Wastri is the god of Amphibians, Bigotry, and Self-Deception. He looks like a human with toad features. The fact that he dislikes nonhuman races, yet is only barely human himself, is an irony lost on the godling.
Wastri is not generally taken seriously—his teachings are the butt of bad jokes. He is secret prophet of Tharizdun.
Wastri uses alternate guises to appeal to bands of frog-kin beyond the known reach of his mainstream faith; to the bullywugs, he is Wug'gi; to the grung, he is the female deity Rrabek, and he has likewise subverted some grippli tribes as the goddess Suujok. None of these races are aware that these are guises for Wastri, and they would be outraged to discover it.
Wastri's followers tend to be bigoted humans who believe in human superiority and despise dwarves, elves, gnomes and halflings. Wastri teaches his worshippers that humans are superior to all other races. Some humanoid races, such as goblins and orcs, are fit to serve humanity as slaves; other races, like dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings, must be exterminated.
Wastri believes that amphibious living things are worthy of respect because of their ability to escape to water when the land is dangerous, and vice versa. The demigod admires this resourcefulness and urges his followers to emulate them by maintaining multiple refuges. As such, Wastri has many amphibious followers.
Wastri's Followers in the North versus the South
In northern areas, followers have not exactly endeared themselves to the common populace, but they aren't considered a threat either; Something more akin to misguided cultists or fringe lunatics. There have been isolated instances where more militant Wastri followers traveling north in campaigns of terror, but these are few and far between. On the other hand, some clergy have given a good name to themselves by acting as self appointed protectors of the human race, and striking out on forays against the likes of drow.
In the southern regions of the Flanaess, especially bordering the Azure Sea, the story is completely different. Here the presence of the Wastrian faith is more prevalent, and the clergy are better able to pursue their doctrines. The threat that Wastri's followers represent is well appreciated, especially by the demihumans of the area, who view the Wastri faith as they do the Scarlet Brotherhood, just not as powerful, but far worse.
A special note should be made of the relationship between the Scarlet Brotherhood and Wastriggi. Although these two factions appear similar in nature, they are deadly enemies.
Clergy
Clergy members are known as Wastriggi, though they are also known by less affectionate names by those who do not venerate Wastri. Wastri's clerics preach the superiority of humankind, seek out enclaves of inferiors to slay, and search for new species of amphibians to collect and study. Clerics journey far and wide to recruit followers and acquire wealth, items, and knowledge usable by the faith as a whole.
Their bodies are gradually altered by Wastri's presence, and the most powerful clerics become less human and more toad-like with time. Humans his followers capture are warped into demi-toads, and if this procedure fails they are impaled on stakes outside of Wastri's territory. Priests raise, tame, and train amphibians, favoring toads; some sell poisonous toads to wizards, alchemists, and assassins. His clerics serve as intermediaries to the many bullywug tribes that revere him.
Poison: All clergy are familiar with the use and creation of poisons; all crusaders and some higher level clergy members know how to make a special poison only used by members of the faith and their servants. This poison is known as shukta, made from poisonous frog and grung skins, boiled at a low temperature with oils and pitch from trees endogenous to the southern swamps of Oerik. The end result is a clear sap that acts as a contact poison (onset 1 min, dmg 2-8/2-16). Each application is good for a 6 hour period, or -6 strikes with the weapon, whichever comes first. Although most priests do not use it, some clerics have no compunctions about using it, and one will most definitely find it in the possession of a crusader of Wastri.
Vestments
Priests and crusaders of Wastri are generally bald and clean shaven, regardless of sex. Priests generally wear dun or gray loose fitting robes that allow freedom of movement, and sometimes wear sandals, though most often will be seen barefooted. Crusaders are often found in armor, and wear the yellow cloaks that denote their rank. Higher level priests wear gray and yellow robes, and also wear yellow stoles during religious ceremonies and holidays. Clerics are generally found far from the major religious centers and therefore dress appropriately for the society that they happen to be in. They may dress in garments of gray and yellow during holidays, but otherwise look no different from those around them.
The various clergy are restricted in terms of armor they can wear, but crusaders and clerics try to get the best armor available. Crusaders always wear yellow cloaks, but clerics may generally wear whatever they desire; they usually have some yellow or gray somewhere though, but otherwise are not noticeably different from clerics of any other faith.
Hierarchy
The Hopping Prophet's faith is an orderly one. His clerics stress the exaction of the rights and duties of each follower. His priests often have yellow stoles that denote their rank (in ascending order): Hopeful (dun clad), Least Servant, Acolyte, Adept, Curate, Lesser Servant, Priest, Abbot, Father, Master (leader of a temple), and the Immaculate Image (single highest level specialty priest of Wastri).
