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The world of Creagadier is ruled by the Creator and nine Powers.
The Creator created the world. His plans for the world are wise and inevitable. Yet he allows the chocies made by his creations to change the pace and manner in which these plans unfold.
The Powers are unique creatures to whom the Creator has given awesome authority, power and status. In most of the world they are never encountered. Yet they live in or near Arlinac Town, where they can be met by those brave enough to seek them out. They can shape the world when working within the boundaries of the authority the Creator has granted them. But they also seek wider control over Arlinac Town and the world, and influence events from far within the deepest layers of intrigue.
The Creator is the only divine being. He uses no visible form—not even in dreams. He is referred to with the masculine pronoun despite having neither masculine nor feminine traits. He cannot be physically touched or hurt.
The Creator has ultimate authority and patience. He is the source of all prophecies because his plan for the world will inevitably be fulfilled in every detail. But his plan is his own secret and questions abound. Which events and circumstance are among the plan's details? When will prophetic events unfold? At what pace will the plan progress?
The Creator can observe any place. He still acts, yet he prefers his deeds to remain subtly hidden: his hand is typically only recognized in hindsight.
The Creator enjoys when his creations speak to him aloud or through art. He is chatty and often replies privately using a quiet tone that seems very like normal thought except that it could never be mistaken for anything but the Creator's voice. Many of his replies are humorous truths the hearer would never have otherwise deduced or imagined.
The Creator abhors temples, shrines, or altars built in any attempt to serve or worship him. He knocks them down with lightning, small meteors, or a well-aimed giant watermelon. He maintains no dungeons, chooses no champions, creates no monsters, and gives no gifts besides an occasional conversation.
A group of strange yet similar legends describe a special doorway through which the Creator will some day enter the world in bodily form. Differences among these legends include what the doorway is made of (diamond, gold, pure light, etc.) and where it is located (various famous or holy places)
The Creator is neither good nor evil. But he and his plan are wise, noble, and foundational. Because the Powers and other forces struggle to influence the pace and details of this solid plan the world becomes planned yet uncertain, noble yet corrupt, and overseen yet dangerous: a setting ripe for heroism and adventures!
The world of Arlinac Town has a background of myths rooted in fact. Its people know many stories of ages past that grant them a sense of identity and purpose. Although these stories may have details that are inaccurate, overall they are trusted because they involve the Creator and Powers, all of which are still active today. Thus religion is an integral part of most lives, many people are actively devout. This means that both individuals and groups have important reasons for giving devotion, service, and worship; through religious activity individuals find comfort, experience joy, receive guidance, build identity, and gain a sense of purpose.
The Powers are creatures who govern the world with authority, power and status granted to them by the Creator.
The Powers have physical bodies and each can only observe the location in which it is present. However, all Powers can instantly travel to any place they have previously been. They cannot be killed, but can be wounded if cut by weapons whose blades are made of the mineral Jadeite.
Although very different from one another, they share four similarities:
The Powers help make the world ripe for adventuring through what they oversee: dungeons and temples, heroes and villains, monsters and secret societies, artifacts and quests.
The Powers also cause adventures to sprout through their overlapping interests and authorities, most of which converge at Arlinac Mountain (the geographical focus of the setting). Exciting and daring events happen as the Powers vie for influence over the mountain, its town, and its inhabitants by trying to convince, manipulate, trick, or coerce the city's residents.
Jadeite is one of the two minerals commonly called jade. According to some Chinese legends, jade weapons can harm mythical or immortal monsters and people.
Unlike in many fantasy role-playing game settings, the Powers do not correspond to character races or classes. (It is not true that all Dweorgs worship Speleoth, all machinists worship Frosty Kostkey, etc.) This allows more subtle and realistic conflicts. For example, the people involved a legal dispute might argue about which Power's temple to take their case: one party might favor Old Man River's strict justice, another the Lamia's acceptance of repentance, a third the non-materialistic perspective of Little Humble.
Moreover, because the Powers are not tied to races or professions they can be used to allow adventures to spotlight or evaluate spiritual and moral topics: issues such as contentment, temptation, pride, faith, forgiveness, and service can be woven into adventure plots and character personalities to create a setting more worth talking about. (This must involve Powers rather than truly divine beings, for the realities of knowing and following the divine contradicts the types of suspense and uncertainty necessary for a fun RPG adventure.)
What's the way to gather the clouds away?
Bitterness can be changed to sweet.
Little Humble dances on, on down Sublimity Street
Every girl and boy can rest in joy.
