate in physical competitions are called heralds—they are responsible for coordinating sporting events, maintaining the church and training grounds, and serving as squires for their champions in the aren.a Least numerous are the laity, or lay worshipers— the common (and often destitute) farmers and artisans who make food and equipment for champions and heralds and rely heavily on the church’s charity.
Unlike worshipers of other gods of battle who may revel in the bloodshed of their enemies, Kurgessans take little pleasure in mortal combat, and are hesitant to rush into war or prolonged political conflicts. Worshipers of Kurgess enjoy performing heroic acts for the less fortunate and are willing to reveal their true strength on the battlefield, but they are primarily a light-hearted lot who would prefer to train their bodies and play games in a world of peace rather than fight.[1]
TEMPLES AND SHRINES
The largest Kurgessan temples—mostly in Taldor, though several have been built elsewhere—are broad stone structures held up with iron pillars gilded in gold.
Blacksmiths, armorers, and farriers convene near these temples, crafting gold-colored ceremonial armor for the evangelists who spread the Strong Man’s gospel through sports and charity. Temples to Kurgess are nearly always built next to stadiums, coliseums, and arenas; sometimes they are part of those structures themselves. When they aren’t, sacred halls typically connect the church to its adjacent sporting ground, allowing adherents of the Strong Man to easily find their way to their next sparring match after prayer or return to the temple after a long day of wrestling. Smaller or poorer temples typically occupy single stone buildings in settlements where sports are less celebrated.[1]
A PRIEST’S ROLE
Like all members of the church, Kurgessan priests are often wanderers. They journey across southern Avistan and beyond, scouring the globe for honorable competitions (in the case of priests who compete) or worthy athletes to convert to the faith and sponsor in future contests. Sponsorship is a great responsibility for Kurgessan priests, and one not to be taken lightly.
The few priests of Kurgess who adopt settled lifestyles tend to practice their faith by committing energy to charities, organizing sporting events to draw visitors to town, and training militia groups to defend their settlements and eradicate monsters. As an orphan himself, Kurgess smiles down on those who help youths from unfortunate backgrounds.
The hardiest Kurgessan priests wear thick iron bangles, anklets, and leather vests lined with iron tablets that can weigh upward of 100 pounds. Such zealots train daily while wearing weighted garb, honing their bodies against the added weight until it is practically a second skin. When the time comes to finally put their training to the test, these disciples shed their self-imposed burdens, their muscles so unrestrained they practically fly into the fray.
“Honor, fairness, and above all, respect”—this is Kurgess’s dogm.a Kurgessan priests love the thrill of a win, but they also know the value of bittersweet losses, seeing victory and defeat as closely intertwined. So too do these revelers understand that in order to claim glory, one must do so graciously; a boastful winner is no winner at all, and sore losers create mental and spiritual baggage that only weighs them down during the next match. Of course, in mortal combat, the niceties of sportsmanship and good manners are set aside so that a Kurgessan can protect herself and her allies. Clerics of Kurgess can prepare expeditious retreat and jump as 1st-level spells.[1]
ADVENTURERS
Performing acts of good, finding new competitors to best, and rooting out the unjust are all vital aspects of Kurgess’s ethos, and they make for a good adventuring lifestyle as well. What’s more, over the last 300 years, there have been rumors of Kurgess himself appearing in mortal guise to take part in sporting events. It is said that he equally protects and encourages his fellow competitors while doing so. This has led to a gradual expansion of his faith, and consequently, of the number of adventurers who count themselves among his followers.
It isn’t in a Kurgessan’s nature to stay in one place for too long. Devotees seek to emulate their god’s accomplishments by leading a nomadic life in order to compete in as many matches, spars, and tournaments as they can in their lifetimes.[1]
CLOTHING
In life, Kurgess was famous for wearing sparse attire and eschewing civilized garb. In turn, Kurgess’s adherents prefer humble gladiatorial gear such as short togas, cloth pants or wrappings, and loincloths. This clothing is often held together with small golden chains. Officiates of the Strong Man usually wear tabards or togas bearing their god’s holy symbol. Of course, clothing standards tend to fall by the wayside in the heat of sports, and adherents focus more on comfort and ease of mobility than modesty.[1]
HOLY TEXT
The following work of text features prominently among Kurgess’s canon.
