Now I know somewhere in my pile of books that some of the Giant Gods are named, with their possible Host analogs, not all of them but a few. Can't find it in Faiths of Eberron, if its in Secrets of Xen'drik it hasn't jumped out at me yet...
If anyone remembers where reference to the giant religion is made could you give me a heads up?
H'tiened the warrior
Adnallahg the hostess
Ocsaroj the healer
Karadnuk the guardian
Radnaryl the tempest
Inadem the watcher
Neiro the scout
Nalraihp the dancer
Naahr the slinker
K'hsaraht the barbarian
Innaruht the spy
Siladav the hermit
I think I got them all.
However, if you're looking for the Sovereign counterparts worshipped by the giants, the primary source would be City of Stormreach page 83-84. The main four that have been mentioned are Ouralon Lawbringer (and his Shadow); Rowa of the Jungle Leaves; Banor the Bloody Spear; and Karrak the Final Guardian. These four are also mentioned on page 18 of Secrets of Xen'drik, and Ouralon has come up in Dragons of Eberron and the Ring of Storms backdrop in Dragon magazine.
Nalraihp the dancer, Innaruht the spy
I don't know if this list comes from an official source that's slipped by me, or if it's something that NAHJ has developed separately, but what strikes me as odd from a design perspective is the existence of both Nalraihp and Innaruht and the notable absence of a "Lov". The idea that the you could have tappable sources of divine power tied to the dragonmarks isn't especially unreasonable; essentially, I'd see it as different lens to drawing on the power of the Prophecy, which ultimately placed the dragonmarks on mortals. There's already the suggestion that the marks are tied to the moons, for example. However, there, the moons are tied to the MARKS, not to the houses. The shadow moon Sypheros may have a crack, but it remains one moon - and overall it holds to the "13-1" premise, that there was a thirteenth moon that is lost, just as there are thirteen marks but one is lost.
So I think the idea of a "Dragonmark Cult" in either the distant past or even the present isn't an unreasonable thing - but if I was doing a pantheon of thirteen, I'd base it on the marks themselves as opposed to the houses. Of course, I could see the deity linked to the Mark of Shadow as having a living shadow, allowing him to be in two places at once... but tales say that there is discord between the god and his shadow, and some myths say that the shadow has severed their bond and taken on a life of its own. Of course, now we're back to Aureon and his Shadow - so maybe it's just the Sovereign Host all over again!
So I think the idea of a "Dragonmark Cult" in either the distant past or even the present isn't an unreasonable thing - but if I was doing a pantheon of thirteen, I'd base it on the marks themselves as opposed to the houses. Of course, I could see the deity linked to the Mark of Shadow as having a living shadow, allowing him to be in two places at once... but tales say that there is discord between the god and his shadow, and some myths say that the shadow has severed their bond and taken on a life of its own. Of course, now we're back to Aureon and his Shadow - so maybe it's just the Sovereign Host all over again!
O wow, the link between the Mark of Shadow and Aureon and his Shadow both splitting is something I never realized before.
So I think the idea of a "Dragonmark Cult" in either the distant past or even the present isn't an unreasonable thing
This has made me think about the worship of The dragon above. Now is a person that has created one in Fairhaven and i think it is talk about in a small bit in the book Dragonmark. Now i do not know how that work but there any more informations about it.
In anycase thanks Keith, I somehow skimmed right past it in SoX in my haste.
H'tinnac the crafter
H'tiened the warrior
Adnallahg the hostess
Ocsaroj the healer
Karadnuk the guardian
Radnaryl the tempest
Inadem the watcher
Neiro the scout
Nalraihp the dancer
Naahr the slinker
K'hsaraht the barbarian
Innaruht the spy
Siladav the hermit
I think I got them all.
hahahaha, I love how everyone is thinking these are official.
hahahaha, I love how everyone is thinking these are official.
Well, I'll point out that I originally said that if they were official, they weren't from any source I was familiar with.
They're just the user's idea of a bit of a joke, I imagine, as I know they aren't even remotely official.
Sure, but setting the NAMES aside, the idea of embodying the concepts of the marks as a lens for worshipping the Prophecy itself isn't an unreasonable cult idea, which was the point of my second post. Again, given that we have the seeming link between mark, moon, and plane, in some ways it would seem to be a stronger underlying cosmic principle than the Sovereigns themselves (although if Thir is to be believed, it's quite possible that the first sovereigns - like Ouralon/Ourelonastrix - did actually walk the earth and inspire myth in that fashion).
As noted above, I'd base it on the marks instead of the houses, but it still seems like a reasonable cult to drop in somewhere.
Sure, but setting the NAMES aside, the idea of embodying the concepts of the marks as a lens for worshipping the Prophecy itself isn't an unreasonable cult idea, which was the point of my second post. Again, given that we have the seeming link between mark, moon, and plane, in some ways it would seem to be a stronger underlying cosmic principle than the Sovereigns themselves (although if Thir is to be believed, it's quite possible that the first sovereigns - like Ouralon/Ourelonastrix - did actually walk the earth and inspire myth in that fashion).