Don't own, prize, or strive, but love all you meet.
Little Humble dances on, on down Sublimity Street
- Therion children's song
Little Humble was the first Power created by the Creator. She woke up, smiling, a few days after the eight intelligent races were created.
Little Humble looks like a young girl, usually a Therion child. Her clothes are plain. She wears neither shoes nor jewelry. She enjoys being lent a pretty hat, and from the time the hat is returned to its owner until the next sundown gently touching the hat will cure any disease.
Little Humble has no special interest in Arlinac Town, but does have many followers and a Meek Manor there.
Little Humble cannot lie. Her name is used to enforce a vow. Even people who do not worship her or follow her teachings swear by saying, "If I do not do such-and-such may Little Humble punish me." This vow, if broken, can cause misfortune. (Usually a Fell Animal hunts down the vow-breaker.)
Little Humble has worshippers among all of the intelligent races. She does not mind when her worshippers also worship and serve other Powers as long as doing so does not interfere with their ability to "walk" Sublimity Street. (Thus no one who worships Little Humble also worships Maw Lute or Gnash.)
Little Humble has no allies. She directly opposes Gnash, whose active ruthlesness completely conflicts with her passive serenity.
Her dungeons are ruins, her champions are Wuxiards, and her monsters are Fell Animals. She gives her most devout followers help finding hidding objects.
Little Humble: Rule Changes
The blessing of help finding hidden objects grants a 2-point situation advantage when using Perception to find something hidden.
Little Humble espouses a philosophy named Sublimity Street that provides peace and purpose. Its four tenants are:
Little Humble organizes her worshippers into communes named Meek Manors. These large homes for communal living to allow people to meditate and pray about Sublimity Street and together act upon its truths.
Meek Manors function as a small business. The manor owns all property inside its walls; its members own nothing. (Members who often travel may own two sets of clothes and a backpack, stowed under their bed while home at the manor.) All Meek Manors grow their own food but otherwise rely on charity for income. When Meek Manor members are skilled at crafting, the items they produce are given away to the needy instead of sold for personal or manorial income.
Together, Members practice unarmed martial arts to develop the body, and memorize and discuss poetry and philosophy to develop the mind. Most of they day is spent quietly doing these activities, or doing community service. When a town or city has a Meek Manor, senior members are often asked to judge legal disputes as well as officiate trials, coronations, confirmations, marriages, and burials.
There are rumors of certain Meek Manors members who have achieved fantastic abilities through their personal perfection of meditation, prayer, and martial arts. When investigated, none of the rumors bear fruit: those few rumors that do include the name of a Meek Manor or member always use names eventually proved fictitious.
Little Humble exemplifies what the Tao Te Ching calls "non-Ado". But her philosophy has differences from the Way of Taoism, so the words "Way" and "Path" were avoided when inventing the name Sublimity Street.
Little Humble's poem pays tribute to the Sesame Street theme song. The line "gather the clouds away" is a tribute to Sean Russel's masterpiece, the two Initiate Brother novels.
Little Humble's fondness for hats is a nod to Neil Gaiman's comic book character Death.
Little Humble represents truth: she cannot lie, her champions can detect lies and must avoid lies, and her name makes a vow binding. Note, however, that there are no oracles in the setting of Creagadier: completing an adventure in the Enchanted Forest is normally the only way for a person to beseech a Power to answer a specific question.
There is an option of allowing the practices of Meek Manor Members to empower characters to move and fight like fictional protagonists of Chinese Wuxia literature in ways beyond how talents already do this. Or perhaps Meek Manor members merely practice those talents together.
Picks and hammers make crashing profound
Far--below the wind's calls, below our dear halls.
Mine for the ores whose joy we spread 'round
Far--in our cavern home, to Dwoergs dwell alone.
Ours be the toil of those builders who dream,
Our ancestors' tools and sharp blades still gleam.
Glory to delving, dark earth will astound
Far--the shine of each vein, the fruit of each seam.
Far--the shine of each vein, the fruit of each seam.
- Dweorg work song
Speleoth is the embodiment of the joys and thrills of exploration, especially exploration that is not searching for anything in particular but only follows curiosity. He is associated with caves and caverns for in those places every passage, formation, and gem is unique and potentially beautiful.
Speleoth claims authority over all the caverns in Arlinac Mountain, although other Powers contest this claim.
Speleoth now only visibly appears as a huge grin, the universal grin of joyful discovery. He watches over all who live in caverns, caves, or tunnels (except for the Unseemly, who favor Maw Lute). Racial tensions and even hatred during warfare is dulled between these digging races because they remember their shared values and their shared devotion to Speleoth. He also aids miners. However, Speleoth's spontaneous and disorganized perception of the world often makes his aid difficult to apply.
