Goblin gods (Khurgorbaeyag, Nomog-Geaya, and Bargrivyek)

i'm typing up their descriptions now. first, here's Khur:

KHURGORBAEYAG
The Overseer
Lesser Deity
Symbol: Red and yellow striped whip
Home Plane: Acheron
Alignment: Neutral evil
Portfolio: Goblins, slavery, oppression, morale
Worshippers: Goblins
Cleric Alignments: LE, NE, CE
Domains: Evil, Trickery, War
Favored Weapon: Whip

Khurgorbaeyag serves as one of the chief lieutenants of the supreme goblin god, Maglubiyet. He functions in the capacity as the patron god of the goblins in particular. He is as trusted by Maglubiyet as any deity is – and that is not very much.

Khurgorbaeyag bows to no one but Maglubiyet; at least until he discovers a foolproof plot to dispose of the tyrant. His chief rival for power is the god of hobgoblins, Nomog-Geaya. Stories from Khurgorbaeyag’s shamans tell of how he must deal with his rival’s subtle treacheries, lest Maglubiyet hear and punish them both. Khurgorbaeyag thus pushes his goblin spirit army to fight all the harder against the orcs, to make up for the supposed laziness of their hobgoblin allies.

Khurgorbaeyag appears as a tall, well-muscled goblin in scale mail, with flame-red skin, speckled with scales of orange and yellow. He carries a great red and yellow striped whip, which he uses to drive his followers on, and to attack his foes.

Like Maglubiyet, Khurgorbaeyag makes his home in the realm of Clangor on Acheron. He lives in the greatest city in the realm, Shetring, which is also the site of his greatest temple. This sprawling city stretches over both sides of the River Lorfang, near the waterfall where Maglubiyet makes his home.

Dogma
Khurgorbaeyag’s chief concern is promoting an aggressive system of conquering and oppressing other peoples, and taking slaves from among them. He encourages the taking of live captives to be used in the tribal lair as grueling slave labor, or for ritual public torture – called “instruction” by the faithful.

Khurgorbaeyag finds an important partner among the bugbears, as he has found Hruggek to be a valuable ally against the orcish gods. He encourages his followers to work in fair harmony with bugbear priests, sometimes joining them in ceremonies, or having bugbears guard his temples.

Clergy and Temples
Shamans of Khurgorbaeyag devote their time and attention to the specific needs of goblins in general, while the followers of Maglubiyet often serve as intermediaries between goblins and hobgoblins. Khurgorbaeyag’s priests serve to reinforce the oppression of the good humanoid races as the best course of action to ensure goblin well-being and security. These clerics participate in warfare along with the rest of the tribe, though mostly only in advisory positions. Their worship is otherwise very similar to that of Maglubiyet.

Clerics must secure supplies of ropes and chains to bring on military activities to assist in the incarceration of prisoners. Their favorite slaves are humans, though any humanoid race will do. Dwarves and goblins, though, are put to death. Clerics carry whips only as holy symbols, and typically use maces or clubs as weapons or to subdue prisoners. They wear red scale mail and war helms, with vestments made from gray wolf fur. Their favorite spells are those that cause fear. They keep wolves as pets for themselves or for tribal leaders, but do not use them as mounts.

NOMOG-GEAYA
The General, the Torturer
Lesser Deity
Symbol: Crossed broadsword and hand axe
Home Plane: Acheron
Alignment: Lawful evil
Portfolio: Hobgoblins, war, authority
Worshippers: Hobgoblins
Cleric Alignments: LN, LE, NE
Domains: Evil, Law, Strength, War
Favored Weapon: Broadsword

Nomog-Geaya is one of the toughest of the goblinoid deities, feared and respected as a great military commander and merciless warrior, second only to Maglubiyet in personal power. He serves as the patron deity of hobgoblins, exemplifying their traits of brutal courage, and stoic cold-bloodedness.

