Filtiarn
Filtiarn
Campaign: Under the Bus
Folder: Gods / Historical Figures / Ancient Powers
Status: Ancient would-be deity; later identity assumed by Stegner; partially ascended and imprisoned
Source Base: Under the Bus source correspondence; later campaign canon
Overview
Filtiarn was an ancient self-styled god of wolves who attempted to ascend to godhood around the time the city of Aegea was founded.
He is remembered as the first documented werewolf, although ancient records disagree about whether his original form was that of a man or a wolf. He gathered a tremendous following among wolves and wolf-like creatures, including worgs and winter wolves, and attempted to use a magical werewolf plague to create both a massive demonstration of supernatural power and an enormous population of followers.
His first attempt at ascension failed.
Filtiarn created an airborne disease carrying the essence of his lycanthropic curse and released it upon Aegea. His plan was to infect thousands of people and then trigger their transformations simultaneously. The resulting mass transformation would have demonstrated his supernatural power while simultaneously creating thousands of werewolf followers.
The plague contained an unforeseen flaw: some victims transformed prematurely. This alerted the people of Aegea to what Filtiarn was attempting.
Aegea was able to create the The Aegisstaff, an artifact specifically capable of combating the plague. The Aegisstaff's ability to cure disease on a massive scale allowed the people of Aegea to cure the city of Filtiarn's plague before he could trigger the mass transformation. By removing the plague from the population, the Aegisstaff destroyed the central mechanism of Filtiarn's ascension plan.
The Aegisstaff was therefore the decisive factor in Aegea's defeat of Filtiarn. Filtiarn never reached the point at which he could transform the infected population simultaneously, and his attempt to ascend failed.
Thousands of years later, the Chosen encountered a new Filtiarn cult and another werewolf plague. The party eventually discovered that Stegner, one of the original Founders of The Chosen, had survived and was using the ancient Filtiarn material as the basis for his own attempt at ascension.
Stegner did not intend merely to resurrect the ancient Filtiarn. He intended to become Filtiarn.
Stegner ultimately succeeded in becoming a new incarnation of Filtiarn and achieved a partial ascension. He became powerful enough that even Thorn Runehammer, wielding the final Gift, could not simply destroy him. Thorn instead imprisoned him using methods derived from his earlier experience imprisoning the Korvak Leader.
Filtiarn's imprisonment lasted until a much later campaign, near the current era, when another adventuring party accidentally freed him.
The Ancient Filtiarn
The First Documented Werewolf
Filtiarn lived around the time of the founding of Aegea.
He is described in Failed Religions as the first ever documented werewolf, although the historical record does not establish whether he was originally a man who became a werewolf or whether his true form was that of a wolf.
Filtiarn distinguished himself from ordinary creatures through his lycanthropy and supernatural power. He also gathered a substantial following of wolves and wolf-like creatures.
His followers included:
- Wolves
- Worgs
- Winter wolves
- Other wolf-like creatures
Filtiarn styled himself as a god of wolves and sought to turn this following into the foundation of actual divinity.
The Attempt at Ascension
Ancient scholars believed that a sufficiently powerful mortal might be able to ascend to divine status if several conditions were met.
The historical theory identified three important requirements:
- Exceptional power — the individual must possess some quality or ability that sets them apart from others of their kind.
- True worshippers — a substantial number of followers must genuinely believe that the individual is divine or capable of becoming divine.
- A great demonstration of power — the individual must perform a miracle or otherwise demonstrate power on a sufficiently large scale to establish their potential divinity.
Filtiarn already possessed the first requirement.
His status as the first known werewolf gave him a supernatural distinction that separated him from ordinary mortals. He also already possessed a large following. His problem was demonstrating his power on a sufficiently large scale. Filtiarn devised a way to combine the second and third requirements.
The Werewolf Plague
The Plan
Filtiarn discovered a way to infuse the essence of his lycanthropic curse into an airborne disease. Rather than simply transforming individual followers, he created a plague capable of infecting large numbers of people. His plan was carefully constructed around the requirements for ascension. Every person he personally transformed into a werewolf became another follower.