Speleoth is worshipped in "temples" that are large rooms and caverns in the underground dwellings of his followers. The Dweorgs are especially fond of building rooms dedicated to him: these are often the first rooms completed in a new excavation. Dweorg temples usually have rows of pews facing an altar and/or dais at the front of the room. Kobalt temples normally have circular floor plans and are focused around a central pit for ecstatic dancing.
Speleoth has no allies among the Powers. His main rival is Frosty Kostkey. Sometimes Speleoth has conflicts with Yarnspinner when the latter's stories involve retrieving items hidden in underground caverns or lost in abandoned underground settlements. Also Speleoth and Little Humble may both claim underground ruins, especially those that are remnants of one of Speleoth's dungeons that have already been explored and looted.
His dungeons are caves, his champions are Troggles, and his monsters are Gembacks.
Speleoth's worshippers are so accustomed to looking for wonder in the world that doing so takes no extra time. Speleoth also gives some of his most devoted followers a dungeon of their own to explore.
Speleoth: Rule Changes
When a follower of Speleoth successfully uses the Bargain/Wonder skill the person receives a free extra turn. (In effect, using the skill took no time in the game.)
Speleoth is another Power not based upon any traditional creatures from myth or legend. However, a being that oversees cave-like dungeons is simply too useful to not include in the religion of a fantasy RPG!
The word "speleology" means the scientific study of caves and the cave environment. I could not think of a suitable name for this Power based on the word "caving", and the word "spelunker" has acquired negative connotations.
Speleoth's song is a modification of the Pomona College song Torchbearers.
Kobalts worship with mosh pits.
Take a drink, take a seat, and listen to my tale.
Dangers loom yet bravery shines and unfortunates prevail.
Hope and justice win again, it warms you like your ale.
"Life should be like that!" you say,
Then I agree and start my play.
Enjoy your stay. Pray do not fail.
- on a painted sign at an entrance to the Enchanted Forest
Yarnspinner is the most accessible of the Powers. As the patron of stories and cultural histories he watches over libraries, museums, theatres, taverns, and campfires.
Yarnspinner is the only Power that routinely interacts with people in person. In the form of a Therion he owns and oversees Crashing Place, the largest inn of Arlinac Town. He can also be met inside his Enchanted Forest, where he adopts numerous forms.
Outside of Arlinac Town a widespread habit is to compliment a well told story with "Yarnspinner would love that!" and ridicule a poorly told story with "Not even Yarnspinner could beliver that!". However, within Arlinac Town these phrases are avoided because Yarnspinner himself can often be found in the common room of Crashing Place and he does not like when others speak for him in his presence.
Yarnspinner seeks to promote self-efficacy in his followers. The concept of obedience is foreign to his worship. His followers either enter the Enchanted Forest seeking adventure or they do not; his worshippers either travel on pilgrimage to meet him or they do not.
However, Yarnspinner does appreciate when his worshippers give to him, at an impromptu shrine, items of historic value recovered from abandoned buildings, neglected attics, and old ruins. Yarnspinner always replies by appearing in a dream or vision. He tells the worshipper what to do with the item—usually take it into the Enchanted Forest so that recovering the cultural artifact or returning it to its rightful owner can become the goal of someone else's quest.
Yarnspinner has no allies or enemies, although he is in many ways the opposite of Old Man River.
His dungeons are adventures in the Enchanted Forest. His champions are Story Finders. His monsters are Witches.
Yarnspinner's grants his worshippers good fortune. "In a fun story, the protagonist can count on being a little lucky."
Yarnspinner: Rule Changes
The blessing of good fortune granted by Yarnspinner to his devoted worshippers each morning gives the person a +1 bonus to a skill of their choice the first time it is used that day.
Crashing Place is a very large inn whose physical properties defy logic. Not only is it much larger within than it appears from outside, but it stands in every district of Arlinac Town. (Those who have learned the secrets of its doors can pass through the inn as a shortcut when traveling through the town.)
Yarnspinner is often in Crashing Place, appearing as a middle-aged, beardless Therion with bright bronze hair. He lounges in the common room near the huge fireplace, listening to guests and drinkers.
The bar in the Crashing Place common room never runs out of glass mugs. After an exceptionally well told tale, Yarnspinner will stand and crash his glass into the fireplace to show his approval. Others in the common room often follow his lead. Less often a person about to tell a story will preface it by crashing his glass into the fireplace as a call to attention, a plea that the upcoming account is personal and meaningful and even if not told well should be heeded as vitally important to the teller.
