The Deep Ones: Twisted Seas and Alien Light

[Inevitability]

This. I like this. The concept of a beautiful, utopian place that only functions because of horrible things is interesting in itself, but with the whole population being okay with the horrible things another layer of moral complexity is added.

I may actually steal this concept for a future game, if only to watch the players squirm with ethical insecurity.

[raygun goth]

I may actually steal this concept for a future game, if only to watch the players squirm with ethical insecurity.

Make it their new hometown. The one all their family moved to in order to help them succeed in life. Start the adventure with them getting settled in. Make them meet a kindly old mind flayer gentleman who chuckles a lot and tells old man stories that don't go anywhere.
_______________

When I did it, I had two other classes of people, the Daelkyr Half-Bloods, which made weapons out of their own bodies and also served as "psionically engineered" supersoldiers, and the Elan, which is what happens when a mind too great to simply allow to be devoured is scheduled for food. They take the soul and cram it into a small elder brain bud, and it grows on the wall into a psychic construct suffused with their essence.

[Max_Killjoy]

The first thing that comes to mind is Omelas.

[kraftcheese]

The first thing that comes to mind is Omelas.

I've never read Omelas before, but I dont think anyone's ever made me feel, really feel, the way Le Guin does.

Ngl The Disposessed made me cry a few times.

[Jendekit]

Glad to see some new material for these deities, even if it isn't a new one!

[GorinichSerpant]

The way you describe this city, it almost makes it sound like mindflayers are meant for the purpose of this city/it's humanoids then the other way around. Being super intelligent,impartial (to humanoid affairs), and being biologically tied to a incentive system that promotes the growth of said humanoids. They almost seem designed to do the administrative work for us and do it willingly. Whether or not that is true, this seems like the nice selling pitch for Shadrahala.

It occurs to me that the mindflayers that go around enthralling people and eating them against their will are probably just as terrible to those that live in this city.

[TheOctopus]

The first of two organizations I will be adding to the Deep Ones entry. Thanks to Raygun Goth for giving me the idea to make a mind flayer city in the first place.

Organization: Shadrahala, The City of Wisdom


Even by conservative estimates, mind flayers need to consume a great deal of sentient brains over the course of their lifetimes. Moreover, higher quality brains are much preferred, offering both superior nutrition and flavor. As such, it is in the interest of a mind flayer connoisseur to maintain healthy, free range humanoid civilizations with high standards of education. In turn, some humans might see the value in super-intelligent administrators, even if they demand sacrifice.

Enter Shadrahala, a thriving metropolis rising from the tides of a subterranean ocean. It is known by many names, depending on who you ask... the City of Wisdom, the Gates of Madness, the Hanging Garden. Though the great majority of the population is humanoid, illithids form the legitimate ruling class. The people are not slaves, but willful citizens of the great city-cult, living side by side with aberrations (perhaps to the horror of foreign humanoids and aberrations alike). Here, the city is alight with magic, health care is free, education is robust and fun, government is efficient and responsive, all manner of psychedelic entertainments can be found, but hey... don't break the law.

The death penalty is applied liberally for rabble-rousers and troublemakers, via Shadrahala's swift and decisive justice system (after all, there is no shortage of psionic investigators). However, this is not the only source of brains for the illithid masters. Perhaps more shockingly to outsiders, many citizens of Shadrahala, especially the elderly or infirm, willfully petition for themselves to be eaten, for a variety of reasons. The faithful believe that through the consumption of their minds, they might live on as part of a greater being rather than wasting away of old age. Some even see it as a sort of way of being "elected to the governmental mind." Additionally, volunteers are granted honors, influence (such as giving political voice to a dying wish, a central tenet of Shadrahalan government), and pecuniary rewards. Shadrahalans are strong believers in this system's stability; any man willing to die to see his political beliefs enacted can do so, to at least some extent, without all the hassle of revolution. The system also works to ensure that any humanoid's political requests are directed towards the benefit of those they leave behind, rather than themselves. The illithids themselves are seen as relatively impartial, superintelligent mediators of political deathwishes. Volunteers retain the right to decide which illithid decides the fate of their brain (though this need not mean that that illithid personally devours it), which means that the best fed illithids are those who are most respected by the humanoid population.

