Pit

Old version of Pit

Pit
Beggar King; Duke of Sparrows; The Gamin

Symbol: A sparrow sitting in a beggar's bowl
Home Plane: Bytopia
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Cleric Alignments: Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Small birds, nonflying birdfolk, cooperation, communities, travel, humility
Worshipers: Pilgrims and wanderers, beggars, non-evil thieves, those who live in poor communities, halflings
Domains: Animal (Feather), Community, Good, Nobility (Martyr), Song, Travel
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff or shortbow (cleric chooses one)

Physical Description:
When Pit manifests, he takes the form of a hooded figure in all-concealing clothes, wearing a wooden bird’s mask that conceals his face. The mask cannot be removed, though Pit has been seen without his clothing, appearing largely as a normal member of the race he is presently moving among; usually he is also a male, though he does take a female form when it is more convinient. As for the exact appearance of the robed figure known as Pit, this varies according to the community where he can be found, and he tends to take the height and general proportions and coloration and style of clothing that might be expected in that community, so long as it is all-concealing. Frequently, Pit poses as a plague doctor, since his costume strongly resembles that of one of that group of healers, which is only to be expected since they originally modeled their priestly garb on Pit's appearance. Pit is known to have a pleasant tenor voice, and is an excellent singer as well as public speaker.

Description of Nature, Personality, and Dogma:
Pit is the master of cities and poor communities, and takes strength from the people who live in such environs, and also from the pious efforts of the humble and hardworking. He is a strength to the weak and the downtrodden, and also those who are in need but not filled with greed. As a deity, Pit is an interesting case, as he can take the role of a trickster, but he lacks the flamboyance of typical tricksters. Instead of acting for the sake of humor or personal profit (though these may be involved), Pit acts because he wants to help the individuals that make up a community to improve, so that they, in turn, can help their communities to improve. Since the rich frequently grind on the faces of the poor, Pit is known to regularly bring ill luck to the heartless wealthy who use and abuse the poor for their personal profit, though he prefers methods that provide these idle rich with opportunities for learning, which will hopefully change their ways.

Little is really known about Pit himself, as his concealing costume makes it almost impossible to gauge his moods, or even where he is looking. Despite this, Pit seems to be generally good-humored, even jovial at times, though he always has a simple pragmatism to his speech and manners that makes him highly appealing. It becomes readily obvious that Pit takes everything seriously, even his humor, and he always throws his all into whatever he might be undertaking at the time.

City life is a hard thing, especially among other races than one's own, and in order to survive, one has to work together with others of one’s community. Pit espouses individual freedom and united effort at the same time, sticking by one’s friends being one of his highest virtues (along with being willing to make friends easily and often), and hoodwinking those who are rich and powerful whenever it profits the community as much as the self. His followers see it as a part of their duty to the city and to the community in which they live to make the place where they live a little better any way that they can, and to help each other whenever possible.

Clergy, Places of Worship, Important Rituals, and Servitor Races:
Pit’s clergy can be almost anybody, but he seems to prefer choosing honest beggars and unselfish thieves. Anyone who is able to make their living (though not necessarily an honest living) through their own efforts while supporting the community around them is a potential candidate. Those who Pit chooses have their choosing made known to them by a sudden windfall that provides them with just enough funding to allow them to afford the trappings of a cleric, while still being able to provide basic needs for themselves and those they normally assist. The clergy of Pit regularly wear clothing that make them appear much like their deity, with full-body robes and a concealing bird's mask.

The Duke of Sparrow’s worship sites tend to be small and humble, usually nothing more than a small shrine at a street corner in the slums, or a household statuette. Often there is a small bird-faced statue there, which is naked and holding out a beggar's bowl, allowing passersby to clothe the statue as well as place other offerings in the bowl. Offerings left at such shrines are considered gifts to whoever needs the money or items most, and so beggars often linger nearby, and may be favorably disposed towards those who donate generously.