Yarnspinner is not based on any legendary figure. But a Power in charge of stories, focusing on traditional fairy tale tropes and settings, is worth including!
Crashing Place has some characteristics similar to Callahan's Crosstime Saloon but lacks the remarkable empathy of the characters of those stories—a lack which really makes the two places not alike in any important way except in tribute.
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- Bergtroll poem
Maw Lute guides those who wish to hoard. According to one story she was "born" by erupting from a volcano as an enormous cloud of magma and steam that solidified into her body.
Normally Maw Lute only appears in dreams, where she looks like an enormous black-colored Dragon. But she can be met personally by those willing to explore her home deep under Arlinac Mountain.
As the patron of hoarding Maw Lute watches over all institutions that protect collections: banks, merchant caravants, zoos.
Maw Lute also protects people's inalienable right to work to gain wealth.
...
One story claims that Maw Lute sleeps far underground all other Dragons are merely her dreams--and thus all Dragon treasure hoards are really part of one hoard owned by Maw Lute.
Maw Lute is opposed by the Lamia. Maw Lute has no allies.
Maw Lute's hoard of treasure is immense and hidden in many locations. Any Dragon can dedicate treasure to Maw Lute using a short ritual that transfers ownership. Thus by revealing the location of one of these stashes of treasure Maw Lute can give her treasures to her followers without requiring them to brave her own lair.
Her dungeons are Dragon lairs. Her champions are SMOORSH Agents. Her monsters are Dragons.
To her most devoted followers she gives special treasure chests and maps...
Maw Lute lives in Igneous Halls, a vast place that resembles both a stately museum and a dangerous Dragon lair. All its rooms and passages are large, made of smoothly worked black rock, and lit by candles in ornate sconces and candelabras. Its wondrous treasure is on display in hallways and piled in treasure vaults.
The huge entry chamber is deep under Arlinac Mountain. But the location of the entryway changes daily, and the remainder of the rooms and passages are clearly not physically under the mountain.
Maw Lute can be met personally by those willing to find and explore her home. She enjoys when adventurers accept the challenge of questing in her halls. Most who enter quit, exhausted and defeated, after having only seen a small portion of the outer-most chambers and having only collected a few vases, jewels, sconces and candelabras. Then Maw Lute exits through one of the many secret passages to meet the adventurers in the entryway as they depart. She bestows her compliments and some prizes to honor their courage in making the attempt.
Maw Lute rules and guides the Dragon Dominion, an association of less destructive Dragons.
Members of the Dragon Dominion earn esteem within the group for subduing and subjugating villages, towns, and cities. However, these Dragons do not loot the settlement to increase their hoard and strength. Instead, they simply claim the highest ranking married woman (usually the spouse of the mayor or king) as a captive whom they keep in their lair as a token of successfully dominating that settlement.
Wealthy and powerful queens find a Dragon's lair to be far inferior to a royal castle. Their kingdoms usually secretly fortify to be able to resist the Dragon, then start rescue attempts. In a small village the opposite dymanic often happens: residents vie to become mayor so their wives can live in comparative luxury as the pampered tropheis of a Dominion Dragon.
If you are resourceful quit your worrying
If you clever aim for what's free.
Futhorc offers no-risk adventures!
Quest this morning and be home by tea.
- Kobalt playground rhyme
History
Appearance
Cultural Significance
His dungeons are Ruins. His champions are Casters. His monsters are Puddles. His gifts are Recall Rugs.
Worship
Allies and Enemies
Groups
Slither, hiss, trouble, and woe:
Where the Lamia reaches, none else will go.
If bitterness has drained your cup to the dregs,
The Lamia will refill it, in exchange for your legs.
- Kobalt rhyme
Long ago the Lamia was a normal snake. She was present when the Six Splended Trees were destroyed by Maw Lute. During the Second Age she was the first creature to feel repentant for doing wickedness. The Creator offered to make her a Power after she died. During her life she neither accepted nor refused this offer, and for centuries after her death she was gone. But she reappeared as a Power, with a new form and authority, after a few of the Foxes that had left Kitsunay to follow Frosty Kostkey repented and tried to return to their homes, but were not welcomed back. Now the Lamia cares for people of any intelligent race who, in repentance, seek to turn from violent to virtuous lives.
