The Rod of Seven Parts: Kauai Team OOC

CanadienneBacon said:

Goblins would envision each quite differently; I am open to your interpretation.

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Reven sounds more like an impressive force of nature than a god with a doctrine that any sane person would seek to follow. If he's popular amongst goblins I'd hazard that he's more of a powerful symbol that they've adopted to help empower themselves in battle; sort of like wearing the hides of fierce beasts to gain confidence and frighten enemies. A tribe of goblins calling themselves the "Raiders of Reven" probably only do so to strike terror in their enemies rather than to venerate a god dedicated solely to the destruction of civilization. Even raiders have a coherent society with spouses and children that they want to preserve and enrichen afterall.

Tinuviel is a spurned lover; plain and simple. Her doctrine seems too elementary to sustain the long-term faith of an entire society. She sounds more like a goddess that one would invoke when one feels angry and vengeful more than as a tribal patron.

I'm surprised that you didn't suggest Xylla as a popular goblin patron. Her doctrine of 'Man before nature' would seem to be a good fit for the selfish and opportunistic goblins. Although she plays the role of the reaper, the fact that she grants the Healing, Knowledge and Travel domains would seem to point to the fact that she's also a wise and protective deity. In that regard she seems to resemble the classic depiction of Odin as a god of the battlefield who peers beyond the veil of death and who gains wisdom in the effort.

I imagined the "God-wolf" which Mael's tribe is named after is a great mythical Fenris-like divine wolf. I'd propose that goblins imagine Reven to be a mighty wolf who thunders across the skies during storms in his unbridled fury. He isn't worshipped so much as used to symbolize the tribe's proud warrior tradition; a fierce mascot of sorts. When it comes time for spiritual leadership however, goblins look to the Gudwolf's even-tempered and thoughtful daughter Xylla. She guards the natural order, riding atop her father's back on his wild hunts, directing his fury as she sees fit while steering him away from the homes of her faithful. She favors the wise and those who show no fear of death. When goblins go into battle, she helps protect those who show wisdom in their tactics, while laying low the unworthy with her mighty bow, who are then devoured by her ravenous father. The honored dead, Xylla gathers up and carries off to the afterlife Valkyrie-like. In light of that, I may lead Mael down the path of archery rather than two-weapon fighting. Hm...

For a favored enemy, I don't really see Mael starting off with a distinct hatred for any of the creature types you listed. Perhaps I could simply start the game and later pick a favored enemy based on what transpires. What do you think?

Thanks for your thoughts on the pantheon. I think I made mention of this at some point elsewhere (possibly in the original recruiting thread), but most creatures and cultures in my homebrew don't solely worship one deity. Each deity has a place in the daily life of nearly everyone, except perhaps for the most evil of gods (Reven would fit this bill). I had a look at Maelicent's alignment descriptor and, remembering that you earlier had stated your probable intent to retain said alignment, I went with E or CN suggestions for Mael. If you want the god's honest truth, I actually think Galarn or the Luckmaiden would be a good fit for a tribe of goblins. But Xylla would also work. You're quite free to select any of them, truth be told. You know your character better than anyone and know what's in his heart. I never did like the way standard D&D prescribes just one god for each culture or monster. It always seemed to me that that was a one-dimensional approach to life. When I sat down to create the pantheon (and I had help), I took pains to make the pantheon familial. Many of the gods are related to one another in husband/wife, brother/sister, or parent/offspring relationships.

If you don't want to wield a bow, I'll modify Xylla's clerical weapon selection to include scythes, sickles, and either flail or scimitar (your choice) over the existing bow choices. I realize Maelicent isn't a cleric, but since initially you seemed to be going for the TWF yet are attracted to Xylla, we can certainly tinker with things a bit. The change in weapon selection would be intended to reflect the goblin culture and the manner in which you envision goblins in his tribe worshipping Xylla. I don't at all object you going archery over TWF, though. I just need it to be one or the other, please. I'm willing to play with the pantheon a bit for this campaign.

I'm okay with you holding off on selecting Maelicent's favored enemy. You'll be foregoing a bonus until you declare, so, really, it's fair.

Once again, feel free to fire away with any questions. I'll be around off and on for another three hours or so tonight. I have some gift wrapping to do but I'll probably be taking breaks now and then.

The IC is up and running.

Strahd, it's a pub situation to start off. Please let me know if you need me to be more specific.

Alright, it begins... HL is awaiting for something to happen.

Just FYI - The character name - "Gamad" is translated as a "Dwarf" in Hebrew.

Heh. FYI, I imagine some of the drinking hall's patrons have taken to calling Maelicent either, Mal, Malice or Malicious as a joke.

Or Millicent.

CanadienneBacon said:

Or Millicent.

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I don't get it. :\

Millicent is a girl's name.

Ah. Yes. That's actually where I got the name. I changed the begining to Mael because it's a celtic name that means "chief"; my attempt to try and make the name masculine. Also, I just like the idea of a goblin named 'Malice'.