Catalog of Champions: This exhaustive record contains a preamble on the philosophy behind sportsmanship and noble competition, as well as names the winners of a variety of contests, physical tests, and sporting events held around the Inner Sea region and beyond. Along with the champions’ names, each entry includes the rules of the sport, mythological stories behind the sport, and the time, weight, or act one must best to claim a spot on the list of champions. While normally recorded on vellum scrolls, several versions of this ancient record are inscribed on the stones of notable coliseums such as Valknar Gladiatorial College in the River Kingdom of Tymon and the pillars that line the Lionsgate district in Oppara.[1]
HOLIDAYS
Worshipers of Kurgess celebrate the following holidays.
Carnival of Kurgess: Named after the Strong Man, the Carnival of Kurgess is a week-long competition of gladiatorial games and contests held on Widowmaker Isle in the Shackles once every 2 years. While most of the matches are not to the death, the mortality rate of contestants is still high due to the brutal nature of the events and the contest’s magnificent grand prize—the title of Mayor of Widowmaker Isle. The celebration of this holiday is a point of contention for some Kurgessan priests, who find the carnival organizers too bloodthirsty for their tastes.
Running of the Raptors: Also known as Raptor’s Run, this event is held each year in the streets of Lionsgate in Oppar.a Participants must race through the emptied roads dodging obstacles and hurdles while being chased by a freed pack of raptors. The mortal Kurgess died to save the other participants of the third Running of the Raptors, so this event bears special significance for the Strong Man’s Taldan disciples. Adherents use the occasion to celebrate Kurgess’s life as well as his mission; in recent years, Kurgessans who win the event have started giving their winnings to poor or fledgling orphanages around Taldor.[1]
APHORISMS
As healthy competition is your meal, so is fairness and honor your wine, for one without the other is dry and bitter indeed.
—Catalog of Champions
Kurgessans frequently call upon the strength of their god in contests as well as battles, and the following aphorisms succinctly represent their ethos.
The Heat of Sports, the Winds of Nirvana: Kurgessans ascribe many of the body’s natural responses to physical exertion to a divine connection with sites on Nirvana, home of the Strong Man’s domain. Perspiration is a cooling fog rolling across Kurgess’s Field, a quickened pulse comes from the pounding of waterfalls at the Skyward Cliffs, and an increase in body temperature signifies that one is channeling winds from the Dreaming Sun Volcano.
I Always Fight Again: A bitter defeat is only the end of one’s journey if one allows it to be. Even Kurgess occasionally lost a match (though the circumstances of such losses were always dubious), and had it not been for his final defeat, he would have never risen to godhood.[1]
RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIONS
While other gods associated with strength such as Cayden Cailean and Gorum draw worshipers similar to those of Kurgess, the Strong Man’s faith is unique in that its adherents prize sportsmanship and good games above revelry or the rush of battle. Irorans share Kurgessans’ appreciation for physical mastery and the thousands of hours of training that go into such pursuits, but that’s where their similarities end. Irori’s monks disdain Kurgess’s commitment to what they see as frivolous games, and Kurgessans regard Irorans’ dedication to neutrality as an obstruction to the pursuit of a satisfying and virtuous life.
Cayden Cailean and Desna certainly lifted Kurgess from legend to godhood; what other feelings they have toward the Strong Man are debatable. Theologians and some priests of Kurgess speculate that at least one of them is Kurgess’s parent, but the gods themselves have remained silent on the matter; still, adherents of Kurgess are welcomed with open arms in temples to Desna and Cayden Cailean alike. If the rumors about Kurgess’s parentage were true, it would certainly explain the Strong Man’s godly might as a mortal and the deities’ decision to help raise their son to divinity.
As a Taldan mortal who made frequent trips to nearby Qadira, Kurgess found many good games and even brief love affairs with members of the Cult of the Dawnflower; members of the two religions similarly find much to enjoy about one another, as they share a common cause for good. Milani’s devotees do not care as much for the games and sports to which Kurgessans commit their lives, but respect their comrades’ dedication to self-sacrifice and helping others. Both faiths are common in areas where they are persecuted; by combining their efforts, these worshipers stand a far better chance of spreading their messages and overthrowing their oppressors.
