Ghostwalk: Blood, Souls, and Pain: Manifest Notes

This is mainly for those who will be starting in Manifest, before I shuttle all of you unhappy souls into Ravenloft. I posted the map for the Hikirian Peninsula on the RPGC, so check it out. It may help you decide where you come from. I will also post some notes for a quick overview of the Ghostwalk setting.

The City of Manifest
Ghostwalk setting is different because Manifest is the city just above a portal that leads into the underworld. Because of this the dead can walk among the living as ghosts. Characters who perish in Manifest can manifest as ghost and continue to play as ghosts (with new classes focused on dead characters).

The forest around Manifest was coined the Spirit Wood by the elves, as their dead live on in the trees of this enchanted and dangerous forest. Manifest was built by humans when the gates to the afterlife were discovered underneath the Spirit Wood. Towns and entire nations sprang up on this large island not to long after Manifest was founded.

A note about ghosts
Ghosts in Manifest are not the spectral undead creatures you fight in other campaigns. They are not undead at all; they are the spirits of those who lived before and continue to exist in an ectoplasmic form in Manifest. Most ghost are restricted to Manifest because it is the only place that allows them to fully manifest due to its proximity to the gates to the underworld.

For the players to put ghosts into perspective, you should think of them as petitioners, spirits of dead mortals who live out their afterlife on the planes before merging with their deity or plane. The ghosts of Manifest are the exact same thing, except they have the ability to expand their knowledge even in death (some petitioners do not get to do that and do not even remember their mortal lives). However, characters, unless they are planars, should not be using the term petitioner and should stick with ghost. They probably do not even know what petitioners are.

Ghosts of Manifest do not suffer from the effects of turning or rebuking because they are not undead. They do possess some innate similarities to undead such immunity to critical hits and spells that specifically target living entities have no effect on them. Similarly they are not immune to energy drain or any sort of negative energy attack. Also, the ghosts of Manifests are especially susceptible to silver. Any silver weapon can score critical hits on ghosts as if they were alive. This only applies to ghosts from Manifest, not the spooks in Ravenloft.

Quick Greyhawk History of Hikirian Island
The island was settled by elves a long time ago (only High Elves, PHB elves). Dwarves were apparently always here as well; the elves found their clans guarding the gates to the afterlife. Humans moved into the island mostly as refugees from the grand war that gripped the entire continent of Oerik when the Suel Imperium and the Baklunish Empire annihilated each other. All of the humans that moved into the island were of Baklunish and Suel descent. The other humans races from the Flaness were too isolated to have traveled this far (thousands of miles, literally). The tribes of the different human races did war with each other over Manifest; however, the war limited their resources. Also, the island is connected to the main continent by one large landbridge, a heavily reefed channel, and an mountain island chain that is an extension of the Varlin Mountains. Thus they had little communication with their respective warring homelands. Supplies to help either side were easily attacked and taken by warring factions. When the Suel Imperium and the Baklunish Empire blew each other to ribbons 1000 years ago, the warring factions on the Hikirian Island lost communication and supply trains. They reached a truce that Manifest belonged to neither group. This would be challenged by other rulers over the next thousand years, but it is still the general consensus; the gate to the afterlife is autonomous.

There is another continent to the west, a massive island continent that was explored over 500 years ago. This island continent has some connection to Manifest, but is also peopled by those who refused the lure of Manifest and its 'false' afterlife (more on this in a minute). That continent is across the Hasaban Ocean and is the Tahlaenian Continent.

Deities of Hikirian, Suel, and Baklunish Pantheons
Nearly all of the residents who live on the Hikirian Island are isolated enough that they learned to worship the gods that allegedly created this afterlife on the planet. The humans threw off most shackles of their old lives, that included their racial gods who they blamed for part of the trouble. They turned to this new pantheon of deities (the Manifest or Hikirian pantheon). It should also be noted that the demihumans who came with the humans or were already here did likewise. Elves no longer worship the Seldarine Court, the Dwarves do not speak Moradin's name. The Halflings adapted easily as did the Gnomes. It was the Hikirian Pantheon that created this afterlife and it is where followers of these deities go when they die. The people of this island land are isolated and suspicious of new deities.

The Migration
500 years ago, Suel and Baklunish descendants who could not abolish all of their traditional ties had great difficulty adjusting to life near this 'false' afterlife. Those who did not worship deities native to the island, did not return as ghosts in Manifest. Their spirits moved on to the outer planes to live as petitioners. Averting war, these people sailed from the island to a new continent to the west where they settled and continued to live. These are considered lost by many Hikirians, but some Hikirians went with them and still sail back to Manifest when their loved ones die. Trade is strong between the countries of both continents, tension can be tough amongst the more radical of both sides, but diplomacy is welcomed over warfare.

Of important note also are that elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes that kept their traditional pantheons moved to this western continent as well. Traditional elves do not take kindly to the elves of the Hikirian peninsula. The Hikirian elves have taken to worship of a 'false god.' This stinks of Lolth and the Schism of the Elves all over again.

So as it stands, those who do not worship the deities of the Hikirian Island do not return as ghosts if they die in Manifest. This could change in the future, but for now this is how it is. However, gods are powerful and it is possible that important mortals could allow deities to bend the rules. Most of the other deities seem unconcerned about this small island on a large world in an infinite cosmos, taking away a tiny amount of souls from their worship. It is the mortals that make it a bigger issue than it should be, especially mortals who wish to return as ghost, but cannot.

