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Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART
The Ice has come. People have been muttering about it for Ages now. Thaumaturges and seers from across the globe in a variety of cultures have been talking about how the globe was entering a gradual phase of cooling, how increased shade and the effects of air elemental pollution would lead to buildup of icy blocks in the Gulf Stream... and other meaningless and uninteresting proclamations of dire doom. The northmen screamed the loudest, but they were always on about one end of the world or another and nobody paid much mind. A Convocation was held, and the Gods met, ate, drank, made merry, and made a pact which noone bothered to read or abide by but now the Ice has come. It's here faster than anyone could have known, it freezes so hard it burns, and it has managed to encircle the world in its grasp like an overweight and enthusiastic lover.

You are alive. You've managed to survive, but your citystate, your sacred grove, your people may not. The Ice has come, and it has no hesitation or mercy. Other Gods have fallen, victim to their hubris or one another. The Ice claims all, covers all.


Think it's been a while since we've had one of these, GOD GAME. If you're interested in joining the game use PDQ, create some type of magical deity-being with +8/-4 worth of ranks and tell me about why they haven't been brought low by the grim spectre of Global Cooling Fimbulwinter.

Just a note, if you're a God of Ice and Snow great! Temperature's just about right for you personally but there's the business of all that horrible overwhelming cold that seems to freeze solid the flesh of any being caught unawares by an Icestorm. It's cold enough that it might just happen to you if you wander out into the white without a good coat. Frost Giants? Also great! Hopefully they're not mostly dead from when their cities froze so fast they exploded. Because it's very cold. Get it? Very. Cold.

I can probably take 4-6 players and let's give it a couple weeks for a deadline. Call it 29 November GMT 7:00 PM for character entries. I am :siren:revising the deadline to Sunday 23 November 7:00 PM GMT for character entries. 12 November 7:00 PM GMT:siren:


Questions or suggestions here if you please, and good luck! Hope you've got warm socks.

Puppies are dicks fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Nov 9, 2015

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goodness
Jan 3, 2012

When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?
Posting for interest.

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART
Ah also before I forget here's an example character for anybody who needs one.



Skoll, Lord of the Black Winter, Sorcerer of the Ice

quote:

+6 Black Wind Caller: Skoll commands the most dreadful and fearsome of the Northern Winds, where his voice rings madness, hoarfrost, and death follow.

+2 Ghost-faced Revenant: Unknown to Life, untouched by Death, Skoll is more than a mere mortal wizard and no less than a lesser God of the grave itself.

-4 Sunbane: Like all Walkers of the darksome wastes, Skoll's tender flesh and senses fear the touch of the sun.

The Gods of the North were ever a proud and vicious breed. Hard men, men forced to make hard decisions over the regular course of months of darkness and ice worship hard Gods. As the head of a mortal coven which trapped and slew one of the Northern Gods, Skoll inherited that unnamed divinity's puissance by virtue of eating its still beating heart. However instead of his apotheosis heralding a thousand years of eternal darkness as prophesied the Ice has simply come and made waste of the Northern kingdoms which Skoll called home. Having absorbed the souls of his tribe in a desperate bid to stay warm and mobile ahead to the encroaching Ice, Skoll wanders in search of those rare pockets of heat and warmth. Anything will do so long as it gives respite against the bleakness which drives fear into his own blackened heart.

:black101: Bit tongue in cheek but there you have it. :p If you're not familiar with PDQ or God Game mechanics just ask and I'll talk you through it.

:siren:Update for Nov. 2015

For an example of a character sheet (increase your character ranks to +12/-4) please see the above, also include answers to these questions:

To survive the Ice thus far all Gods have had to resort to the most basic and visceral of strategies, Who have you killed?/How are you hiding?

The Ice has made mortals (and their Gods) desperate and cruel, in what way have you been cheated or betrayed?

Due to the actions of the Gods currently occupying Malador's Hell, the state of the mortal soul has been changed. How has the Curse of Sloth effected your worshipers (if any)?

Puppies are dicks fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Nov 5, 2015

Josef bugman
Nov 17, 2011

Pictured: Poster prepares to celebrate Holy Communion (probablY)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund
Posting interest.

Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN
Totally Interested in this. You know what I bring to the table. The world will be covered in METAL AND ICE :black101:

Rauri
Jan 13, 2008




Larissa, the Queen of Undeath Vampire Queen



quote:

Queen of Undeath [+6] : First among the unliving (and daughter of the former God of Undeath, Sunhon), Larissa's abilities to create and command undead, employ necromantic effects, and to empower others to do the same are unparalleled in all of creation. It's gone to her head a bit. She's still not happy with her title, and is thinking about changing it to Vampire Queen, but isn't sure if that's too specific sounding - no sense in letting the Liches think they're allowed to start back-talking her.

Dweller in Darkness [+2] : Larissa's original portfolio. The legends say her mother was the night itself - true or not, she is a child of darkness. Useful for weaving night and shadows, traversing vast distances by using tenebrous passages, and destroying what light remains in this world. For most of her unlife, Larissa's just used it to hunt more easily, to listen in on the conversations of others for her amusement, and when the mood strikes her, to destroy sleepy little villages with an army of shadow monsters.

New at This [-2] : In a way, she's extremely lucky. She was in torpor following an ambush by a particularly prepared and powerful paladin when her whole family (the undead pantheon) went out to fix the whole endless winter problem. Presumably, they all ended up finaldead because when Larissa awoke from her slumber she discovered that she was suddenly the undead pantheon, with accompanying boost in divine stature. Since the frost issue is recent, so too is Larissa's rise to true Godhood. As such she's still working out how to do some of the more complicated stuff, and in a lot of ways still thinks like she's just a powerful vampire.

Nocturnal [-2] : Part unfamiliarity, part still thinking like a vampire, part lingering fear, part her domains - whatever the specific percentages, these factors weaken Larissa during the day. She's powerful enough now to not be damaged by sunlight, but still prefers to avoid it as much as she can. A fact intelligent enemies can use to their advantage, but lets be fair - attacking undead with daylight is about the most cliche plan ever, using it doesn't make you some sort of genius. Really, it's a hack move.


Thaisaidain, Fortress of the Dead

There was once a mortal kingdom named Akshan - founded early in the first age - that ruled over a vast portion of the then known world. Its capital city of Thaisaidain was without equal, its grand ziggurats and soaring towers the envy of the world. The legends say its streets were paved with gold, and that men came from thousands of miles away to try and pledge their service to its king.

One of Akshan's kings - the last one - grew fearful in his old age. He heard of foreign priests - cultists, really - that raved of eternal life, of a mixture that could destroy age and rejuvenate the body with the power and blessing of their God Sunhon. Summoning them to court, he listened to their wild tales, and on the small chance that they might be true, agreed to consume such a potion. It worked, against all odds... for a time. Nearly ten years. Another potion was consumed, and even quicker than before, it ran out. The cultists supplied more and more, and were in turn permitted to establish a proper temple in the heart of the Kingdom.

Soon, even the potions began to fail. Desperate and near frenzy, the king demanded the priests tell him how to stave off death. They answered that they must summon their God, and that the king must provide a worthy offering, and that surely he would be made immortal. A mad plan, but with a madman for a king it was enacted in short order. The bloody sacrifices necessary for the ritual devastated the population - some scholars believe as many as 100,000 died over the following week, perhaps more.

And all for less than nothing - when summoned, the Dark God Sunhon claimed Thaisaidain and all its inhabitants, living and dead, as his offering. The king was granted immortality as a mindless husk - perhaps he still wanders Thaisaidain's halls.

Ages have come and gone since Akshan collapsed, but Thaisaidain has remained the seat of the undead pantheon since then. A necropolis, it subsists entirely on raising undead in other locations and bringing them there, or furnished by mortal cultists that dwell in rough encampments at its borders. Its entirely unsuitable for (sane) mortal habitation - a place of nightmares and ancient secrets best left unknown. With Sunhon's death, the destruction of the undead pantheon, and Larissa's ascendancy, its few inhabitants that are capable of thinking wonder how she'll handle her newfound powers - to fight the icewall, or to remake the world into a land of frost and death?

