Worshipping not so popular deities [Archive] - Wizards Community

Worshipping not so popular deities [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
gemsna
04-12-07, 08:50 PM Hello

I am currently playing a character who is a follower of Garagos. I wonder if worshipping him is "normal" as worshipping Tempus or are these followers considerred as cultists and treated like worshippers of evil deities who are mostly working undercover. We are playing a non evil campaing mixed of good and neutral (neutral to good) characters in Dales.

Practically speaking do followers of Garagos hide their identity or if asked/talk about their beliefs talk about it as if it is something normal(except when confronting a follower of Tempus of course).

Also I would like to know if Zarus could be used in a Faerunian campaign or be used stricty to core (Greyhawk) setting. And if used is he worshipped freely or undercover like other evil deities? Remember his "evil" is different than others. It would seem very logical to me for a follower of Zarus to help the poor defenseless human peasant against the orcs, ogres that invade his farm or similar situation.
Vasyek
04-12-07, 10:06 PM Secrecy doesn't really seem to fit in with the Reaver's dogma; actually, upon rereading it I'd say hiding their identity comes into direct opposition with it. 'Only cowards avoid battle' and all... That doesn't necessarily mean you'd have to parade your devotion to that nut, but it does mean that your god wouldn't approve if you were hiding it for reasons of convenience or diplomacy. There's also that whole thing about proudly bearing the blood shed by one's enemies.

If people are even particularly aware of the existence of Garagos/his clergy, I doubt there'd be anything like a warm reception awaiting his followers in most places. In fact, I could easily see them being more strongly persecuted than the followers of a fair number of the evil deities. Even Banites in certain situations; at least they champion an order that people could be expected to view as worth the price it carries in some areas/circumstances, after all. Garagos, however, is all about bloody conflict and actively scorns peace; the only people who wouldn't have at least some distaste for him and those who champion his views are going to be those who'd be at least as likely to target them as rivals or for sheer kicks as they would be to applaud his cleric's gusto.

As for Zarus, he doesn't officially exist in the FR setting but you could probably put him in if you really wanted to. It might be worth considering how his goals and portfolios would interact/overlap with existing deities and altering his power/significance accordingly, or simply dispensing with him altogether and considering which existing deities could conceivably serve in his place.
gemsna
04-13-07, 05:34 PM Nice input in here. However I still wonder about the "existence" of Zarus in a Faerunian campaign. Truth be told core books are about Greyhawk and as such he is not to be present in Faerun. But since core books, at least to me, give the impression of being "general" info books I think that it wouldn't be so strange if it was allowed for him to exist in a Faerunian campaign.

What mostly concerns me is how openly is he worshipped. Of course in elven, dwarven etc lands no followers of him are to be found but what about the other lands? Waterdeep for example or any other major city? From my point of view at least if these people live peacefully in the borders of the city, respect laws and local authority there shouldn't be a problem of them having a temple there(Zarus is Lawful Evil after all). It would make sense if they also donated to charities, orphanage and the like if that meant the benefit of humankind. I am not putting Zarus in a campaign, I am asking a third opinion if he could be used in a Faerunian campaign since I am a player not a DM.
Meldread
04-13-07, 06:32 PM It is something you have to discuss with your DM. If your DM says, 'Sure, he exists in Faerun' then he exists in Faerun. If he says, 'Nope, he doesn't exist in Faerun' then he doesn't.

Cannon wise he doesn't exist, but a DM is free to change whatever he likes - although ideally such changes would make sense with established lore, to prevent strange problems from occurring down the road.

However, a DM is completely free to change Faerun in whatever way he feels best reflects the tone of the groups campaign or adventure.
Burningspear
04-14-07, 03:48 AM Secrecy doesn't really seem to fit in with the Reaver's dogma; actually, upon rereading it I'd say hiding their identity comes into direct opposition with it. 'Only cowards avoid battle' and all... That doesn't necessarily mean you'd have to parade your devotion to that nut, but it does mean that your god wouldn't approve if you were hiding it for reasons of convenience or diplomacy. There's also that whole thing about proudly bearing the blood shed by one's enemies.
If people are even particularly aware of the existence of Garagos/his clergy, I doubt there'd be anything like a warm reception awaiting his followers in most places. In fact, I could easily see them being more strongly persecuted than the followers of a fair number of the evil deities. Even Banites in certain situations; at least they champion an order that people could be expected to view as worth the price it carries in some areas/circumstances, after all. Garagos, however, is all about bloody conflict and actively scorns peace; the only people who wouldn't have at least some distaste for him and those who champion his views are going to be those who'd be at least as likely to target them as rivals or for sheer kicks as they would be to applaud his cleric's gusto.

I disagree,
Simply because a lot of his followers are not just the "berserker"priests, but also political scheming warmongers, who try to foment war via politics.
They will have to work in shadows and undercover so as not to be associated with the war and chaos they sow...
Vasyek
04-14-07, 06:16 AM I disagree,
Simply because a lot of his followers are not just the "berserker"priests, but also political scheming warmongers, who try to foment war via politics.
They will have to work in shadows and undercover so as not to be associated with the war and chaos they sow...

