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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rechan" data-source="post: 5218165" data-attributes="member: 54846">It goes without saying that my players need to vamoose. More accurately, I need a Trickster Shapechanger myth for my setting. While planning my encounters/plots for my current campaign, I noticed a link. There are several shapechanging races/monsters who are innately crafty (aranea, jackalweres, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucrotta" target="_blank">a crocotta</a> (<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/277823-mesh-hongs-monster-request-discussion-thread.html" target="_blank">converted</a> by Mesh Hong). A lycanthrope or barghest is likely going to fall in there somewhere. Not to mention the fairies that can change their likeness. The game takes place on an unexplored jungle continent in (right now) a relatively "safe" and walled off corner. Because I noticed the similarities between the monsters, I wanted to come up with an interesting creation myth for them. Or a way to fit them into the background maybe. But I've not got anything "clicking". So I thought I'd start a brainstormy thread. Start bouncing ideas around, and see if anything clicks for anyone. First a little background[sblock=Setting Background]This continent is basically the first cradle of civilization, the Gods' first try. The civilization(s) got too big, too much hubris, and the Gods smote them. By dropping Demogorgon on top of them and letting him go wild, before finally caging him away. Then the Gods just forsook the continent, literally said "We don't want to think about you anymore". Primal spirits and the fey have filled the land in their absence.Skip ahead a long while. Civilization there has stopped. The natives don't dare "advance" in a sense - they know that those that came before were toppled for angering the gods, but many have differing opinions as to why, so they have superstitions towards advancing. Enter colonists from a powerful country across the sea[/sblock]One other thing to make note. Given that I just listed various shapechanging trickster monsters, the most likely place to go first is just "the myth involves something evil". But one thing is important: not all of them are evil. The jackalweres, yes. The crocotta, yes. But the aranea are not. First, their larval stage are changelings (thus allowing PCs to have access to that race). Secondly, Aranea are not evil, just manipulative. They are the most "in the know" race in the area, and have convinced some of the local tribes that they are "speakers to the underworld" (I took off a myth from a Central American people who believe tarantulas are the messangers to the underworld because they live underground).</blockquote>

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