Radiant idols are former angels who have lost their standing amongst the radiant host. They were banished from their home on the plane of Syrania and are condemned to spend eternity on the Material Plane.[2]
Description[]
Radiant idols resemble beautiful humanoids, standing about 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall and faintly glowing with an inner light. However, this beauty is marred by bloody stumps where their wings had once been.[2] Other radiant idols retain their wings, but these are instead bound with numerous chains tied to weights of many shapes and sizes, all with an angelic rune inscribed upon them.[3] Radiant idols often use magic to disguise their fallen nature.[1]
Personality[]
Radiant idols are angels who fell because of the sinful desire to be worshiped by humanoids, who they see as lesser beings. Despite this, while they are no longer good, not all radiant idols are evil, and none are so thoroughly evil and depraved as true fiends.[2]
Abilities[]
Radiant idols possess many abilities. They have both darkvision and low-light vision. They are also reputed to be immune to damage caused by cold and acid, resistant to damage caused by electricity and fire, and impossible to petrify by any means. In fact, they were generally resistant to spells and most damage, excepting such damage caused by the strongly good-aligned. Radiant idols spoke all languages eloquently, as if constantly under the effects of the tongues and glibness spells.[2][1]
Radiant idols are reported to possess many spell-like abilities, being able to variously replicate alter self, charm person, cure wounds, disguise self dream, heroism, nightmare, rage and thaumaturgy at will; confusion, greater dispel magic, mind fog, and slow thrice each day; and commune, dominate person, eyebite, hold monster, insect plague, mass suggestion, raise dead, song of discord, and greater teleport once each day.[2][1]
Radiant idols also possess an aura that inspired fear and awe in all enemies within 30 feet (9.1 meters) of them.[2][1] They have the abilities and spells of a single cleric domain, typically one associated with what it claimed as its portfolio, and are capable of casting the spells of that domain as spell-like abilities. They can use the first-tier spells at will, the second and third-tier spells thrice each day, and the fourth, fifth, and sixth-tier spells once each day.[2]
Perhaps the most powerful ability of the radiant idols, however, is the blood oath with which they can bind their cultists. This oath takes the form of a ritual of initiation. It takes 24 hours of preparation, during which the idol meditates and readies the room in which the ritual will take place. The ritual itself takes two hours at minimum, plus ten minutes per mortal participant. During the ritual itself, all creatures in the room and within 60 feet (18 meters) of the idol are potentially effected as if under the enthrall spell. After the first two hours, the radiant idol would spend ten minutes focusing on each individual mortal, forming a bond between them. It is possible for unwilling participants to resist, although the radiant idol would be aware that the bond was improperly formed if they resisted successfully, although it would not interrupt the ritual. Radiant idols are known to let mortals believe that their resistance went undetected until after the ritual was complete, for any interruption during either the preparation or ritual would force them to have to start all over again.[2]
The blood oath, once formed, allowed the radiant idol a measure of control over its cultists. For instance, they could sense the location of any creature that had sworn a blood oath with them at will as if by the spell locate creature, and they could always successfully scry on each cultist once each day. More dangerously, they could inflict excruciating pain on a bound cultist, despite any distance between the two of them, or even kill a bound cultist.[2]
A major weakness of the radiant idols is a curse that was applied to them when they fell: they cannot fly by any means. No spell that grants flight works if a radiant idol is the target, nor can they fly if they change their form. Moreover, spells that grant flight fail as if in an antimagic field when within 30 feet (9.1 meters) of a radiant idol, and creatures that can naturally fly feel uncomfortable when in one's presence. Even magic that causes other things to fly, such as the spells that keep Sharn's floating towers aloft, or elemental airships in the sky, will fail if a radiant idol gets onto it.[2][4]
Combat[]
Radiant idols prefer to remain concealed and let their minions fight for them, while using their innate spell-casting abilities to strengthen allies and weaken enemies.[2]
Society[]
Radiant idols were once angels from Syrania, but have become natives of the Material Plane after being cast out from that heavenly plane. They desire to be worshiped by humanoids, and pretend to be deities with specific portfolios to establish cults around themselves.[2]
Due to the manifest zone of Syrania there, about half-a-dozen radiant idols live in Sharn alone.[2] Their cults are especially prevalent in the High Walls district.[5]
Notable Radiant Idols[]
Some of the names of the radiant idols that have fallen to Eberron are known, but are spoken in hushed tones across the continents. Some sages consider that even speaking the name of a radiant idol gives that idol power. Instead, sages prefer to refer to radiant idols by their former titles.[3]
- Kotharel the Harvester, claimed to be both a lord of death and the right hand of the Keeper. After being captured by the knights of Dol Arrah, it was imprisoned in Dreadhold.[6]
- Sythrael, a radiant idol who unknowingly interfered with the plans of the Lords of Dust. Sythrael was transformed into a statue trapped within Sharn.[4]
- Zotharr, also called the Idol of Death, lives in Sharn. He is worshiped by Kielsten Marquan, who turned his inn in the Lower Central ward of Sharn into a temple to the fallen angle. The cult is very loyal to its master and is known to have robbed, kidnapped, and even committed ritualized murder in his name.[7]
- the Eberron novels.
- Vorlintar, also known as the Voice of the Innocent, the Keeper of Hopes, and Fifth among the Fallen of Syrania. Vorlintar carved out a cult in the Fallen district of Sharn, until his defeat at the hands of Daine Deneith and Nyrielle Tam.[3]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- Dungeon #117: "Fallen Angel"
- Novels
- Son of Khyber
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 308. ISBN 0786966890.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 180–182. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Keith Baker (November 2009). Son of Khyber. (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-5234-2.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Keith Baker (December 2004). “Fallen Angel”. Dungeon #117 (Paizo Publishing) (117)..
- ↑ Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 98. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.
- ↑ Unknown (June 2006). Dragon #344: Web Supplement (PDF). Paizo Publishing. Retrieved on 2020-05-24.
- ↑ Keith Baker & James Wyatt (2004). Sharn: City of Towers. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 47. ISBN 0-7869-3434-4.