The Lamia appears as a very beautiful woman. She may turn her lower body into that of a snake. She watches over the Serpentine Swamp, a long east-west region of swamp, marsh, and wetland forest that extends from the Broad Plans to the west of Arlinac Mountain all the way to the western edge of the continent.
The Lamia's worshippers build her temples to guard her relics. Most relics are one of her scales, but some are pieces of her scintillating shed snake-skin.
To her surprise, the Lamia's love of twilight and moonlight have endeared her to many young lovers. She is unsure how to respond, except for encouraging those doing courtship and marriage to leave behind their bad habits as they try to forge a new identity together. People who are outcasts also often worship the Lamia in hope that their lives are in transition.
The Lamia hates Maw Lute. The Lamia is bothered by Gnash, who promotes violence among the unrepentant, but she has trouble opposing Gnash's secretive followers. Long ago the Lamia was allied with Old Man River, but Old Man River is now distanced from other Powers.
Her dungeons are Grayscale Adventures. Her champions are The Hiss. Her monsters are Spiders.
The Lamia gives an odd gift to her worshippers: they are immune to poisons when their eyes are closed and covered.
The Lamia occasionally gives her followers enchanted items that help communicate with or control serpents. She also gives small statues of herself called nagarath-women that absorb poison if touched to a poisoned wound.
The Lamia is loosely based on a Greek myth, but without the theme of child-eating that is central to that myth, and without the evil sorcery that has since become almost synonymous with Lamiae. This Lamia is also free from the gluttony, stupidity, and cannibalism associated with the Lamiae of modern Greek folk tradition.
This traditional figure has been changed into a heroine to underscore her purpose: she represents and oversees those who have repented from habits of evil and violence.
The nagarath-women statues are based on stones called naag mani or snake stones, described as being able to absorb poison and bring good fortune.
Troggles are based on both gargoyles, Fraggles, and the various types of troglodytes popular in other role-playing and computer games.
The Grayscale Adventures make use of certain famous elements from Noir films. (If the GM and Player wish, other characteristics not appropriate for children can also be incorporated, such as the Hardboiled treatment of violence and sexuality.)
The name "Moorlost" sounds similar to "Moorlocks", perhaps the most famous humanoid monster known for a colorless existence. However, there are no actual similarities between Moorlocks and minor characters from Noir films.
How is the Lamia involved in adventures? The PC could be one of the Lamia's champions, appointed to fight a dragon (this could even happen without the PC's knowledge if the PC receives anonymous help from the Lamia). The PC could also be one of the Lamia's outcasts, someone who had lived a selfish and violent life but "hit bottom" and is now genuinely repentant, and with the Lamia's aid is trying to turn over a new leaf. (It would be difficult to run adventures with the PC being one of The Hiss, because members of The Hiss are not accepted in Arlinac Town and have trouble disguising themselves. However, there might be a member of The Hiss in or under Arlinac Town for an important reason, whom the Lamia asks the PC to protect and help.) The Lamia, like all Powers, is not omniscient and cannot teleport to any place she has never been; thus she might need assistance locating and apprehending a formerly-repentant criminal whom she had been mentoring but who has recently backslidden into violent deeds and unsavory habits. The PC might become involved with Troggles, or have reason to enter a Moonlit Zone. Lastly, perhaps the PC needs to enter the Lamia's dungeon to retrieve an item that helps fight dragons or prove himself or herself to a group of the Lamia's followers to earn their respect and aid.
Down from the peaks the river falls,
Crashing down high, stony walls.
In froth and roar to us it calls
As it starts its journey.
Swiftly it dives down under ground,
Tunnels of water slam and pound.
It fills the hill with damp and sound
Halfway along its journey.
To the ocean deep it flows,
Wide and deep and strong it goes.
We hear new songs and old echoes
As it completes its journey.
- Navigator song
Old Man River was a brave yet grumpy old Beaver during the First Age. During the destruction of the Six Splendid Trees he pleaded to the Divine Beings and the Arlin River, and then was killed fighting Maw Lute. During the Second Age he was returned to life, made a Power, and appointed as one of the four animalfolk kings, ruling over the Beavers. He is also worshipped by many Bergtrolls and most Unseemly.
Old Man River cares for and has authority over the Arlin River. All along the Arlin River the members of an organization named the Navigators follow his rules and receive his protection.
Usually Old Man River communicates by deeds, not words. He values plain speech and unambiguous deeds. He also desires his followers to adhere to a detailed moral code, but has seldom explains these rules. Over many years the members of the Navigators have attentively studied and codified these laws, and named them the Water-Way. The Water-Way includes prohibitions against commonly understood vices such as lying, unprovoked violence against people or their property, and gluttony. It also prohibits thefts of property and thefts of honor: insulting someone is a crime unless the person insulted admits the truth of the slur.
