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Spirit of Rock
 
PostPosted: Fri, Aug 07 2015, 0:31 AM 

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Let the wind freeze their hearts, and the hungry waves amass, and the very earth quake beneath them! When their lives are thrown on the altar of Furies, they shall understand their insignificance!


- Karos Darksteed, Talassan Stormcaller, who later tripped while drunk and adamantly denied it

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The Concept


A group of wandering clergy of the evil elemental Gods; Auril, Talos, Umberlee, and maybe even Malar if you wanted to go full Deities of Fury.

Now hear me out. You might be thinking, 'what in Ao's useless bum would the (probably demented) followers of these Chaotic Evil gods be doing hanging out for shits and gigs?' Well, that's just it. The shared appetite for destruction and probable lack of morals means that these are likely not the kinds of adventurers who would be found getting chummy in the local tavern. As someone following deities who are feared, if not despised, in most civilised areas they have a lot in common with one another. It's an alliance of necessity (and perhaps desperation) more than anything else.

And next; 'this sounds like a ripe idea for a Chaotic Stupid pack of griefers that will cause a lot of drama.' Well, that's the way any group can go if it's handled poorly. But thinking about the possible goals of such a group and the manner in which they could fit into the Amian scene has me enthused.

Goals of the Followers


All deities need worshippers. Those who cannot be convinced through reason must be coaxed by fear, and that's the MO of the gods in question here. The majority of the clergy following these gods are opportunists who profit from those living in areas particularly susceptible to whatever element their deity controls; Auril in the North or areas that suffer from harsh winters, Umberlee on the coast, Talos in regions hit by storms and quakes.

Amia seems very susceptible to most of these. The clergy of these gods have the power to spare settlements; thus, the Followers might need to play the 'protection racket' game, taking advantage of the many naturally occurring disasters that have befallen the Isle to build some kind of base of influence. Umberlee has gotten a fair bit of coverage in Tarkuul and Ruathym, and Cordor has had its cobbles crippled by storms and quakes several times now. I know that city's history might not leave them well-disposed to overt meddling by Talassans, but means could surely be found to circumvent that.

By fearmongering, legitimate divine intervention and some careful planning, I believe the Followers could feasibly sate their destructive appetites while still building their God's influence in a constructive manner to the server. If they were to gain any traction, a chaotic loose-cannon faction with such awesome elemental power could be used as an interesting piece in plots of all sizes. They need not directly attack cities or players; they might be able to damage or protect the economy of the isle against storms, floods and cripplingly harsh winds, to incite unrest, or to be bribed with valuables and places of worship into fighting other, greater threats. There's a lot of creative uses for their power that don't need to amount to 'hurr me smash,' although that's obviously on the cards.

The key thing is to make them useful and give them a place and some reason for restraint, not to make them a roving band of poorly roleplayed roflstomping PvPers - because conflict would surely arise for them.

So why combine several clergies instead of rolling with just one?


Basically because the diversity would make for an interesting group dynamic. The Followers, probably being short on real allies, would need each other for protection and aid in advancing their aims. Since their areas of influence don't quite overlap geographically speaking (admittedly Talos and Umberlee have a rivalry, but the clergy don't need to imitate their deities to the last detail) they could further each others' aims for mutual benefit. But with divisions inside the group, perhaps competing for worshippers or being swayed by the influence of outsiders, the bonds holding them together could become interestingly strained. 'With friends like these...'

I say they'd be an interesting device in a plot if the group flourished, but internal tensions would certainly be a huge part of the group's dynamic. If united their power could be astonishing - as a Chaotic Evil leaning group, though, you can imagine how difficult that might be.

Conclusion


So there you have it. A volatile, violent but cunning group of no-gooders who use and abuse their elemental might for their own gain and the gain of their patron deities. And maybe each other. What do you think?


 
      
Blue Moon
 
PostPosted: Fri, Aug 07 2015, 5:39 AM 



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I've been wanting to create a Fury character for some time, the biggest drawback for me is that I know how hard it is to play a hunted/hated character that doesn't have a support network. I've rarely heard or seen of other fury PCs around and it might get unfun pretty quick with no one to play with. Despite being evil I also don't get the feeling a malarite or a talosan would mix well with say, the tarkuul evil/undeaders group. So there's two things working against you right there. But I don't know much about the server so feel free to prove me wrong

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serbiris
 
PostPosted: Fri, Aug 07 2015, 6:38 AM 

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I will bring a Malarite on the stipulation that the term "Furious Four" is used at least once, with feeling. :twisted:

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Spirit of Rock
 
PostPosted: Fri, Aug 07 2015, 13:57 PM 

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Blue Moon wrote:
I've been wanting to create a Fury character for some time, the biggest drawback for me is that I know how hard it is to play a hunted/hated character that doesn't have a support network. I've rarely heard or seen of other fury PCs around and it might get unfun pretty quick with no one to play with.


