Fharlanghn

Fharlanghn
Game background
Title(s) The Dweller on the Horizon
Home plane Oerth (Material Plane)
Power level Intermediate
Alignment Neutral
Portfolio Horizons, Distance, Travel, Roads
Domains Balance, Celerity, Luck, Portal, Protection, Travel, Weather
Superior none
Design details

In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and the default pantheon of deities for the third edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Fharlanghn, the Dweller on the Horizon, is the Oeridian god of Horizons, Distance, Travel, and Roads. He is a well-known deity on the world of Oerth. He wanders that world in person, his petitioners present in spirit form at crossroads and in mysterious oases. His symbol is a disk with a curved line representing the horizon, and an upturned crescent above that.

He is the brother of Celestian, and is said to make his home on Oerth. Fharlanghn is of neutral alignment, but his worshipers can be neutral along the good/evil or the law/chaos axis, or both. His holy symbol is a crescent over a curved road.

Publication history

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

Fharlanghn was first detailed for the Dungeons & Dragons game in "The Deities and Demigods of the World of Greyhawk" by Gary Gygax in Dragon #68 (1982).[1] Fharlanghn was subsequently detailed in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1983),[2] and in Greyhawk Adventures (1988).[3]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

Fharlanghn was one of the deities described in the From the Ashes set (1992), for the Greyhawk campaign,[4] and appeared again in Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (1998).[5]

His role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).[6] Fharlanghn is described as one of the good deities that celestials can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).[7]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

Fharlanghn appears as one of the deities described in the Players Handbook for this edition (2000).[8] Fharlanghn's role in the 3rd edition Greyhawk setting was defined in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000).[9]

Fharlanghn is also detailed in the Manual of the Planes (2001),[10] and Deities and Demigods (2002).[11]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

Fharlanghn appears in the revised Players Handbook for this edition (2003).[12] His priesthood is detailed for this edition in Complete Divine (2004).[13]

Description

Fharlanghn appears as an elderly man. His skin is wrinkled and weathered, but his green eyes sparkle with life. He wears unremarkable, travel-stained clothing of leather and unbleached linen. He carries the Oerth Disc, a magical version of his holy symbol.

Fharlanghn can, if he wishes, summon a dust quasielemental, earth elemental, magma paraelemental, or ooze paraelemental to serve him. He cannot be harmed by earth spells, and cannot be surprised while on the Prime Material Plane.

Relationships

Fharlanghn is the lover of Atroa, goddess of the east wind. He is allied with Atroa, Celestian, Lydia, Brandobaris, Keoghtom (whose apotheosis he sponsored), Charmalaine (whose apotheosis he co-sponsored), Murlynd, Olidammara, Heward, and Aasterinian. Fharlanghn's brother Celestian, who is popular among planewalkers, is attempting to spread knowledge of Fharlanghn on the planes as well, though (as there are precious few horizons on planes other than the Prime Material) this is slow going.

Realm

Fharlanghn wanders the roads of the Prime Material Plane in person. He is always willing to stop and chat, but not at great length; the road calls to him, and he must continue wandering on. He occasionally travels to the Elemental Plane of Earth, but seldom enters the Elemental Plane of Air. He has the ability to travel to any Inner Plane, but seldom does so.

The souls of those dedicated to Fharlanghn in life remain on the Material Plane as well, often lingering near crossroads.

Journey's End is a legendary location that few even among the faithful have heard of. It exists, according to myth, in the center of the largest desert in the world, a tiny, hidden oasis where temperatures are not as uncomfortable as elsewhere in the region. A copse of magical orpheus trees enhance the powers of recuperation among those who rest beneath them. Their round, fist-sized fruits each function as a full day's rations. The beautiful waterfall there heals wounds and cures diseases. Those who swim in the crystalline pond will find that Fharlanghn himself will answer up to five simple questions they might ask.

