God of luck, gambling and risks
The Daredevil, The Lord of Peril, The Menace of Destiny, God of Gambles
Lesser Power of the Outlands

Portfolio: luck, gambling, risks
Aliases: None
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Domain Name: Outlands/ Fate’s Hazard
Domains: Chaos, Competition* (CD), Courage* (CW), Luck, Trickery.
Superior: None
Allies: Wee Jas, Dalt, Rudd, Vatun
Foes: St. Cuthbert, Pholtus, Kurell, Pyremius, Telchur, Ralishaz, any lawful deity
Symbol: A pair of 8-sided dice with a smiling mans face replacing the “one” on each dice
Favored Weapon(s): Dagger
Worshiper’s Alignment: Any non-lawful

Description: Norebo (noh-REE-boh) is one of the more popular Suel gods, known for his willingness to make a bet on anything and his fondness for dice games; his symbol (a pair of eight-sided dice with a smiling man’s face replacing the “one” on each die) stems from this. He has been paired with most of the female members of his pantheon, but has been linked to Wee Jas for the past one thousand years despite their alignment differences. He particularly despises Ralishaz for giving gambling and risks a bad name. Norebo is shown as a man of average height, weight, and features, but can assume animal forms, especially when he wishes to be hidden.

Norebo is a very adventurous deity. There is nothing that he will not try regardless of the danger, the size of the feat or the seeming impossibility of it. If there is something to be conquered, Norebo will do it. He cares more about the risks involved in the “stunt” he attempts, than the wisdom in performing such an action. Being the deity of luck usually helps in these endeavors, but most other Powers consider him to be reckless and foolhardy. Norebo uses this perception to his advantage by propagating this belief and thereby winning even greater acclaim for his most recent “performance.” His relationship with Wee Jas has kept his detractors guessing for nearly 1,000 years. Most think he is trying to prove that opposites really do attract each other, or maybe he is risking it all for the most unattainable prize among the Suel pantheon, the love of the strict death goddess.

Other than Wee Jas, Norebo disdains all those that follow the path of law. He enjoys sticking his nose into the business of any lawful deity, regardless of their bent towards good, evil or neutrality, just to throw havoc into their plans. He takes the most enjoyment from harassing St. Cuthbert and Pholtus. Out of all the lawful deities of Oerth, these two are the most uptight in Norebo’s opinion. It is even rumored that the animosity between St. Cuthbert and Pholtus is the result of some elaborate scheme by Norebo to keep them off-balance so they do not join forces against the Lord of Peril’s interests or those of other deities that disdain law. Norebo has a long-standing feud with Kurell (lesser deity of jealousy, revenge, theft) over their shared area of concern, theft. Norebo, being the patron deity of thieves among the Suel, is jealously and relentlessly confronted by Kurell. But because of Norebo’s incredible luck, Kurell’s plans always end in disaster for him and merely fuel his desire for revenge against Norebo.

Norebo hates Ralishaz, Pyremius and Telchur for three very different reasons. He hates Ralishaz (intermediate deity of chance, ill luck, misfortune, insanity) because of the bad name he gives to gambling and risk-taking. Ralishaz’s ability to take all the fun out of living on the edge (and surviving) really bothers Norebo. He hates Pyremius (lesser deity of fire, poison, murder) because the Blazing Killer poisoned Norebo’s daughter, Ranet, and stole her fire portfolio. And he hates Telchur (lesser deity of winter, cold, north wind) because the Howl of the North imprisoned Norebo’s son Vatun in a secret demiplane over 700 years ago. Anytime Norebo can cause Ralishaz, Pyremius or Telchur a problem, he does so. Actually, most of the stunts and crazy risks Norebo takes are to cause problems for all these different deities and their followers.

Norebo does get along with a few deities however. Dalt (lesser god of portals, doors, enclosures, locks. keys) enjoys the company of his father Norebo, especially when he tries to thwart the Daredevil from gaining entry into some location. Most people would think this father / son relationship would be volatile, but Norebo loves a challenge, and Dalt is always looking to make a better lock. Also, Dalt and Norebo are working together to find a way to free Vatun from his imprisonment. With Norebo’s incredible luck and Dalt’s skill with doorways, these two have an excellent chance of freeing Vatun. Rudd (demigod of chance, good luck, skill) is also considered a friend. Norebo and Rudd like to see who can outdo the other by proving they are the luckiest, so a good spirited rivalry has blossomed. The lengths these two deities will go, to prove their point, are quite amazing.

Norebo will sometimes grant a boon of permanently increasing the dexterity of some reckless worshiper that has impressed him by completing an impossible feat. Even though Norebo rarely imparts this gift, it is still something that many devout followers strive to receive. Or he will punish a follower for some grievous transgression by permanently altering their dexterity for the worse. One such offense would be using magic to harm or kill a target that is incapacitated, like casting hold person and then slitting the held person’s throat. Norebo despises this behavior and will actively pursue any follower using such unsporting tactics. This is one of the few things that will bring the wrath of Norebo down upon a follower. This change is either a sign that the recipient is blessed or that they were cursed by the Menace of Destiny.

Norebo holds court in his realm in the Outlands called “Fate’s Hazard.” This realm is located near the gatetown of Glorium and the Plane of Ysgard. The center of the realm is a huge town of gambling halls and inns. There are numerous circus tents, open stable areas and fast moving rivers surrounding the town. The town is set into a valley with high-reaching peaks that many brave souls attempt to climb. There is no pass entering into the Realm; only by coming over the mountains can one reach the town. Regardless of accessibility, the petitioners in the town never want for food or other supplies. The shops are always full, as are the gambling halls. People from all over the multiverse come here to try their luck at the tables. Many a great fortune has been won by those that are brave or foolhardy enough to make the trek into and out of the realm.