The city itself is constructed in layers. The lowest—and largest—is comprised of spiraling towers built into colossal (sometimes artificially fortified and enlarged) stalactities which occasionally even plunge beneath the water's surface, where airtight quarters allow men to walk among denizens of the deep (not to mention maintain rather unique aquaculture and fishing industries). The interiors of these towers pierce upwards through the ceiling, connecting to caverns above. Folk travel between the towers by roads (on higher layers), hanging bridges, boats, and occasionally flight.

This is absolutely amazing. Mind if I borrow it for my home games?

[LudicSavant]

This is absolutely amazing. Mind if I borrow it for my home games?

Sure! Let us know how it goes.

I love the city - mostly because I have spoken about illithid cities many times.

I imagine the mind flayers have entertainment designed to give people a longer sense of time and lives, like psionic microcosms and memory orbs like the Society of Sensation or like the video game Roy from Rick & Morty. Spectator life-living inside a psionic microcosm!

Cool science fairs all the time where the illithids judge cool magic item creation competitions like the World's Fair!

Of course, people who live here will view the Githyanki as insane religious extremists who have no idea what they're doing. Rebellion would be insane. Like some kind of terrible monster that can't be negotiated with. Their queen has damned them to a life of sadness, ignorance, and eventual consumption by her not for any noble cause, but merely because she fears power other than her own. Such a sad people.

All of that sounds very fitting to me. A visit to Shadrahala can expand one's consciousness in a wide variety of ways. Or see it devoured entirely.

Also, Roy is just awesome.

This. I like this. The concept of a beautiful, utopian place that only functions because of horrible things is interesting in itself, but with the whole population being okay with the horrible things another layer of moral complexity is added.

I may actually steal this concept for a future game, if only to watch the players squirm with ethical insecurity.

You could probably intensify the squirming even more by showing some aberrations who consider lightborne life abominable demonstrating ethical insecurity about Shadrahalan aberrations.

[Dagda Mor]

Of course, people who live here will view the Githyanki as insane religious extremists who have no idea what they're doing. Rebellion would be insane. Like some kind of terrible monster that can't be negotiated with. Their queen has damned them to a life of sadness, ignorance, and eventual consumption by her not for any noble cause, but merely because she fears power other than her own. Such a sad people.

What's interesting about this is that an occasional targeted attack by githyanki against an illithid who happens to be associated with Shadrahala would be taken by the city's general populace as a terrorist attack on their society. The illithids would see the githyanki in the same category as bandits, but because of the political system their subjects would instead have long since driven Shadrahala to declare some kind of general war upon githkind.

[sktarq]

So Salt. (a Favorite Book) is something I'm always interested in.

Now salt is often cloaked in ritual. People were paid in it (the root of the word salary), it was key in the welcoming rituals of breaking bread in many cultures. How would these rituals change in a world where salt is the symbol of one's own impurity and corrupt origins? I'm thinking it is going to closer to rituals of confession, self-flagellation, ashura etc. Which also brings up questions about food like ham or cheese which needs salt to make, would they be considered "low class" food as nobles want to avoid salt and the "corruption" associated with it. Which would drive industries to other forms of preservation, air curing and some fermentation etc. But damn it would make cuisine less interesting.

Salt is also unique in that it is one of a very very few material things we crave when we are short of them. It is that hardwired into our brains. In a world were salt is linked to moral decay instead of moral purity as it classically is in our world, how is this pull treated? Like a homosexual urge in 1950's America? a homosexual urge in ancient Rome? Different societies would obviously do it differently but i could well see it being a powerful thing in each. (Some consider salt extremely private and sharing salt is deep sign of friendship while others push it into public to show that ALL are impure)

Also what about salt merchants? Also the miners, evaporation workers, etc. They would be deeply necessary but also a sign of ones own impurity and corruption. It would seem to be likely to drive one either to hyper religious purity to combat the stigma or not caring at all and being willing to track with all sorts of other undesirables, or only being done by outcasts who have no power or social standing (prisoners, slaves, Dalit "untouchables", etc). This may tie into salt taxes. Salt taxes were huge drivers of ancient governments because everyone had to eat salt but in this set up it would also count as a "sin tax". That could drive those taxes very high. Which would make the government want people to consume more salt which is driving "corruption" into its own population. Its a moral catch 22 for them. . . which could lead to a bunch of interesting takes and plothooks. Since whole cities and towns were based off this trade (It was the engine of the economy of the Republic of Venice, Saltzburg, every town in England ending in -wich) how are these towns viewed? Would they become centres for dealing with one's own sins? Religious strongholds, home to meditation centers and therapists? Or would they become more like a Las Vegas that nobody can actually afford to get rid of since people actually need salt to live. . . either way they sound like interesting places to send adventurers.