But Filtiarn wanted something much larger. He intended to infect thousands upon thousands of people with the plague and wait until enough of them were infected. Then he would trigger the lycanthropic transformation simultaneously. The resulting mass transformation would accomplish two goals at once:
- It would serve as an enormous demonstration of supernatural power.
- It would create thousands of new followers who would be naturally inclined to worship Filtiarn.
If successful, the event could provide the final step necessary for Filtiarn to ascend.
The Plague Strikes Aegea
Filtiarn unleashed the plague upon Aegea. The city had only recently been founded, and the outbreak became one of the defining events of its early history. At first, the plague appeared to be an ordinary disease.
Filtiarn's plan depended upon keeping the true nature of the disease hidden until enough people had been infected. The plan failed because the disease had a flaw. Some victims transformed into werewolves before Filtiarn was ready to trigger the mass transformation.
These premature transformations revealed that the plague was something much more dangerous than an ordinary disease. The people of Aegea realized what was happening and were able to respond. They developed and completed The Aegisstaff specifically to combat the plague.
The staff's extraordinary disease-curing ability allowed it to cure enormous numbers of infected people at once. Rather than merely treating individual victims, the Aegisstaff gave Aegea the means to cleanse the population of the plague on a city-wide scale. This completely undermined Filtiarn's plan.
The entire purpose of the plague was to accumulate a sufficiently large infected population so that Filtiarn could trigger their simultaneous transformation. The Aegisstaff removed the infected population before he could do so. Filtiarn therefore never got his mass transformation. He never got his great demonstration of power. He never acquired the enormous population of new werewolf followers upon which his ascension plan depended.
The Aegisstaff broke the mechanism of Filtiarn's ascension attempt and allowed Aegea to defeat him.
The Defeat of Filtiarn
Filtiarn's original ascension attempt failed specifically because Aegea was able to use the Aegisstaff to eliminate his plague. The people of Aegea did not simply survive the outbreak and eventually overpower Filtiarn.
They cured the plague before Filtiarn could activate it.
This distinction is central to the history of the Aegisstaff. Filtiarn's strategy depended upon having a huge population of infected people ready to transform simultaneously. Once the Aegisstaff cured those people, the foundation of the plan disappeared. Without the plague, Filtiarn could not produce the enormous transformation he needed to demonstrate his power or create the vast new population of followers required for his ascension.
His attempt therefore collapsed. Filtiarn was defeated before completing his ascension, and the threat he posed to Aegea was ended. The event was recorded in The Quest for the Cure.
The Aegisstaff
The Aegisstaff was created in response to Filtiarn's werewolf plague and became the decisive weapon in defeating him. Its most important role in the ancient conflict was not simply that it could cure individual victims.
The staff could cure disease on a massive scale.
That capability changed the course of the war against Filtiarn.
Aegea was facing a plague specifically designed to accumulate an enormous number of infected people before a single mass transformation. Conventional treatment would not have been sufficient to stop the plan in time.
The Aegisstaff allowed Aegea to cure the infected population rapidly enough to prevent Filtiarn from reaching the final stage of his plan.
The sequence was therefore:
- Filtiarn created the werewolf plague.
- The plague infected the population of Aegea.
- Some victims transformed prematurely, revealing the nature of the disease.
- Aegea created the Aegisstaff as a response.
- The Aegisstaff cured the infected population on a massive scale.
- Filtiarn lost the population he needed for his mass transformation.
- Filtiarn's ascension attempt failed.
- Aegea defeated him.
Without the Aegisstaff's mass-curative ability, Filtiarn's plan could have reached the point at which thousands of infected people were transformed simultaneously.
The Aegisstaff was therefore not merely an artifact associated with the Filtiarn plague. It was the instrument that prevented Filtiarn's original ascension from succeeding.
The Legacy of Filtiarn
Although the original Filtiarn failed, his name survived. His story became part of the historical record concerning attempted mortal ascension.
