Hmmm... The Tribes people worship the Wanderer and the Pantheon, which includes the Wisdoms, creatures important especially to the lore of their priestesses, their wise women. It'd be interesting to work out how they would view a character who thinks himself cursed by them.
Perhaps some would think he's some sort of Priest of the Wisdom or another Wisdom that split off from them?
What does the Hermit believe? If he thinks he has been cursed by the Wisdoms wouldn't he hate them?
The tribes of the Arakkai are each ruled by a Chieftain (Or Chieftess) and a council of wise women. The Chief handles the day to day life of the tribe, while the council manages all things spiritual (birth/death rites, marriages, blessings, prayers, and spiritual education in the form of ritualistic storytelling). The two groups work together to manage important decisions like whether or not to go to war or make peace.
The wise women are always female because they believe they were given their power (Magic, foresight, etc.) by the Wisdoms in ancient times. According to legend, the first Arakkai wise woman proved her intellect and fortitude by passing a series of tests set forth by the Wisdoms after asking for their help in protecting her tribe. Rather than interfere directly, the Wisdoms granted that woman and a few of her people each following generation a fraction of their power, or so the Arakkai believe.
Because of this, the Arakkai people have a deep respect for their wise women and would be unlikely to seek spiritual aid from outside that council. However, the Hermit could be a respected ally, especially if he follows the Pantheon. He would be welcomed in their villages and could be someone they often trade with.
@Flagg Cool. I'm toying around with the idea of a small tribe that utilizes dire wolves or some other exotic sort of animal. I'll get back to you once I have a more fleshed out idea.
Map in the OP updated with new locations- but there is an entire desert left to fill, so please keep ideas coming, especially for cool geographical areas, etc.
Preparing the lore page shortly. For reference, using my mangled understanding of asshole pig Latin, the singular form of Necrodomii should be Necrodomius.
Preparing the lore page shortly. For reference, using my mangled understanding of asshole pig Latin, the singular form of Necrodomii should be Necrodomius.
Known throughout the Red Wastes as Tech-Cults and Iron Crows, the seven Necrodomii Clans are an influential yet enigmatic presence in the Avanagashan. They are at once a bastion of knowledge and logic in a world where so much of both has been lost, and a force of chaos and destruction, beholden only to their own whims. To the average Waster, a black-robed tech-cultist is a deadly and capricious entity, a silent emissary of doom. To those with greater knowledge or previous dealings with them, the opinion is much the same, but their fear is justified by the knowledge of their capabilities rather than mere superstition.
The origins of the Necrodomii are lost to time, as is much in the Red Wastes, and the subject is a matter of passionate debate both within and between the clans. Most hold themselves as successors in some manner to the Old Ones, either being the survivors of the cataclysm that destroyed their civilization, or the descendants of the engineer-slaves that maintained their wondrous technology. Regardless of their specific origins, the clans all venerate the Old Ones in much the same manner as gods, and elevate the archeotech they have left behind to the status of holy relics. For the Necrodomii, scavenging and repairing archeotech is at once a noble intellectual pursuit, a holy calling, and a means toward survival in the harsh world that the Old Ones have left behind. Despite their religious fervor, the clans are suitably pragmatic, and possess no reservations toward wielding archeotech for its intended (or even improvised) purpose. While they are loathe to do so, it is not unheard of for them to trade away some of their hoarded technology for critically-needed supplies, or some other purpose.
Divided since ancient times into a variable number of clans (at the present moment seven), the Necrodomii roam the Red Wastes in behemoth sand-crawlers, monumental vehicles that are at once mobile fortresses and the among holiest of Old Ones' relics. Ostensibly nomadic, the clans slowly wind across the desert in looping and intersecting paths, stopping often to scavenge among the ruins of the old world, or terrorize settlements for what little archeotech they may possess. Mercurial in temperament, a tech-cult caravan may trade trinkets such as arc rifles or water purifier chips for food or raw materials, and then years later the same clan may raze the village to take back their "stolen" artifacts.
