Istus
Encyclopedia
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game
, Istus is the goddess of Fate
, Destiny
, Divination
, the Future
, and Honesty
. She is known as the Lady of Our Fate and the Colorless and All-Colored. Her symbol is a golden spindle with three strands.
in Dragon
#69 (1983). Istus was subsequently detailed in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
(1983), and in Greyhawk Adventures (1988).
(1989). As part of the plot, she has inflicted the world of Greyhawk with a plague to cull out the weaker adventurers.
Istus was one of the deities described in the From the Ashes set (1992), for the Greyhawk campaign, and appeared again in Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (1998).
Her role in the cosmology of the Planescape
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996). Istus is described as one of the good deities that celestials
can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).
(2000).
(2004).
deities, but aloof from mortals and immortals alike, concerning herself only with the fate of the universe. She is depicted in three different ways
. The first is as an old crone, the second as a mature and haughty noble dame, and the third as a cold and unfeeling young maiden. She carries a golden spindle
(her holy symbol), with which she spins the future into the present, thus weaving the web of fate.
In the course of events in the adventure Fate of Istus
, Istus creates a being known as the Morgorath who appears in a variety of guises, behaving sometimes as an ally and sometimes as an adversary.
Rudd
does not get along with Istus, as she has a big problem with the idea of predestination.
, the Free City of Greyhawk
, Rauxes, Rel Mord, and Stoink. She is also worshipped in Bissel
, the Bright Lands, Ekbir
, Ket
, the Plains of the Paynims, the Tiger Nomads
, Tusmit
, the Wolf Nomads
, and Zeif
.
tend to be stoic and cynical, having seen all the extremes of mortal destinies. They use divinations to discern what fate will bring, and are called upon by nobles and other important people to make predictions about the future. They hold honesty as a virtue, and teach the importance of accepting one's destiny and role in the world. Eighty percent of them are female.
Clerics of Istus wear gray or black robes. Higher ranking clerics have formal vestments with weblike patterns. They must wear their holy symbols openly and allow their hair to grow at least six inches in length.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, Istus is the goddess of Fate
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
, Destiny
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
, Divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
, the Future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
, and Honesty
Honesty
Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and denotes positive, virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating, or theft....
. She is known as the Lady of Our Fate and the Colorless and All-Colored. Her symbol is a golden spindle with three strands.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
Istus was first detailed for the Dungeons & Dragons game in the article "The Deities and Demigods of the World of Greyhawk" by Gary GygaxGary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#69 (1983). Istus was subsequently detailed in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
The World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting and the World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting are two closely related publications from TSR, Inc. that detail the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
(1983), and in Greyhawk Adventures (1988).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Istus featured prominently in the adventure Fate of IstusFate of Istus
Fate of Istusis a multipart adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, taking place in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module is designed for characters of any class or level, and was published as an in-game vehicle to explain the transition from the game's first to second...
(1989). As part of the plot, she has inflicted the world of Greyhawk with a plague to cull out the weaker adventurers.
Istus was one of the deities described in the From the Ashes set (1992), for the Greyhawk campaign, and appeared again in Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (1998).
Her role in the cosmology of the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996). Istus is described as one of the good deities that celestials
Celestial (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, celestials are a class of creatures and monsters known as outsiders who are of wholly good alignment....
can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
Istus's role in the 3rd edition Greyhawk setting was defined in the Living Greyhawk GazetteerLiving Greyhawk Gazetteer
The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Despite the title, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is not exclusive to the Living Greyhawk Campaign...
(2000).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
Her priesthood is detailed for this edition in Complete DivineComplete Divine
Complete Divine is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast...
(2004).
Description
Istus is the most powerful of the BaklunishBaklunish
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Baklunish are a race of humans inhabiting the Flanaess, as well as regions of Oerik further west....
deities, but aloof from mortals and immortals alike, concerning herself only with the fate of the universe. She is depicted in three different ways
Triple Goddess
The Triple Goddess is the subject of much of the writing of Robert Graves, and has been adopted by some neopagans as one of their primary deities. The term triple goddess is sometimes used outside of Neopaganism to refer to historical goddess triads and single goddesses of three forms or aspects...
. The first is as an old crone, the second as a mature and haughty noble dame, and the third as a cold and unfeeling young maiden. She carries a golden spindle
Spindle (textiles)
A spindle is a wooden spike used for spinning wool, flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibres into thread. It is commonly weighted at either the bottom middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object called a whorl, and may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without...
(her holy symbol), with which she spins the future into the present, thus weaving the web of fate.