The book Failed Religions specifically identifies Filtiarn as one of the noteworthy examples of a being who attempted to rise to divine status.
The ancient story also provided a practical blueprint for anyone who later wished to attempt something similar. This became critically important when Stegner discovered the records thousands of years later.
Stegner's Discovery
The Ruins of Aegea
Long after Aegea had been destroyed and flooded, Stegner discovered its ruins. The surviving underwater library contained fragments of ancient knowledge, including information concerning:
- Filtiarn
- His failed ascension
- The ancient werewolf plague
- The plague's magical formula
- Information that could potentially facilitate another attempt at ascension
Stegner also discovered the disk containing the ancient plague. Rather than destroy the information, he left it in place and arranged for the ruins to be guarded. He infected several Kuo-Toa with lycanthropy and used them to guard the ruins and prevent outsiders from reaching the information.
The Under the Bus party eventually encountered these guardians while exploring the underwater ruins of Aegea.
Stegner's Interpretation
Stegner was one of the Founders of The Chosen and one of its experts on the language of Pythia the Mad Prophet. His study of Pythia's prophecies convinced him that a new god would rise from among the Chosen.
The prophecy was genuine. A new god really did eventually rise from among the Chosen when Orinder became a god. Stegner, however, believed that he himself was the person destined to ascend.
The unusual linguistic interpretations surrounding the word "Chosen" provided Stegner with a connection to dogs and ultimately wolves. That interpretation brought him to Filtiarn.
Rather than regard Filtiarn's failed ascension as merely ancient history, Stegner saw it as a model. He believed he could succeed where the original Filtiarn had failed.
The Second Filtiarn
Becoming Filtiarn
Stegner did not seek to resurrect the ancient Filtiarn. His goal was to become Filtiarn. He intended to use the ancient Filtiarn's failed ascension as the foundation for his own attempt.
The identity of Filtiarn therefore became both a religious persona and a vehicle for Stegner's attempt to fulfill the prophecy.
The followers of the new Filtiarn did not necessarily understand this distinction. To them, Filtiarn was the ancient wolf god returned. In reality, the being calling himself Filtiarn was Stegner.
The Gauntlet of the Moon
Stegner's activities were centered around the cult known as the Gauntlet of the Moon.
The cult operated temples connected by magical portals, called the Temple of the Moon.
The temples contained:
- Wolf imagery and iconography
- Wolves and other wolf-like creatures
- Cultists devoted to Filtiarn
- Prisons
- Captives
- Magical experimentation
- Ritual chambers
- Portals connecting the temples
The cult's followers worshipped Filtiarn and worked to spread his influence. Some followers were tasked with deliberately converting people into werewolves. Others gathered victims for experimentation. The cult also sought people who appeared to possess resistance or immunity to the plague.
The Aspects of Filtiarn
One of the most important rituals conducted by the Temple of the Moon involved the creation of an Aspect of Filtiarn. A temple ceremony involved hundreds of wolves, worgs, dire wolves, and werewolves surrounding an altar while priests conducted a ritual involving incense and blood.
The ritual was intended to transform the individual at the center of the altar into an Aspect of their wolf god. When successful, the subject became a large wolf-man. The transformation was accompanied by a howl that was echoed by the creatures throughout the temple.
The party eventually encountered several such Aspects. The Aspects believed that Filtiarn had personally granted them their power. At least one Aspect explicitly stated that Filtiarn had appeared to him and given him his power. He did not know who the individual calling himself Filtiarn actually was.
This was one of the clues that the party was dealing with a hidden person behind the identity of the wolf god.
The Renewed Werewolf Plague
Stegner's attempt to reproduce Filtiarn's ancient plan resulted in a new werewolf plague. The disease was based upon the ancient plague discovered in Aegea. The outbreak spread through the lands around the Under the Bus campaign. The party eventually recognized that the plague occurring in their own era resembled the ancient disease that had struck Aegea.
The Aegisstaff once again became their principal weapon against it. Its mass-curative ability allowed the party to reverse the plague's effects on a scale that would otherwise have been impossible. The same artifact that had defeated Filtiarn's original attempt thousands of years earlier therefore became central to the struggle against the second Filtiarn.
