D&D&D campaign settings

Betelgeuse is the last remaining god presiding over the post-calamity Dark Twins. His existence is spent trying to undo the immeasurable damage caused by his brother Ugsyn.

Betelgeuse was once a good-aligned god of Life and Order. He helped forge the ring planet Arcadia.

Within his home realm of Dark Twins, he was the leader of his respective pantheon. His brother, Ugsyn, began to grow jealous of the love and worship his brother received, and resented his success. Ugsyn left Dark Twins, causing as much damage as possible on his way out; and event known as The Calamity of Dark Twins.

While the rest of the Dark Twins pantheon abandoned a now inhospitable realm, Betelgeuse remained to try and mend the damage. He became obsessed with his insurmountable task, and his never-ending work corrupted him. He became a god of Death and Knowledge, adopting a belief that any ends justify repairing the calamity.

Betelgeuse is often depicted as a muscular, reptilian humanoid with leathery wings and a tail. His face is absent, in it's place is a shadowy window into his realm. He wields a hammer with a humanoid skull on it, which also serves as his symbol.

Since Arcadia was creating, Betelgeuse saw the most drastic transformation, putting a major strain on his relationship with the other formation gods. Many he now considers hated rivals. Some old allies pity him, for his newfound obsession.

Ugsyn is Betelgeuse's brother and most hated enemy.

Betelgeuse resides over the Dark Twins, a small realm consisting of two red stars. It is now inhospitable, and very few mortal survivors remain.

Within Dark Twins, Betelgeuse lives in The Grand Red Hall, where he works tirelessly to mend the fabric of reality.

Followers of Betelgeuse believe in unfettered Arcanical progress at any cost. The greatest virtue of any mortal being is to emulate Betelgeuse's crusade against the calamity, and to work together to overcome death, the personal calamity all mortals face. Betelgeuse encourages disregarding the laws of mortals in the pursuit of ultimate knowlege, and does not encourage or discourage any particular path to achieve this (despite the popularity of necromancy among his followers).

The Continual Testament is the religious scripture of Betelgeuse. It was first penned by refugees from Dark Twins, and introduced the new religion to Arcadia.

The main tenets of The Continual Testement are

• The enemy of The Healer is the beast we know as calamity; the beast calamity faces destruction at the hands of The Healer
• The Healer wrestles this Calamity for the salvation of all; So too must we play our part in it's destruction
• Our minds are the spears that shall pierce the beast; As The Healer toils in The Great Red Hall, so too shall we toil in our place
• We fight this beast for The Healer; For the followers; For the Masses who have not heeded the call.
• Those who impede our cause are unto the beast themselves; Those who impede our cause will feel the spear
• Death to Death
• Glory to Betelgeuse

The Continual Testament refers to both the copies of the Scripture, and a series of Grimoires that contain the research and shared knowledge of past & present followers. These grimoires are contained in The Low Red Halls.

Like the Continual Testament, a set of active record on the accomplishments of various other followers are kept in The Low Red Hall. These are meant to record service to Betelgeuse that is not tied directly to active research.

Betelgeuse attracts a following mostly comprised of engineers, spellcasters, and scholars. They delve deep into forbidden research, despite the taboos of local laws. But other roles are filled; bodyguards, assassins, and clerics, who dedicate their lives in supporting research they may not necessarily have the skills to participate in.

Worshippers of Betelgeuse believe that, while their goal is to defeat Death itself, their efforts are not in vain. If they work towards the ultimate goal in a way that truly emulates their god, then in death they will be accepted into The Great Red Hall, and spend their afterlife assisting Betelgeuse directly in repairing the calamity.

The goal of every follower of Betelgeuse is to be recording in The Low Red Hall testament. This goal is easily achieved, and only the extraordinarily lazy or borderline heretical are omitted. But great contributors to the cause, who make great, noticeable strides in research, are recorded into The Continual Testament. This is the greatest honor among Betelgeuse's followers.

Betelgeuse's followers are ordered in a hierarchy, and receive titles based on their place in the church;

The Leader of the Church. The Vice Healer is voted into power by the Chief Arcanists. The Vice Healer is considered the ultimate authority within the church's structure, barring Betelgeuse himself.

A small committee comprising of members nominated by the Arcanist class - only after having been recorded into the Continual Testament. Chief Arcanists are often powerful spellcasters and masters of their chosen field of research.

The Arcanists are leaders within the church, who are promoted into position by the Chief Healers to help with maintaining the followers and various projects.

A position similar to Arcanists, but exists as an internal form of book keeping and law enforcement less effected by the church's politics.

Analysts are given many more hands-on responsibilities that have them travel, conduct field research, or perform less desirable work beneath the Arcanist class. They have authority over their assigned team, but little more beyond that.

A ubiquitous title in the church. Agents comprise of both the lowest ranking researchers and engineers, as well as the church's infantry, bodyguards, assassins, custodians, and various other personnel.

The temples of Betelgeuse are often small, secluded, and well hidden to avoid open confrontation with local authorities. In the few places where their research is (mostly) legal, their temples are still very sparse, dedicated to practical use as opposed to flagrant ceremonial appeal.

The largest, oldest temple on Arcadia is The Low Red Halls, located on the edge of the Ennoran wasteland. It is a large port hub which every Betelgeuse follower makes a point to travel to.

Many rituals highlight the practical applications of the immediate research, but there is some small amount of ceremony involved. There is a prayer from The Continual Testament which asks Betelgeuse for favor when attempting a risky experiment or testing a prototype.

At the beginning of each new month, followers of Betelgeuse hold a small feast to allow themselves a respite from their research and to bond with their immediate comrades. This feast has religious importance, and is one of the few events in which followers allow themselves ceremonial extravagance. These monthly feasts include readings from The Continual Testament, which retell the story of The Calamity, and Betelgeuse's commitment to repairing it. This story is cyclical, and told in 10 parts, with each of Arcadia's 10 months representing a part of the story.

When the Dark Twins well opens, followers of Betelgeuse remark the occasion with solemn reverence. Work is halted until the well closes again.

The story of Betelgeuse's hammer is a tale told to children during the monthly feast. It tells the story of how Betelgeuse forged the hammer as a gift for his brother Ugsyn. It is the same hammer Ugsyn used to cause the calamity. When Betelgeuse realized what was happening, he fought chased Ugsyn from the realm and reclaimed the hammer.

The legend of Goth, a former Vice Healer of the church who successfully achieved Lichdom. The new poer drove him insane, and he attempted to supplant Betelgeuse as the figure of the church's worship. In some versions the Chief Healers assassinated him. In others, Betelgeuse himself appeared to smite him.