Dogma

Fharlanghn insists that everyone travel in order to discover and learn new things. He urges people to look to the horizon for inspiration.

Worshippers

Fharlanghn is the patron of all those who travel long distances, whether on the surface or in the depths of the Underdark. His symbol is often seen in inns and stables across the continent of Oerik. His followers include adventurers, merchants, and itinerants of all sorts.

The Guardians of the Road are fanatical worshippers of Fharlanghn who give away all their belongings and take to traveling full-time. They also seek to protect the secret of Journey's End.

The Striders of Fharlanghn are a neutrally-aligned organization dedicated to the destruction of the Cagewrights.

Clergy

Clerics of the Dweller on the Horizon travel to exotic lands, bless caravans, scout for armies, and record their experiences for others to learn from. They act as translators and diplomats, and help in the construction of roads, bridges, and hard-wearing shoes. They usually wear simple clothing of brown or faded green. They wander frequently, and seldom it is that one would encounter the same group of priests ministering at the same shrine. Fharlanghn's favored weapon is the quarterstaff.

Because the road is the best teacher, initiates are trained in the ways of Fharlanghn by being taken on long trips. They are dismissed if they ask when the journey will be over, because to the faithful of Fharlanghn, the journey never really ends.

Clerics of Fharlanghn are found throughout the world on various journeys, but are most active in the Central and Southwestern Flanaess. There are two kinds of priests: urban and pastoral. Urban priests wear brown robes and maintain small chapels in cities and towns. Pastoral priests wear green and spend all their time wandering.

Temples

Roadside shrines to Fharlanghn can be found throughout the Flanaess. Many cities, villages, and towns, including Greyhawk, have churches to the Dweller on the Horizon. Every road and trail is sacred to him, and instead of traveling to specific destinations, wandering itself is a sacrament for Fharlanghn's pilgrims.

Rituals

After spending an entire year preparing themselves by walking outdoors for 8 hours a day, a worshipper of Fharlanghn may elect to undergo the Eternal Pilgrimage. The Eternal Pilgrimage has no set time limit, direction, or length. It lasts as long as the pilgrim feels is appropriate. The pilgrim must only travel by walking, and may not visit the same location more than once a day. They offer company to lonely travelers and always share their fires with strangers. Those bandits who would take advantage of the pilgrims' friendly reputation to pose as one of them usually vanish, only bloodstained robes hanging from nooses by the side of the road remaining as evidence of the vengeance of the faithful.

Prayers to Fharlanghn are anecdotes intended to teach a lesson. Many of them involve a wise old man and a foolish young man, often crossing a river. His rituals, apart from the Eternal Pilgrimage, are short and to the point. His services are usually held outdoors, preferably beneath a sunny sky, with the horizon in view. The faithful of Fharlanghn rely on other deities to bless their births, marriages, or dead.

Relics

References

  1. ↑ Gygax, Gary. "The Deities and Demigods of the World of Greyhawk." Dragon #68 (TSR, 1982)
  2. ↑ Gygax, Gary. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (TSR, 1983)
  3. ↑ Ward, James M. Greyhawk Adventures (TSR, 1988)
  4. ↑ Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes (TSR, 1992)
  5. ↑ Moore, Roger E. Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (TSR, 1998)
  6. ↑ McComb, Colin. On Hallowed Ground (TSR, 1996)
  7. ↑ Perkins, Christopher. Warriors of Heaven (TSR, 1999)
  8. ↑ Tweet, Jonathan, Cook, Monte, Williams, Skip. Player's Handbook (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
  9. ↑ Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
  10. ↑ Grubb, Jeff, David Noonan, and Bruce Cordell. Manual of the Planes (Wizards of the Coast, 2001)
  11. ↑ Redman, Rich, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Deities and Demigods (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)
  12. ↑ Tweet, Jonathan, Cook, Monte, Williams, Skip. Player's Handbook (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)
  13. ↑ Noonan, David. Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)

Additional reading

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