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[Let's Read] Nyambe: African Adventures
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 7634985" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/hUJB0G6.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>The shortest chapter of all, this covers the religious practices of Nyambe and the game mechanics for the orisha. Basically Nyambe never answers prayers directly, so normal people and divine spellcasters use the orisha as intermediaries. Every individual and culture has their own favorites, and one’s profession or circumstance may mean that one honors an orisha or group of orisha enough that they are effectively their patron.</p><p></p><p></p><p>An interesting thing to note is that barring some exceptions the holy symbols of orisha are not mere symbolism: tools related to the orisha’s domain of influence most often serve this purpose. For example, Nimbala the Judge and Shonamu the hunter treat scimitars and bows both as favored weapons and holy symbols, while Ancestor orisha treat items owned by the dearly departed as such; but in this last case can only be used for ceremonial purposes without defiling it.</p><p></p><p></p><p>One other thing separating Nyamban religion from most D&D pantheons is that barring the Celestial and Fiendish orisha, the “patron orisha” game options are not single specific entities but rather broad concepts. The Ancestor Orisha option can be anything as broad as the Tisambe people to those of your hometown, while the Animal Orisha option can range from herd animals to reptiles.</p><p></p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/szEsqY2.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Ancestor Orisha:</strong> These are the ghosts of past generations, and while worshiped by virtually every Nyamban they only grant prayers to their descendants. They are Lawful Neutral and have the Fertility, Luck, Protection, and Strength domains.</p><p></p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/JEq9ZkX.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/sPdjciR.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/xPN1hiW.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/wMXwbnE.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Elemental Orisha:</strong> These are spirits hail from the four elemental planes and whose presence in the mortal realm manifests as natural phenomena. Although collectively True Neutral, worshipers may be of any alignment. Their four domains are Air, Earth, Fire, and Water but n’anga must honor one of the four elements as a patron and choose their related domain as one of their two options.</p><p></p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/cWRzMUZ.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Vot8o1t.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/RxcTH1W.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Natural Orisha:</strong> These are spirits of animals, plants, and specific geographic features, and are split into these three options as patron deities. Due to the myriad variety of such things in the natural world, most priests venerate a group of related animals or plants. In the case of geographic orisha, they honor a region in which they live. All three orisha groups are Chaotic Neutral and their domains vary: Animal orisha have Animal, Birds, Fish, and Hunting domains; Plant orisha have the Plant, Sun, and Water domains; and Geographic orisha have Earth, Iron, and Water.</p><p></p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/mIQibjQ.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/4hu3gbO.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/CmH5lA3.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Celestial Orisha:</strong> Celestial orisha are good-aligned outsiders who were never mortal or who ascended so long ago their origins are forgotten. The book notes that they’re often referred to as “gods,” which kind of contradicts the idea that only Nyambe is worshiped. Regardless, both Celestial and Fiendish orisha are famous enough that their titles and roles are virtually the same among all cultures and ethnicities. Each individual orisha of both categories are much like standard D&D deities: they have their own individual alignment, domains, and favored weapons.</p><p></p><p></p><p><em>Araku the Warrior</em> is the patron of blacksmiths, warriors, and laborers, granting blessings to those who create and defend. <em>Bedaga the Trickster</em> is the patron of doorways and roads, who upends established social orders to empower the weak. <em>Easafa the River</em> is the patron of rivers and romantic love, and her n’anga are renowned as excellent peacemakers. <em>Nimbala the Judge</em> is one of the most popular celestial orisha, but whose moral standards of law and justice are so high that few n’anga receive his blessings. <em>Ramaranda the Diviner</em> is the orisha famed for the creation of the sei and overthrow of the Kosan Empire, and encourages careful foresight and planning. <em>Shonamu the Hunter</em> presides over those who live off of and seek protection from the dangers of the wilderness. <em>Siama the Dead</em> watches over those who passed on and who makes her will known through thunderstrikes targeting grave-robbers, murderers, necromancers, and all who would defile the natural boundaries of life and death. <em>Tarango the Drummer</em> is a free-spirited and artistic entity associated with fire and music, and is popular among the lower classes but despised by the rich who consider him a threat to public order. <em>Tisanda the Ocean</em> is Easafa’s sister, who presides over rain and harvest in addition to the ocean, and her n’anga specialize in providing fertility rituals to those suffering reproductive problems.</p><p></p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/o6POQQO.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/RfkIRuZ.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.imgur.com/3qE5yjX.