Crooked Warden

''Grant me quick wits so I need not my quick feet, grant me quick feet so I need not my quick hands, grant me quick hands so I need not my quick wits, But, all three would be nice, Crooked Warden''

Also known as Nameless Thirteenth, Crooked Warden, the Thiefwatcher, the Benefactor, Father of Necessary Pretexts, the Night Prowler and the Deceiver.

The Crooked Warden is one of the gods of the Therin faith: The Twelve Gods. He is the god of Fate and Fortune, patron of thieves and rogues, personification of trickery and illusion, protector of the oppressed and breaker of laws. His most popular holy books are The Riddles Ten and Midnight and the Black Cat.

The Crooked Warden has dedicated followers and a clergy, but no central hierarchy, designated temples or official acknowledgement from other faiths. While many people will dash off a quick prayer for luck or fortune, the faith is officially proscribed, and any practicing priest will be executed.

The most common symbol of the Crooked Warden are crossed fingers, which share a near universal meaning of a request for good luck or warding off bad luck. Similarly pendents, art pieces, rings and such that have a X worked into the design are common throughout the city for the same reason. Black cats are considered lucky for worshippers of the Crooked Warden. Money, gems and other symbols of wealth are also popular.

Most of the followers of the Crooked Warden are lawbreakers of one kind or another, though not all lawbreakers worship him, a number of more or less honest businessmen also worship.

Some of the features of the worshop of the Crooked Warden are: The cult in general abhors violence, though it accepts that violence is part of the world, and would rather gain from his own wit, fingers and skill than through the threat or fact of a sharp blade or alley piece. Many fervent followers live for the thrills of thieving, con games, and gambling and the best crimes are the ones which go undiscovered. Money is most often the target of crimes, but a true follower understands that money is simply the means to happiness, not an end in of itself. Individuality, freedom from oppression, and the rise and fall of fortune and luck are other precepts of the faith. While the Thirteenth will grant his aid to those who ask, believers know he also helps those who help themselves, and few of the faith will trust to blind luck.
 * One coin in ten belongs to the Benefactor
 * Live by your wits, not your blade
 * It is better to live free and die than suffer oppression
 * There is no honor among thieves, but trust in your brothers and sisters in faith
 * Laws are meant to be broken
 * Don’t get caught

The cult has 2 major holidays. The first is known as the Day of Folly or Day of Changes. On this day, social conventions are turned on their heads, and those in charge act as servants while the servants are treated as lords of the manor. Revels occur in the streets while people where masks and outfits to conceal their identity. Drinking, songs, pranks and gambling are the norm. The second major holiday has no set date, and is used when a follower is about to set out on a new venture, phase of life or to re balance after a long run of bad luck. It’s called the Pilgrimage of Fingers. True pilgrimages are not for the thirteenth, not least because there are no distant cathedrals, monasteries, or holy sites to travel to. Instead, the follower must complete 8 tasks, 1 for each finger, each more difficult than the last. Strict details vary, some will steal from a rising level of targets, others will try and do 8 different crimes. Details are Dependant on the individual, but there are 2 constants. The first is that all profits from the crimes belong the the Thirteenth, and the second is a fairly austere fast during the pilgrimage.