Relationships
Istus holds herself aloof from all other gods, even those of her own pantheon. The mendicant Daoud was a servant of the Lady of Our Fate in life. Istus is said to have a strange companion, a cloudlike being who is a prince from the Demiplane of Time.In the course of events in the adventure Fate of Istus
Fate of Istus
Fate of Istusis a multipart adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, taking place in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module is designed for characters of any class or level, and was published as an in-game vehicle to explain the transition from the game's first to second...
, Istus creates a being known as the Morgorath who appears in a variety of guises, behaving sometimes as an ally and sometimes as an adversary.
Realm
Istus dwells within the Web of Fate, which is thought by some to be a realm in the Outlands and by some to be a pocket universe beyond the known cosmology, or perhaps a demiplane within the Ethereal Plane. All times and places are open to Istus as long as she holds her spindle; if she loses it, she must return home immediately.Rudd
Rudd (Greyhawk)
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Rudd is the Oeridian goddess of Chance, Good Luck, and Skill. As the Great Gambler, she knows every card game invented. Rudd avoids completely cerebral games like Dragonchess, finding them too easy...
does not get along with Istus, as she has a big problem with the idea of predestination.
Dogma
In the strange metaphysics of the worshippers of Istus, the multiverse is conceived of as an intricate mesh of interconnected threads, with everything connected to everything else. They are believers in predestination, although the threads of fate are sometimes slack enough that destiny can be altered in some small way. Because the future is for the most part foreordained, it can be permitted by those with the skills to perceive how the threads are linked. Clerics of Istus teach that acceptance of one's fate is the only honest approach; those who strive too hard against Fate will only meet their own foreordained ruins.Worshippers
Because Fate is callous and often unkind, only cynical and unfeeling people tend to make Istus their patron. Centers of Istus' worship are in DyversDyvers
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Dyvers, the "City of Sails," is a free city and political state in the central Flanaess...
, the Free City of Greyhawk
Free City of Greyhawk
The Free City of Greyhawk, also known as Greyhawk City and the "Gem of the Flanaess," is a fictional city-state in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, Rauxes, Rel Mord, and Stoink. She is also worshipped in Bissel
Bissel
Bissel may refer to:* Bissel bogie or Bissel axle , a type of steam locomotive wheelset* Bissel , the fictitious Dungeons and Dragons state...
, the Bright Lands, Ekbir
Ekbir
Ekbir, properly known as the Caliphate of Ekbir, is a political state of the Flanaess in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
, Ket
Ket (Greyhawk)
Ket is a political state in the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Because it lies in the only gap in the north-south spine of mountains that divides the eastern Flanaess from the western Baklunish Basin, Ket is a nexus of important trade...
, the Plains of the Paynims, the Tiger Nomads
Tiger Nomads
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Tiger Nomads, properly known as the Chakyik Horde, is a political state of the Flanaess....
, Tusmit
Tusmit
Tusmit is a political state in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is situated in the Baklunish Basin region of the Flanaess, between the Caliphate of Ekbir and Ket.-People:...
, the Wolf Nomads
Wolf Nomads
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Wolf Nomads, properly known as the Wegwiur, is a political state of the Flanaess. The name also applies to the tribes of nomadic horsemen who dwell within these lands.-History:The Wolf Nomads are descended...
, and Zeif
Zeif
Zeif is a political state in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is situated in the Baklunish Basin region of the Flanaess, on the southern shores of the Dramidj Ocean.-References:...
.
Clergy
Istus has few true followers and her clericsCleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
tend to be stoic and cynical, having seen all the extremes of mortal destinies. They use divinations to discern what fate will bring, and are called upon by nobles and other important people to make predictions about the future. They hold honesty as a virtue, and teach the importance of accepting one's destiny and role in the world. Eighty percent of them are female.
Clerics of Istus wear gray or black robes. Higher ranking clerics have formal vestments with weblike patterns. They must wear their holy symbols openly and allow their hair to grow at least six inches in length.
Rituals
Services to Istus include hangings of gauze, clouds of incense, the music of woodwinds, chanting, and meditation.Additional reading
- Brown, Anne. Player's Guide to Greyhawk (TSR, 1998).
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online: http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LG_Deities.zip
- Findley, NigelNigel FindleyNigel D Findley was a game designer, editor, and an author of science fiction and fantasy novels and role-playing games .-Biography:Nigel Findley was born in Venezuela, in 1959...
. Greyspace. (TSRTSR, Inc.Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
, 1992). - Gygax, GaryGary GygaxErnest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
, and Frank MentzerFrank MentzerJacob Franklin "Frank" Mentzer III , is an American fantasy author and game designer best known for his work on early materials for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He was a performing folk musician from 1968 to 1975, and played one concert at the White House during the...
. The Temple of Elemental Evil (TSRTSR, Inc.Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
, 1985). - Living Greyhawk Journal no. 3 - "Gods of Oerth"