Also salt comes up in a fair amount of alchemy and even early industrial processes (either chemically or a desiccant). But it is found in glaze for ceramics very commonly, some leather treatments, dye work, etc. Would that mean these trades become morally suspect to some? Would that drive very religious people to want to eat off wooden plates instead of glazed ceramic for example? I could well imagine the elves having such a reaction.

Also since salt preserves things like a mummy....how would this effect their view of embalming. Salt was classically involved. Would they just use things like alcohol or would the very concept of artificial preservation be tainted?

Been thinking while blood is about 1% salt and seawater is 3-4% the connection is still there.
Some classic theory is that the ocean was less salty when life first got its chemistry going and that forgotten ocean is what we recreate in our blood.
So did Corellion make blood from seawater and purify it as much as possible? Does he contain salt himself and he drew his own blood in order to create this new life? What does that say about his own power? It seems a rich source of theological debate.

[LudicSavant]

*snip*

Great post. A lot of good ideas here, and I really appreciate you sharing! I may have to take a look at that book, too.

Also salt comes up in a fair amount of alchemy and even early industrial processes (either chemically or a desiccant). But it is found in glaze for ceramics very commonly, some leather treatments, dye work, etc. Would that mean these trades become morally suspect to some? Would that drive very religious people to want to eat off wooden plates instead of glazed ceramic for example? I could well imagine the elves having such a reaction.

Yes! Those on quests for greater spiritual purity, a la ascetics and the like, might eat off wooden plates and so forth.

Also since salt preserves things like a mummy....how would this effect their view of embalming. Salt was classically involved. Would they just use things like alcohol or would the very concept of artificial preservation be tainted?

Different cultures and deific affiliations have different views on funerary rites (as detailed to some degree in Nerull's entry). Some of the most common types of burials are Jasidin (which discourage embalming, emphasizing the importance of decomposition in the cycle of life), Nerullan (in which alternative embalming methods to salt are encouraged), and Peloran (cremation).

The taint of improper burial rites is sometimes claimed to be a cause for undeath.

(Some consider salt extremely private and sharing salt is deep sign of friendship while others push it into public to show that ALL are impure)

Oooh, I like that idea.

Now salt is often cloaked in ritual. People were paid in it (the root of the word salary), it was key in the welcoming rituals of breaking bread in many cultures. How would these rituals change in a world where salt is the symbol of one's own impurity and corrupt origins? I'm thinking it is going to closer to rituals of confession, self-flagellation, ashura etc. Which also brings up questions about food like ham or cheese which needs salt to make, would they be considered "low class" food as nobles want to avoid salt and the "corruption" associated with it. Which would drive industries to other forms of preservation, air curing and some fermentation etc

To add to this, nobles have easier access to alternative flavoring and preservatives, especially those made available by low level magic such as Prestidigitation (flavoring) or Shape Water (refrigeration). They also have greater access to fresh food in general. Ergo, they may claim their superior diet as part of their noble pedigree.

Been thinking while blood is about 1% salt and seawater is 3-4% the connection is still there.
Some classic theory is that the ocean was less salty when life first got its chemistry going and that forgotten ocean is what we recreate in our blood.
So did Corellion make blood from seawater and purify it as much as possible? Does he contain salt himself and he drew his own blood in order to create this new life? What does that say about his own power? It seems a rich source of theological debate.

This was precisely my intention.

[sktarq]

Yeah. Since salt is historically linked to purity (for its ability to stop the corruption of food rot and also to be dissolved and come back post evaporation) and is also so deeply necessary for life when you take it and flat out reverse it and associate it with corruption things get interesting. . . .

so yeah. It is a significant change to many daily life things in ways that are not generally adventurer aimed but those changes can be mined for plot hooks and key cultural traits.

