B19 Chapel of Rudd

You feel certain you will win from the moment you enter under bright lights, wheels of faerie fire, and colorful banners. Half-naked servers move about with flagons and trays, and the festive music of an enormous orchestra fills the gambling hall. A carnival of food, drink, and possibility makes hours pass like seconds—until you reach into an empty pocket. You realize that the music covers the sounds of cursing and weeping.

Tucked just off the great market square, where Bridgewalk Road bends toward the Civic Quarter, stands the Chapel of Rudd—a bright wedge of stone and timber squeezed between taller counting-houses and guild offices. Here, carters, gamblers, river-captains, and would-be heroes slip in to mutter a prayer before risking coin, limb, or reputation.

The chapel serves as Verbobonc’s shrine to Rudd Luckbringer, goddess of Chance, Good Luck, and Skill. It is the unofficial “house temple” of those who live by their nerve: street performers, wagon racers, duelists, and, quietly, a fair number of adventurers.

Though small compared to the great basilicas, Rudd’s house has outsized influence in the Business Quarter; its clerics bless merchant ventures, sponsor athletic contests, and occasionally intercede when a game of chance threatens to become a street brawl.

Approaching the Chapel of Rudd

First Impressions – Exterior

The building itself looks more like a lively club than a solemn church:

• Asymmetrical façade of pale stone and warm timber, with a slightly leaning bell-turret capped in green copper.
• Painted shutters in alternating red and white, each carved with symbols of dice, arrows, and acrobats mid-leap.
• Over the door hangs a round wooden sign:
  *a stylized wheel marked in eight wedges, with a dart stuck square in one.
  Fresh ribbons and knotted cords of bright thread dangle from it—offerings from those who won their wager… or almost did.
• A short flight of worn steps leads up from the cobbles. Each riser bears a chiseled motto:
  “FIRST STEP,” “FAIR CHANCE,” “FAIR PLAY.”

On most days, the heavy front door stands open, spilling out laughter, fiddle music from within, and the clink of a ceremonial “luck bowl” where folk toss their loose coins.

Interior Layout

The Hall of First Steps

Beyond the threshold lies a broad, low-ceilinged hall paneled in honeyed wood:

• Colored glass lanterns hang from beams, each shaped like a die or coin; their glow paints the room in reds, ambers, and greens.
• The floor is laid in irregular stone tiles, each one numbered or painted with simple symbols. Children (and more than a few adults) hop from tile to tile, avoiding the “bad luck” ones.
• Along one side stands a long counter where acolytes keep slates of wagers and vows—promises of “I’ll quit the cards,” “I’ll dare the caravan road,” or “I’ll speak truth to my master.” Some are jokes; others tremble with ink-blotted earnestness.

A brass bowl on a pedestal holds a scatter of copper and bone casting pieces—small disks stamped with arrows, stars, and crossed paths. For a copper, anyone may cast them and have an acolyte read which path Rudd smiles upon today.

The Sanctuary of the Turning Wheel

Three shallow steps rise to the inner sanctuary:

• The floor mosaic is a great wheel of red, black, and ivory segments, edged with tiny images of bows, dice, dancers’ shoes, and sailing ships.
• At the far end stands a simple altar of white stone, its front carved with a young woman’s hand reaching toward a tumbling coin and arrow.
• Behind the altar, a tall tapestry shows Rudd as a laughing, red-haired figure poised mid-leap between two crumbling pillars—one marked “FATE,” the other “FEAR.”

Here the clergy lead short, energetic services focused on courage, fairness, and honing one’s skill rather than surrendering to blind luck. Offerings are often symbolic: a gambler’s favorite die, a snapped bowstring, a token from a ship that survived storms.

The Gallery of Feats

A side passage leads to a cluttered gallery used for contests and friendly wagers:

• Rope knots, throwing boards, balance beams, and targets for darts or dagger-throwing.
• Painted boards record past winners of the Spring Toss, Bridgewalk Footrace, and the infamous Three-Cup Challenge.
• On festival days, this chamber overflows with shouting, cheering crowds; on quieter days, it is a favored practice place for young rogues and rangers (watched closely by the clergy).

History and Lore

The Chapel of Rudd represents the deity's embodiment of chance and skill, providing a sanctuary for those who seek to test their luck and prowess. It stands as a testament to the multifaceted nature of worship, where the roll of dice and the clash of swords serve as prayers to the divine.