------

Thoughts on the Other Gods
Aesculus - "I was slumbering when my pantheon got wiped out. What's his excuse?"
Wallastra - "Wait, he died and then came back! He should fall under my domain, right?! He's cheating somehow!"
Vendruck - "Oh yeah, the dwarf god. Poor bastard. There's no sun to save him underground..."
Malador - "What kind of God is he to be so bound by rules? Obviously not a threat."
Isath - "...Hopefully it will avoid my minions. What a vulgar creature."
Piper - "So desperate. Maybe I should let them know about the myriad ways I could save them."
Bismark - "He safeguards so, so much food. I'll be helping myself to some, soon."
Vicissitude - "I love his attitude. So long as he plays his little jokes on the other Gods, I'll keep him around."
Brother Yak - "I'm absolutely terrified. Yaks are famous predators, and those little ribbons look really sharp."
Brynjolf - "It always comes down to Vampires against Werewolves, doesn't it? Sigh."

------

I'm not assuming undead will be any more protected from the winter than the other races, or anything like that.

If necessary, I can switch in a more serious picture of Thaisaidain.

Rauri fucked around with this message at 09:39 on Nov 23, 2014

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
So what's the catch if I play Dwarves or another underground dwelling race? I am assuming they too will be affected in some way?

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART

Rauri posted:

Larissa, the Queen of Undeath Vampire Queen

------
I'm not assuming undead will be any more protected from the winter than the other races, or anything like that.


Probably not given that most types of undead are non-heat generating and barely magically animated bundles of kindling. What advantages you have from not needing warmth are balanced out by the fact that you're just as freezer fragile so it evens out? Can you tell me some more about the region Thaisaidain is in? Like before it got blighted was it a Mesopotamian land of rivers deal? Trying to place it geographically.

HiKaizer posted:

So what's the catch if I play Dwarves or another underground dwelling race? I am assuming they too will be affected in some way?

It's warmer less cold underground and you'll probably be able to dig greedily and deep for access to geothermal energy to stay warm. In a broad sense I'd say underground races will be most impacted by the intrusion of surface races scurrying for cover and increased competition for one another as the Ice freezes over their holes and pushes its way down. Earthquakes, tectonic shift, and glaciers shearing through your roof might twists I throw as well though since the Ice Age is happening fast as opposed to incrementally.

Rauri
Jan 13, 2008




Puppies are dicks posted:

Can you tell me some more about the region Thaisaidain is in? Like before it got blighted was it a Mesopotamian land of rivers deal? Trying to place it geographically.

You got it in one - it's located at the heart of a river valley, and at its height sprawled out over nearly the entire surrounding region. Most of the rivers and streams that run through it have dried up over the centuries, and the once fertile land is almost entirely bone dry. Millennia of disrepair and dark magic has allowed some twisted vegetation to grow, choking the tumbled ruins at the city's outskirts.

Rauri fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Nov 17, 2014

Josef bugman
Nov 17, 2011

Pictured: Poster prepares to celebrate Holy Communion (probablY)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund
Aesculus


A Portrait of Aesculus as Guardian of The Lost

quote:

[+4]- Master of Metal Working Aesculus was the first amongst the southern Pantheon to develop the process of Metal and Stone working, his mastery of the flint knife, the obsidian blade and the iron sword are legendary. But he also made many fine items for the gods of his pantheon. Now starved of the resources he needs Aesculus moves through the world ahead of the storm trying to build something anything that will slow the advancing winter.

[+2]- Defender of the Home Aesculus was left at home when his friends and lords in the Pantheon went to speak about the great winter, as he always was. His role, his reason for being is to defend and to protect. It was to him that Mercenaries prayed too in order to survive one more day, it was to him that those who had to hold bridges built shrines. Let the glorious ones grab the prizes, they will only have somewhere to come back to because of Aesculus and those who follow him.

[+2]- Wielder of Fire Aesculus is said to have taken Fire when the Sun was young and did not know how to use it's power responsibly. There are legends of him stealing it to heat the house of his God during the first night time. Whatever the truth Aesculus is very able to manipulate and use fire, no matter how useless it now appears against the coming Ice Age.

[-4]- Does not Run Aesculus has only run once and that was when the heart was frozen inside the chest of Hal-Shammar at the death of the Pantheon. And only then because he had been told to flee if His Father died defending them all. He hates this stain on his honour and will do anything to either expunge it, or to prevent anything like it from happening again.

The people of the South were reverent of a great many gods, creatures of wealth, learning, royalty. All of these things were worshiped and praised. Cathedrals stood alongside Pagodas and Stupas built into the hills. There were problems, but the nobilies selection by examination as well as birth, the strength and dedication of the knightly monastic orders (alongside the more esoteric studies of the various mage guilds) made it a true heartland for all those who wished to be at ease and to contemplate.

That is not to say there were no conflicts, ancient battles were fought against the Dragon dwelling in Deep waters and Religious arguements sometimes lead to political instability, but it was always expected that things would always work out in the end.

And then the Father god had his heart frozen in his chest and his body obliterated by ice. The 100 Sons of Sheng-sha died frozen in place, the golden branches of Maltharis shattered like glass. And the street of a thousand temples began a wailing and a gnashing of teeth that would put the ancients to shame.

Aesculus saw the death of His father and was told to run to the best fortress he had, and he has done so, the people are frightened, the winter has come and all of the future seems to be death. But Aesculus will forge something new, something better he will outlast or beat this winter and he will show his myriad brothers and sisters that he deserved his place at Father side.

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
I would love to scratch my God game itch... But I am not 100% clear on the rules, where can I acquire them?

Rauri
Jan 13, 2008




Right here. Puppies might have more specific ones regarding Action Points, scope of domains, etc. when play begins, but this should be all you need to create a character.

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART
^^ Yep, pretty much.

http://www.atomicsockmonkey.com/freebies/di/pdq-core.pdf

afaik it's free so this isn't :files: So here you have it. I'll probably apply a few house rules as we go but basic PDQ works just fine. If you're shaky on character creation take a crack at writing up your character's backstory and I'll give suggestions and commentary as appropriate.

Josef bugman posted:

Aesculus


A Portrait of Aesculus as Guardian of The Lost

This is an excellent entry, and a God of forge, home, and fire should make for a lot of fun in the setting. Your backstory mentions "the best fortress he had," got a name/place for it or do you want to leave that blank and I'll write it in to suit the circumstances? My guess is somewhere big, sturdy, and possibly equatorial with healthy stockpiles of necessary metals and supplies?

Puppies are dicks fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Nov 18, 2014

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
Well I will see what I can do. And also try to cover a niche not yet filled. Do please tell me if I have to change anything.

Wallastra, Vox Populi


quote:


[+4] - The Grand Design - First and foremost before all other things Wallastra is the City God, of the cities, for the cities, if it is a large permanent settlement, Wallastra will have his hand there. From the start the foundation of great and towering cities were the pinnacle of human development in his eyes, and he has always strives to make them the center of all things, to the chagrin of the more nature bound gods. Even when the world froze and those towering bastions of civilization fell, Wallastra knows that the people will strive to band together and build new monuments to glorious advancement

[+4] - Voice of the People - There is no city without it's civilians, and Wallastra has always been the friend to all living things. So long as they are behind his walls, or in his sphere of influence. When the city prospered, Wallastra prospered, and when the cities struggled, he did everything in his powers to fix the problem.

[-2] - Does Not Micromanage - Wallastra is powerful on a grand, wide reaching scale, but struggles to deal with problems on a smaller, more personal level. His solutions are wide reaching but often lack subtlety, micromanaging was never his strong point and he chooses to avoid having to work on a scale smaller then his purview as much as possible. He is not utterly incapable, but he struggles to do so.

[-2] - By Any Means Necessary - The experience changed the City God. Before, he was very lenient in his charge of maintaining cities, but having experienced the sheer darkness of death itself, he has no intentions of going back any time soon. He will do whatever is in his power to preserve what little pieces of civilization are left in the world, no matter the cost.

