"This reality is simply a huge joke by Ranald. We can strip back the lies and try to live the "truth", but then we'll see it's just another trick. Best to laugh along and add another layer of nonsense to life."
- —Janna von Beadel, trickster-priest[1a]
A trickster-priest of the Cult of Ranald dances through life spinning a web of falsehoods, hiding the truth behind layers of deceit, and playing elaborate tricks on the unwary. This is not merely to bamboozle or con others -- it should entertain, bring a smile to those around them, and show them that nothing should be taken at face value.[1a]
The trickster-priest worships Ranald in his aspect as The Deceiver. They are con artists without compare, who use their god's miracles to help locate a perfect mark, and carry off a flawless scam. Ranald the Deceiver favours those who embrace deception and view such practices as a calling. Trickster-priests are rare individuals. Their existence is lonely, even when surrounded by friends and family. Secrets, lies, and deception come so naturally, that they may even lose sight of the truth themselves.[1b][3]
Role[]
"I swear they were pigs when I bought them. I paid five gold to a little old lady...thought I was taking advantage of her. Then I come back and... well...I've got a lot of sacks of sand if you want one? She drew pigs' faces on them."
- —Reinald Sitwald, farmer at Bogenhafen's Schaffenfest[1a]
A trickster-priest of the Cult of Ranald
Each Ranaldian who becomes a trickster-priest recognises the moment when they found their calling. It could be a joke or lie which suddenly opened their eyes to the essentially ludicrous nature of life. Or it could be a low point, where they saw the ultimate futility of existence and decided they had no choice but to mock everything in order to keep pretending life was worthwhile.[1b]
Some have a moment of clarity, where they see that they are merely fictional constructs in a massive game and everything is simply an illusion conjured by an indifferent master. In those moments of revelation, Ranald sees them and sends a priest to knock at their door and take on a new initiate.[1b]
The ranks of trickster-priests are more diverse than any other priesthood of the Old World. There are con artists, charlatans, forgers, and fences amongst their numbers. Entertainers such as actors, showmen, storytellers, and minstrels are attracted to the Deceiver. Those who live for secrets favor this aspect of Ranald. Many of these Ranaldians have been drawn from the ranks of spies, Grey Wizards, and viziers. Certain types of witches can take up the mantle of this priesthood, especially those sometimes called illusionists, wielders of magic intended to confuse and mislead.[1b]
A trickster-priest's existence is a picaresque journey. They rarely stay in one place for long, driven as they are to look for exciting encounters and situations along with new folk to dupe. Trickster-priests live by their wiles, they take advantage of people by conning food, money, lodgings, and protection from the unwitting, sometimes sharing the proceeds of their trickery with others. Many of these tricksters travel with companions, such as an acting troupe, carnival, or group of itinerant adventurers. Friendships are always under strain -- a trickster-priest can be loyal and considerate, but they should never be entirely trusted.[1b]
Trickster-priests often challenge themselves to see how many people they can fool or how long they can maintain an outrageous lie before people suspect trickery. Stories of momentous lies and elaborate pranks become legends amongst followers of Ranald the Deceiver. Other than their priestly calling, these folks rarely take anything too seriously. They do not preach or proclaim to people they meet. Instead, they teach the ways of Ranald the Deceiver through action. They prefer to fool another follower and show them something false or deceitful before lifting the curtain to reveal they should never trust what is in front of them.[1b]
This can be entertaining or charming, but it can also prove frustrating -- it's difficult to get a straight answer from a trickster-priest and they are particularly fond of answering a question with a riddle.[1b]
Amongst Ranald's priests the Tricksters are probably the most mystical. They speculate widely on the nature of reality and philosophise on the nature of artifice and perception. Few are learned scholars: their esoteric thinking is undisciplined and free of obscure academic pontification.[1b]
Some trickster-priests tend towards utopian visions of the mortal world -- a permanent state of carnival where nothing is real and everyone can live happily in their delusions. There are other trickster-priests with darker motives behind their trickery and deceit -- there's no doubt some enjoy gaining a degree of power over others that comes through deceiving them.[1b]
Grey Wizards and Ranald[]
The tenets of Ranald correspond well with the beliefs and practices of the shadowmancers, wielders of the Grey Wind of Magic, Ulgu. The Grey College is a loose organisation of largely autonomous wizards and many pay respect to Ranald the Deceiver. Within the tumbledown walls of the college buildings in Altdorf is a shrine to Ranald, frequented by a family of slender grey cats and passing shadowmancers.[1b]
A minority of Grey Wizards believe Ranald walked the earth as an Incarnate of Ulgu, rather than a god. They are willing to show deference to such a being as a manifestation of their chosen Wind of Magic, but this is not the same as worshipping a deity. Few of their colleagues agree with this view.[1b]