Religion and Community

• Dual Nature: The chapel functions both as a place of worship and a recreational facility, blurring the lines between the sacred and the profane.
• Clergy and Services: Clerics of Rudd, indistinguishable from patrons, offer guidance and training in games of chance, fencing, and archery, emphasizing skill development and the joy of competition.

Political Relationships

Council of Lords and the Viscount

The Chapel of Rudd maintains a neutral stance in the political arena of Verbobonc, focusing on its religious duties and community services. However, its unique nature and the activities it hosts may occasionally draw scrutiny from more traditional political and religious factions within the city.

Relationship with the Battirovka Family

The chapel's position as a gambling establishment potentially places it in a complex relationship with the local thieves' guild, the The Battirovka Family. While not directly affiliated, the nature of the chapel's activities could lead to interactions, both cooperative and competitive, with the guild.

Gnomes and Political Concerns

Given its inclusive nature, the Chapel of Rudd likely welcomes patrons of all races, including Gnomes. However, its primary focus on human pursuits of chance and physical skill may limit its direct involvement in the political issues concerning the gnome community and the city at large.

Clergy & Notable NPCs

(Names and details can be adjusted to match your existing NPCs if you already have a Rudd priest; this gives you a ready-made cast.)

High Luckwarden Mara Toss-a-Coin (CG human woman, former caravan guard)
Once a wagon-guard on the Kron Hills roads, Mara claims Rudd “turned her dice” the night she survived a bandit ambush by sheer nerve and quick thinking. She is broad-shouldered, quick to laugh, and quicker to place a friendly wager on anything from weather to swordplay.

• Personality: Bold, forgiving, with a sharp eye for cheats; believes in giving second chances but not third.
• Role: Oversees chapel finances and public festivals; often called to arbitrate gaming disputes in nearby taverns.
• Relationships:
• On good terms with Prince Jimm and the Free Alliance of the Kron Hills, having guarded caravans in those hills during her youth.
• Maintains a wary, pragmatic understanding with the Battirovka Family and other underworld gamblers—cheating and cruelty bring her swift wrath, but honest, risky play is tolerated.

Acolyte Rennel “Quick-Step” (NG halfling man)
A nimble halfling who once ran messages between Gnomeberg and the river docks. Rennel organizes the footraces and minor contests, and quietly tips off adventurers about tournaments that might earn them extra coin or local fame.

Sister Joryn of the Coin (CG human woman)
A former card-sharp who turned to the faith after losing everything in a crooked game. She now teaches “Know thy odds, sharpen thy hand”—lessons on probability, skill, and spotting sleight-of-hand. She is an excellent NPC to help players learn about cheating in Verbobonc’s gambling dens.

Services & Boons for Adventurers

The Chapel of Rudd is an excellent mechanical and narrative resource for the party:

• Blessing of the First Step: For a modest donation (or after completing a small errand), a priest blesses the group before they set out. Once during their next adventure, a character may reroll a failed Dexterity or tool proficiency check. When they do, the DM may impose disadvantage on a later check that day—Rudd’s balance of fortune.
• Reading the Cast: The clergy cast marked coins or disks to answer a yes/no or either/or question about risk (“Take the river road or the forest track?”). This functions like a roleplayed version of augury but flavoured as half intuition, half divine hint.
• Sanctuary of Fair Play: If a dispute over a wager turns ugly in the Business Quarter, parties sometimes agree to bring it before Mara Toss-a-Coin, who will supervise a rematch or skill contest under oath to Rudd. PCs might be drawn in as neutral champions.

Ties to the Noble Ambitions / Temple of Elemental Evil Campaign

• Hook: The Rigged Game. Rumors reach the chapel that a new gaming house in the Business Quarter is using cursed dice or subtle enchantments to drain merchants and caravan masters. The clergy ask the party to investigate—not to abolish gambling, but to restore fair risk. This can be a side route into confronting Temple agents laundering money through the district.
• Hook: Luck’s Last Favor. A dying caravan-master, rescued from a bandit raid tied to the Temple, entrusts the PCs with a token of Rudd (a wheeled coin) and asks they return it to Mara. In return, she shares guarded information about caravan routes, raided shrines, or suspicious shipments on the Velverdyva.
• Hook: The Tournament of Thirteen Throws. During a city-wide festival, the chapel sponsors a series of contests—dagger-throwing, rope-climbing, dice, and riddle-games. Temple agents may use the crowd as cover for meeting contacts … or for an attempted assassination that the PCs can foil amid the chaos of cheering onlookers.