The most important rule in the Water-Way is to promptly confess any crimes; during the night, Old Man River might take away any of his worshippers who have committed an unconfessed crime. Most members of the Navigators are distrustful of non-Navigators because these outsiders may have unconfessed crimes.
Normally Old Man River may only reward or punish people who have covenanted with him and vowed to follow his rules (such as the Navigators). However, Old Man River may act (and is often blamed) when people disappear after committing a crime against the Arlin River, such as badly overfishing or polluting it.
Those who worship Old Man River prefer to build a home that touches the Arlin River. Whether the home is a boat, house, or even temporary encampment these homes always include a shrine to Old Man River on a small dock. (Usually this is a "ritual dock" too small for actual boat use.)
Old Man River once represented the nobility inherent in both barbarism and lawfulness. However, in recent years he has degenerated, exchanging his admirable legality for heartless legalism. Old Man River is now fixated on unreasonable expectations of moral purity; he has not changed the Water-Way, but now takes more pleasure in manipulating circumstances to show people that they cannot live up to his standards than in celebrating his followers' obedience. This decay has caused extreme distress to his followers and conflicts among those governing the Navigators.
Old Man River is the only Power to decree certain calendar days are holy days. These days are both appointments for worship and instructions for optimal fishing, agriculture, and animal husbandry along the Arlin River. Even people who do not follow Old Man River appreciate his calendar's guidance. For example, the Day of Flax Planting is a day when all farmers know to plant their flax, although only Old Man River's followers congregate to pray for a good harvest. Originally each holy day featured a few ritual things to do. Over time, Old Man River has added to each day a host of prohibitions that now overshadow the positive requirements.
Long ago Old Man River was firmly allied with the Lamia against Maw Lute. That alliance has not been tested for centuries and is probably broken: Maw Lute has remained imprisoned; the Lamia has few dealings with the Arlin River; Old Man River has changed for the worse, distancing himself from the other Powers.
Old Man River is... allegations that he has become much more interested in virtue than people...
His dungeons are Sigils. His champions are the members of The Paddle. His monsters are Shadows.
Old Man River gives his worshippers energy in destruction and barbaric fury during combat: they immediately receive a free attack each time they defeat a foe in combat.
Old Man River takes his name from a famous song, but unlike most of the Creagadier setting is not otherwise based upon older fairy tales or myths.
The Navigator song is a modification of the prologue from the musical Into the Woods.
Old Man River's blend of barbarism and lawfulness allows exploration of the virtues of organization, civilization, and technology. His protectiveness for the Arlin River and its inhabitants allows exploring when group loyalty is virtuous and when it masks prejudice or greed.
Gaining a free attack after killing a foe is similar to an ability in other game systems commonly called "cleave". Its historic root is Dave Arneson's similar "Chop Til You Drop" rule.
Arzens are named after the metal arsenic, just as Kobalts are named after cobalt. Arsenic is what made cobalt mining dangerous: because the primary ores of cobalt contain arsenic, smelting them creates dangerous arsenic oxide. By extension, Arzens represent what is poisonous about Kobalt society.
Arzens fill the otherwise missing role of hybrid-men in common folk tales. Therions have no half-animal state, whereas Arzens have no other option. The GM is encouraged to create Arzens based upon common figures of speech. Four example are above: the insults pig-headed (stubborn), rat-faced (sneaky hypocrite), snake-tongued (sweet-talking swindler), and goat-footed (sexual predator). This presents the NPC with a possibly misleading visual clue: will these Arzens behave according to the figure of speech they represent or not? Of course, other traditional fantasy hybrid-men such as Lizard-Men and Frog-Men are definitely options.
Arzens also poke fun at the traditional Advanced Dungeons & Dragons trolls, which are known for green, bumpy skin and rapid regeneration (but are tall and thin).
Arzens are one-hit or two-hit monsters. I first heard of two-hit monsters in a blog post by ChattyDM. One-hit monsters are (I think) an invention of the Fourth Edition Dungeon Master's Guide, which names them "Minions". Two hit monsters are especially useful as a conflict encounter early in the adventure, for the GM can always have the surviving monsters flee just before the PC becomes dangerously low on defensive or healing resources, allowing an aftermath of grateful recovery plagued by unanswered questions.