[Max_Killjoy]

Yeah. Since salt is historically linked to purity (for its ability to stop the corruption of food rot and also to be dissolved and come back post evaporation) and is also so deeply necessary for life when you take it and flat out reverse it and associate it with corruption things get interesting. . . .

so yeah. It is a significant change to many daily life things in ways that are not generally adventurer aimed but those changes can be mined for plot hooks and key cultural traits.

Maybe you end up with the sort of sects that consider the physical world to be inherently corrupt.

[sktarq]

Maybe you end up with the sort of sects that consider the physical world to be inherently corrupt.

That is a pretty classic dualistic idea. One of the things that i think would play on this though is the actual need for salt. Avoiding salt enough will kill you. So avoiding corruption will kill you. That has a neat reservoir to work with....people wanting to become undead because that would be less corrupt in their mind (as undeath came from the gods but life didn't).

And actually the desire for salt being a chemical thing is another interesting play to explore that idea that a person WANTS corruption in the same way they want food. That hunger for "corruption" would be a great way to sell your own evil cult, for example...it is obviously natural.


. . . and I really need to not try and explain in game potential philosophy on a day after I forgot to go to sleep. Word failure mashup and lack of an ability to articulate beyond general idea shapes.

[Zorku]

There's a ton of "aberrant" build options in supplements, so I'm looking into those. Aberration-shape druids and the like.

The big distinction I see between beasts and aberrations is that aberrations have magical and supernatural abilities. If you were going to give somebody free reign to turn into those creatures you'd probably want to create a list of three of options. They'd have their uses, but not necessarily give players free access to the full range of the petrification and disintigration sorts of options aberrations so frequently have available.

Yes. They may not be aquatic, but their distant ancestors were. There's also a pretty direct route from the lightless sea to land-based environments: The underdark, large parts of which are a "Sunless Sea" type setting (after all, large cave systems naturally tend to get flooded). This is why you find so many aberrations living down there.

This makes me want to apply isopod body plan features to an elder brain and mindflayer community. An elder brain that rolls up into a little ball...

Ooh, what terrible way can I bring the tongue eating louse into this picture?

If I'm interpreting this correctly, the deep ones are actually the good guys in this story. They were just minding their own business when the Big Three came along and decided, arbitrarily, that it had to be destroyed to make room for something else.

It's such deep time that there's not a lot we can tell about the nature of the conflict. We've just got the mythological narrative, obviously conveyed by the patron deities of the major races. If we assume it's a biased account then we can still tell that this world didn't originally belong to the races of man, but we've known that for a long time. WHY did old one eye wrestle the waves? I dunno, god reasons. Why did grumpy move the Earth? God reasons. Why did Pelor and Corellon do their jazz? Obviously god reasons.

I can totally imagine people petitioning to have their brains eaten, too.

That got me picturing an honor society like ancient Japan. Instead of impaling yourself, you feed yourself to a mindflayer, to make up for dishonorable results.

Yeah. Since salt is historically linked to purity (for its ability to stop the corruption of food rot and also to be dissolved and come back post evaporation) and is also so deeply necessary for life when you take it and flat out reverse it and associate it with corruption things get interesting. . . .

so yeah. It is a significant change to many daily life things in ways that are not generally adventurer aimed but those changes can be mined for plot hooks and key cultural traits.

I feel that people would view rot as the natural order, and because they all know salt to be necessary, you'd get a lot stronger emphasis on balance than on purity.

Imagine where alchemy would have gone with a balance principle instead of misguided notions of purification? I'm picturing a whole boat load of finely made bronze metalwork in that kind of world, and maybe even precocious steel manufacturing.

[LudicSavant]

The big distinction I see between beasts and aberrations is that aberrations have magical and supernatural abilities. If you were going to give somebody free reign to turn into those creatures you'd probably want to create a list of three of options. They'd have their uses, but not necessarily give players free access to the full range of the petrification and disintigration sorts of options aberrations so frequently have available.

The option to turn into such creatures is already available in 3.5e (For example, Aberration Wild Shape in Lords of Madness).