Maglubiyet considers Nomog-Geaya to be very valuable, as he is too weak to be a threat to him, but unparalleled among goblinkind as a war commander. Though Maglubiyet refuses to believe that he can trust any being fully, Nomog-Geaya actually has no wish to take any power or position away from his leader. Nomog-Geaya loathes Khurgorbaeyag, his great rival, and forces his hobgoblin spirit army to fight harder against the orcs, to make up for the weakness of the goblins. Nomog-Geaya feels tremendous disgust for Bargrivyek, as he considers the god of goblin peace to be weak and cowardly; he only leaves him alone because he knows that Maglubiyet needs the weakling.

Nomog-Geaya appears as a huge, powerful goblin with rough, ash-gray skin, cold orange eyes, and teeth like a shark’s. He almost always has his broadsword in one hand, and his hand axe in the other. He is said to have no expressions other than a grim, tight-lipped look of domineering authority. He is quiet and only speaks when he must.

Nomog-Geaya shares the realm of Clangor with Maglubiyet and Khurgorbaeyag, grudgingly. Where he makes his home is uncertain, although he does spend a lot of time in Redspike, the main town of the hobgoblins in Clangor. It is believed that he ordered the hobgoblins to settle this giant mesa, and turn it into the giant tower that it is now. It is said that Nomog-Geaya sends omens to his priests through the cries of the tortured in the city’s streets.

Dogma
Nomog-Geaya is a master in the art of pain, never showing the slightest expression either when inflicting it or receiving it. Keeping in this spirit, hobgoblins who wish to become chieftains or priests must undergo ritual torture to determine if they are worthy, just as the judicial system relies on trials by torture; whichever party can withstand the most pain will prove the rightness of its case.

After a battle, Nomog-Geaya will cook the flesh of his enemies and eat it. He expects his clerics to practice the same vile habit. He encourages the use of surviving humanoid enemies as slaves and torture objects, not caring if they are orcs, kobolds, or even goblins, as these creatures are obviously inferior. Humans and other beings with strong wills are the best candidates for ritual torture, but elves are considered useless but dangerous, and are best killed immediately.

Clergy and Temples
Priests of Nomog-Geaya serve as judicial authorities within their communities, administering torture when required by law, and serving as advisors to chieftains. They also enforce public rituals and religious ceremonies, to ensure that the tribe maintains its lawfulness and respect for authority. They wear armor made of iron or steel colored a bright, bloody red, favoring banded mail, and great helmets that cover the entire face except for the eyes.

Nomog-Geaya’s clerics are cold, cruel fanatics that maintain rigid discipline in hobgoblin society. They must display his personal qualities at all times; some have been executed for an offense as minor as laughing while torturing captives. Well-practiced priests are almost never affected by humor or displays of emotion. Clerics preach about the weakness of goblins, the heresy of the elves’ emotional displays, and the danger of the innate goodness of dwarves and gnomes; of course, at least the dwarves can demonstrate the proper attitude of a warrior, and have earned a glimmer of grudging respect. The hobgoblins have annual worship ceremonies that involve the torture of many creatures, at mid-winter in underground temples.

Nomog-Geaya:

BARGRIVYEK
The Peacekeeper
Lesser Deity
Symbol: White-tipped flail
Home Plane: Baator
Alignment: Lawful evil
Portfolio: Goblinoids, co-operation, territory
Worshippers: Goblinoids
Cleric Alignments: LN, LE, NE
Domains: Community, Evil, Law, War
Favored Weapon: Flail

Bargrivyek is the mediator of the goblin deities, who works to minimize disputes within and between goblin tribes. He is aggressive and territorial like the other goblinoid gods, but he prefers to use his brains rather than brawn to gain his advantages. This god is just as just as warlike as the others, and sees unity as a means to expand greater control over territory. This god earned the epithet “The Peacekeeper” not from begging the enemies of the goblins for peace, but for his lack of tolerance for inter-clan warfare.