Crusaders wear yellow cloaks inscribed with runes that denote their rank, which is (in ascending order): Hunter, Slayer, High Slayer, Great Scourge, Champion, Grand Warlord, and the High Holy Master of Extinction (single highest level crusader of Wastri).
Clerics are generally referred to as Brother or Sister, preceded by the title "Older" or "Younger", depending upon who is addressing them.
Women are welcome in the Wastrian faith, but generally not as common as males; though there is the occasional cleric and specialty priest, most woman are crusaders, who usually have had a bad experience with demihumans in their past.
Temples
Wastri's places of worship are dim, dark, and chilly, akin to monasteries with large developed underground complexes.
Rituals
Wastriggi have a few important holidays and festivals which they celebrate. Ceremonies honoring Wastri involve sacrifices, strange musical instruments, and croaking chants.
Festival of the Blood Moon: Occuring on the 11th of Coldeven. Known by the faith as Velvengluud, this holiday is one in which all clergy are to set out on a great hunt, capturing demihumans and other enemies of the faith, and sacrificing them to Wastri. Of note, lately the Wastriggi in the southern Vast Swamp have been getting into violent clashes with agents and forces of the Scarlet Brotherhood, and not a few have ended up on the altar the past few years.
Wuhdlok / The Great Imprisonment: The 15th of Goodmonth. This marks the day in 563 C.Y. when Zagyg the Mad Archmage, imprisoned Wastri in the Tower of Power, through "trickery, deceit, and conspiracy from the powers of the universe itself", or so Wastriggi are taught. This begins a mourning period of 7 days, one for each year of imprisonment, in which all Wastriggi assume a state similar to hibernation. This is a greatly held secret, as many temples and strongholds are highly vulnerable during this time (though not defenseless).
Mahdmagleeh / The Day of Liberation The 10th of Harvester marks the day in 570 C.Y. when Wastri was liberated from the Tower of Power, through means unknown. This is a day of great rejoicing, feasting and rest. During the evening, great choruses of frog-like chants can be heard for miles as all clergy gather to "sing" praise to Wastri.
Orders
Due to the bizarre nature of Wastri, there are no knightly or military orders which are sponsored by, or that venerate, Wastri outside of those who are his clergy. There are the rare members of other classes who serve Wastri, or who adventure with clerics of Wastri, though; These are generally referred to by the title "Cousin" by the Wastriggi.
Wastri is perfection. Strive to be like Wastri. Obey your superiors without question. They are closer to perfection than you, and have the wisdom and experience you lack. Instill discipline in yourself, even as others instill it in you, for only with great discipline may you achieve perfection. Respect all amphibians, for they are your brethren among animals, and hold the secrets to perfection. Learn from the toad and the frog, and emulate them; doing so you shall progress in your own self evolution to the state of perfection you seek. Humanoids are stupid, undisciplined, and inferior. They are only fit to serve humanity, but must be shown with force who are their masters, for the iron fist and the whip is all they understand. Demihumans are cunning and evil. They are jealous of humanity's destiny to rule all it purveys, and will do all in their power to thwart you and Wastri. All demihumans are to be slain on sight, and the extermination of demihuman-kind is to be pursued until extinction.
Wastri looks like a human with toad features, and is accompanied by gray-clad followers and giant toads. He wears clothes of gray and yellow and uses his great glaive-guisarme, Skewer of the Impure, to impale his favorite targets: dwarves, gnomes, and halflings.
Wastri is amicable toward all human deities other than Zagyg, who once imprisoned him beneath Castle Greyhawk with eight other demigods.
Wastri's relationship with the bullywug deity Ramenos, who also has large numbers of bullywug followers, is unknown.
Wastri loathes the gods of all non-human races, from Lolth of the Drow to the Morndinsamman of the Dwarves and the Seldarine of the Elves, and even the little pantheons of the Halflings and Gnomes; the dislike is likely mutual.
History
Wastri is rumored to have once been a mortal human. "Wastri" had been a student of Kevelli Mauk, the founder of the Scarlet Brotherhood. In -418 CY, three years after the Rain of Colorless Fire, Mauk, with his students and slaves, was hiding in the Vast Swamp, on the run from Oeridians. The one known as Wastri and one other were thought killed when the party entered a stone ruin half-buried in the muck, and nothing was heard from either student until the demigod Wastri revealed himself in 216 CY. The Brotherhood, disgusted by the demigod's amphibious, no-longer-human nature, privately declared him impure and never cooperated with his followers closely. In 505 CY, Wastri was captured and imprisoned in the Godtrap beneath Castle Greyhawk by the mad archmage, Zagig Yragerne, and did not escape until decades later.