The Borderlands to the west were a notoriously unstable and inhospitable region, home to many warring tribes of nomads and barbarians, but within these lands there was a success story, of sorts, a loose collection of city states bound by old diplomatic and trade agreements, the trade princes stood as a bastion of order in a sea of warring tribes and marauders and had stood the test of time. They were a people of many gods, from lesser gods of home fires and crockery, to the greater gods of elements and strong aspects of their society.

Wallastra was somewhere in between, the Hand of Enlightenment, He who carries the burden. Wallastra had one job and one job only, to preserve the infrastructure and populace in the great merchant cities. And it was a job he excelled it, and continued to do so for many years. And then the world ended.

The Borderlands, due to their arid desert climate and proximity to the warm Ocean, assumed they might escape the worst of the Fimbulwinter, but they crumbled all the same, and the slow creeping advance of frost destroyed what little order the princes had established, and the gods, one by one shriveled and died, Wallastra along with them.

But he didn't stay dead for long, a few survivors clung onto the ruins of their city, broken but not beaten they tried hard to live for another day and their struggle brought the dead City God back to life. But the cold hand of death had changed something in him, and now he took to his new charge with a sense of desperate abandon. What ever was at the end of the life of a god, he did not want to experience again.

TheNabster fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Nov 25, 2014

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART

TheNabster posted:

Wallastra, Vox Populi


Thematically accurate, strong in worldbuilding details, keep in mind that your PDQ trait ranks come in even numbered denominations though. I'm guessing your sheet should look like:

quote:


+4 Many Candles
+2 Give me your tired
-2 Needs of the Many
-2 By any means

which I'm interpreting as +Cooperation, +Diversity, -Democracy, -Unethical respectively to be quite succinct. Your description is good enough that I can understand where you mean to go with the character and traits probably.

I think niche control isn't that big of a deal unless you guys want it to be, a handful of fire gods or city gods might make for an interesting story just as well as a widely diverse group of deities from every corner of the globe. I'm more interested in throwing glaciers and the like at you to play with than a specific list of preferred domains, and as such won't be weighing that much in my considerations.

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
Changes have been noted and put in place. Looking forward to the game taking off in any case.

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART
Oh actually while I've got you here, how did Wallastra die the first time around? My reading of your backstory gives me the impression that he tried to hold out in the cities of his pantheon but gradually as they got snuffed by the Ice met the same end, after the bigger Gods had met a much more dramatic death trying to turn away or destroy the Ice when it appeared in the first place.

The population and city infrastructure took a dive, and caught in the feedback loop of disaster/triage/recovery as the God of both Wallastra 1.0 went out with a whisper as opposed to a bang?

Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN
Puppies I've got a submission incoming. I'll have it up by tomorrow. I'm wondering how the God of Blood and Metal will survive in the Ice Age

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
Vendruck the Underlord

Artifice [+4]
Without the dancing seasons, the heavens to watch and the moving of peoples Vendruk turned his mind to puzzles and their solutions. Each trouble he came across he found a solution for, with clever and efficient means. Maybe there is a solution to this 'Ice Age' that plagues the world but ultimately Vendruck doesn't care about that. He wants only to keep his own people safe and if possible, comfortable enough.

Dwarves [+2]
Initially Vendruck did not have a form, like many of the gods he only took a defined form after the great Conclave that divvied up the world amongst them. For a great time he was a spectre, passing through the galleries of the underground. The birth and rise of the Dwarves influenced him greatly though, and he took his own form to match them. The syncretic nature of worship meant the worship of the Dwarves and the culture they created shaped him, as much as his own gifts and teachings shaped them.

The Underground [+2]
No one wanted the dark, cool and damp places of the world where time might as well stand still for lack of the passing of the seasons. This was given to Vendruck and he made the most of it. But lately there have been some things crawling up from even deeper, darker depths he has not seen or heard before. Old and alien creatures, and things even less describable. They escape from some deeper cataclysm that Vendruck does not know. His children ought pray that they never do...

Grudgebearer [-4]
Many slights and insults have been wrought upon Vendruck. He is not a petty god and over time he forgave them. But he did not forget and now the overdwellers move against his children all the crimes, all the slights, all the insults heaped upon him shall be repaid to the others in full and with a rightful extra measure.



In the beginning there was the Conclave, where the world was distributed amongst the many gods. Some took land, some took people and others took dominion over the elements and heavens. Then there was left the bowels of the world, which had meagre food to feed its people and destined to darkness. To this was Vendruck given. The others danced in their newly taken gifts and were merry. Vendruck was left to go to his dark halls and make aught of it.

This he did not forget.

He created his own children, forged in a mimicry of others on the surface that he saw through the cracks in his realm. The other gods were quick to mock him, 'pale imitations of true races' they cried down to him, 'fit not even for the afterlives of real peoples' and so the people of Vendruck were left to him. Dwarves they were called, for being small pale lights compared to the fires of other nations. But despite the harsh depths they flourished, for Vendruck was clever and helped them to make great halls out of stone to live in. They decorated it with devices and ever burning lights. And in time the other races came to be jealous of the Dwarves skill with making beautiful things, of their useful tools and their mighty walls and defences. The mockery of the other gods died down and they grudgingly game him words of praise.

In time Vendruck forgave, for the Dwarves lightened his heart.

Then the other races came to the depths which were his domain, left unwanted by all others. They came seeking the blood of the earth and the tears of rocks for their own.

This Vendruck did not forget.

But there were things that the Dwarves had need of as well. Lumber for tools and weapons, the skins of animals and the fleece of livestock. Both the overdwellers and underdwellers had useful things that they needed, and they began to trade for it. The dwarves grew in splendour and luxury, and Vendruck was again content.

So it was that Vendruck forgave again, although his heart was harder this time.

Then came the Conclave of the gods again. They made they vows and promises, although none intended to keep them. Vendruck for his part simply said that he would remain under the ground where there were no seasons, and that he would brook no trespass. The other agreed easily, for they were convinced of their own power and grandeur. Surely no mere winter could try threaten them could it? And when the cold came, it was like a wave of white death blanketing the world in death and disaster. None were prepared for its fury and terror, all were humbled and made equal before it.

But the promises of old were quickly forgotten. Desperate refugees and the remains of armies alike sought to break into the Dwarves mountain homes to seek sanctuary from the death above.

This Vendruck does not forgive. And most of all, this, Vendruck does not forgive.


The Underfolk



Called Dwarves by the overfolk, but called the Underfolk themselves they had five great holds under the surface of the earth. They dug deep, but not too greedily nor foolishly for there were things deep below that slumbered or moved in greater darkness in silence. They hollowed out and decorated halls of stone, lit them with torches and ever burning devices and filled the silence with song, laughter, arguments, trade and worship. Those times are past, four of the holds are silent and filled only with snow, ice, death and silence. Two were built in the craters of slumbering volcanoes and through the tunnels to the surface came snow and icy death. Another was sacked and burned by invading surface dwellers who later perished after greedily consuming the food stocks. The fourth was taken by something from below, and even this terror perished to the growing cold and dark.

Batjullik is the last city of the Dwarves that stands. It only had one entrance to the surface and it has become a closely guarded path of death. Again there was one great and easily defensible entrance to the depths and mines, allowing the city to guard against those who would rise below. The city has a great lake fed from underground streams, which the inhabitants have not yet realised could be another way for an intruder to enter. It would have to be a small or strange creature to penetrate the thing cracks the water permeates through after all. The once joyous city has taken on a bleak and serious aspect, festivals are sombre now instead of colourful celebrations. There isn't a lot of laughter any more either. The city lay on the mountains the bordered one edge of the Salamae plains and the Arzjabi Sands. The sands are now brutally cold at any time of day and blizzards are common at night. The plains, once fertile and full of moist soil and streams with a great bounty to harvest have frozen over and are like a great icy sheet.

Physically a Dwarf resembles a shorter cross between a human and a giant. Their form is heavy-set and prone to hairiness in men, while slimmer and more feminine in women. Children remain androgynous and difficult to tell apart from human children until the onset of puberty. Dwarves have superior senses in dark and underground environments but need time to adapt to surface conditions in brighter, warmer seasons. A Dwarf does not go to a traditional afterlife when they die, and instead join with Vendruck and their ancestors. As such, ancestor worship goes hand in hand with worship of Vendruck.

HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 10:04 on Nov 18, 2014

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART
Your math's a bit off there HiKaizer, looks like +12/-2 where it should be +8/-4. Might change the tone of your character quite a bit depending on how those ranks are reallocated so I'll wait on commenting there. Handy to see that you've written in a race to play with though. As Vendruck's the creator of the Dwarves he's got a sort of teleological relationship with them. Is he their only God? They don't really go anywhere else when they die apparently, but how monotheistic are they? I'm wondering if there are dwarves who worshiped other deities, Dwarven or otherwise, and how acceptable it is in their eyes (and Vendruck's) for a Dwarf to follow another God. Or for a non-dwarf to do the reverse.

Josef bugman
Nov 17, 2011

Pictured: Poster prepares to celebrate Holy Communion (probablY)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund

Puppies are dicks posted:

This is an excellent entry, and a God of forge, home, and fire should make for a lot of fun in the setting. Your backstory mentions "the best fortress he had," got a name/place for it or do you want to leave that blank and I'll write it in to suit the circumstances? My guess is somewhere big, sturdy, and possibly equatorial with healthy stockpiles of necessary metals and supplies?

I made the post just before going to bed, but I had a specific place in mind, I just need to find the picture.

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!

Puppies are dicks posted:

Your math's a bit off there HiKaizer, looks like +12/-2 where it should be +8/-4. Might change the tone of your character quite a bit depending on how those ranks are reallocated so I'll wait on commenting there. Handy to see that you've written in a race to play with though. As Vendruck's the creator of the Dwarves he's got a sort of teleological relationship with them. Is he their only God? They don't really go anywhere else when they die apparently, but how monotheistic are they? I'm wondering if there are dwarves who worshiped other deities, Dwarven or otherwise, and how acceptable it is in their eyes (and Vendruck's) for a Dwarf to follow another God. Or for a non-dwarf to do the reverse.

Oh. I'm used to the standard +12/-2 I didn't even properly parse it was 8/-4! My apologies I have fixed that up.

The idea behind the Dwarves is influenced by Tolkien a bit, where they were not really meant to be a race and their afterlife is kind of non-existent because of it. I leave the afterlives of Dwarves vague for this reason, and ultimately we can either decide or reveal what really happens to them if it becomes relevant in play.

Vendruck is somewhat xenophobic, so he is probably not a very popular god for other races. Before the Ice Age he probably would have grudgingly accepted those that followed him from other races, but now he is probably ignoring their prayers. This seems like a good character arc or plotpoint to raise. Any Dwarf that forsakes him would be exiled from the greater Dwarf culture, and that's another slight added to his long list. Vendruck never forgets after all. So I would imagine that following other gods is not common among them, but again not totally unheard of.

Generally the theme I am going for is that Vendruck was forgiving and compassionate despite his real and perceived slights, but now he's had enough and has taken an extreme, hard-line and zero-tolerance approach. Make use of that with his weakness. Maybe he will forgive again, but, it would probably be a very big event in his and maybe other characters stories.

TychoBrahesNose
May 24, 2011
This sounds intriguing; color me interested. The two ideas I am toying around with currently are:
* a Trickster God (or maybe the Trickster God -- whether he's called Loki, or Bamapana, or Iktomi, or Anansi, or Eshu, or Crow, or... he seems to fill the same niche in most every culture's pantheon), or
* some kind of Nature Deity modeled on one of the supernatural entities from an aboriginal/first nation culture, like the Nargun or He-no.
Since I'm unclear on the plot or goals of the game (other than "try not to freeze to death"), I'm not sure whether one or the other of these is more appropriate, so I'd be happy to take any feedback.

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

Malador the Prosecutor



Once the God of Justice and the Goddess of Death had two sons. This was in the days when humanity was new, and the first had died, and heaven and hell were but new and empty. Both of their sons were fair and honorable. One was cheerful and always saw the good in others, while the other's sharp eye never failed to see the hidden depths humans might fall to. So it was decided that the former would see to the protection of heaven (which of course had room for the worshipers of several gods) while the other one would oversee the punishment of the evil in hell (same). Both of them would assist their father in judging souls that their mother brought to him, with the former trying to convince their father of their worthiness to heaven, and the latter

The ruler of hell was dutiful, overseeing the punishment of the damned with unyielding fervor, creating the devils, beings filled with cruelty and malice to oversee this. His name was never known by mortals, for they never met him in life. But as ages passed, he grew to despise humanity. He mostly saw them at their worst, and whenever one had managed to live without damning himself, he became convinced it was because they had simply not been in the situation that their mettle was tested. Each of those that went into heaven became a perceived injustice. And so he asked for his father the permission to test the mortals. Such permission was given, but three strictures were given him. That he not kill. That he not force living mortals to do things. That he always keep to any bargains struck. This, the guardian of Hell agreed to, and because he was a son of the God of Justice, these agreements were binding to his nature.

And so he became known to mortals as Malador. Under the guise of a new god of greed and selfishness, he came to those who desired things, whether because of need, vengeance, avarice or love and offered to fulfill bargains, but always at a price, a price, he said, that others would pay. A woman might get a brass ring to extend her life, or the life of her babe, but be told that the ring took the life of others. Usually, the last part was a lie, for Malador was not allowed to kill, but mortals often used those powers, accepting the cost and showing their wickedness. Some even reveled in it, building temples to Malador with great brass decorations, claiming that justice was a fool's concept and Malador, after death, would reward their ruthlessness and drive as part of a great undertaking. His temples brought misery without Malador even having to do much but give his priests some powers to 'reward' them. And they they would die, and their deeds would drat them in front of the God of Jusitce, and Malador would take their souls to torment them for eternity.

And now... his brother and mother and father are dead. The souls of heaven presumably frozen forever. Judgement of the dead falls to him now, but he will be just in this. And of course, mortals must survive. He might despise them, but for the sake of his beloved family's memory, he'll try to make sure the selfish, petty, cruel, self absorbed mortals will survive this. Likely by doing exactly what comes so natural to them.


Warden of Hell +4 Malador has been in charge of the imprisonment and torment of the damned for countless eons. He is the creator of Devils and they heed him. The chains he forges bind eternally, the gates that he constructs let none pass without his say so and the torment he can bestow is the stuff of legends.

Wishbringer +2 Since taking the name, Malador has often allowed himself to be summoned or even appear before humans, offering wishes, but always with a catch that would morally drat them. He's quite skilled, both in talking to mortals and bringing their selfish desires to fruition.

Prosecutor +2: Malador knows to take the measure of a soul, though he always looks it through a dark tint. He can judge man's sins, know their weaknesses. And as the son of the gods of death and justice he has skill at directing and looking after souls. He might just have to take a larger role than he used to.

The Strictures: -2 He may not force a living mortal to do something, he may not kill a mortal, he may not break a pledge.

Contempt and hatred: -2 Malador is not beloved by mortals, nor does he love them. The only ones who worship him are the selfish and the ruthless, and most decent folk would refuse any gift from him and avoid him. And Malador himself is loath to actually freely help humanity without it being some attempt to prove their wickedness.

Shogeton fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Nov 19, 2014

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART

TychoBrahesNose posted:

This sounds intriguing; color me interested. The two ideas I am toying around with currently are:
* a Trickster God (or maybe the Trickster God -- whether he's called Loki, or Bamapana, or Iktomi, or Anansi, or Eshu, or Crow, or... he seems to fill the same niche in most every culture's pantheon), or
* some kind of Nature Deity modeled on one of the supernatural entities from an aboriginal/first nation culture, like the Nargun or He-no.
Since I'm unclear on the plot or goals of the game (other than "try not to freeze to death"), I'm not sure whether one or the other of these is more appropriate, so I'd be happy to take any feedback.