First of all, 'a few, well-kept clerics' does not equate to 'a lot of his followers.' Second, their modus operandi means one of two things: either they do their jobs well enough to not get caught, consequently not entering into the general populace's view of Garagos' flock, or enough of their machinations get exposed and they end up being hated as much or more than the blood spattered loonies people usually think of when they hear the name Garagos, who at least are considerate enough to be identifiable and disruptive in simpler ways.

The poster's cleric could potentially be of the schemers' faction, something I admittedly had not considered in my initial response. Presumably, that would allow him to get around that pesky dogma's conflict with disguising oneself, but setting aside the fact that an adventurer's lifestyle is not particularly conducive to insinuating oneself into a position of influence within a society and subtly exploiting it to incite warfare, it would be more problematic in the end even if he can favorably combine the demands of each, given the party make-up.

A berserker type is one thing, so long as he doesn't cause too much collateral damage, but a conniving, underhanded bastard who considers it to be his holy mission to dupe people into killing each other en masse is really going to be a hard sell considering that everyone else is supposed to be good or neutrally aligned.
lightcwu
04-14-07, 05:33 PM Nice input in here. However I still wonder about the "existence" of Zarus in a Faerunian campaign. Truth be told core books are about Greyhawk and as such he is not to be present in Faerun. But since core books, at least to me, give the impression of being "general" info books I think that it wouldn't be so strange if it was allowed for him to exist in a Faerunian campaign.

What mostly concerns me is how openly is he worshipped. Of course in elven, dwarven etc lands no followers of him are to be found but what about the other lands? Waterdeep for example or any other major city? From my point of view at least if these people live peacefully in the borders of the city, respect laws and local authority there shouldn't be a problem of them having a temple there(Zarus is Lawful Evil after all). It would make sense if they also donated to charities, orphanage and the like if that meant the benefit of humankind. I am not putting Zarus in a campaign, I am asking a third opinion if he could be used in a Faerunian campaign since I am a player not a DM.