This makes me want to apply isopod body plan features to an elder brain and mindflayer community. An elder brain that rolls up into a little ball...

Isopods are awesome. I approve.

Ooh, what terrible way can I bring the tongue eating louse into this picture?

Perhaps check out the Tongueworm Symbiont aberration in the Eberron Campaign Setting.

[Zorku]

The option to turn into such creatures is already available in 3.5e (For example, Aberration Wild Shape in Lords of Madness).

I always forget when I start looking outside of edition specific forums. Only apply my advice on wildshape to 5e.

[sktarq]

Okay, looking at how the discussion of how natural/unnatural the Deep Ones are, wild shape, etc. It makes me ask.

What is the relationship between Druids and deep ones like?

Classically Druids are around as far from the deep ones as possible. The Deep Ones and their thematic kin are most usually termed unnatural as often as horrifying-it's their shtick.

Druids are also less classically associated with single gods in D&D (Thanx Gynax)

So there is room here for multiple set ups.

Druids are connected to the total creation of the Gods more than any single God and are extra extra enemies of the Deep Ones (who otherwise don't appear much in the stories of the deities)

That Druids are Divided along a Divine/Deep One axis like clerics are on Channeling positive/negative energy. With linked distrust to druidic practices.

That druids dislike the dieties for their separation of the world into natural and unnatural systems. And thus they (or at least many) reject the dieties. While their reaction to this vary (with some making the best of the situation, other actively looking to change things (and pointing to wild shape as proof of their correctness))

Druids consider the deep ones part of the pantheon of nature. A fourth King almost-who sired the others. But worthy of equal respect.

So lots of ways to play it. But I think it could be a good discussion to build organizations from.




Also I've been meaning to bring it up. But how I was linking Salt to things like hunger and associated holiness. . . Well Jains consider the eating of other life in some sense a sin. The most pious thing you can do is starve yourself to death. The skulls of such people are used as ritual objects. It may be a good vein to research for ideas and inspiration for the corruption/biological necessity that appears here.

[falcon1]

First, this is awesome.

Second, a question? How are pearl divers, fisherman, and other people who spend a lot of time on or in the water treated? I can see them being considered untouchables of a sort, or even criminals.

Also, what are pearls considered? I could see them being worshipped, used as foci for powerful magic...they definitely seem like they should have some sort of association.

[LudicSavant]

First, this is awesome.

Thanks! I'm glad you like it

Second, a question? How are pearl divers, fisherman, and other people who spend a lot of time on or in the water treated? I can see them being considered untouchables of a sort, or even criminals.

Sailors are often seen not quite so differently from how they are sometimes seen in our own world: Tough folk, brave, but superstitious, uncouth, and rather strange. And there are stories of strange cults and practices used out at sea, or of men going mad on extended voyages. But on the whole sailors and fishermen are worthwhile folk who face down the dangers of the wilds in the pursuit of their professions. Saltwater fish are not generally considered high class fare, but they generally aren't shunned either (a sufficiently snooty noble might turn up their nose, as might the sort of ascetics who go to great physical lengths to seek purity). Fare from the *deep* seas, which have never known Pelor's light, is another matter entirely. Deep sea fishing is often considered taboo, or even outright dangerous to the community (risking the attention of things best left undisturbed).

I'm planning on doing an entry concerning sailor cults, superstitions, and practices.

Also, what are pearls considered? I could see them being worshipped, used as foci for powerful magic...they definitely seem like they should have some sort of association.

Pearls are psionically useful, and can be used to make power stones.

What is the relationship between Druids and deep ones like?

The short answer is that it depends on which druids you're asking. Druids are not of one mind any more than Fighters or Bards or Clerics or Wizards.

There are druids who see aberrations as abominations to be wiped out with all the ferocity and zeal of a mother bear defending her den. And then there are those that can turn into tentacle monsters with Aberration Wild Shape and decry lightborne life as alien invaders. And there are those who think that all things have their place in the balance. And so on and so forth.

That said, the idea of anything being "unnatural" always seemed at best... imprecise to me, even when it was elaborated on in books like Lords of Madness. It seems like the wrong word for what's going on. Or at least like there are more informative words we could be using.

