The Midgard Worldbook already details a score of saints dedicated to the war god Mavros, but the other deities have their share of saints as well. Saints of Midgard uncovers some of these holy personages, including information on their origins, followers, blessings and miracles, and the relics attributed to them.
Stone-Saint Elharee
Origins. The only non-dragonkin worshipper of the ancient dragon god Khespotan to become a stone-saint, Elharee Al-Sawari was the daughter of human miners in the Dragoncoil Mountains. Elharee grew up as a miner herself, and while aware of her inferior status in the Mharoti Empire, it did not stop her from becoming a follower of Khespotan. At some point during her youth, Elharee came across an abandoned shrine to the Lord of Stone and began to care for it, clearing away the debris and making sure small sacrifices of colored pebbles were laid at the shrine every day. What Elharee did not know was that the Earthen Emperor was watching.
One day, a pair of dragonborn guards found Elharee worshipping at the shrine, and one began to destroy it in a fit of spite while the other held the young woman down. Elharee begged the dragonborn to stop and prayed to Khespotan for help. At that moment, Khespotan empowered the young woman, and she unleashed his wrath upon the blasphemous guards, driving them off with a rain of stones as the image of the dragon god appeared above her head.
Elharee quickly became famous among the human and kobold miners of the area, effortlessly channeling Khespotan’s divine power even though she had no formal training as a cleric. Eventually, Khespotan’s clergy approached her and officially recognized her as a member of the priesthood, affording her all the benefits that entailed. Despite this, she continued to look after her mountain shrine until well into her 50s, gathering a small army of human and dragonkin followers during this time. When she finally gave up her post, she retired to the Golden Cavern, where she trained younger priests until eventually succumbing to old age.
Followers. Elharee is a somewhat controversial figure in the Mharoti Empire, being one of the few non-dragonkin to be elevated to the position of sainthood. As a result, most of her followers are humans, dwarves, and some gnolls and ogres. Few dragonkin openly venerate Elharee in principle, but many kobolds and other dragonkin of the empire secretly venerate her as the Patron Saint of Miners.
There has been a push in recent times by her dragonkin followers to say that Elharee was never human to begin with but instead a dragon disguised as a human. This has caused some tension with her human followers, but as yet, little has come of it save for some name-calling.
Blessings and Miracles. Elharee’s blessing takes many forms, including the discovery of pure veins of ore or nodules of semi-precious stones in otherwise unremarkable rock; pickaxes or shovels that do not nick or break even after multiple strikes; and the appearance of a human shadow with draconic wings warning of a potential cave-in.
The Patron Saint of Miners was famous for her many miracles, including wielding powerful divine magic without any official training and calling upon the aid of drakes and even true dragons to battle against marauding trolls and other monsters. Aside from the story of the attack on her shrine, the most famous miracle attributed to Elharee is her summoning of an avatar of Khespotan to turn a terrible stuhac (see Tome of Beasts), which had been preying on the local miners, into a simple stone statue. This statue still stands in the cave where it was transformed, though some say the figure has recently begun changing positions.
Holy Relic
The relics of the saints are items of renown and power, vitally important to those of the same faith and zealously sought after and guarded.
THE MAIDEN’S KNUCKLES
Wondrous item, rarity by knuckle (requires attunement)
When Elharee died, five of the knuckles in her right hand were removed and transformed into powerful magic items. Why the stone-saint’s knuckles were chosen for this purpose is unknown outside of the dragon god’s clergy, but since their creation, most have been lost through various trials and tribulations.
Each knuckle is made of cleaned and polished bone and studded with tiny gemstones. The knuckles must be grasped to activate their abilities.
1st Knuckle (Legendary). This knuckle is studded with rubies. While grasping this knuckle, you gain darkvision to 90 feet and tremorsense to 30 feet.
2nd knuckle (Rare). This knuckle is studded with yellow-green peridots. While grasping this knuckle, you gain resistance to acid damage.
3rd Knuckle (Rare). This knuckle is studded with blue zircons. While grasping this knuckle, you can use the stone shape spell three times per day. The knuckle recharges each day at dawn.
4th Knuckle (Rare). This knuckle is studded with slivers of petrified wood. While grasping this knuckle, you have immunity to petrification effects.
5th Knuckle (Very Rare). This knuckle is studded with brown topazes. While grasping this knuckle, you can summon a cave drake (see Tome of Beasts 2) to serve you for up to 1 hour. The knuckle recharges each day at dawn.
