Tumulus

Tumulus
Mountain King; Rumbler; Tunnel Crawler

Symbol: A Y-fork
Home Plane: The Beastlands (underground, where they connect to the Elemental Plane of Earth)
Alignment: Neutral
Cleric Alignments: Any Neutral
Portfolio: The Underdark, seismic activity, the raging earth, mountains, the bones of the world, reptiles
Worshipers: Underdark-dwellers, miners, kobolds, reptilian humanoids
Domains: Destruction, Earth (Caves), Protection, Scalykind (Saurian), War (Blood)
Favored Weapon: Hooked hammer

Physical Description:
At first glance, one might mistake Tumulus for a part of the living rock where he burrows. This view is only the appearance of his stony hide, however, to a human-sized viewer, as Tumulus is of too vast a size to be seen all at once in most tunnel complexes. Tumulus, if seen all at once, looks like a crocodile of mind-shatteringly immense size with a bifurcated tail, his scales like solid rock in appearance as well as durability. A single snap of his jaws can sink mountains into the earth, and so it is a good thing Tumulus is slow to anger. Tumulus moves slowly most of the time, like the gradual creep of continental drift, but when roused with anger or need, can move with lightning swiftness for short periods.

Description of Nature, Personality, and Dogma:
As the earth itself moves, so does Tumulus. Slow, steady, deliberate, the Rumbler causes minor tremors throughout the mortal world with the least of his movements, and so he ensures that those movements are careful, most of the time. He requires his followers also to be careful and deliberate in their actions, considering ramifications and consequences before they do anything. Tumulus especially requires that those who wish to exploit the immense riches of the planet take great care to treat the earth from which they pull their prosperity with care and respect, or else suffer the consequences.

Clergy, Places of Worship, Important Rituals, and Servitor Races:
When Tumulus chooses his clerics, it is usually at birth, signalling the event with a relatively minor earthquake. The specifics of this earthquake are intended as a form of divination about the acolyte, with mild earthquakes signalling a relatively normal, peaceful life, major ones that cause no loss of life signifying a powerful cleric-to-be or one with a great destiny, and earthquakes that cause death signalling the birth of a creature with much violence in the future. These acolytes have a strong sensitivity to the changes of the earth, and can feel the vibrations of Tumulus communicating with them as they mature and eventually begin to be able to use divine magic.

Aside from his demanded sacrifices, Tumulus does not care enough about mortal affairs to have any holy days or other significant rituals. All of his temples and shrines are located underground, preferably carved out of living rock. Many have intricate carvings that line their walls, including fascinating hieroglyphics used to record the secrets of the people who built the temple.

Delvers and maulgoths (from the Field Folio) of immense size and age serve Tumulus as he digs his way through the depths of the Outer Planes.

History and Relations:
When Bahamut and Tiamat crashed onto the face of Therafim after they were cast out of Paradise, the Underdark was formed beneath the world. When the Underdark was formed, Tumulus also came into being. While not one of the draconic deities, Tumulus is almost as old, and is regarded with respect by the children of Bahamut and Tiamat. Tumulus is regarded as a venerable sage by other deities, a grouchy grandfather known for his occasional fits of bad temper, though few of them would dare to tell this to his face for fear of his colossal ire. Chekari and Tumulus have a long relationship, a strange friendship between earth and sky, and this is why, it is said, that it storms during earthquakes. Behemoth and Tumulus are on fairly good terms, at least when the lazy Behemoth is sufficiently awake to notice the Mountain King, and each has been known to come to the other's aid in a crisis and to do favors for the other. Hawl regards Tumulus as a source of potential information and lore, and the two are known to engage in a respectful and sometimes friendly dialogue between colleagues. Tumulus is very intimate with Matra, and the two are known to be occasional lovers. On the other hand, Tumulus loathes and despises Worm, and their followers regularly fight with each other.

Favored Offerings and Justifications for Direct Intervention:
The ritual sacrifice of a crocodile is the highlight of a once-a-year ceremony performed by the high priest of a community, where the crocodile is then embalmed and interred like royalty, though the specifics of that internment vary based on the culture. More regular offerings to Tumulus include sacrifices of lizards and other small reptiles, or of various underground-dwelling arthropods of all sizes. Such offerings usually take place in communities that live near fault lines, or else among reptilian humanoid and kobold communities.

An ancient deity, Tumulus cares little for the affairs of mortals, so long as they provide him with appropriate propitiation to keep him appeased. Earthquakes are usually simply a part of the natural cycle of the living planet, and on Therafim they tend to be fairly mild under most circumstances. Extreme earthquakes are Tumulus' way of dealing with problems when he has been angered. Such angering occurs when the depths of the earth are not respected properly, such as with strip mining operations or other acts of exploitation of the earth's riches, or if his traditional worshipers are seriously threatened, as with the draining of swamps where reptilian humanoids live. It is possible to request Tumulus' aid to find mineral wealth, ancient treasures, or forgotten secrets found deep within the Underdark, but he only provides knowledge of the locations of such places when his attention can be successfully gained, and does not provide any aid in actually retrieving or extracting such riches.