Dogma
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Risking all you have, all the time, is the only way to better yourself and prove your worth. What others call reckless and foolhardy, we call exciting and invigorating. May it be gambling, adventuring or anything; only those lucky enough to survive the risks can be truly enlightened. Live life to its fullest or don’t live at all.”

His worship is popular in the barbarian lands and large cities, and donations to his temples (called Churches of the Big Gamble) are usually in the form of lost bets (as gambling operations are run on-site). Some patrons donate to his temple in the hopes of warding off thieves and assassins. Clerics of the Norebo are willing to make wagers on anything and are usually employed at least part of the time in a gambling house. Others wander the world to bring chance and elements of risk into people’s lives; they especially love bothering clerics and followers of rigid gods such as Allitur, Pholtus, and St. Cuthbert.

The Church of Norebo
Even though Norebo is the patron deity of thieves, (and thieves are part of the ruling class on the Tilvanot Peninsula albeit the least powerful group), the leaders of the Scarlet Brotherhood discourage open worship of him. They do this because of Norebo’s chaotic and non-evil ways, his follower’s dependency on luck instead of strategy and the open hatred for clerics and followers of Pyremius (a well-favored deity of Scarlet Brotherhood assassins, the secondmost-powerful group). These factors help make Norebo’s clericy quite small for such a popular deity of the common people. Only a handful of clerics and specialty priests reside in each city and village on the Tilvanot Peninsula. At the large full-pantheon temples in the cities, only one or two clerics can be found tending the shrine to Norebo. This public display of worship is quite risky and serves only to invigorate the clerics.

The village barbarians are Norebo’s largest group of followers, with city thieves making up the next most numerous group. The barbarians venerate the “risks” aspect of Norebo’s portfolio, and honor his name by undertaking many difficult feats and dangerous adventures The thieves worship the “luck” aspect of his portfolio most of all. There isn’t one Suel thief that doesn’t invoke the name of Norebo before attempting some “activity.”

Churches of the Big Gamble are what the individual temples of Norebo are called on the Tilvanot Peninsula. These places of worship are in fact great inns and gambling halls. Here the three aspects of Norebo (luck, gambling, risks) are expressed in all their glory. Clerics are responsible for operating the numerous tables and games that are played in these halls, serving the drinks and catering to the needs of the clientele. These duties allow the clerics to worship Norebo by gambling and putting themselves in harm’s way. The house profits are distributed amongst the clergy; a percentage is kept in the coffers for the upkeep of the “temple,” and a small percentage is given to the Office of Arms. None of the games are rigged or slanted in the house’s favor. The clerics run the games fairly but take great risks with the house bets.

Specialty priests are usually the wealthiest gamblers at the “Churches of the Big Gamble” and can most often be found at the tables. These “high rollers,” as they are known, tend to take numerous risks, gamble lots of money and have the longest winning streaks that anyone could want. By playing the tables and winning a lot of money, they encourage people to gamble more by proving that the house can be beat. Specialty priests travel from gambling hall to gambling hall, trying to draw bigger crowds into the establishments and increase their reputation as a fair place to gamble. Or they travel to a town without a gambling hall, buy property, open a Church of the Big Gamble, and then leave once the hall is set up and has a suitable priest trained as its caretaker.

Day-to-day activities: Working the gambling halls and inns dedicated to Norebo are the main duties. When not working, do anything that has a degree of risk to it. Anything from climbing the tallest trees with only your arms, to openly wearing the Daredevil’s holy symbol in another Suel deity’s temple, to teaching youngsters the value of gambling. As long as there is some obstacle that has yet to be conquered, the work of the Menace’s chosen is never done. Also, interfering in the affairs of followers of lawful deities and those hated by Norebo is an important activity. Even if it is a minor intrusion, everything counts when you’re trying to disrupt something that is held as important or special to these people.

Important Ceremonies: Before and after any great “quest” to top some feat, milestone or adventure or to do something that has never been done or attempted before, a great party is held for the person taking up the challenge. These parties are always held in one of the “churches” where much drinking, singing and gambling occur. The owners of the establishment always gives their blessing over the endeavor and wish the heroes all good luck. There are no particular days that stand out as important in the clericy, as each day someone may try to top any previous record or endeavor, thus making the old one unimportant. The clericy is more concerned with what is happening now than in the past or future.

Major Centers of Worship: In the hidden city of Hesuel Ilishar is the main pantheonic church for all Suel religions not considered important enough to have their own temple. Norebo has an “official” shrine in this church. This small sanctuary is the largest temple of its kind in all the Tilvanot Peninsula. There is also an “unofficial” shrine in the Domain of the Cousins (the base of power for thieves in the Scarlet Brotherhood) where the thief hierarchy can worship their patron deity. All other temples are in gambling halls located around the Tilvanot Peninsula or in areas throughout the Flanaess where the Suel immigrated after the Rain of Colorless Fire – such as Greyhawk City, Lendore Isle, the Wild Coast, the barbarian states of the Thillonrian Peninsula, and the various cities of the Iron League.

Priestly Vestments: Brown or dark green robes are the preferred choice of the clerics that work in the Churches of the Big Gamble. Brown robes are for the house dealers and game supervisors while dark green is reserved for the most senior priest, usually the owner of the church.

Adventuring Garb: Clerics can wear anything that they feel is appropriate to the task they are working on.

Gods of the Flanaess