Either would work out well I think depending on how you play it. Not freezing to death is the overall goal of the game, and my intention is to give you guys a sandbox to build each other up/tear each other down in while the stately process of glaciation happens in disastrously fast quicktime. My original hope was to have a variety of gods looking for different competing survival strategies, and right now as it stands it looks like one popular theme is to bunker down against the cold which is fine too. Hide in a cave, burn the other Gods for kindling, or steal back the sunshine, it's really more about how you want to deal with the Ice and I think a trickster or primal nature spirit would work.

In the case of the former dealing with other Gods is a must (not much room to trickster a glacier), and would probably trigger all sorts of diplomacy and conflict. This is good because conflict is the essence of drama. :artsy: For the latter such a God's success might represent a shifting of Mankind to a more simple survival success oriented atavism, which would be neat too. There are plenty of interesting difficulties or twists I can imagine for the survival or expansion of either character along the way.


Shogeton posted:

Malador the Prosecutor

Hi there Shogeton. Wishbringer is a wish mastering sort of power, is it then bound to having to satisfy a specific mortal request or is it just a small and broad omnipotence? I'm also quite curious about your God's Hell itself. For our purposes it'll probably be an actual piece of real estate, since the Heavenly bits froze over does that mean your Hell is a cold one? If it's the fire and brimstone variety there'll probably be a scene or two involving Mad Max mobs trying to break in to get out of the cold. You also mention devils. Are there a lot of those dudes? I'm assuming that like Malador they are in their own way quite lawful.

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"

Puppies are dicks posted:

Oh actually while I've got you here, how did Wallastra die the first time around? My reading of your backstory gives me the impression that he tried to hold out in the cities of his pantheon but gradually as they got snuffed by the Ice met the same end, after the bigger Gods had met a much more dramatic death trying to turn away or destroy the Ice when it appeared in the first place.

The population and city infrastructure took a dive, and caught in the feedback loop of disaster/triage/recovery as the God of both Wallastra 1.0 went out with a whisper as opposed to a bang?

Pretty much.

He was powered by his purview and ultimately lived off of it, so when his purview started to crumble around him his powers started to wane as well, until the complete collapse of order basically put him in a coma.

The Gods of the Borderlands are embodiment of a concept first and foremost, so when the things you are tied to are all but destroyed at best you are basically hanging on for dear life at a fraction of your power, and at worst you outright cease to exist, not existing anymore is something Wallastra wants to avoid.

On the flipside though, if the thing you embody comes back, then it is possible for the god it's tied to to come back also, but they may not be the same person they were when they first 'died'.

TheNabster fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Nov 18, 2014

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

quote:

Hi there Shogeton. Wishbringer is a wish mastering sort of power, is it then bound to having to satisfy a specific mortal request or is it just a small and broad omnipotence? I'm also quite curious about your God's Hell itself. For our purposes it'll probably be an actual piece of real estate, since the Heavenly bits froze over does that mean your Hell is a cold one? If it's the fire and brimstone variety there'll probably be a scene or two involving Mad Max mobs trying to break in to get out of the cold. You also mention devils. Are there a lot of those dudes? I'm assuming that like Malador they are in their own way quite lawful.

I imagine Wishbringer very much so to only be applicable if Faustian bargains are being made. So I can have that wish do a pretty broad array of things, but only if the wish is asked by a human, and only if in accepting hte bargain is proving himself to be cruel, selfish, petty or otherwise morally corrupt. Often that's done by adding a 'price' to the wish, so even benign wishes demand the character to make compromises. The price is always asked from someone else. If Malador is trying to help mortals on his own accord, or because of a selfless request, not only is not gonna get Wishmaster, but Contempt and Hatred might come into play.

As to Hell, I'm thinking we might go classic Dante. Caverns, fire, brimstone, sulfur, obsidian, brass and all those things. And yes, might make things... troublesome and interesting. Fortunately, there are defences, though those tend to be more focused on keeping things in then out. (some very powerful souls might be chained to be tormented in hell after all) The devils are indeed an orderly sort, kept in a strictly feudal structure. Going Prince, Duke, Marquis, Baron and Lord (and female term) of hell in descending order. The seven devil princes are each responsible for one of the classics: Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth and Greed. Those seven lords (and ladies, though it's purely cosmetic) were made by Malador himself, and as hold as hell itself. These do not war amongst eachother, but they do compete in attempts to have their sin be the one that damns people the most (the system to determine that is, to be fair, byzantine). Souls are still exchanged as currency among the lords.

The Black Legion is the military force, each of these devils is made by an armour of black hellsteel and wielding shield and trident. Hell is underground and sometimes there are creatures that must be fought off. There are legends of dragons, powerful mages and even gods that have tried to force their way into hell to reclaim a soul. Whether they succeeded depends on the legend. They are made by imbuing the essence of hell into sets of armor. Considering that the ruler of hell is banned from killing mortals, they are sort of important here.

Imps are the lowest class of devils. As cowardly and obedient as they are cruel. They are mostly in charge of the torments of the vast masses, and sometimes used for drudgery work by higher ranks. They bubble out of several of the great tarpits, fully formed, and ownership of these tarpits is an important currency.

Tempters are among the most prized of underlings. They are also the most human, and sometimes the most chaotic and unpredictable of them. They lie, they betray and there are even a few of them that are rogue or freelance. They are the ones most often summoned or dispatched to the lands of mortals to advance the cause of some lord. While their human appearance and lack of complete loyalty might make you think they're 'not as bad', that's just what they want you to think. They are not human, and corrupting people is what they live for. They are sometimes seen as a mirror of Malador, but while Malador gets grim vindication out of seeing humans corrupted, Tempters just take cruel glee in blackening souls. They are made by fusing the souls of exceedingly wicked souls together in a tormented fashion, and thus are a major investment. On death of the tempter these souls erupt, which can lead to haunting if it happens outside of hell.

Hellhounds. Trackers of souls that somehow get loose, and 'retrievers' of those they can handle. Pretty much what you expect, including the firebreathing.

Advocates: The lawyers of hell. They serve directly under Malador himself, without loyalty to any of the Princes. They are the ones who oversee the administration of souls, determine which soul goes to which prince and check the books. Once a soul was damned by Malador's father, one of these was usually their next destination. They look like faces carved in obsidian obelisks, each one of them a separate advocate. Only Malador himself carves these out.

The Gentry of Hell. The noble class of hell, each one created by one of the Princes of Hell, and continually vying for their prince's favour. Malador rarely interacts with them directly. Their looks vary from a case to case basis, often linked to a certain aspect of the sin they serve, and their ranks can shift sometimes, according to complicated, but rigidly adhered to rules.

Pochoclo
Feb 4, 2008

No...
Clapping Larry
Isath, Pillar of Flesh, The Crawling Sun



"One of them had seen, in the distance, a lighthouse that seemed occupied, still working. They drank deep of their mead, and were rowdy. In their stupor, they did not notice the light was too bright. They did not notice it breathing"
- Myths of the Northmen, p. 42

Isath is one of the stranger, less known godlike beings of the world. It has walked the earth for a long time - some very old tales tell of it being different once, a thing most beautiful, born in a place of pure light. It was cast out, into a place with no light, and there it changed. It returned as a ghost, a story told among the Northmen, huddled around a fire, trying to scare each other. Except this ghost existed, and roamed the mountain ranges. Small villages tended to disappear where it went, or so the northmen thought. What they didn't know, is that the villagers lived on. Oh, they lived on, in a way.
Isath is a massive tower of pulsing flesh, intelligent but alien. In the old world, it was content to roam its desolate territories, feeding every now and then. Now, in the death grip of extreme cold, it has become more aggressive, hungrier. It needs to grow, to change, to survive.
It incorporates all manner of living beings into it, and eats and/or changes the rest.

quote:

+4 Flesh: The Pillar is the power of flesh made manifest. It grows, it molds, it bends, swallows and excretes. It is alive, and hungry. It can shape beings of flesh, adapt them to the purposes of the Pillar.

+4 Light: The Pillar originally came from light, but then it ended up in a place of absolute darkness. There, it had to produce its own light, somehow, or die. It had to know light intimately, so as to know what made it keep the ever voracious dark at bay. It also needed something to fuel it. In the sunless, cold wastes, it roams again, and illuminates all.