Even other Necrodomii clans are not immune to this treatment, as squabbles and skirmishes over heterodoxical disputes, perceived slights and centuries-old grudges are common among them, and they will often view each other as tempting targets to raid for supplies and technology. While the differences may be imperceivable to outsiders, the clans vary significantly in their esoteric rituals, societal structure, theology, and scientific philosophies. Despite their lack of cohesion or loyalty, the clans view each other as being infinitely morally superior to any other Waster faction and settlement, and will come to each other's aid against outsiders, but generally only if it is to the convenience of the aiding clan and there is a perceived material benefit to doing so. These alliances are as devastating as one may expect, though there has never been a recorded instance of more than three clans joining forces at once. Even a single clan is a terrifying force should they commit militarily, bringing their centuries of accumulated knowledge and technology to bear in horrific fashion. Mercy and humanity are of no consideration to Necrodomii on the warpath, as they make generous use of weapons deemed cursed or forbidden by most other societies. Frequent use of technological augmentation among their number make them shockingly difficult to kill, and often immune to poisons, flame and radiation.
Greatest among these are the absolute most holy relics to the Necrodomii: the Deus Machina. True weapons of mass destruction, each clan possesses only a single one of these archeotech masterworks, and they are venerated as avatars of the Old Ones themselves. While they vary greatly in form and precise function (usually a result of being cobbled together from pieces and remains of other Deus Machina), they are each a roughly humanoid construct of magic and technology combined. To the Necrodomii, they are the apex of artifice: divinity crafted from base metal. These machine-gods are brought to bear against their foes only in times of the most dire strife, and there have even been occasions where a clan was wiped out before their Deus Machina could be wielded in battle. The resources required to activate them are incredibly rare, and only the highest-ranked tech-cultists have the privilege and skill to maintain them, much less operate them in combat. Indeed, a Deus Machina cannot be successfully piloted by a single operator, nor any number of common humans. Vital to their operation is a Grimoire, a Necrodomius of high rank that has been augmented to have portions of their consciousness replaced by Old One computational matrixes. Typically used as living databanks, Grimoires rely on the fragmented remains of Old One AI in their matrixes to assume control of the numerous subfunctions a Deus Machina must engage to activate.
Beyond the Deus Machina and other scattered instances of magical technology, the Necrodomii treat magic and its practitioners with measured caution and pragmatic distrust. While they may learn of it and archive it where opportunity arises, they pointedly avoid practicing it themselves. The risks inherent to practicing it outweigh its potential benefits in many cases, and some of their more religious subsects consider the use of magic to infringe upon the divine realm of the Old Ones.
@Flagg@Dead Cruiser can the knight crash the meeting tech wizard's audience or at least show up after? Her motivations are pretty in-line with the tech-based wizard's (relics are cool), so the newly crowned Lord or the Coward's Men (with their leader serving the Archmagister) seem like logical starts.
Now I have to sit down and get my first post up! I still haven't really nailed the objective of Barsabbas's operation, but I guess there's plenty of time to think about it.
Now I have to sit down and get my first post up! I still haven't really nailed the objective of Barsabbas's operation, but I guess there's plenty of time to think about it.
Daigon will be reaching out. He would want Barsabbas on his side. Not sure if that's likely, but he'll give it a shot.
@Nieszka Thinking about it, The Hermit accepts and uses the tools the Wisdoms gave him. Deep dowm, he is paranoid of the possibility that they cursed and allowed him to start down a path with no end. So, ultimately, I think he could be seen as an ally or at least friendly force toward the Wisdoms and those who worship them. H
That sounds good! The Arakkai are primarily acolytes of the Wanderer, but they do worship the entire Pantheon and hold the Wisdoms in particularly high esteem.