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Fiendish Orisha:</strong> The fiendish orisha are invariably evil-aligned and often called demons or devils. Worship of them is banned in most lands, although some people honor them in private to stay their fury if not out of genuine devotion.</p><p></p><p></p><p><em>Bokor the Arcane</em> is the orisha of arcane magic, associated so for being the first to discover how to steal magic from the Overpower.* <em>Dar!ak the Bloody</em> is the orisha of assassins and cold-blooded murder and encourages killing everyone who disagrees with you in a dispute or debate (sounds fun at parties). <em>Dogar the Haggler</em> is the orisha of <s>capitalism</s> greed, usury, and laziness and encourages followers to accumulate wealth through under-handed means. <em>Gamal the Dark One</em> is a nihilistic entity of darkness and oblivion, who teaches his followers to believe in nothing save the inevitable end of all things. <em>GuDuGu the Obscene One</em> is the orisha of nightmares and insanity, whose worshipers never voluntarily choose to worship him and instead are visited with maladies warping their perception of reality. <em>Molamu the Seducer</em> believes in using sex to bring about misery, and thus prioritizes infidelity and rendering people infertile. <em>Na/inga the Warrior Queen</em> is the patron of lycanthropes and cannibals, granting the powers of deadly animals to her followers. <em>N!ok the All-Seeing Eye</em> was the effective head of the Kosan pantheon and is thus associated with tyranny and war. <em>Sama/ the Poison One</em> presides over poison, disease, crop failure, and all manner of physical maladies. <em>Shakare the Torturer</em> is a sadist who demands her worshipers to kidnap and torture people for no other reason than sick pleasure. <em>Tu the Outcast</em> is the orisha of isolation and suicide, and he does not have many high-level worshipers on account that most kill themselves before they grow too powerful. <em>Zombi the Serpent Lord</em> is the fiendish orisha of serpents and the undead, most popular among necromancers of all stripes and encourages power over others by dominating the dearly departed’s bodies and souls.</p><p></p><p></p><p>*I feel this raises several questions. Why be just a cleric of Bokor then, when you can be a mchawi? The text does acknowledge that evil arcane spellcasters are his typical worshipers, but why the domains then?</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Thoughts So Far:</strong> I do like how Nyambe departs from the standard monolatrist pantheons of D&D by having clerics worship broader concepts or groups of related spirits as a single “patron deity.” But even then I couldn’t help but notice how the celestial and fiendish orisha are a compromise to familiarity. I do like how most holy symbols become some variety of physical item; it makes the honoring of orisha feel more keyed-in to their follower’s daily lives.</p><p></p><p></p><p>That said, I am not a fan of the association of mental illness with evil entities. Although not restricted to Nyambe, it’s part of a broader media trope which portrays these people not as victims but as a clear and present danger to others regardless of the disorder in question. I can get the idea of evil entities breaking people’s minds, but having said victims worship and honor them is a bit much.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we master Nyamban Magic in Chapter Nine!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 7634985, member: 6750502"] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/hUJB0G6.png[/img][/center] The shortest chapter of all, this covers the religious practices of Nyambe and the game mechanics for the orisha. Basically Nyambe never answers prayers directly, so normal people and divine spellcasters use the orisha as intermediaries. Every individual and culture has their own favorites, and one’s profession or circumstance may mean that one honors an orisha or group of orisha enough that they are effectively their patron. An interesting thing to note is that barring some exceptions the holy symbols of orisha are not mere symbolism: tools related to the orisha’s domain of influence most often serve this purpose. For example, Nimbala the Judge and Shonamu the hunter treat scimitars and bows both as favored weapons and holy symbols, while Ancestor orisha treat items owned by the dearly departed as such; but in this last case can only be used for ceremonial purposes without defiling it. One other thing separating Nyamban religion from most D&D pantheons is that barring the Celestial and Fiendish orisha, the “patron orisha” game options are not single specific entities but rather broad concepts. The Ancestor Orisha option can be anything as broad as the Tisambe people to those of your hometown, while the Animal Orisha option can range from herd animals to reptiles. [img]https://i.imgur.com/szEsqY2.png[/img] [b]Ancestor Orisha:[/b] These are the ghosts of past generations, and while worshiped by virtually every Nyamban they only grant prayers to their descendants. They are Lawful Neutral and have the Fertility, Luck, Protection, and Strength domains. [img]https://i.imgur.com/JEq9ZkX.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/sPdjciR.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/xPN1hiW.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/wMXwbnE.png[/img] [b]Elemental Orisha:[/b] These are spirits hail from the four elemental planes and whose presence in the mortal realm manifests as natural phenomena. Although collectively True Neutral, worshipers may be of any alignment. Their four domains are Air, Earth, Fire, and Water but n’anga must honor one of the four elements as a patron and choose their related domain as one of their two options. [img]https://i.imgur.com/cWRzMUZ.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/Vot8o1t.