Balthazar
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| Pronunciation: | BAL-thah-zahr |
| Epithet: | the Great Cat, the Mistress of Fate |
| Terminology: | Balthazarian (bal-tha-ZARR-ee-an) |
| Organization: | Highly organized. The leading body is called the Cat's Curia, and its members are styled High Toms (male) or High Tabbies (female). |
| Symbol: | the "feligram": a stylized cat |
| Cleric kit: |
Must take at least one level of Will and one level of Awareness. Soothe, Emotion, Curse (but not Mass Curse), and Divine Wrath cost 1 spell point less. No Martyrdom. Fear spells and Nightmare also affect the caster. |
Overview
Goddess of fate, in the form of a cat. As twists of fate are elusive, so Balthazar is enigmatic and often aloof. Followers pray that the "great Cat" will grant them a happy fortune—for one's fate is not fixed, but can be influenced through prayers and dedication. Many followers affect cat-like mannerisms (e.g., purring when happy, hissing when angered).
Depiction
Balthazar is always depicted as a stately cat. As twists of fate are elusive, the feline goddess of fate is seen as enigmatic and often aloof.
In religious art, Balthazarian saints are often depicted with slitted eyes, whiskers, or other cat-like features. This is not meant to imply that these people literally had a feline appearance, but rather is meant to represent "Cat's grace" – just as Christian saints did not literally have a glowing white disc surrounding their head.
Theology and Practice
Balthazarian theology holds that Fate is not fixed, but can be changed. The yarns of mortals' lives (much like the threads of the Greek Fates) are batted back and forth by the Cat. Mortals' prayers and actions can cause her to bat a yarn in a different direction than before. However, interpretations of how Balthazar's fate is expressed on earth vary widely from order to order.
Balthazarians also use the terms "cat", "rat" and "dog" -- not literally, but metaphorically, much as Christians use "shepherd" and "sheep".
- The cat is the embodiment of virtue: right-thinking, courageous, resolute.
- The dog is the ignorant follower, s/he who follows the pack, interested only in food and the approval of one's superior. The mindless masses are "dogs". The true cat, wise and independent, is above the lowly dog.
- The rat is the embodiment of malice. The rats skulks in the shadows, stealing food, eating through walls, spreading disease. The righteous cat hunts down and eliminates such evil.
Balthazarian churches are filled with cats, unsurprisingly. Larger churches and cathedrals tend use a floor plan that is "cat-shaped", with four "paw" alcoves extending out from the corners of the building, and with the cat's head over (or including) the main entrance.
The mother church of Balthazar, at least in Collegiatedom (that is, not counting Marakhin and Kiljukan), is in the city of Eyvia (AY-vee-ah), in county Cheshire, Allondell.Religious Orders
The Church of Balthazar includes several religious orders:
- Some orders are monastic (monks and nuns), such as the Garfieldites, the Morrisines, and the Slitted Eye.
- Some orders are mendicant (friars), such as the Stimpites.
- Some orders are military (church knights), such as the Heathcliffites, Hobbesines, and Cosintines.