INIMICAL TO NATURE
Aberrations have no rightful place in the natural order of things. They are interlopers and invaders, creatures whose presence damages the fragile chains of being that define the natural world. A monster such as a chuul is more than a large and voracious predator, it is an affront to nature. Nothing in nature feeds on a chuul, and nothing in nature possesses the instincts or behavior to avoid the monster. Its depredations, if allowed to continue unchecked, eventually depopulate a wide swath of territory, destroying all normal fauna in its vicinity.

You know what that sounds like to me? It doesn't sound like something unnatural so much as it sounds like an invasive species. A creature from another mode of existence, utterly foreign to our own, whose introduction to an ecosystem threatens that ecosystem.

And many druid sects don't like invasive species. They value biodiversity and balance and seek to preserve it. These sects often act as gatekeepers, protecting their chosen domains or ecosystems from what they see as destructive foreign influences. A druid might, for example, consider themselves a guardian of the material plane, a gatekeeper against incursions from other planes. It's not that the elemental plane of fire is unnatural, it's that all those fire elementals pouring through the burning portal are an invasive species @#$%ing up the balance of things necessary for the ideal cultivation of a unique biome (the material plane). Such a druid might be as likely to hunt down celestials who seek to interfere too much in human affairs as they would demons seeking to turn the world into a province of hell. They might likewise oppose humans disrupting the realms of Outsiders, too.

A druid with the Aberration Wild Shape feat from Lords of Madness might see things much as the feat itself says:

Most druids detest aberrations and think of them as outside nature, but some view them simply as examples of nature from an extreme and alien world.

An aberrant druid might believe that humanity and "lightborn life" are the invasive species, who have defiled the natural order of things. Or they might go so far as to claim that the collection of planes most are familiar with are but a small, unsightly blemish upon the vast, eldritch Cosmos, and that there is far more to nature than mankind has yet grasped.

So there is room here for multiple set ups.

*snip*

Yep! All of these are fun ideas.

[Sanctaphrax]

Something I've been wondering about this whole project...how do all these unusual and interesting philosophical stances interact with the alignment system?

You gave the Deep Ones Evil and Vile Darkness in their domain list, but the backstory doesn't make them sound all that bad. Sure, they're weird, and they've got horrible creatures like Illithids and Aboleths among them, but are they actually evil as a group? And if they are, what makes them so?

Are you going with an Exalted-esque approach where the ruling gods get to define the "objective" morals of the setting according to their own subjective perspective?

[LudicSavant]

Something I've been wondering about this whole project...how do all these unusual and interesting philosophical stances interact with the alignment system?

You gave the Deep Ones Evil and Vile Darkness in their domain list, but the backstory doesn't make them sound all that bad. Sure, they're weird, and they've got horrible creatures like Illithids and Aboleths among them, but are they actually evil as a group? And if they are, what makes them so?

Are you going with an Exalted-esque approach where the ruling gods get to define the "objective" morals of the setting according to their own subjective perspective?

The domain lists are not intended to label any of the deities as morally right or wrong, and a bad guy can take the Good domain (and vice versa), just as it is in Eberron. The Deep Ones get the Vile Darkness domain not because of morality, but because the abilities granted by said domain suit them. It grants their clerics blind-fight, darkvision, various abilities involving magical darkness and tentacles, Wall of Force and so forth. Well-suited for those who live and thrive in the depths.

As for alignment, I made a fairly long post about it somewhere in the Hextor thread, listing a variety of options for how alignment could be handled in your games, all of which would be compatible with the pantheon writeups. One of those options was basically the Exalted-esque approach you mentioned, in which alignments are determined by the Twin Kings, who are far from paragons of virtue.

Under this approach, "Good" is that which the Twin Kings collectively approve of, "Evil" is that which they disdain, and "Chaos" and "Law" reflect how much your temperament resembles that of Corellon or Moradin, respectively.

This is a popular theory amongst theologians of the Larethian pantheon. It may or may not actually be right, however.

[Sanctaphrax]

This post, right?

Looks good to me.