Kurgessans cannot tolerate worshipers of destructive gods such as Norgorber or Rovagug, and rarely ally with their adherents. When working together is unavoidable due to an important common goal or exceptional circumstances, Kurgessans begrudgingly justify their unfortunate partnership by subtly showing off their strength and besting comrades in light-hearted contests in order to show the superiority of their god.[1]
REALM
Kurgess resides on the plane of Nirvana, in an endless expanse of plains and rolling grasslands called Kurgess’s Field. While strangers to the realm may find it eerie, natives tread the solemn grounds with reverence and respect. Massive circles of orange clay dot the region— sprawling arenas carved into the ground so wanderers can rest or challenge one another to good-natured bouts.
Mortals who end up in Kurgess’s Field after death happily congregate in otherworldly urban centers that host sporting and gaming festivals every day, where the sun always shines onto the countless coliseums, hippodromes, and stadiums made of iron and gold.[1]
PLANAR ALLIES
Kurgess has many dedicated and loyal servants on Nirvana.
The following otherworldly servants of the Strong Man can be called via planar ally or similar spells.
Exodor (unique advanced half-celestial riding horse): Legend has it that Kurgess found his magnificent steed, Exodor, in the Taldan highlands east of Zimar, and he tamed the wild stallion by living in the wilds alongside him through the winter. The golden-maned horse is a glorious sight with or without a rider, and Exodor is trained for combat as well as jousting and racing. Worshipers of Kurgess can also call upon Exodor’s celestial descendants using spells such as summon monster II.
Marpitus, the Severed Chimera (unique mythic chimera): Villagers on the border between Taldor and Qadira still celebrate the mortal Kurgess’s defeat of the mythic chimera Marpitus, which plagued farmers and travelers in the region for decades. Legend has it that Kurgess wrestled with Marpitus until the early morning hours, when he finally bested the beast and cut off its serpent-headed tail before landing the killing blow.
When Kurgess ascended to godhood, he dredged up the soul of Marpitus from the underworld to act as his divine servant. The spirit of the Severed Chimera is still missing its venomous tail, and Kurgess’s divine magic has ensured the tempestuous guardian serves his followers faithfully.
Watcher Surmios (herald of Kurgess):This unique astral deva is a loyal servant and friend of Kurgess.
It was Surmios who witnessed Kurgess’s grand selfsacrifice at the Third Running of the Raptors and led the champion’s soul to Nirvan.a When Cayden Cailean and Desna elevated Kurgess to godhood, Surmios stood by the Strong Man’s side and vouched for his nobility and worthiness. The angel even accepted the honor of plunging his celestial sword into the chest of Kurgess’s petitioner spirit to mark the beginning of the Strong Man’s existence as a god. Now, Watcher Surmios descends to the mortal realm to assist and encourage followers of Kurgess as they pursue righteous causes or attempt to overcome impossible obstacles. [1]
KURGESS’S PALADIN CODE
Paladins of Kurgess are jovial in nature but firm in conviction, and brook no cheaters or liars among their ranks. Their tenants include the following affirmations.
• Fairness and good sportsmanship are testaments to one’s virtue. I must set the finest example of what it means to be sporting and noble in challenges of strength and honor.
• A challenge that is won unfairly is not a challenge won. I am no cheat, and I will lose any contest of brawn, honor, or mettle rather than resort to knavery or trickery.
• Frauds have no place among true competitors.
In contests of import and high-stakes trials, I will unrelentingly reveal the untruthful and deliver them to their proper justice.
• Winning and losing are two sides of the same coin, and both are worthy of acknowledgment. I treat champions with respect, but honor losers for their courage and willingness to challenge themselves.
• I respectfully seek tutelage from my betters, give honest guidance to the less accomplished, and cherish most of all my friendships with rivals whose skill matches my own.
• Every day is a contest to better oneself, and every deed undertaken is an opportunity to condition my allies and myself for the trials ahead.[1]