This is also a special note regarding other humanoid tribes (orcs and such). They suffer from the same effect, no ghosts manifest if one of their number dies. Hence they wish raze or conquer Manifest to make a place for their deities and their spirits. It is possible that another deity could be accepted into this strange, isolated pantheon, and their worshipers could then return as ghost as well.

The Hikirian Pantheon is a loose pantheon of deities tied to Manifest and the Realm Below. The origins of this pantheon, as well as the Realm Below is a mystery. The pantheon is not known to be connected to any former civilization before even the elves. The worship of these deities grew as more settlers arrived on the Hikirian Island.

The information presented here is the bare bones of the pantheon, the most basic information. It is encouraged that those from Hikirian Island turn to the worship of these gods for they know no others. I can do write-ups on the deities for anyone who wants to worship a specific deity. In any case, there should be enough information here that a practical individual can have a place for most of the deities in some aspect of their lives.

More detailed write-ups will come at a later time, when Manifest takes front stage to the actions of the campaign. This here is mainly for character creation and a small amount of background.

The difference between these deities and other powers on Oerth and the cosmos is that the realms of these deities are unknown. They may not even have realms.

Aluvan
Portfolio: Death, guarding and protecting souls, ghosts
Alignment: NG
Cleric’s Alignment: LG, NG, CG
Status: Lesser Power
Domains: Ghost, Good, Protection, Repose
Symbol: Horizontal Gold Hand on a White Circle
Favored Weapon: Short sword
AKA: Warder of Death's Children, Keeper of the Eternal Path, Watcher of the Dead

Chaniud
Portfolio: Laws, Order, Structure
Alignment: LN
Cleric’s Alignment: LG, LN
Status: Intermediate Power
Domains: Healing, Knowledge, Law
Symbol: Three horizontal lines below an open circle
Favored Weapon: Longsword
AKA: The Lawkeeper

Dracanish
Portfolio: Death, endings, finality
Alignment: LN
Cleric's Alignment: LG, LN, LE
Status: Lesser Deity
Domains: Law, Protection, Repose
Symbol: Profile of a bronze-skinned man on a black circle
Favored Weapon: Scimitar
AKA: Eater of the Dead

Durann
Portfolio: Truth, Righteousness, Honor
Alignment: LG
Cleric's Alignment: LG, NG, LN
Status: Lesser Power
Domains: Good, Healing, Law
Symbol: Shining horizontal hammer
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
AKA: The True Guide

Eanius
Portfolio: Growth, Life, Animals
Alignment: NG
Cleric's Alignment: NG, CG, LG
Status: Greater Power
Domains: Air, Good, Healing
Symbol: Eye on a bird's wing
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
AKA: Lord of Growth and Life, The Sky King

Galaedros
Portfolio: Nature, Wood
Alignment: N
Cleric's Alignment: NG, N, CN, LN, NE
Status: Greater Power
Domains: Animal, Earth, Plant
Symbol: A tree with sad human eyes
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
AKA: The Wood God, The Sorrowful King

Khostren
Portfolio: Plague, stench, vermin
Alignment: NE
Cleric's Alignment: NE, LE, CE
Status: Demipower
Domains: Destruction, Evil, Trickery
Symbol: A black fly
Favored Weapon: Spiked guantlet
AKA: The Fetid Breath, The Scuttling Darkness

Nessek
Portfolio: Fire, sorcerers, magic
Alignment: N
Cleric's Alignment: NG, N, CN, LN, NE
Status: Intermediate Power
Domains: Destruction, Fire, Magic
Symbol: A crown of flame
Favored Weapon: Dagger
AKA: The Bright Flame

Orcus (please note that Orcus is still dead)
Portfolio: Necromancy, torture, pain, undeath
Alignment: CE
Cleric's Alignment: CE, NE
Status: Demipower
Domains: Chaos, Death, Evil, Undeath
Symbol: A mace with a skull as the head
Favored Weapon: Mace
AKA: Abyssal Lord of the Undead

Phaant
Portfolio: Bad luck, inevitability, oppression
Alignment: LE
Cleric's Alignment: LN, LE, NE
Status: Lesser Power
Domains: Evil, Law, Luck
Symbol: Three overlapping diamonds
Favored Weapon: Greataxe
AKA: The Dark Fate

Soggelos
Portfolio: Creativity, Water
Alignment: CG
Cleric's Alignment: CG, CN, NG
Status: Lesser Power
Domains: Chaos, Good, Water
Symbol: A blue octopus
Favored Weapon: Trident
AKA: The Blue

Tephaneron
Portfolio: Battle, success, athletes, warriors
Alignment: CN
Cleric's Alignment: CN, CG, CE
Status: Intermediate Deity
Domains: Chaos, Luck, Strength, War
Symbol: A battleaxe with four triangles on the blade
Favored Weapon: Battleaxe
AKA: The Iron General

Uhanam
Portfolio: Skill, planning, magic
Alignment: LN
Cleric's Alignment: LN, LE, LG
Status: Intermediate Power
Domains: Knowledge, Law, Magic
Symbol: A woodcarving knife on a scroll
Favored Weapon: Light flail
AKA: The Master Strategist

Wyst
Portfolio: Travelers, Roads
Alignment: CG
Cleric's Alignment: CG, NG, CN
Status: Lesser Power
Domains: Chaos, Good, Travel, Protection
Symbol: A compass rose with a bootprint at the center
Favored Weapon: Shortspear
AKA: The Wanderer

Here is the map of Hikirian Island.