I'm not sure it's truly possible to venerate the entirety of the Red Pantheon - in all its past instances, it's never been a true 'pantheon' of gods, but a varied lot of entities with their own spheres of influence, goals, etc. Their numbers are beyond counting and they don't have a rigid hierarchy. A tribe worshiping a red god on one side of the world may be totally oblivious to those on the other side.
Not all red gods are even aware of others of their kind, or if they are, don't pay each other much heed. In fact, it's been common for them to fight amongst themselves just as often, or more, as they work together. It's a catch-all term, really. A leviathan might set itself up as a red god of a mer people, but that'd be totally unrelated to some kind of manticore dominating a mountain tribe in a different part of the globe.
That said, in a place like the Red Desert where multiple red gods have gathered, due to the abundance of mortals to ensnare and affairs to meddle in, there might be more interaction and people taking several patrons as a result.
Red Gods: Azoth is a world filled with lurking spirits, mysterious intelligences, powerful beasts and haunted sites of power. Some of these- out of vanity or ambition or for other, more inscrutable motives- have set themselves up as gods. Many of these monsters and spirits are bloodthirsty, warlike, and feuding, often devouring each other when they become strong enough to do so. They grant their followers boons in exchange for blood sacrifices. The gods and demons making up the Red Pantheon are innumerable- it is not really known if they are all even one kind of thing...some are corporeal, others not- and most peoples and tribes who follow the pantheon worship one or a select few of the deities, though some worship the Pantheon as a whole, which they take to be symbolic of the fundamental nature of the cosmos- one of constant battle and unending appetite. Some of the red gods communicate and interact frequently with their devotees, while others remain aloof, answering prayers and rewarding sacrifices only occasionally and indirectly. Likewise, while some of the gods are tied to one specific holy site, others roam the world freely, manifesting themselves wheresoever they please.
The point is not to worship each individual Red God, but to worship the whole as a reflection of the chaotic nature of the universe, though (especially in the case of my people) some may be singled out. And yes most Red Gods have neutral or even opposing relationships with each other, The Wanderer (more information available in my lore sheet which the GM accepted 3 days ago) does not. Besides, this conflict only better portrays the chaos that the Pantheon represents.
Located just south of The Claws, Ichor Canyon is an extremely dangerous place for anyone to be. Ichor Canyon has a large quantity of naturally occurring Ichor pools and also plays host to a wide variety of dangerous beasts. Life is rough for all of them, and only the toughest survive to breed. Many of the most dangerous hunts posted are for monsters that have wandered free of Ichor Canyon's twisting maze. The presence of powerful monsters and plenty of Ichor make Ichor Canyon a hotspot for seasoned adventurers. A term coined among those who have survived the trials of the canyon is "Second Breaking" in reference to a hunter being "Broken in" on easy hunts. To hunt within the canyon is an entirely different environment that puts all prior training to the test. Those who have survived their second breaking are relatively few in number, and most of them bear some scar from it. In at least one case, someone come out with a new arm, and in others, they don't come out at all.
Located just north of the Gates of Paradise, The Hunter's Guild was formed in response to the increasing number of dangerous monsters roaming the area. They act as a central resource for hunters of all types, and also host a universal message board for people to post hunt requests in hopes for assistance. The Hunter's Guild is maintained as a strict neutral ground, and most armies give it a wide berth out of a mixture of respect and fear. After all, if a monster can kill a hundred soldiers easily but lose to a single hunter, what hope would a human have against one of these hunters? Physical might aside, the guild takes no political stances and only offers its services to official hunters. Most hunters only see the surface, only those who have survived their second breaking come to know the true depths of what the guild can offer.
You're both right. The red gods are diverse like Aristo said, so that there's no comprehensive 'list' of them all and they are all sorts of things, so you wouldnt worship all of them at once as a group of individuals. But as Nieszka noted you can worship/venerate the Pantheon as a symbol of cosmic chaos or appetite or w/e you like.
