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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DMMo" data-source="post: 4145043" data-attributes="member: 62876">I'm in Florida, and most of my group is in Texas, so we will be playing online via Fantasy Grounds or maybe the DDI gaming table, depending on how that product turns out. I've got a group of four, but I may actually be able to accommodate one more ... of course, then you would have to stop reading this thread!Great input and insight here. I think the dwarves and pilgrims hit it off well. In fact, I'm quite certain the dwarves built the monastery. And I think that some (if not all) dwarves in Ildur have "converted" -- why? Well, much like Christianity, I think the core of this religion is very marketable, especially to the downtrodden (e.g. former dwarven slaves stuck on remote islands for centuries). Also, and I can't really articulate this yet, I think this religion is different from others in that it really works. I'm not sure yet what cataclysm(s) did in the old empires, but for a long time the intelligent races have either (a) felt abandoned by the old gods, who no longer protect them or answer prayers; or (b) fallen to the worship of mysterious and alien gods with unfathomable (or downright evil) intentions, who do indeed answer some prayers, but at a steep price (think of religion in the Howard Conan stories). So when a religion springs up worshiping one "Althing" kind of god, and their clerics/paladins actually have working, reliable divine powers, and they preach tolerance and acceptance and do good works across the lands, and their main iconic symbol actually seems to provide some protection from the Dark (e.g., the Cross vs. vampires), well, it's only natural that folks will buy in. And I just now developed pretty much all of that thanks to you, Shayuri, so thanks! Wow, really great idea (and I may use it in another part of this world). However, I'm stuck in my head with the picture of these bloodthirsty Venidur raiders showing up to sack a monastery and slaughter the monks, only to end up on their knees worshipping the monks' god! The why is hard, because it is necessarily kind of sudden. My first vague thoughts: (1) The monastery has nothing worth looting. No gold, silver, only bare essentials and humble trappings and vestments. This is a revelation to the Venidur, because they think ALL organized religions are essentially greed-ridden money laundering operations. So they slow down long enough to scratch their heads ... and then ... (2) A cleric at the monastery performs some kind of miracle. Could be as simple as healing the leader of the Venidur raiding mission, who had fallen ill on the sea voyage or maybe was seriously wounded when his longboat crashed on the rocky coast? Either way, I think it's been a long time since any Venidur has seen healing magic, and the idea that this cleric would give it freely to someone who was coming for the sole purpose of killing him and his people ... well, that could be a significant experience. I'm grasping for a 3rd reason to list here, but it is eluding me at the moment.I'm not really thinking that the religion is solely dragonborn. Rather, I'm thinking that this particular monastery was founded by dragonborn worshippers (and maybe the faith began with dragonborn and spread ... has to start somewhere, right?). My thought is that this monastery has become an important bastion for training in the faith. Pilgrims, including some of those rare few who are chosen (e.g. clerics and paladins), find themselves called here, and travel from far parts to study here in this isolated monastery. So it was founded by dragonborn, but some of the local dwarves joined up, and every once in a while new "students" arrive -- could be from any race. And there is also a steady stream of those who have studied here going out into the world to spread the faith. So a PC could be a descendent of the dragonborn founders (but may or may not be a cleric, paladin, or even religious ... after all, not every preacher's son becomes a preacher, you know?). But there is also room for a PC cleric/paladin from any of the races really. Also, pilgrims might serve as the primary contact between the peoples of Ildur and the outside world.Thanks so much for the time and thought that went into your response, Shayuri!</blockquote>

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