As noted above, I'd base it on the marks instead of the houses, but it still seems like a reasonable cult to drop in somewhere.
Yeah, for sure. The Moon/Mark connection is already sort of made by your Dragonshard on the matter...what planes would you see identified with each combo?
What planes would you see identified with each combo?
It's unclear, and certainly less direct than the moons. For example, Dal Quor is the "Plane that vanished", but if there's a plane that has a direct link to the "Mark that vanished", it would presumably be Dolurrh or Mabar. So it's not something that it's as neatly tied together.
It's unclear, and certainly less direct than the moons. For example, Dal Quor is the "Plane that vanished", but if there's a plane that has a direct link to the "Mark that vanished", it would presumably be Dolurrh or Mabar. So it's not something that it's as neatly tied together.
hahaha, that's sort of my problem with that as well! I keep trying to line 'em up and going, "...ok, wait...uhh...maybe not."
But at the same time, it lends a certain quality to the Mark of Death to link it to Dal Quor...sort of a nightmarish quality, and even a metaphorical link to the dream-like legendary status of the Mark. An age past, etc. But yeah, it's definitely muddier waters with the planes.
Anyway since my party is through with the site thought I might type up some of my notes and share, maybe someone fight find a use of their own for Gru'Shakal.
The Gru'Shakal of Legend.
Throughout recovered history and literature recovered from the Giant Empire of old, as well as the oral traditions of the Giants of Rusheme there are mentions of a sacred temple of Gru'Shakal. This is backed up by a handful of elven songs dating from their revolt.
According to legend.
-"Cradled in the knuckle of the Gods rests Gru'Shakal."
-Several sources make references to a belief that a warrior thrice blessed at Gru'Shakal cannot be killed in battle.
-The Elven Opera Salindias featured the titular character slaying her master, a general who had been thrice blessed at Gru'Shakal and thus could not be killed in battle by slicing his throat while he slept.
-According to the oral traditions of the druid of Rusheme every twenty years warriors would undertake a pilgrimage to Gru'Shakal for a ritualistic tournament. The winner of this tournament would receive a blessing from the priests at Gru'Shakal.
No map found from the time of the Giant Empire listed a location for the holy temple. The reference to the Fist of the Gods often accompanies text referring to Gru'Shakal.
According to legend.
-"Cradled in the knuckle of the Gods rests Gru'Shakal."
-Several sources make references to a belief that a warrior thrice blessed at Gru'Shakal cannot be killed in battle.
-The Elven Opera Salindias featured the titular character slaying her master, a general who had been thrice blessed at Gru'Shakal and thus could not be killed in battle by slicing his throat while he slept.
-According to the oral traditions of the druid of Rusheme every twenty years warriors would undertake a pilgrimage to Gru'Shakal for a ritualistic tournament. The winner of this tournament would receive a blessing from the priests at Gru'Shakal.
No map found from the time of the Giant Empire listed a location for the holy temple. The reference to the Fist of the Gods often accompanies text referring to Gru'Shakal.
-According to the oral traditions of the druid of Rusheme every twenty years warriors would undertake a pilgrimage to Gru'Shakal for a ritualistic tournament. The winner of this tournament would receive a blessing from the priests at Gru'Shakal.
This gives me an idea if we mix you're plot with some of the concepts from the movie AvP (Alien vs. Predator 2004) :
* Like in the movie I'll place the pyramid (or a Ziggurat) of Gru'Shakal below the water line inside the ice of a glacier in the Icemaw Sea.
* The Giant warriors used to arrive to the pyramid to fight a bunch of creatures pre-placed there from the plane of Xoriat as a challenge.
* The Xoriat creatures are kept there in a weaken dormant state.
* To awaken and replenish the creatures for the holy tournament a group of elven slaves are inserted into the pyramid first -
once the slaves get to the the center of the pyramid and into the sacrificial chamber they are eaten by the creatures and the tournament can start.
* as an extra safety measure (to prevent the creatures escape) the Gru'Shakal locks down (the upper part of the pyramid goes down a level and locks the passages that come out off the bottom) as a kind of a time-safe until the tournament is over.
* the Gru'Shakal contains an armory of magical weapons for the warriors to use during the tournament.
Edit:
On a side note - I used Xoriat creatures because it seemed appropriate to the movie Alien creature theme. but if you think of it - the Giants religion may have been preparing them to the wrong planer invasion (they should have trained there mind to fight psionics
).Come on, the Giant gods being the dragonmark families' names backwards is clearly made up by the poster. I've not seen them in any sourcebook and it's just too silly to be official.
Yeah, I am pretty sure this is Shenanigans on the Ninjas part. Kinda funny though.
I couldn't think of a synonym for cunning dirty warfare that didn't just give it away, so I settled on Strategist.
Umm, I may have been playing goblins for way too long, but isn't cunning and dirty fighting strategy? So instead of a synonym you just used the definition?
"Uh isn't this evil."
"Not evil, smart."
Yes, yes I did, and I've made that very strategy while playing a Paladin in Ravenloft,
One of these days one of us is going to have to travel down highway 30 and see if the two of us playing in the same game won't cause a DM's head to explode.