-4 Megastructure: The Pillar crawls at a slow but steady pace. It is a massive, lumbering tower made of flesh, a fierce torch of cold white light amidst the wastes. It is a building, a place - it is not a warrior, and it cannot travel on a horse. It cannot avoid, it must defend or adapt, by itself or through the flesh it might touch and change.

Josef bugman
Nov 17, 2011

Pictured: Poster prepares to celebrate Holy Communion (probablY)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund


Long ago Aesculus spent many centuries amongst the various peoples of the vast Southern Empire and he gathered those who worshipped him together and made them swear that they would do their utmost in defence of the realm. To do this he would require a place to defend as many people as possible and so the Keep and city of Ascalon was born, the city itself is built to withstand sieges, water and air dragon attacks and even betrayal from within (despite the many terrible oaths sworn by the first people).

The fortress has broken the backs of three cult attacks, 7 dragons and 18 different demon incursions. It is said that at least one mercenary company saw the state of the defences and simply declared the contract void. When asked why they said that they had been "Paid to take a city, not a mountain".

But now there is a panic and Aesculus needs to bring his people back to him as much as possible. Many labour still in the forges even as the winds get colder, but there are more and more refugees, more and more mouths to feed that even the vast stores beneath the city may not be able to feed them for their 1000 years worth of food allowances. But if there is anything to do Aesculus will do it to save his city, his people and his fathers laws.

Abyssal Squid
Jul 24, 2003

The Nuthatches... OF BLOOD



It's cold up north and the nuthatches love it anyway. But then the firs, the spruces, yes even the mighty jack pines shattered in the cold. It was just that cold. Brrr! Anyway with nothing to eat, the Nuthatches went south in search of the one thing that could keep them warm... HUMAN FLESH. :twisted: Sunflower seeds are okay too.

Fluffy birds +4 Nuthatches are small, agile, and adorable. They can climb up trees and even go down headfirst. Like all birds, they can fly, probably up into the sun if they tried but they like it down near the ground where it's colder.

A Nuthatch Never Forgets +2 In the good old days, the Nuthatches would hide seeds and nuts, and remember where every last one was. Now there are no seeds. Now they have only one use for their imPECKable memory: REVENGE.

Private Tooter +2 Nuthatches talk a lot, and it's all in code. Toot toot! See, you couldn't understand that, but just there I said "Baldy's flagging, wear him down and we feast like crows tonight." Also works over long distances.

Squirrelfoe -4 Squirrels are bigger and stronger than even the hungriest of the Nuthatches, plus they have fluffy tails.

Your move, Rhjamiz

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART

Shogeton posted:

As to Hell, I'm thinking we might go classic Dante. Caverns, fire, brimstone, sulfur, obsidian, brass and all those things. And yes, might make things... troublesome and interesting. Fortunately, there are defences, though those tend to be more focused on keeping things in then out. (some very powerful souls might be chained to be tormented in hell after all) The devils are indeed an orderly sort, kept in a strictly feudal structure. Going Prince, Duke, Marquis, Baron and Lord (and female term) of hell in descending order. The seven devil princes are each responsible for one of the classics: Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth and Greed. Those seven lords (and ladies, though it's purely cosmetic) were made by Malador himself, and as hold as hell itself. These do not war amongst eachother, but they do compete in attempts to have their sin be the one that damns people the most (the system to determine that is, to be fair, byzantine). Souls are still exchanged as currency among the lords.

Oh so Malador's more like the lid keeping the horrible thing shut than anything else, and in fact Hell's one of those bigger on the inside spaces? I was thinking something along the lines that in a way all Heavens, Hells, Happy Fields of Food have their roots or connections to the Prime Material plane (the Earth) and as a reflection of that the physical presence of the ice has overwhelmed or destroyed many of those fragile dimensional bubbles by virtue of pouring way too much cold and ice through them than they were built to handle. Hell being bigger on the inside and already having its own layer of eternal ice (iirc Dante's lowest level is already pure cold torment) holds together better than most Underworlds but will inevitably either fill up or begin to crack under the metaphysical strain. It's big and under normal circumstances requires a steady flow of energy/souls to operate as part of a set with Heaven/the World, but as a standalone under pressure from the outside things might turn out poorly.

Pochoclo posted:

Isath, Pillar of Flesh, The Crawling Sun

Hi there Pochoclo! Am I correct in reading that the horrifying flesh tower survives by slowly crawling into regions with warmth and life and then subsequently consuming the same in order to maintain its own heat/generate the necessary energy to reinforce its internal structure? And that indeed while its victims have had their flesh repurposed and their lives consumed, it's entirely possible that the interior of the Tower is a moist mess of screaming without mouths?

Pochoclo
Feb 4, 2008

No...
Clapping Larry

Puppies are dicks posted:

Hi there Pochoclo! Am I correct in reading that the horrifying flesh tower survives by slowly crawling into regions with warmth and life and then subsequently consuming the same in order to maintain its own heat/generate the necessary energy to reinforce its internal structure? And that indeed while its victims have had their flesh repurposed and their lives consumed, it's entirely possible that the interior of the Tower is a moist mess of screaming without mouths?

Hey Puppies, been a long time.
Yes; Isath is not evil per se, but it's very hungry and like a gigantic anteater, it will seek out whatever pockets of survivors it can find, and eat them all up. It will not go after living things that are not made of flesh because it can't eat them. Negotiating with Isath is possible, but difficult - if you can provide more food than what it would get by eating you, i.e. if it's a good deal, it will agree. As soon as it goes hungry again and you have nothing to give it, though, it's chow time.
It's entirely possible that the interior of the flesh tower is a nightmarish hellscape of tormented flesh. It could be just involuntary spasms, or just what happens when you push flesh to the limit, but anyone who saw it would agree that it's a very bad idea to try and find out. I wouldn't be surprised if people who had seen or heard about it, would off themselves before being absorbed, just in case a part of their mind survives in there.

OscarDiggs
Jun 1, 2011

Those sure are words on pages which are given in a sequential order!
I hope you don't mind me borrowing a few of your things HiKaizer.

Piper, Father Of The Scurrying

There are those who will hold their heads high, brave this great catastrophe and carry on with dignity and grace in the face of this great hardship. They will provide charity for the poor and alms to the weak. Their hearts will be lightened by their good works and the blessings of the saved with wash over them. And then there will be those who survive.

For every kindly priest bringing their people through great hardship, their will be a bandit praying upon the weak and displaced. For every noble merchant giving of themselves to others in need, their will be one who exploits and demeans. For every brave soul who will stand their ground for the sake of decency and sanity, there is one who will fall into the depths of madness and fear. For every man who wants to live, their is a rat who wants to survive.

Once a mere rat, Piper scurried from the light places to the dark, surviving on crumb and corpse. Although born in one of the great cities Piper would have no place there, along with his millions of brothers and sisters soon to be displaced by millions more. But Piper was just a rat, so no one really cared. Desperate in his search for food Piper scurried; there is no sense of time and place for rat, only moving and going and starving and feasting. Perhaps he would have died a mere rat, killed in any number of ways that a rat would deserve, but like most creatures of his ilk, his destiny was not his own. It was tied with Vendruck and the Dwarves.

Of course Piper had no concept of this; he was but a mere rat. But he was qucikly swept up in the manifest destiny of those who lived in the earth itself, too busy carving out their homes and halls to take notice of a mere rat. Piper walked in his and the Dwarves shared home for many a year, feasting sand starving and days and weeks turned; surviving as he has long since learnt. But where there are cities, there are rats and where there are rats, there will soon be a thousand more. Old and weak after many years, Piper could not compete with the new born generations that swarmed Vendruck's halls and so he was displaced again. If he had returned to the surface he would have likely died, along with most of his race. But Piper did not go up, we went further down.

In the vile darkness, he survived. Alongside monster and beast, the likes of which a rat could never describe, he starved and feasted as he had done all his life. Up the tunnels and down the stairways that Dwarves and other, darker things had made, he survived as he always had. Perhaps if he had not been a rat, he would have wondered about the dark things he scurried with, he would have pondered at the strangeness of the meat and what it had done to hiss body, and perhaps he would have marveled at his lifespan and the decades slept away, but he did not because he was a rat, but not for much longer.