I totally agree; to create characters like this and, importantly, to do them justice, you can't really afford to hide the fact that your allegiance lies with these Gods, so setting up an OOC network and finding other characters to play with is really important, especially since once word gets around you're likely to be barred from a number of settlements.

That's why the 'alliance of necessity' part is doubly true from IC and OOC perspectives, but it does mean that the things you can accomplish will really revolve around other friendly characters being present. We would need to find creative ways of adding allies to the lists while starting out, and maybe even find some antagonists that we can build a story with. Early hostile confrontations would no doubt lead to the torches and pitchforks coming out if carelessly managed.

It'd definitely be a different playstyle, and one that would need a different set of expectations to more agreeable characters, but I think it'd be fun.

serbiris wrote:
I will bring a Malarite on the stipulation that the term "Furious Four" is used at least once, with feeling. :twisted:


:lol: I get the image of us, cloaks billowing, singing the 'Bad Guy Entrance Song' together. We'd give a pretty strong show what with all the natural elemental fireworks and werebeast backup dancers.


 
      
davis114
 
PostPosted: Fri, Aug 07 2015, 14:15 PM 

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Linked. Also, my Valkurian would be very happy about having his antithesis running around.

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Larsaan
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 12:31 PM 

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It should be noted that umberlants, at least, are grudgingly accepted and respected in port cities. People might not like Umberlee, but no one wants their ship sunk.

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serbiris
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 12:53 PM 

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Probably not locally, since Umberlants of the Kraken Society are known to have attempted to provoke a war between Ruathym and several mainland coastal cities, with that pickled sea elves stunt. Frozenfar prolly doesnt mind though.

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Larsaan
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 13:26 PM 

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To be honest, I'm not sure that changes much. Umberlee's still gonna sink your ship if you don't appease her, and most sailors who are just trying to get by wouldn't really risk that over politics.

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serbiris
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 14:05 PM 

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On the high seas it's anyone's game but in cities Umberlants are going to have trouble. Especially when Valkur offers a safer alternative.

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Larsaan
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 14:27 PM 

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The thing is, he doesn't. Valkur is a demigod, which means his powers are very limited as deities go, and his church is very small.

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serbiris
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 14:32 PM 

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A demigod is still immensely powerful, and in canon lore have proven capable of fending off more powerful deities. Regardless Umberlee has far more shipping to be concerned about than the Trackless Sea, and it's logical for sailors to turn away from a deity whose followers have proven hostile even if they supposedly provide a superior service.

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Larsaan
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 15:04 PM 

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With any other deity I'd agree with you, but Umberlee has always been hostile, and people have always put up with it. I just don't see that one political ploy as something that would turn the entire region against her, considering everything her church has gotten up to in the past.

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serbiris
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 15:48 PM 

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That "one political ploy" was, incidentally, high treason, very likely to result in a war that would leave a net body count magnitudes higher than average losses at sea. That's a good reason to start stringing Umberlants up and look for other means of safely plying the seas.

That said (and back on topic), PCs on Amia are known for being excessively hostile to followers of evil gods, even those who provide "protection racket" service. The Umberlee events of a few years back didn't help, as it was met by the typical "no compromise" attitude of PCs (likely brought on by the perceived strict standards to maintain "Good" alignment, the stipulation for the paladin class not to tolerate evil or lose their class features, other reasons). I'm not saying anyone is roleplaying wrong, I mean it's the hand we've been dealt, it's just unfortunate that "divine extortion" can't really be played out when opposed PCs are in the picture. Malarites, Umberlants, Beshabans and so on end up rather limited, but we just need to get around it. Hence the need to play it safe early on and build strength so as not to be steamrolled. A good strategy IMO would be to start setting down roots in areas with low PC population by "selflessly" aiding them, blessing their ships, hunting food for them, banishing storms and so on. From there... well, I shouldn't spoil the entire game plan :wink:

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Spirit of Rock
 
PostPosted: Sat, Aug 08 2015, 18:29 PM 

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Totally with ya, Serb. Malarites have that special event where they hunt food for settlements before winter falls don't they? And if i recall correctly they also leave one of their members behind in the village to help them out/ensure they don't get up to any of that wussy farming nonsense. The points about pc conflict are also very valid, and as you say, that's why i'm keen to stress a 'cooler' beginning. Ironically we might be pushing at that alignment problem from the other end. Just how far can we keep helping people before we need to commit a few atrocities to avoid upsetting the guys and gals upstairs??

Sadly i'm between houses at the moment and haven't got reliable net access, so it might be a week or two before i roll up a character (thinking a Talassan cleric) I'll let any interested folks know when i'm about, but if you're keen to get started beforehand it's no issue


 
      
Spirit of Rock
 
PostPosted: Sat, Sep 12 2015, 19:21 PM 

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My Talassan cleric Taur Marac is now in-game, but currently in stasis to allow any interested parties some time to roll up a new character or maybe concoct some co-operative backstory magic. Apply now!!!!!!!


 
      
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