Talon, the God-Father

Name:

Talon, the God-Father

Domains:

Order, Justice, Birds

Alignment:

High

Story:

Talon is the first of the pantheon, having both given himself his own domains and having assigned the others to his kin. Talon was first born and is considered the only one who can sit in judgment over the other machine-gods in Dia.

Talon is the paragon of justice, and it is said that he gave the first laws to mortalkind and trained the first judges from ancient tribal chiefs. In most things, Talon is unwavering, and the criticism that Talon and his followers are inflexible is fair. However, they would argue that such solidity forms a foundation that society and their fellows can depend upon.

The best-known story about Talon is how he was formed from the wisest of all the birds of the sky to serve as the first sentient being on Dia. From there, he is said to have created all the other machine-gods and given them their places, although Jiren opposed him and took her own unique place in the pantheon.

Glyph:

Brean’s glyph is a triangle behind three stylized talons. His is the only glyph with no curves in it.

Appearance:

Talon reveals himself as either a giant raven or a raven-like humanoid with dark black talons. He rarely makes individual appearances in either form, but he has, on occasion, marked approval or disapproval of significant judgments by putting in an appearance after a verdict is read.

Theology:

Many of the city-states that follow a ‘traditional’ model are led by a judicial order that issues judgments and provides guidance to citizens. These orders are usually dedicated to Talon directly, and the black-blue of traditional judicial robes is a reference to the father-god.

Champions of Talon are split into two sometimes competing orders: The Batta-gai and Bakku-gai. The Batta-gai (Way of Strength) is the larger order that preaches that from strength flows law and that the strong provide guidance to those weaker than them as the natural order. Batta-gai carry traditional axe-hammers called ‘callers’, which have a hammer-like back meant to strike gongs for community announcements.

Bakku-gai (Way of Service) is a smaller order that preaches that from service flows law, and the strong are to enforce the laws of the community. It's a small distinction, but Bakku-gai will abstain from any action or vote that would establish a law since they are only concerned with enforcing laws the community has already established. Bakku-gai carry Shielleagh’s called ‘seekers’ that represent thier originally nomadic role as traveling judges. Many Bakku-gai still follow this ancient profession, offering their services to small hamlets and tribes that may not have official judges on site.

Patronage:

Talon’s temples are both places of supplication, for those seeking a natural justice or favorable judgments (which aren’t promised but are sought anyway) and as training academies for those in the law-based professions. This ranges from Wardens, who watch street corners and patrol cities, to Judges, who hold trials and enforce the law.

Champions of Talons are tasked to enforce judgments given by lawful judges. This can range from hunting escaping fugitives from the law or enforcing judgments on those outside of traditional judicial reach, like bandits or heretic city lords.

Such champions are seen as solid repositories of local law, and it's not unusual for them to receive legal questions from curious townspeople. They are also taken seriously, for lying and false witness are forbidden to them. Hired blade companies that serve the High gods also seek to include at least one champion of Talon, as such people can easily resolve the various conflicts between competing champions.

Retirement:

Each champion of Talon serves for a traditional century, either as a champion or retiring to the judicial courts. While patronage slows one’s aging, Talon offers no additional benefits to his champions in this area

Removal from Talon’s service is not a small matter. Those who provide false witness or fail to uphold the law are not merely cast out of the order, they are judged and a sentence imposed. This is generally an order of execution, although extraordinary circumstances could instead decree a need to be held in the brig of one of the great temples - indefinitely.

Favors:

Talonmarks, which are metal plates in the shape of the god’s talons, are used within the temple to account for the kind of trade that would be gauche to use money for. Champions and judges are not paid for doing thier routine work, but champions are often presented with Talons for extraordinary tasks such as dealing justice outside the city walls or traveling to serve as an interim judge.

Champions of the order can request materials and supplies from a temple at either market rate or at roughly one favor for a bag of gold or supplies. This is usually only for those items the temple can spare; there is no routine store or cache as other temples may have. In a pinch, the priest of the temple is often owed favors with local business leaders he has consoluted with and can at least bargain a discount in exchange for a talonmark

Antithesis:

If you ask the common people, they will often point to Jiren or Brean as the antithesis of Talon, but the truth is, the god and his followers only recognize Fortuna as coming close to opposing thier goals. She often grants exemptions from natural law and helps criminals escape judgment. Talon doesn’t hold this against her, but does caution his followers against trusting the motives of such a fickle goddess or her champions.