Piper was scurrying when the ice came. He had had no forewarning like the sentient species above him, but he still survived better then they ever did. But in the foul darkness of a broken Dwarven hold, he would stop merely surviving and start LIVING.

Months into the great freeze, Piper climbed up the tunnels, into a ruin of ice and Dwarf corpses. He did not feel sorrow for the death or anger at the unfairness of it all, he simply feasted. But in a nearby hovel, there were those who were not feasting. Some Dwarven children, along with their caretaker, had impossibly survived the last few months. It was only through the kindness and self-sacrifice of that kind soul that the group had survived so long, but her spirit no longer dwelt in the corpse she had left behind.

The eldest and bravest awoke from his starvation induced haze to the sound of chewing and tearing. Crawling from his hole in the ground, his eyes fell upon the devastation of his home for the first time since the cold had claimed it.



A terrifying sight stood before him, slowly eating away at the crotchety blacksmith that had lived next door. He was going to die, along with his friends and neighbours. They had sat here, huddled and starving in the dark for months waiting for rescue, and now they were going to be killed by this monster. But these thoughts soon left the weary young boy because he was just. SO. HUNGRY.

Piper was magnanimous with the young Dwarf and it's cohorts. The meat of the dead, while cold and brittle, had been preserved by the great freeze. A meal not infested by the rot or maggots was a feast indeed and there was plenty to share with the little ones that crawled out of their hole. Of course, he took that same hole for himself as payment for this kindness, but they didn't seem to care that much. Those next few weeks were warm and good; he hadn't slept so close to other living things since he had retreated into the dark many years ago and the living blanket that covered him was a fine luxury on top of the masses of meatthat was now available to him.

While he had ignored the changes made to himself over the years, he took notice the changes his young wards were going through. Now even shorter and stockier then regular Dwarves, their light skin had faded into a pale grey. Teeth had been sharpened and wits had been dulled. The will to survive was strong in his adopted children and Piper could not be happier.



Life was good in the ruined hold, but good things can not last in this world of cold. Soon the plentiful meat ran out and his family again began to starve. Piper could not allow this; he no longer wanted to just survive, he wanted to live and he wanted his family to live as well. He wanted them to feast and breed and grow and everything else that truly living meant. He was older, fatter and more tired then a rat had any right to be. He should have left the earth long ago but now he had a reason; the ultimate survivor chose to sacrifice himself so that others might live. He died to the sounds of sobbing and chewing, his children beyond thankful for his great sacrifice. He died so that they might live, giving of himself without want or desire, but in that sacrifice Piper became more then a mere rat, more then a monster and more then an adoptive father.

As he had been forced to move long ago, so to were his children forced to flee their home. Desperate for food and warmth, they were not guided by the fickle mind of a starving rat; they were now guided by a God!

-----------

+2 Survival By Any Means: Piper is a survivor; he has travelled through city and plain, forest and hall. He has walked with humans, dwarves and things that have never met the sunlight. Sometimes he flourished and sometimes he shrivelled, suffering through conditions that make the Fimbulwinter seem like a cool ocean breeze. He has always survived and a little cold won't stop him now.

+2 Scavengers Cunning: A rat could never beat a human in a match of wits, but a cunning rat will survive where even the smartest of humans will fall. As decades turned into centuries, Pipers cunning has only grown and he has even earned a bit of wit himself. What human could hope to compete with him now.

+2 King Of The Survivors: Perhaps it was laziness that inspired his decision, or perhaps it was true kindness and mercy. Either way the Scurrying are now born into the world, consummate scavengers and survivors shaped and changed by Piper's will. He is their father, their king and their God. But they are not the only ones over which he holds dominion. Those that have been on the knife edge between life and death, those that have lost everything and still try to carry on and those who would take any chance for survival know Piper as their king; the rats and roaches that crawl on the earth, the bandits and scum who will sink to any depths and even the normal folks desperate to make a place for themselves and their children. Piper is the good Shepard leading them away from death, and they will survive.

+2 Deep Pits And Dark Tunnels: Piper walked side by side with the vile things of the deep. As decades became centuries, he was transformed from a mere rat into a monster. Though he would later become a god, his instinctual appeal for the dark places and those that reside within them is as strong as ever. Only Vendruck could claim more knowledge of the depths, but he has never tread where Piper has, broken bread with what Piper has, or consumed what Piper has consumed. Part of Piper will always belong to the deepest pits and darkest tunnels and it's denizens will always know their brother.

FOOD! -2: Food is beyond importance to Piper and his Children. With no farms to work and no grounds to hunt, the search for succor will be a hard one.

A Butchered Race -2: Piper's children were once dwarves, but the desperate call of survival has warped them beyond measure. Though they have gained many physical advantages from this vile change, they have also lost much in the way of knowledge and artifice. This is compacted by the fact that Pipers first brood were mere children when they underwent the change; there is no great history of the Scurrying, no grand cities to call their own, no songs or stories to tell around the firelight. For now, there is only survival.

OscarDiggs fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Nov 22, 2014

Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN
Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather



The Book of Bismark posted:

In the Time Before Time, when the legends where real and the Gods walked the earth as Men do now, the most feared name was that of the Mighty Warlord, Bismark von Trippletrow. Mighty were his thews and strong was his arm, his great warhammer Sanfte Schmetterling cleaved huge lines through many armies of his foes. His mustache was the envy of man and god alike and it was said he could seduce a woman just by being in the same room as her. It seemed as though The Savior of Pain would conquer the known world, bringing his deeds of warfare to all four corners of the map, but he was betrayed by his closest friend. He had been paid shining silver by the other gods to drive his bronze spear Winzigensack through his brother-in-blood's back.

"Yargfelter, my friend and brother, you have undone me with your treachery."

"Forgive me, my friend and brother, but the shiny silver did dazzle my eyes and make me forget myself."

"My love you shall have always, Yargfelter, but never my forgiveness. For treachery is the ultimate sin."

And so the mighty Warlord Bismark fell and there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth. In this, a final worship by the people he led, Bismark was raised unto dietyhood and rightfully took his mantle in the stars as the mighty Warlord of the Gods.

In reality Bismark is a relatively young God, having awakened to the cries and pleas of what are now his people many centuries back. He took the many tribes of the Easternmen and hammered from them an Empire where warfare, military might, and individual prowess on the battlefield were the highest acts of worship. He is called the Smugfather by his foes for his many gloating wins over their own people. With the coming of the cold, however, the Empire is crumbling and the people flee. Bismark's people must adapt and change to survive, but neither of these agree with their god.


+4 Warmaster: Bismark has mastered all forms warfare and all the weapons that are used. He is equally amazing with a butter knife as he would be with a tank. His signature weapon, and the one favored by his battlepriests, is the warhammer. When Bismark takes a hand in the brutal infighting of his Empire, the side he supports always succeeds with his advice.

+2 Commander: It isn't just about telling men what to do in battle, you have to lead them. Bismark's men trust and love their General-Bishops with fervor as they get their training from god Himself.

+2 The Empire: The sprawling tendrils of the Eastern Empire reach many places. Its population ranges from the fierce pastoral horsemen along the central plains, to the hearty and rugged foragers of the mountain tribes, to the lithe and intelligent city-dwellers whose gang conflicts keep the spirit of warfare alive. Bismark has an army to call upon at any time, and any number of laborers and scholars. But with the coming Cold the Empire is showing signs of fatigue.

-2 Stubborn and Unyielding: Bismark is resistant to sweeping changes and believes that his people can weather this Cold out. It has only just begun to sink in how terrible the Frost may be after his battle-priests have reported to him what has happened in the northern part of the Empire. Men freezing solid where they stand could possibly be more than He can handle.