History and Relations:
According to legend, there was once a great man (or, in some versions, a woman) who had a dream. His dream had nothing to do with conquest or domination. This dream was one of the unification of all of the poor and oppressed in the world, regardless of race or nation, so that, together, they would be able to create a perfect society composed of the humble in heart. So, filled with the power that comes from a dream like this, and filled even more with the determination to make that dream a reality, that man set out on a long journey around the world to bring this dream to pass. The journey was filled with immense trials and frequent setbacks, but eventually this figure passed into story and, especially, song as one who made a difference across the world, uniting communities and helping them to work together for greater goals. Eventually, though, this figure was taken by the many rich and powerful enemies that his efforts made, tried on false charges, and condemned to be burned at the stake. As the great one known as Pit was about to be burned, still wearing the strange robes he always wore that concealed his identity, insisting that they helped remind others of how everyone was in this life together, regardless of race, he began to sing. This song reached to the gods themselves, and Nimbus, she of the Soft Eyes, was moved with compassion and reached down, taking Pit into the heavens in a great cloud. Ever since then, the story of Pit has spread, and poor communities regularly rally together around the words of the Duke of Sparrows to help each other through their hardest times.

As might be expected, Pit and his followers are quite fond of Nimbus and her followers, and the two churches frequently work together to help alleviate the suffering of the poor. Pit has an intimate relationship with Slum, the Rat King, and the two are rumored to have been brothers in mortal life, though the truth of this is not known. What is known is that Slum's followers are instructed not to rob traveling pilgrims or the poor, and they frequently provide guidance through dangerous parts of town to the worshipers of Pit. Generally, Pit does not get along with either Wysha or Sekhmet, in no small part because of their love for cats, but on the other hand, he has a reasonably good relationship with Fenrath, whose interest in survival against all odds coincides with many of Pit's interests, though Fenrath generally only returns favors to Pit on a one-for-one basis. Pit gets along wonderfully with the Small Ones, and there is no competition between him and them, and frequent cooperation. The Masks of the Market regard Pit as a hindrance to a proper economy, and so do not like him, a feeling which is mutual, and Swarm is regarded by Pit with abject hatred and more than a little fear; Swarm, in turn, simply regards Pit and his followers as something else that needs to be overrun. Finally, Pit is diametrically opposed to Bellakadina's doctrine or betrayal, and to Zahir and her power-seeking ways. Both of these female deities regard Pit as naive and misguided, and regularly try to seduce or corrupt him, efforts which, sadly, all-to-frequently translates into the corruption of mortal community leaders with the lures of power, lust, and betrayal.

Favored Offerings and Justifications for Direct Intervention:
As the god of beggars and poor communities as well as humble travelers and pilgrims, Pit is not a picky god, nor is he a demanding one. Offerings made at his shrines generally include things that can be used by beggars, such as clothes, food, and money. Buildings intended for public use, and other large offerings that aid poor communities are more expensive gifts that one can dedicate to Pit, though their value as offerings is greatly diminished if the person or people making the offering make their true identities known, or are obviously doing it so as to gain public approval. Those who donate in secret tend to have their acts of charity quietly and subtly made known to others, improving relations for such persons among the communities they serve.

Pit is perhaps the humblest of the deities, but he is also one of the most interested in the direct survival and prosperity of his worshipers. Because of this, Pit will frequently intervene on behalf of his followers, though he also tends not to do so in very loud or flashy ways. If communities or individuals are starving to death, if plague is running rampant in an area, if martial law has been declared, or if some similar catastrophe, either community-wide or personal, is taking place, then Pit will frequently provide divine aid in subtle, seemingly mundane ways, providing access to food, medical services, or help in better organizing communities. He is also known to intervene to teach a lesson to especially selfish and wicked individuals whose actions cause direct harm to poor communities in some fashion. These lessons seldom cause permanent harm, though Pit has been known to get the assistance of other deities who are more violent by nature, especially Slum, should a given person not get the hint.