You left out my favourite way of replacing alignment, though. Namely, having the various anti-evil abilities become anti-people-my-god-dislikes abilities. Detect Evil becomes "get my god's opinion on this guy", and so on. So a Paladin of Nerull can Smite Evil against people who inflict pain or disrespect death, but not against normal killers or zombies.

[LudicSavant]

This post, right?

Yep, that's the one! I edited the link into the last post (as well as hopefully clarified a few other tidbits, such as why the Deep Ones get the Vile Darkness domain).

[LudicSavant]

In order to provide "proof of life" to the relevant authorities, Ludic's kidnappers have forwarded the following writeup covering one of the specific Deep Ones.

Sekolah, The Great Shark


Knowledge (Religion) DC 10:
Sekolah is the god of sharks, a great devourer and great creator, exalted as one of the greatest of the Deep Ones, especially in many Sahuagin cultures. The Great Shark is credited by its worshipers as the ultimate adjudicator and incarnation of law, officiating over an endless struggle between mythic figures. These figures are the hunter, or "He Who Eats" and the hated, "It That Is Eaten." The struggle between these two figures is said to be reflected in every aspect of life.

Sekolah is the judge of who is hunter and who is hated. The feeling of hunger is Sekolah devouring your insides bit by bit; a judgment for going too long without a successful hunt. This sentence is carried out until one changes their ways or finds death. The inevitability of this fate is proof of Sekolah's impartiality, for hunger knows not race, creed, or status. All who would live, must eat.

Knowledge (Religion) DC 15:
In the beginning, there was blood. The entire sea was made of it, and throughout it all things engaged in an eternal feeding frenzy. It was a perfect existence, where all could eat their fill constantly. But over time, some beings near the surface began to hear strange whispers in the crashing waves, for it was the airy breath of the dry gods that caused these waves to form.

The most foolish among them listened to the lies these whispers told them: "You need not eat forever. First, you must ensure that you are never eaten, for it is death." Hearing this, these fish became craven, and tried to flee the very paradise that sustained them. Seeing them, others were confused, and over time more and more followed their example. Those who still ate were now forced to sometimes stop and chase after new prey. The seas of blood thinned as feeding frenzies became rarer. The dry gods sought to encourage this, sending streams of fresh water from the land and sky in order to dilute the world even further. All this, Sekolah smelled, and his hatred for those who had abandoned his paradise was great and terrible.

Those who had fled first, dolphins and whales, he punished with a terrible curse: to choke on water forevermore, forcing them to beg their dry gods for breaths of air instead. The whales sang in mourning, knowing that they were condemned to always return to the barren surface, living in fear of the waves that would always seek to strand them upon the beaches, where the dry gods would reward them only with death.

Knowledge (Religion) DC 20:
Ruin, at its core, seeks to break the universe down into smaller bits. To let energy escape via entropy, until all is spread out and uniform. But Sekolah opposes this force. It gobbles up the uniform void, and thus becomes something not uniform. In this way, eating is creative, and indeed all things are created in this fashion. And so it is that Sekolah is the creative force of law and order, opposing the destructive force of chaos and entropy.

Prey is tempted by entropy. They waste energy trying not to be eaten, rather than eating. This is represented not only in escaping prey, but also in the likes of concealed knowledge, lost opportunities, or stagnant wealth. Possessed of such deluded selfishness, what else could they be named but the hated?

By contrast, the hunter is creative, allowing all things to grow by consuming the old to give rise to the new. The hunter and the hated eternally oppose each other, and sharks are believed to be judges in this conflict. This belief may have arisen from the use of sharks as bloodhounds by sahuagin, and the fact that these bloodhounds would often attack whichever side was bloodied first in a hunt... even if it was its own handler. In this way the holy animals passed judgment.

The struggle between hunter and hated goes beyond food. In all things there is hunter and hated. The hunter seeks to consume and grow, be it in experience, knowledge, skill, strength, or anything else you are called to hunt. The hated simply tries to survive, to persist as things are. All of us have aspects of hunter and hated, but we should hate these complacent, cowardly parts of ourselves.

Sekolah does not discriminate by method. For example, a person who works for a paycheck and then pays a trapper in order to procure a meal has still successfully hunted. So has a tree that has overshadowed its competitors to secure sunlight. Or a merchant who has simply manipulated others into giving him what they need. Such guile is the mark of many a fine hunter in nature. All methods of hunting are valid... save of course those that fail to procure the meal. It is as simple and natural and uncompromising as that.