-2 Sprawling Empire: The Eastern Empire is massive and it takes a great deal of time for one end to speak to the other, even with the extensive networks of roads and highways that have been constructed. It is dangerous to travel, as well. Bandits, Reavers, and Marauders roam many parts of the Empire unchecked as the various Chiefs, Headmen, Dukes and Warlords prefer to battle each other. Only the Constabulary, the Empire's Police Force, fights the bandits but they are woefully undermanned and underfunded. And also, where are these masses of people going to go as the Cold settles in? Bismark loves his people, all of them. He just likes the fighty ones a little more.


Assets:
The Seat of Power: +4 Seat of Power -2 Immobile Seat

The Eastern Empire

Men of the Cities

The humans of the east were always a large bunch, but over the centuries Bismark has placed emphasis and breeding larger and stronger as well as more intelligent. Only a smart man can master warfare and the stupid die early. It stands now that Easternmen stand nearly half again as tall as the average human of the weaker Wests. They have advanced metallurgy and the invention of the blast furnace has allowed the secret of steel to run from one end of the Empire to the other. The men of the Cities have always loved their heavy armor and despite their lithe frames they can run even wrapped in a hundred pounds of steel. They value more civilized forms of warfare and often fight other cities within the Empire for resources and land rights. Along the rugged Coast of Tears on the easternmost part of the Empire lays the city of Weichtenstinkenden Durcheinander von einer Stadt, the capital of the Empire. It is sprawling thing, seemingly all temples, military compounds of individual commanders, and the palaces of the mighty. The men of the Cities are the absolute heads of their households and in addition to their wives the wealthy often have a small enclave of concubines as it is taboo to engage with a woman while a child is still at breast.

Men of the Plains

The nomadic pastoral tribes of the great Central Plains of the Eastern Empire are fierce fighters that value individual prowess on the battlefield over even winning the fighter. In many cases warriors hoping to prove themselves carry only the Schmatzenzweig into battle, a long willow branch decorated with beads and feather. To strike an enemy with this and get away is worth a great deal of prestige. The plains are rich and fertile, providing the resources needed to graze the huge herds of domesticated bison. Bison raids are often a rite of manhood within the Hundred Tribes, as they call themselves, and the more Bison a young man can steal the finer a reward will be bestowed upon him by the tribal chieftain. The tribesmen favor light lances, sabers or axes, and compact recurve bows made of the horn of the bison. In the northern Plains it is said that the bison are dying, freezing to death in the night.

Interestingly, it is the women of the Tribes that owns all property. A man owns his horse, his weapons and whatever bits of leather and bronze armor he may have.

The Men of the Mountains

In the tall mountains that ring the Empire you can find the Fierdsmen, individualist foragers, trappers and lumberjacks. Famous for being even taller and broader than the men of the Cities, Fierdsmen are proud of their ability to weather the cold and the ability to wrestle a bear. They are fiercely independent and can most often be found as semi-nomadic bands with family ties. It is joked in the Empire that their women can't be told apart from their men as they are equal in size and strength, and that is very true. Although the women do not grow a beard. They value individual competition and although they share almost everything within their band they vie with others fiercely for the meager sustenance the area provides.

Ok I'm done. I might flesh the people out a little more later as I'm using this game as a launch platform for a school project that combines mythology, fiction and cultural anthropology.

Deadmeat5150 fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Nov 26, 2014

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

Puppies are dicks posted:

Oh so Malador's more like the lid keeping the horrible thing shut than anything else, and in fact Hell's one of those bigger on the inside spaces? I was thinking something along the lines that in a way all Heavens, Hells, Happy Fields of Food have their roots or connections to the Prime Material plane (the Earth) and as a reflection of that the physical presence of the ice has overwhelmed or destroyed many of those fragile dimensional bubbles by virtue of pouring way too much cold and ice through them than they were built to handle. Hell being bigger on the inside and already having its own layer of eternal ice (iirc Dante's lowest level is already pure cold torment) holds together better than most Underworlds but will inevitably either fill up or begin to crack under the metaphysical strain. It's big and under normal circumstances requires a steady flow of energy/souls to operate as part of a set with Heaven/the World, but as a standalone under pressure from the outside things might turn out poorly.


Oh, if the gates of hell were to be sundered and everyone in it were to go free, the mortal world would have bad times, no mistake. Most souls are not really problematic, and would do no more than causing haunts. But powerful corrupted wizards, slain wicked dragons, vampire lords that face final death and face final judgement, well, those would be rather horrible if they get loose. But Malador doesn't think the point of hell is to keep them away from mortals, it is to punish the guilty. I mean, a dragonsoul would be most secure if it was kept unconscious and completely isolated. But no, a creature of such damning pride is made sure to be awake and prominently tormented. If a soul escapes hell, Malador is not angered because of the innocents who'll suffer (since he thinks there are very little) but because someone is evading his just punishment, and likely enjoying himself. Also, the only things that have a place there are the ones that can be judged, and thus have or had the potential to choose good or evil. Demons have no place in hell. Though they have tried to assault it now and then, trying to acquire a soul that worked closely with them. Or offended them greatly.

And yes, bigger on the inside than the outside, but with actual entrances deep in the earth sounds like the way to handle them. Hell is probably less troubled by the cold itself than others, (not needing food helps there) but it won't be able to ignore it.

And of course there is the matter with the countless of dying souls that have died in the freezing, and who is going to judge them now? If you think Malador is going to just claim them all for himself, you haven't paid attention. He is the son of the God of Justice. And even though he thinks that just about each last mortal is worthy of hell to some degree, that only happens after a proper judgement, with a judge, a prosecutor and a defence. Without a proper judgement, hell isn't punishment, but simply a torture pit. But who will take these parts? And what should happen with hypothetical souls found undeserving of this?

I wasn't not sure on the 'hell is powered by souls' thing. Because souls aren't punished because that sustains hell. They are punished because this is what they deserve! Their are used as currency, because how many souls you are properly torturing tends to be how Malador judges his Princes, and thus how they judge those under them. But then I figured the fact that it does work like that makes the lack of selfishness in Malador's evil clearer. He could just try to claim all the souls of the slain for hell and gain a good amount of power there, perhaps enough to create a new balance, but it would be against everything he stands for.

But yes, clearly hell cannot endure in the present circumstances.

Puppies are dicks
Jan 31, 2011

WHY YOU GOTTA BREAK A BROS HEART

Manly Men of the Manland Menmpire aside, you're aware that the Ice is a global event and that the three distinct biomes you've written are shortly (right now) in the process of becoming/have become a single Icy Desolation right? You've got a healthy empire made of three different narratives full of individualistic, rugged, and manly individuals but my first move will almost certainly be to kill a city with a glacier, freeze herds to death where they stand, and snow in at least one mountain range in a way that will probably divide your polity into three dwindling bits faster than you can spell "shrinkage."

Also you forgot the part about why/how the Lorax has managed to survive the Ice where a lot of the other Gods in general have not. Taken for a given that the Menmpire is among the last places to be overwhelmed by the Ice, could those events be related? If so, has the Lorax done any forward planning given the fact that the frosty writing has been on the wall for a while now?

OscarDiggs posted:

Piper, Father Of The Scurrying

This is a really interesting choice OscarDiggs. It's a God of Rats only without specifically Rats. My first question then is will Piper probably eventually have broad multi-racial/cultural appeal so long as the children of those peoples he encounters join the Scurrying? Also just to make very sure, Piper is a gigantic horrible rodent right? That has no problems with eating people on the regular, frozen or otherwise?



Yep, just wanted to make sure we were on the same page of fleshly monstrosity here. Great entry, please do carry on etc.

Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN
I get that the Ice is a global event, I even show signs of it beginning in my descriptions. I fully expect to lose half my Empire but that still leaves a shitton of people. You'd be amazed what massive amounts of manpower can do when focused to a task.

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
Only half? If I get in I'd have lost 4/5ths of my people! Half is pretty light going for this Fimbulvinter as Puppies has described it.

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

And because of those losses, I might expect an increase in my population, as soon as we can arrange the paperwork.

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Rauri
Jan 13, 2008




Shogeton posted:

And because of those losses, I might expect an increase in my population, as soon as we can arrange the paperwork.

You'll get some of those that don't stick around as ghosts, anyways.

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