Systems · Divine/ Spirit · Defining
Othamm, the God of Completion
Patron deity of the Cult of Done, Othamm is always working to counter Mathom's influence.
Othamm is a little-celebrated God who is nonetheless beloved by those who seek to finish. At the end of a day's work, a craftsman will often mutter 'Praise Othamm' before turning in for the night, and those who have grander tasks set before them actively seek his protection and guidance.
Gospel: All things will come to pass in their proper time. One can seek to delay the course of the river, but the water will inevitably arrive at the ocean. Seek not to delay, and pay no heed to Mathom and his minions. Rather, seek to aid all things in reaching their final forms. For only when they have arrived, can their true potential be realized.
Othammians are encouraged to complete things as quickly as possible, but are cautioned against taking too many shortcuts, lest they wind up aiding Mathom's work instead. Building a bridge is a worthy goal, but having it collapse a few years later and bog down travel in now high-traffic area goes against Othamm's creed.
Priesthood: A priest of Othamm is a whirlwind of activity. They are leaders, public servants and lobbyists, who strive to bring all things to completion as quickly as possible. If the King's Highway has been delayed for the umpteenth time, the Priesthood of Othamm will often arrive, unannounced and uninvited, to hurry it along. They can bring a surprising amount of resources to bear -- additional gold, garnered by lobbying public officials or the general public; expertise, supplied by one of the faithful; and of course a generous dose of nagging when needed.
Ofttimes the Priesthood of Othamm does not care whether or not a task is completed well or as originally intended, just that it is considered 'done'. By doing so, they hope to usher in the Final Hour, for they believe that it cannot begin until everything has reached completion.
To become a priest of Othamm, one must demonstrate a strong ability to motivate oneself and others. Some accomplish this by simply being too annoying to ignore (priests of Othamm are often called 'Naggers' in colloquial speech, but never to their faces), or by demonstrating true leadership and an insatiable drive to work. Each priest maintains a daily 'to-do' list that they check off with religious fervor, for they may only commune with Othamm once it has been cleared. For this reason, priests are very good at breaking down big jobs into small tasks that they can complete in a single day, lest they be cut off from Othamm for an extended period.
Public Opinion: If a priest of Othamm has absolutely nothing personal to achieve in a day (a rare occurrence), then they must still find and complete at least three unfinished tasks that others have started. This can range from helping a village craftsman complete a back-order of tools or helping an author get over a bad case of writers' block, to simply doing other people's chores for that day. In this way, priests of Othamm maintain friendly relations with the community and are welcome almost anywhere they go (derogatory nickname aside). Being aided by a priest of Othamm comes with an unspoken debt, however, for the person who received aid may be called upon to aid in Othamm's work in the future (and be nagged until they do).
Not all who acknowledge Othamm seek His favor. Some artists consider the Priesthood to be the bane of True Art, for they are always trying to rush things along. Others who live off the fat of government taxes pray to Mathom that the Othammians don't arrive to speed their work along.
People pray to Othamm to clear all obstacles in the way of their work. Those who are stuck, especially, will seek his favor. Others who are in bad situations -- a delayed marriage, a natural disaster or even an inquisition -- pray to Othamm explicitly to speed along the end of their suffering.
There have been some fanatic or insane followers of Othamm who have tarnished the Church's reputation. Some who have helped complete works of great evil, or who take the 'inevitability' clause too seriously. 'Othamm's Reaper' was a famous case -- a priest who dedicated himself to killing all those who could no longer contribute to society. He reasoned that the eventual state of those with terminal illnesses or past the age of working was death, and sought to speed them along that course. After all, if they could no longer complete tasks and do Othamm's work, then they should be purged so that their caretakers could be freed to work on other things. In the end, he managed to murder several dozen elderly, infirm or mentally retarded individuals before being caught and executed.
True Nature: Othamm is Mathom's twin, born to balance his power. While a minor power, He makes up for it in activity, and is frequently sending His priests visions of work that He wants completed. While He can't inspire new ideas, He can send His faithful small boons -- clear thinking, the banishment of fatigue, an unexpected break in the weather, etc. -- to help them complete whatever they are working on.
Roleplaying Notes: A priest of Othamm often appears harried, but focused. They are the 'project managers' or 'efficiency experts' of the world, and often possess a surprising number of skills from the time they spend helping others. They will normally pray in the evening, after the day's tasks have been completed, and will spend a few minutes in quiet reflection of their work. At this time, a priest will begin assembling the next day's to-do list. They will often tie strings around their fingers to help them remember their uncompleted tasks; you can almost always tell a priest of Othamm by the sheer number of strings they wear.
If a priest is fortunate, Othamm will send him or her a vision of some grand work that needs to be nudged along. For each such quest completed, a priest of Othamm is allowed to add a bead to the bracelets of his office; high-ranking priests will have dozens of beads for completing Othamm's quests, and the number of beads provides a sort of internal ranking within the Church.
There are no holidays dedicated to Othamm. The faithful believe that taking a day off to celebrate violates the spirit of Othamm Himself, since their time could be better spent completing tasks. Othammians seldom take vacations, and have a hard time relaxing. After all, there is always something else to do.
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This article links to 1
- Mathom, the God of Delays Alongside manfred linked by Dossta
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Please, please, Omath, bless me! Drive away the cursed blessings f Mathim from me! Ple-e-eeeeeeeeeeease!
That being said, this sub bears the caesar193 seal of improval. Jolly good work! May Otham bless all the Strolenites on their various tasks, and may He banish the cursed influence of Mathom forever more!
An ideal I would love to follow, but am cursed never to achieve...
Update: Changed his name from Omath to Othamm. I misspelled it at least three times in the original ariticle, so it became obvious that He wanted to be named Othamm. I have bowed before the inevitability of His will.
Ahh, the priest-hood of the 'Concluders', or the 'Closers' in sales parlance :-) I like the line about artists seeing the priests and deity as the bane of True Art.
I first read this at 2am last night, then proceeded to have a dream wherein a Mathomite challenged an Othammite to a duel to the death. The Mathomite failed to show up on the chosen day however. The Othammite waited only briefly, unsurprised, then went back to getting other things done.
*snork*
His will is being made known to you! Praise Othamm for the vision He has sent you!
Very good.
I'm thinking that, depending on the amount of power that Othamm can exert through a priest, this would be an excellent source of support casters, boosting and aiding their allies in whatever tasks they might be performing. The warrior moves his weapon with crystal clarity, the carpenter hits a nail with the perfect economy of effort, the chef cooks a dozen masterpieces at once with precision timing. And of course, given that Othamm helps those who help themselves, any given priest would still be able to physically help even once their metaphysical assistance is gone. An extra pair of hands is always useful.
Overall, an interesting bit of flavor to add to the world. It provides some nice verisimilitude, since people have always named their deities and prayed to them for blessings. Showing that little extra bit of work always makes the world a larger, more varied place for the PCs to live in.
Othamm bless my work!
Like CM, I can see Othamm as an actual deity in a world easier than his twin, who might be considered an irksome minor demon at best.
Update: Trying to add the Weavers icon.
A deity whose favor I truly need!
5.0/5
This is the God whom I need to follow, and whose favour I seek!
Well done Dossta!
Of course would Mathom would delay all of Othamm's work, he just hasn't caught up with him yet.
Love it!