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/RxcTH1W.png[/img] [b]Natural Orisha:[/b] These are spirits of animals, plants, and specific geographic features, and are split into these three options as patron deities. Due to the myriad variety of such things in the natural world, most priests venerate a group of related animals or plants. In the case of geographic orisha, they honor a region in which they live. All three orisha groups are Chaotic Neutral and their domains vary: Animal orisha have Animal, Birds, Fish, and Hunting domains; Plant orisha have the Plant, Sun, and Water domains; and Geographic orisha have Earth, Iron, and Water. [img]https://i.imgur.com/mIQibjQ.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/4hu3gbO.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/CmH5lA3.png[/img] [b]Celestial Orisha:[/b] Celestial orisha are good-aligned outsiders who were never mortal or who ascended so long ago their origins are forgotten. The book notes that they’re often referred to as “gods,” which kind of contradicts the idea that only Nyambe is worshiped. Regardless, both Celestial and Fiendish orisha are famous enough that their titles and roles are virtually the same among all cultures and ethnicities. Each individual orisha of both categories are much like standard D&D deities: they have their own individual alignment, domains, and favored weapons. [i]Araku the Warrior[/i] is the patron of blacksmiths, warriors, and laborers, granting blessings to those who create and defend. [i]Bedaga the Trickster[/i] is the patron of doorways and roads, who upends established social orders to empower the weak. [i]Easafa the River[/i] is the patron of rivers and romantic love, and her n’anga are renowned as excellent peacemakers. [i]Nimbala the Judge[/i] is one of the most popular celestial orisha, but whose moral standards of law and justice are so high that few n’anga receive his blessings. [i]Ramaranda the Diviner[/i] is the orisha famed for the creation of the sei and overthrow of the Kosan Empire, and encourages careful foresight and planning. [i]Shonamu the Hunter[/i] presides over those who live off of and seek protection from the dangers of the wilderness. [i]Siama the Dead[/i] watches over those who passed on and who makes her will known through thunderstrikes targeting grave-robbers, murderers, necromancers, and all who would defile the natural boundaries of life and death. [i]Tarango the Drummer[/i] is a free-spirited and artistic entity associated with fire and music, and is popular among the lower classes but despised by the rich who consider him a threat to public order. [i]Tisanda the Ocean[/i] is Easafa’s sister, who presides over rain and harvest in addition to the ocean, and her n’anga specialize in providing fertility rituals to those suffering reproductive problems. [img]https://i.imgur.com/o6POQQO.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/RfkIRuZ.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/3qE5yjX.png[/img] [b]Fiendish Orisha:[/b] The fiendish orisha are invariably evil-aligned and often called demons or devils. Worship of them is banned in most lands, although some people honor them in private to stay their fury if not out of genuine devotion. [i]Bokor the Arcane[/i] is the orisha of arcane magic, associated so for being the first to discover how to steal magic from the Overpower.* [i]Dar!ak the Bloody[/i] is the orisha of assassins and cold-blooded murder and encourages killing everyone who disagrees with you in a dispute or debate (sounds fun at parties). [i]Dogar the Haggler[/i] is the orisha of [s]capitalism[/s] greed, usury, and laziness and encourages followers to accumulate wealth through under-handed means. [i]Gamal the Dark One[/i] is a nihilistic entity of darkness and oblivion, who teaches his followers to believe in nothing save the inevitable end of all things. [i]GuDuGu the Obscene One[/i] is the orisha of nightmares and insanity, whose worshipers never voluntarily choose to worship him and instead are visited with maladies warping their perception of reality. [i]Molamu the Seducer[/i] believes in using sex to bring about misery, and thus prioritizes infidelity and rendering people infertile. [i]Na/inga the Warrior Queen[/i] is the patron of lycanthropes and cannibals, granting the powers of deadly animals to her followers. [i]N!ok the All-Seeing Eye[/i] was the effective head of the Kosan pantheon and is thus associated with tyranny and war. [i]Sama/ the Poison One[/i] presides over poison, disease, crop failure, and all manner of physical maladies. [i]Shakare the Torturer[/i] is a sadist who demands her worshipers to kidnap and torture people for no other reason than sick pleasure. [i]Tu the Outcast[/i] is the orisha of isolation and suicide, and he does not have many high-level worshipers on account that most kill themselves before they grow too powerful. [i]Zombi the Serpent Lord[/i] is the fiendish orisha of serpents and the undead, most popular among necromancers of all stripes and encourages power over others by dominating the dearly departed’s bodies and souls. *I feel this raises several questions. Why be just a cleric of Bokor then, when you can be a mchawi? The text does acknowledge that evil arcane spellcasters are his typical worshipers, but why the domains then? [b]Thoughts So Far:[/b] I do like how Nyambe departs from the standard monolatrist pantheons of D&D by having clerics worship broader concepts or groups of related spirits as a single “patron deity.” But even then I couldn’t help but notice how the celestial and fiendish orisha are a compromise to familiarity. I do like how most holy symbols become some variety of physical item; it makes the honoring of orisha feel more keyed-in to their follower’s daily lives. That said, I am not a fan of the association of mental illness with evil entities. Although not restricted to Nyambe, it’s part of a broader media trope which portrays these people not as victims but as a clear and present danger to others regardless of the disorder in question. I can get the idea of evil entities breaking people’s minds, but having said victims worship and honor them is a bit much. [b]Join us next time as we master Nyamban Magic in Chapter Nine![/b] [/QUOTE]
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