Wights are based upon the wights of old legends, not the undead creatures of other role-playing games. Their true appearance is loosely based on rakshasas and melusines.
The solvent azoth is based upon the legendary azoth, one name for the material for which ancient alchemists strived.
Note that the situations created by one of Old Man River's Runes are in many ways the opposite of the adventures created by Yarnspinner in the Enchanted Forest. The setting is a normal location, in which normal behavior is distorted to change what is natural. The root of the conflict is hidden, the plot is a web of past and present events, stife happens when normal people to do bad things, and sometimes the bizarre or eerie intrudes inexplicably into normalcy. If the Rune creates an enchanted item it will be too corrupt, dangerous, or limited to be useful to the hero who finds it.
How is Old Man River involved in adventures? Holy days are always opportune times for adventures, as many people are busy with rites or celebration. Before the holy day the preparations might include challenging tasks, and during the holy day devout merchants may need hired help to guard their shops. Also, the PC can help untangle the problems caused by a Rune, or might even be directly targeted by one. The Navigators and The Paddle might also be involved in political intrigue or other kinds of adventure plots.
Biting Cold wants your despair.
Weep and moan for Winter Glare.
Abandon hope, for don't you know?
None escape from Kostkey's snow.
- hiker's chant
During the Third Age two types of animalfolk rebelled against the Four Royals. The first rebellion happened when many Foxes left Kitsunay's rule and traveled to the cold, northern mountains. There they found a new Power to serve. They named it Frosty Kostkey, and it made them the Arctic Foxes.
Frosty Kostkey is in many ways the opposite of Speleoth. His domain is above ground. He embodies the bleak despair of freezing cold, the morbid uniformity of a snowstorm, and the frantic search not for something new but merely for a means of survival. His common visible appearance is a huge pair of wicked fangs or eyes that hover in wind-blown snow: the fangs are nicknamed "Biting Cold", and the eyes "Winter Glare".
Frosty Kostkey is the most skilled of machinists. He builds mostly weapons for this army, but occasionally will build elaborately fierce contraptions.
Frosty Kostkey is not normally worshipped by any members of the intelligent races except for his Arctic Foxes. Certainly no one would admit to such depravity.
His temples create regions of Winter around them, in which his monsters and armies flourish. Some ruins are his destroyed temples, which no longer cause this effect.
The Frosty Kostkey has no allies. He is often opposed by Speleoth, and sometimes by Kitsunay when his minions invade her followers' homes or fields, or Pooka when Cyborgs attack forests or Fell Animals. Like many Powers, Frosty Kostkey is jealous of Arlinac Mountain and the town upon it, and desires to establish Winter under and upon the mountain.
His dungeons are ice strongholds. His champions are the members of Frostbite. His monsters are Cyborgs.
The main gift Frosty Kostkey gives his worshippers is the ability to construct his temples.
His most devout followers can also walk across snow and ice without sinking or slipping, are immune to cold and snow, and receive a +2 bonus for using Stealth in Winter areas.
Frosty Kostkey may also give physical gifts to his followers, most commonly a deadly machine but sometimes a steam-powered, flying sleigh.
Frosty Kostkey is obviously a parody of Santa Claus, Jack Frost, and other Winter characters in Western stories. Frosty Kostkey is also based on Koschei the Deathless, a villain in Russian fairy tales with some ties to Winter through the name Crnobog.
Most stories of wolves or bears that prey upon people happen during the hungry winter months, making it natural to categorize "Winter" as a category of evil similar to undead or dragons.
Frosty Kostkey's two themes of winter and machinery allow exploration of how machinery can become bad when its uses are cold, impersonal, and monotonous.
Note that the machines constructed by Frosty Kostkey's champions might remain functional for centuries. This allows the GM to create locations populated by machines.
How is Frosty Kostkey involved in adventures? The PC might need to stop a temple of Frosty Kostkey from being built, or find a hidden, newly built temple to halt the spread of Winter; either task may involve fighting one of Frosty Kostkey's champions. Alternately, a PC might need to sabotage one of the potent mechanical items Frosty Kostkey has given one of his followers, or foil the newest scheme from Frostbite. Frosty Kostkey's dungeons can be of any size and shape, and are suitable locations for a powerful PC to raid. Frosty Kostkey is normally a force of evil, but his technological expertise might be required to bring down a mad scientist.
Fie! Fume! What do I hear?
A man who hurts what he should hold dear.
He beats his child and calls it love.
I'll take them both and drink their blood.
- Ogre nursery rhyme
Burn. Plunder. Steal. Take.
Laugh and do these for his sake.