As has been stated else where Zarus does not exist in Faerun, no more so then he exists in the Eberron campaign setting, Campaign settings have there own advancements and cannon separate from Greyhawk cannon. This being said however I have run a Zarus campaign in Faerun and it was a tun of fun. I tuned Tethyr into a Zarun empire with a massive ass DMZ around Wealdath. The country was modeled heavily off of Germany during and just before WW2, and Rome at the peak of the Empire. God that campaign was a lot of fun. That being said no Zarus does not exist and you would need DM permission.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
gemsna 04-12-07, 08:50 PM	Hello I am currently playing a character who is a follower of Garagos. I wonder if worshipping him is "normal" as worshipping Tempus or are these followers considerred as cultists and treated like worshippers of evil deities who are mostly working undercover. We are playing a non evil campaing mixed of good and neutral (neutral to good) characters in Dales. Practically speaking do followers of Garagos hide their identity or if asked/talk about their beliefs talk about it as if it is something normal(except when confronting a follower of Tempus of course). Also I would like to know if Zarus could be used in a Faerunian campaign or be used stricty to core (Greyhawk) setting. And if used is he worshipped freely or undercover like other evil deities? Remember his "evil" is different than others. It would seem very logical to me for a follower of Zarus to help the poor defenseless human peasant against the orcs, ogres that invade his farm or similar situation.
Vasyek 04-12-07, 10:06 PM	Secrecy doesn't really seem to fit in with the Reaver's dogma; actually, upon rereading it I'd say hiding their identity comes into direct opposition with it. 'Only cowards avoid battle' and all... That doesn't necessarily mean you'd have to parade your devotion to that nut, but it does mean that your god wouldn't approve if you were hiding it for reasons of convenience or diplomacy. There's also that whole thing about proudly bearing the blood shed by one's enemies. If people are even particularly aware of the existence of Garagos/his clergy, I doubt there'd be anything like a warm reception awaiting his followers in most places. In fact, I could easily see them being more strongly persecuted than the followers of a fair number of the evil deities. Even Banites in certain situations; at least they champion an order that people could be expected to view as worth the price it carries in some areas/circumstances, after all. Garagos, however, is all about bloody conflict and actively scorns peace; the only people who wouldn't have at least some distaste for him and those who champion his views are going to be those who'd be at least as likely to target them as rivals or for sheer kicks as they would be to applaud his cleric's gusto. As for Zarus, he doesn't officially exist in the FR setting but you could probably put him in if you really wanted to. It might be worth considering how his goals and portfolios would interact/overlap with existing deities and altering his power/significance accordingly, or simply dispensing with him altogether and considering which existing deities could conceivably serve in his place.
gemsna 04-13-07, 05:34 PM	Nice input in here. However I still wonder about the "existence" of Zarus in a Faerunian campaign. Truth be told core books are about Greyhawk and as such he is not to be present in Faerun. But since core books, at least to me, give the impression of being "general" info books I think that it wouldn't be so strange if it was allowed for him to exist in a Faerunian campaign. What mostly concerns me is how openly is he worshipped. Of course in elven, dwarven etc lands no followers of him are to be found but what about the other lands? Waterdeep for example or any other major city? From my point of view at least if these people live peacefully in the borders of the city, respect laws and local authority there shouldn't be a problem of them having a temple there(Zarus is Lawful Evil after all). It would make sense if they also donated to charities, orphanage and the like if that meant the benefit of humankind. I am not putting Zarus in a campaign, I am asking a third opinion if he could be used in a Faerunian campaign since I am a player not a DM.
Meldread 04-13-07, 06:32 PM	It is something you have to discuss with your DM. If your DM says, 'Sure, he exists in Faerun' then he exists in Faerun. If he says, 'Nope, he doesn't exist in Faerun' then he doesn't. Cannon wise he doesn't exist, but a DM is free to change whatever he likes - although ideally such changes would make sense with established lore, to prevent strange problems from occurring down the road. However, a DM is completely free to change Faerun in whatever way he feels best reflects the tone of the groups campaign or adventure.
Burningspear 04-14-07, 03:48 AM	Secrecy doesn't really seem to fit in with the Reaver's dogma; actually, upon rereading it I'd say hiding their identity comes into direct opposition with it. 'Only cowards avoid battle' and all... That doesn't necessarily mean you'd have to parade your devotion to that nut, but it does mean that your god wouldn't approve if you were hiding it for reasons of convenience or diplomacy. There's also that whole thing about proudly bearing the blood shed by one's enemies. If people are even particularly aware of the existence of Garagos/his clergy, I doubt there'd be anything like a warm reception awaiting his followers in most places. In fact, I could easily see them being more strongly persecuted than the followers of a fair number of the evil deities. Even Banites in certain situations; at least they champion an order that people could be expected to view as worth the price it carries in some areas/circumstances, after all. Garagos, however, is all about bloody conflict and actively scorns peace; the only people who wouldn't have at least some distaste for him and those who champion his views are going to be those who'd be at least as likely to target them as rivals or for sheer kicks as they would be to applaud his cleric's gusto. I disagree, Simply because a lot of his followers are not just the "berserker"priests, but also political scheming warmongers, who try to foment war via politics. They will have to work in shadows and undercover so as not to be associated with the war and chaos they sow...
Vasyek 04-14-07, 06:16 AM	I disagree, Simply because a lot of his followers are not just the "berserker"priests, but also political scheming warmongers, who try to foment war via politics. They will have to work in shadows and undercover so as not to be associated with the war and chaos they sow... First of all, 'a few, well-kept clerics' does not equate to 'a lot of his followers.' Second, their modus operandi means one of two things: either they do their jobs well enough to not get caught, consequently not entering into the general populace's view of Garagos' flock, or enough of their machinations get exposed and they end up being hated as much or more than the blood spattered loonies people usually think of when they hear the name Garagos, who at least are considerate enough to be identifiable and disruptive in simpler ways. The poster's cleric could potentially be of the schemers' faction, something I admittedly had not considered in my initial response. Presumably, that would allow him to get around that pesky dogma's conflict with disguising oneself, but setting aside the fact that an adventurer's lifestyle is not particularly conducive to insinuating oneself into a position of influence within a society and subtly exploiting it to incite warfare, it would be more problematic in the end even if he can favorably combine the demands of each, given the party make-up. A berserker type is one thing, so long as he doesn't cause too much collateral damage, but a conniving, underhanded bastard who considers it to be his holy mission to dupe people into killing each other en masse is really going to be a hard sell considering that everyone else is supposed to be good or neutrally aligned.
lightcwu 04-14-07, 05:33 PM	Nice input in here. However I still wonder about the "existence" of Zarus in a Faerunian campaign. Truth be told core books are about Greyhawk and as such he is not to be present in Faerun. But since core books, at least to me, give the impression of being "general" info books I think that it wouldn't be so strange if it was allowed for him to exist in a Faerunian campaign. What mostly concerns me is how openly is he worshipped. Of course in elven, dwarven etc lands no followers of him are to be found but what about the other lands? Waterdeep for example or any other major city? From my point of view at least if these people live peacefully in the borders of the city, respect laws and local authority there shouldn't be a problem of them having a temple there(Zarus is Lawful Evil after all). It would make sense if they also donated to charities, orphanage and the like if that meant the benefit of humankind. I am not putting Zarus in a campaign, I am asking a third opinion if he could be used in a Faerunian campaign since I am a player not a DM. As has been stated else where Zarus does not exist in Faerun, no more so then he exists in the Eberron campaign setting, Campaign settings have there own advancements and cannon separate from Greyhawk cannon. This being said however I have run a Zarus campaign in Faerun and it was a tun of fun. I tuned Tethyr into a Zarun empire with a massive ass DMZ around Wealdath. The country was modeled heavily off of Germany during and just before WW2, and Rome at the peak of the Empire. God that campaign was a lot of fun. That being said no Zarus does not exist and you would need DM permission.