Maglubiyet does not care much for Bargrivyek, but sees his role in the lives of goblins is vital; this is the only reason Bargrivyek is still alive. Nomog-Geaya has even less use for him, and Bargrivyek knows this and fears the hobgoblin god. He follows the commands of these gods as quickly as he can. Bargrivyek does have fair relations with Khurgorbaeyag though, as they have similar views on discipline and the unity of goblins at the expense of other races. Both gods also see the eventual ascendancy of goblins as rulers of the world as a matter of fact.

Bargrivyek appears as an oversized goblin with a high-domed forehead, carrying a flail with a white tip. He usually wears a calm, serene expression that masks his deep thoughts. A retinue of loyal barghest servants sometimes accompanies Bargrivyek. In fact, it has been suggested that barghests were named after Bargrivyek.

Bargrivyek maintains a realm on Baator, where the rest of the goblin pantheon once lived, called by the misnomer the Peaceable Lands. This realm is just another training ground for goblin armies, where they are forced through brutal training exercises. These goblins are sometimes lent to Maglubiyet’s war effort, but they are mainly used in raids against the kobold god Kurtulmak’s realm.

Dogma
Bargrivyek believes that unity is strength, and is pleased by displays of unity and discipline. By focusing on dangers from outside the tribe, the tribe can be encouraged to work together to crush their enemies. Peace among goblins is the only way to continue expansion.

Bargrivyek is impatient at the state of underground living for most goblins, and pushes them to move out into the surface. Priests who are able to bring tribes to new settlements above ground are well rewarded by Bargrivyek.

Clergy and Temples
The primary function of Bargrivyek’s priesthood is to serve as mediators to goblin tribes, working to minimize conflicts between them and within them. They spend most of their time unifying the efforts of goblins, usually accomplished by stirring up feelings against outside peoples. They also seek to expand the territory of a tribe, and establish tribes as widely as possible.

here's something to give thought to, the weapons/possessions of these gods:

Khurgorbaeyag:
1E:
"His only weapon is a great whip, with which he drives his followers on to their duties and into war. He may either attack twice with the lash, injuring foes with its supersonic snap, or may make a single attack against more dangerous foes. This single attack is designed to render enemies immobile; the whip unerringly wraps around the opponent’s feet or wings (out to the 30-foot range of the weapon) and acts as a Rope of Entanglement with three times normal hit points. In addition, anyone touched by the whip in either attack mode must save vs. magic at -4 or be affected as if by a Symbol of Hopelessness, immediately surrendering to the wielder. Victims of this effect of the whip will remain in despair for a number of weeks equal to 20 minus the victim’s wisdom score."

2E:
"His whip +3 can fly up to 30' as a rope of entanglement and a blow from it acts as a symbol of hopelessness, the effect lasting for a number of days equal to 20, minus the Wisdom of the creature struck. He carries a small copper cube which can be thrown at a target to expand into a 10' x 10' x 10' forcecage; those inside are affected as by a symbol of hopelessness (normal save versus spells to negate)."


Nomog-Geaya: (a broadsword, by the way, does 2d4 damage.)
1E:
"In battle he uses two weapons, one per hand: a broadsword which acts as a +3 Sword of Wounding, and a +2 axe which, upon a successful hit, immediately affects the victim as a Symbol of Pain."

2E:
"The avatar strikes with two weapons for each of his attack sequences (total four attacks per round). He is immune to any strength-draining magic, fear, and hopelessness. His broadsword +3 has the property of wounding, and his hand axe +2 has the same effects as a symbol of pain when it hits (normal saving throw versus spells to negate)."


Bargrivyek:
"His flail + 3 will stun an opponent struck for 1d6 rounds unless they make a saving throw versus spells."


Edit: of course, all DDG gods have +5 weapons, so ignore where it says otherwise.

cool, i'll take a look at that soon should these weapons also be unholy and/or lawful?

by the way, i do think i will make Barg DvR 8 - he was never meant to be equal to khur or nomog. they should be able to give him a sound thrashing if they wanted to. what do you think about this?