Altar

Version 0.31: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Altars are religious structures that allow you to interact with the various gods of Crawl. Each altar is dedicated to a single god. You can convert to a god's religion by praying (command < or >) at their altar. When you do this, you will be shown a description of the god and asked if you're sure you want to worship them, just in case. Altars are irrelevant to a religion once you've joined it.

Worshiping a god will provide you with several useful abilities, but often comes with an associated cost or set of restricted actions. Failing to follow your god's code of conduct will result in being stripped of your benefits until you've made penance; you may also have to deal with divine retribution. As such, make your choice of god carefully.

Altars to most gods can be found at the Ecumenical Temple (found between Dungeon:4-7). If you don't see a particular god's altar there, you are guaranteed to see one somewhere between D:3-10. There are a few exceptions to this rule:

• Altars to Ignis may occasionally appear in a special layout of the Temple, but the most reliable way to worship Ignis is to start as a Cinder Acolyte
• Altars to Beogh appear in or around the Orcish Mines, and Hill Orcs may convert to Beogh's service any time an orc priest, orc high priest, or Saint Roka is in view.
• Altars to Lugonu appear in the Abyss and rare Abyss-themed vaults, including a corrupted version of the Ecumenical Temple.
• Altars to Jiyva appear in or around the Slime Pits and somewhat rare Slime-themed vaults, including around Lair and a different corrupted version of the Temple.

Additional altars to all the gods may appear anywhere in the game, but are not guaranteed.

Ashenzari

A broken altar of Ashenzari. A crystal altar which shattered to pieces when Ashenzari was cursed. There is still a great power remaining within it: a dark aura holds the shards in mid-explosion, suspended in time and space much like the god they herald.

Beogh

A roughly hewn altar of Beogh. An altar to Beogh, unmistakably roughly hewn by orcish artisans.

Cheibriados

A snail-covered altar of Cheibriados. A timeless altar to Cheibriados the Contemplative.

Dithmenos

A shadowy altar of Dithmenos. An altar to Dithmenos the Shadowed. It seems to absorb light from its surroundings.

Elyvilon

A white marble altar of Elyvilon. An altar to Elyvilon the Healer, made from purest white marble and topped by a sculpture of the Chalice of Purification.

Fedhas

A blossoming altar of Fedhas Madash. An altar to Fedhas Madash, covered in vibrant and colourful plant life.

Gozag

An opulent altar of Gozag. A glittering golden and bejewelled altar to Gozag Ym Sagoz the Greedy, gleaming brightly even in the dim dungeon light.

Hepliaklqana

A hazy altar of Hepliaklqana. An altar to Hepliaklqana the Forgotten, shrouded in mist and difficult to make out clearly. Something about it seems terribly familiar, but it's impossible to say exactly why.

Ignis

A candlelit altar of Ignis. An altar to Ignis, the Dying Flame. It's completely covered in candles of all shapes and sizes, but only one remains alight, its slender flame wavering in the slightest breeze.

Jiyva

A viscous altar of Jiyva. A slimy, ever-shifting altar to Jiyva. You're not sure what it's made from, and you don't really want to know.

Kikubaaqudgha

An ancient bone altar of Kikubaaqudgha. An altar created from piles of ancient bones, dedicated to the terrible Demon-God Kikubaaqudgha.

Lugonu

A corrupted altar of Lugonu. An altar to Lugonu the Unformed, possibly dedicated to some other power before it was irrevocably corrupted.

Makhleb

A burning altar of Makhleb. An ever-burning altar to Makhleb the Destroyer. Strange, twisting shapes are visible in the flames.

Nemelex

A sparkling altar of Nemelex Xobeh. An altar sparkling with a lightshow greater than any gambling den's, to attract followers for Nemelex Xobeh.

Okawaru

An iron altar of Okawaru. An altar of iron and steel dedicated to the Warmaster Okawaru. Its edges are surprisingly sharp.

Qazlal

A stormy altar of Qazlal. An altar dedicated to Qazlal Stormbringer, surrounded by fierce winds, electrical discharges, puffs of fire and magma, and the occasional tremor.

Ru

A sacrificial altar of Ru. An altar to Ru the Awakened in the shape of a pair of scales, with a heart in one scale and a pictogram representing power and enlightenment in the other.

Sif Muna

A shimmering blue altar of Sif Muna. An altar to Sif Muna the Loreminder, covered in intricate patterns and writings in long forgotten scripts. Atop a deep blue pedestal hovers a shimmering condensation of pure magic.

Trog

A bloodstained altar of Trog. An altar to Trog the Wrathful, crudely made by what seems to be the hands of giants and covered in bloodstains

Uskayaw

A hide-covered altar of Uskayaw. An altar to Uskayaw the Reveler. It appears to be hollow and covered in a hide, giving it a resonant surface. Carvings on the side depict grouped figures that could be dancing or loving or fighting.

Vehumet

A radiant altar of Vehumet. An altar, ablaze in the lights of Iskenderun and promising great destructive powers to those who would follow Vehumet.

Wu Jian

An ornate altar of the Wu Jian Council. A red and gold altar to the Wu Jian Council. Sharp slivers of steel drift through the quiet air surrounding it.

Xom

A shimmering altar of Xom. An altar constantly shimmering in all visible colours, and probably some invisible ones, matching the whims of Xom the Unpredictable.

Yredelemnul

A basalt altar of Yredelemnul. An altar to Yredelemnul the Dark, worked from columnar basalt.

Zin

A glowing silver altar of Zin. An altar to Zin the Law-Giver, made from silver as pristine as Zin's followers are expected to be, and glowing gently.

The Shining One

A glowing golden altar of The Shining One. An altar to the Shining One, made from the purest gold and almost blinding in its radiance.

Faded Altar

A faded altar of an unknown god. An ancient altar, stripped of all identifying characteristics by the passage of aeons. Praying at it will convert you to an unknown god, and the altar's deity will greatly appreciate conversion at so ancient a site of worship.

Praying at a faded altar will show you 3 random gods your species can worship and allow you to convert or cancel. If you convert, you will join a random god from those 3. This poses a risk, however, as the god may greatly clash with your strategy (getting Sif Muna for a melee character or Trog for a caster). To compensate, you'll begin with 20 extra piety. As their piety systems are unusual, Gozag waives the entry fee and Ru immediately offers a sacrifice.

History

• Prior to 0.19, praying at altars was done with p.
• Prior to 0.17, Zin's donation, and Lugonu, The Shining One, and Kikubaaqudgha's gifts could only be performed/received at altars. All of these have since been made into abilities.
• Faded Altars were added in 0.17.