Filtiarn's Fist
During the later stages of the conflict, Filtiarn's power manifested on an enormous scale. A supernatural darkness descended upon the world during the full moon. The moon itself appeared covered by a shadow resembling a gauntleted fist.
This phenomenon became known as Filtiarn's Fist. The darkness initially lasted for three days, corresponding to the duration of the full moon. Although daylight eventually returned, the phenomenon became cyclical.
Each month, when the full moon rose, the shadow returned and darkness covered the land for the duration of the full moon. The image resembled the iconography associated with Filtiarn and became one of the most visible symbols of his power.
The War Against Filtiarn
By the later stages of Under the Bus, Filtiarn controlled much of the south and southeast. The world became divided among several competing powers. Filtiarn's forces controlled much of the south and southeast while:
- Cain and his undead controlled the west.
- Toreon controlled the north.
- The party and their elven allies operated in the east.
- Dark elves controlled territory around Seratollia.
The party fought Filtiarn's forces through guerrilla warfare. The Aegisstaff became one of the most important weapons in this struggle. Its ability to cure the werewolf plague prevented Filtiarn from reproducing the ancient strategy on the scale he required.
The Attempted Ascension
The modern Filtiarn's objective was ultimately the same as the ancient Filtiarn's: Ascension. However, Stegner had the advantage of thousands of years of accumulated knowledge. He had studied the ancient failure and attempted to correct it.
The werewolf plague, the cult, the Aspects, the temples, and the mass following were all components of this larger attempt. The Aegisstaff directly undermined one of the most important components of the plan by preventing the plague from producing the enormous population of werewolves that Stegner needed.
Nevertheless, Stegner found other ways to continue pursuing his objective. The Aegisstaff prevented the plague from simply reproducing Filtiarn's original plan, but it did not by itself end Stegner's attempt to ascend.
Stegner's Success
The final result was more complicated than the party initially understood. Stegner actually succeeded in becoming Filtiarn. He achieved partial ascension. He did not become a fully established member of the divine pantheon in the same manner as the gods who had ascended through The Five Gifts.
However, he crossed far enough beyond ordinary mortality that his existence could no longer be treated as that of a normal creature. This explains why the final confrontation did not simply result in his death.
Thorn's Defeat of Filtiarn
After Filtiarn's partial ascension, Thorn Runehammer became involved in defeating him. Thorn possessed the final Gift, but Filtiarn could not simply be destroyed. Thorn therefore imprisoned him.
This was possible because Thorn had experience with the imprisonment of exceptionally powerful beings. During the ancient Korvak War, Thorn had been one of the Gift Bearers who helped imprison the Korvak Leader.
The techniques and knowledge involved in that imprisonment gave Thorn the means to contain Filtiarn rather than attempting to destroy him outright. Filtiarn was therefore defeated but not killed.
The Prison
The exact nature and location of Filtiarn's prison are not preserved in the Under the Bus source material.
What is established is that Thorn successfully imprisoned him. The prison held Filtiarn for an immense period of time.
Over the succeeding millennia, the connection between the imprisoned being and the original Founder of the Chosen who had become him was lost.
Filtiarn remained. Stegner did not.
Or, more precisely, Stegner's identity ceased to matter as the identity of Filtiarn became dominant.
Release in the Distant Future
Near the current era, a later adventuring party accidentally freed Filtiarn from his imprisonment.
The circumstances of that release belong the campaign Steve and are not part of the Under the Bus story.
The important historical continuity is that the being released was the same partially ascended Filtiarn who had been imprisoned by Thorn. Thus the ancient threat was not permanently destroyed. It was contained.
Historical Identity
The history of Filtiarn is therefore divided into two distinct incarnations.
The Ancient Filtiarn
- First documented werewolf.
- Self-styled god of wolves.
- Rose to power around the founding of Aegea.
- Gathered wolves and wolf-like followers.
- Created the original werewolf plague.
- Attempted to use the plague to achieve godhood.