"By ruthlessness he'll be restored:
Their blood will free our ancient lord."
Chanted. Promised. Sang. Roared.
- graffiti attributed to Ogres
Gnash is a being from another star, brought to the world during the Third Age to rule the Spiders, who alone among the animalfolk were not created until the Third Age. Hungry and predatory, the other animalfolk never trusted the Spiders. So the Spiders, because they were shunned and persecuted, pleaded for a fifth Royal to rule and help them. But no Spiders was fit to become a Royal, so the Creator brought Gnash to Creagadier and presented him to the Spiders. Gnash rallied the Spiders and taught them to live in cooperative packs that fed on those neighbors who abhorred them. "Cannibals!" cried the other animals. "Justice!" cried Gnash.
Today, in the Fourth Age, few animalfolk Spiders remain. Those still surviving have become so twisted that they are more like monsters than an intelligent race. Most of Gnash's worshippers are now Ogres. Ogres show their devotion to Gnash by sacrificing ruthless intelligent creatures (including other Ogres) in an attempt to please and empower Gnash.
Gnash is so rarely seen that stories and songs disagree about his appearance. Some claim he looks like an enormous spider. Others claim he has the upper body of an Ogre and a spider-like lower body. Other claim he has no true form but impersonates people as Ogres do. Some non-Ogres even believe Gnash is actually a fictitious creation of the oldest Grand Ogres, invented as part of their complex game to control Ogre society in which the winners feast upon the losers.
Gnash is worshipped at the altars that Ogres build for him. These altars are usually kept secret, hidden inside buildings or caves. Adventurers sometimes discover that a ruin is actually an Ogre old altar site whose owner has moved away or been killed.
Gnash's worshippers secretly distribute religious texts that explain how to worship Gnash. These texts promise both ecstasy and peace of mind to those who properly offer Gnash ruthlessness. Such texts are mostly pleasant proverbs, oddly interrupted by short stories featuring acts shockingly calllous and dreadfully brutal, or eerily malevolent.
Gnash has no use for alliances and holds no grudges. Other Powers may consider Gnash an enemy, but Gnash has no interest in the other Powers: he is aware of them but seldom considers them.
Gnash's personality is mirrored in the darkness of the Ognost Frontier. The larger creatures there have become more cruel and ruthless than majestic, personifying all that is greedy and terrible about huge beasts and nothing that is grand or noble.
Gnash is seldom worshipped by members of the intelligent races besides Ogres. Those who claim to do so are usually insane and their "religion" suspect as an imagined excuse for depraved actions. A few dark stories describe evil people who dedicated powerful enchanted items to Gnash in exchange for his aid.
His dungeons are haunted mansions. His champions are Horrors. His monsters are the Undead.
Gnash gives his worshippers the ability to construct and his altars. Often this allows them to create Undead.
Gnash also gives tomes of forbidden knowledge to his most fanatical servants. Reading these unlocks a strange and fantastic ability, but at great cost to health and sanity.
Gnash is based upon the Great Old Ones of the Lovecraft Mythos: an evil creature from outer space who thrives on devouring and destruction.
Gnash differs from the Great Old Ones because he prefers experiencing that devouring and destruction second-hand, by enticing normal people to "accumulate" deeds of ruthlessness before metaphorically consuming them. Three similarities remain: knowledge relating to Gnash can be found in obscure and foreboding arcane books, pursuit of such knowledge causes depression and insanity as the reader learns that in strength and intelligence the eight intelligent races are insignificant on the cosmic scale, and adventure plots may still center around a fanatic Gnash-cult that is planning an evil and maddening ritual.
Gnash allows philosophical musing on the "otherness" of ruthlessness and harmful consumption: people's inclinations towards actions their own consciences know are overly merciless, self-interested, or gluttonous can sometimes resemble an external influence rather than an internal desire.
Gnash's nursery rhyme ponders Fee-fi-fo-fum. Do the "Fie! Fume" belong to the villainous father or the speaker? This version is perhaps less gruesome than what Jack's giant chants, but irrationally offends more by its blatant unfairness (Jack's giant would also have eaten both father and daughter).
How is Gnash involved in adventures? His followers are often fanatic plotters of evil. The scheme of a Grand Ogre might need countering before the Grand Ogre earns becoming a Horror after his death: the hero's work is to both prevent a crime and limit that Ogre's evils to his mortal days. One of Gnash's dungeons might need "completing" to destroy a source of Undead. As a last resort, Gnash might be petitioned to help overthrow a ruthless tyrant.