Suhndi Clerics

THE CLASSES IN SUHNDI:

CLERICS

Clerics lay down the law of the land in Suhndi, and all priests of Salaman have a
level of political authority, from the low student up to the unique Caliph:

All of Salaman's Clerics hold one of these politcal ranks. Although generally
the ranks indicate an office held, sometimes they only indicate the equivalent
level of respect instead. For example, an adventuring 5th-Level cleric might
have no home Temple of his own, yet still bear the title Wazif.

A first-level PC Cleric holds the rank Memrasham, ordained but unproven in the
eyes of the deity. Class level and ability have little bearing; to move up from
Memrasham, a higher-ranked cleric must nominate the Memrasham, and the nomination
must be accepted by a cleric ranked no lower than Azama. A heroic deed might
recommend the PC for such promotion, but an ability to play temple politics is
also useful. Upon the death of a Caliph, the new Caliph is elected by a meeting of
all the Zyr and Zyiph; any Zyiph, Zyr, Hadda, or Azama is eligible to become Caliph.

In a sense, then, the Suhndi world is more democratic than the Vree, for theoretically
any citizen may become a priest, and any priest may rise to Caliph.

These titles have no bearing on PC level advancement or skills, only on political
influence among the Suhndi.

Naturally, the vestments worn vary according to rank.

Now...

Suhndi clerics are all dedicated to "the one true deity" Salaman, and are therefore
LG, LN, or NG. Mainstream worshippers are usually (90%) LG. The unrecognized
branches of worship, Kahwan and Halidan, typically are LN and NG, respectively.

Being a lonely god, Salaman is necessarily a versatile one, and therefore unlike
priests of other deities who choose two spell domains, Salaman's clerics choose
THREE domains from the five available (Good, Law, Knowledge, Magic and Water).

However, because they deny the existence of other gods, they are forever closed
off from certain other domains, namely: Evil, Chaos, Luck and Fire. They may cast
NO spells from these domains, nor use any items whose power derives from them.
Evil and Chaos are predictably out of the question for worshippers of a good deity
of order; but Luck is forbidden for the same reason (belief in luck suggests
comfort with randomness) and Fire is verboten because Salaman's domain of Water
allows no supernatural influence over its opposite.

Furthermore, any cleric who chooses the Magic Domain will suffer a prohibition in
the schools of Illusion and Transmutation, and in the use of fire-based magical items.
No scrolls, wands, or other wizardly items with powers based in Illusion or Transmutation
will be understandable or usable by the Cleric. (Unfortunately, these schools require
manipulation of the chaotic potential of nature, which is alien and anathema to the
true worshipper of Salaman.) Similarly, the water deity Salaman can not grant his
clerics any facility with (for example) a Wand of Fireballs, or a Scroll of Fire
Resistance.

The Suhndi culture certainly raises its people to believe they survive only under
the constant threat of being wiped out for their impurities and lack of vigilance,
but as far as the "attitude" of individual Clerics goes, it runs the gamut. Some
are high-strung, paranoid about the potentially ravaging consequences of every minor
warp in the weave of daily life; some arrogantly hassle every intelligent foreigner
to convert, or heedlessly assault every evil being they encounter; other Suhndi priests
are helpful to anyone needing aid, effortlessly humble servants of Salaman--and so on.
There are as many ways to play a Suhndi cleric as there are ways to interpret LG
(or LN... or NG...)

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