Sekolans praise dining as the highest form of pleasure, and Sekolan visions of heaven commonly emphasize feasting. However, the spirit of feasting can extend to all things, not just food, and many Sekolan celebrations play up alternative kinds of feasts, exalting in the consumption of knowledge, entertainment, opportunities, and indeed all things. However, Sekolan societies tend to have little pity for the have-nots. After all, their hunger is the punishment of a perfectly impartial arbiter. They are reduced to mere skin and bones, a fitting fate for those who have failed to hunt.

Knowledge (Religion) DC 25:
"Sekolah" is a word in an old Sahuagin language roughly meaning "The Apex Predator." If something was ever able to eat Sekolah, it would simply be Sekolah, and take on the responsibilities of the position.

[aimlessPolymath]

The legend returns!

Loved your Olidammara, and I like this guy too.

I had a thought for an organization for Hextor- a military academy for misbehaving children. It seems as though Hextor's principles of order through force also apply to corporal punishment.

[Eldan]

Hextor is probably into the idea of military discipline as a punishment in a big way, yeah. Penal battalions, too.

[LudicSavant]

Penal battalions and military schools are both right up Hextor's alley. The Quartermasters are an example of an organization known for pressing miscreants into national service. After all, thieves are good for acquisitions.

Also, shark paladins. Sharkadins? Here you go.

Code of Conduct: Paladins of Sekolah

"Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory."
- Sun Tzu, discussing the merits of intentionally getting your own soldiers cornered in "The Art of War"

This code of conduct applies to those who would call themselves paladins of the faith, not just any follower of Sekolah. It is perhaps worth noting that any mention of how to treat a hunt or a meal applies to how to treat anything, for the struggle between hunter and hated is reflected in all things.

- Paladins of Sekolah are expected to act as impartial judges who can be trusted to resolve affairs with merciless fairness. Sekolah's judgments transcend the boundaries of race, creed, status, tribe, or even method. A true sahuagin will devour even its own kin, if it is just. Do not let worldly loyalties or petty biases cloud your righteous judgment.

- Use the whole animal. When you consume a thing, see that it is consumed in its entirety. You need not do so alone, and you may share the fruits of your hunt or leave leftovers for scavengers and the like, but do not waste. To be wasteful is to allow prey to escape even in death.

- Partake until you are sated. Do not settle for a half-empty stomach, unless doing so is an investment in an even greater meal in the future. Strive always to grow, for it is by eating that base chaos is ordered into higher forms.

- Wounds on the back are a warrior's shame. Do not flee. Kill or be killed. To show your back is the mark of the hated... save when it is merely the ruse of the hunter, baiting a trap.

- Emulate always the way of the hunter, and scorn the way of the hated. Do not concern yourself overmuch with petty self-preservation, for the success of the sea is greater than any individual fish. Undeath is especially offensive. Instead, focus your hunter's eyes solely on the best way to achieve your goals, rather than fear the consequences of failure.

[lukenukeas]

Sharkadins! Very interesting concept! And very in-tone with the Conquest archetype, too. It could be the best mold for such oath.

The question is what do they think about those who eat the prey but didn't hunt them themselves. As in hiring a hunter to catch the boar, then a chef to cook it and a tanner to make a nice rug out of it. Then enjoy everything without having to raise a finger.

[LudicSavant]

Sharkadins! Very interesting concept! And very in-tone with the Conquest archetype, too. It could be the best mold for such oath.

The question is what do they think about those who eat the prey but didn't hunt them themselves. As in hiring a hunter to catch the boar, then a chef to cook it and a tanner to make a nice rug out of it. Then enjoy everything without having to raise a finger.

Sekolah does not discriminate by method. For example, a person who works for a paycheck and then pays a trapper in order to procure a meal has still successfully hunted. So has a tree that has overshadowed its competitors to secure sunlight. Or a merchant who has simply manipulated others into giving him what they need. Such guile is the mark of many a fine hunter in nature. All methods of hunting are valid... save of course those that fail to procure the meal. It is as simple and natural and uncompromising as that.