- Was discovered when victims transformed prematurely.
- Aegea created the Aegisstaff to combat the plague.
- The Aegisstaff cured the infected population on a massive scale.
- Filtiarn was prevented from triggering the mass transformation.
- His ascension attempt failed.
- He became the subject of The Quest for the Cure.
- Became the historical model later used by Stegner.
Stegner's Filtiarn
- Stegner was one of the original Founders of The Chosen.
- He survived after the Chosen believed him dead.
- He studied Pythia's prophecies.
- He believed himself destined to become a new god.
- He discovered the ancient history of Filtiarn.
- He deliberately adopted Filtiarn's identity.
- He recreated elements of the ancient ascension attempt.
- He created the modern Filtiarn cult and werewolf threat.
- He created or empowered Aspects of Filtiarn.
- He successfully became Filtiarn.
- He achieved only partial ascension.
- Thorn defeated and imprisoned him.
- He remained imprisoned until the distant future.
Legacy
Filtiarn became one of the most persistent supernatural threats in the history of the world. His original attempt at ascension became an ancient cautionary tale. His second incarnation transformed that ancient failure into a far more successful threat. The Aegisstaff is central to that history. The ancient Filtiarn was defeated because the Aegisstaff allowed Aegea to cure his plague before he could trigger the mass transformation on which his ascension depended. Thousands of years later, Stegner deliberately studied that same failed attempt and tried to improve upon it. The Aegisstaff once again became an important weapon against the resulting plague, preventing Stegner from simply repeating the ancient strategy on the same scale. The irony of Stegner's story is that the prophecy he studied was genuine, but he misunderstood its fulfillment. A new god really did arise from among the Chosen. It simply was not him. Stegner attempted to force himself into the role foretold by Pythia and, in doing so, became the very ancient power whose failed attempt at godhood he had studied. His success was therefore both real and incomplete. He became Filtiarn. He achieved partial divinity. He was powerful enough to survive defeat. And because Thorn could imprison him but not destroy him, Filtiarn remained a threat waiting for someone in the distant future to open his prison.
Established vs. Uncertain Information
Established
- Filtiarn was an ancient self-styled god of wolves.
- He was believed to be the first documented werewolf.
- He lived around the founding of Aegea.
- He gathered wolves and wolf-like followers.
- He created the original werewolf plague.
- He intended to use the plague as part of an attempt to ascend.
- The plague struck Aegea.
- Premature transformations revealed the nature of the plague.
- Aegea created the Aegisstaff to combat it.
- The Aegisstaff could cure the plague on a massive scale.
- The Aegisstaff allowed Aegea to cure the infected population before Filtiarn could trigger the mass transformation.
- The Aegisstaff was the decisive means by which Filtiarn's original ascension attempt was defeated.
- The events were recorded in The Quest for the Cure.
- The ancient Filtiarn material was later discovered in the ruins of Aegea.
- Stegner discovered that material.
- Stegner used it as the basis for his own attempt at ascension.
- Stegner became the new Filtiarn.
- The modern Filtiarn cult created Aspects of Filtiarn.
- The modern Filtiarn was responsible for a renewed werewolf plague.
- The Aegisstaff was used against the renewed plague.
- Filtiarn's Fist became a recurring manifestation during the later conflict.
- Stegner achieved partial ascension as Filtiarn.
- Thorn defeated and imprisoned him.
- Filtiarn remained imprisoned into the distant future.
- A later adventuring party accidentally freed him.
Uncertain / Not Preserved
- The precise circumstances of the ancient Filtiarn's defeat beyond the role of the Aegisstaff.
- The exact fate of the original Filtiarn after his first defeat.
- The exact mechanism by which Stegner transformed himself into Filtiarn.
- The precise mechanics of the partial ascension.
- The exact nature of the Aspects of Filtiarn.
- The exact nature and location of Thorn's prison.
- The circumstances of Filtiarn's eventual release near the current era.
- Whether any recognizable part of the original ancient Filtiarn survived independently of Stegner's incarnation.
