Istus

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.

Description

Istus is the most powerful of the Baklunish 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.

Clergy and temples

Istus has few true followers and her clerics 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.

See also

• Norns

References

• Gygax, Gary. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (TSR, 1983).
• Gygax, Gary. "The Deities and Demigods of the World of Greyhawk." Dragon #69 (TSR, 1983).

• Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (Wizards of the Coast, 2000).

• Moore, Roger E. Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (TSR, 1998).

• Noonan, David. Complete Divine (Wizards of the Coast, 2004).

• Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes (TSR, 1992).

• Ward, James M. Greyhawk Adventures (TSR, 1988).