Theology Help Please

[TheYell]

On the planet Brana is a subcontinent roughly the size of India, separated from the major landmass by a huge mountain chain, and this subcontinent is called Kushta. And drow under the mountains loyal to Lolth are teaming up with Nyarlahotep to invade and enslave this subcontinent.

My heroes are going to be natives of Avistan on Golarion whose ship is transported to Kushta by a god, who names them his emissaries to unite Kushta in anticipation of this drow menace.


The parties will be working with the capital province of Armatta, founded 2000 years ago by refugees from the drow slave caverns, who formed an Empire on Kushta over 500 years of conquest. Armatta is ruled by a High Matriarch, a reincarnating Samsaran from the first days who has guided them into building the Empire. 400 years ago the cycle of reincarnation was broken, and the Empire fell into decay with all 26 former kingdoms going their own way. 13 years ago the High Matriarch was reincarnated again, and the augurs say this means a drow invasion within her present lifetime.

My idea for the overall campaign is for the party to act as embassy from the capital to the provinces, persuading their leaders to rejoin the Empire or changing leadership to one friendly to the Empire. The Empire is basically good, opposed to slavery, undeath, torture, piracy, sentient sacrifice, rape, demonic possession and high interest rates.

So how about a Brana pantheon? I'm gonna have a major moon with a 30 day cycle, and a solar year 450 days long. I'm gonna have cults of the Old Ones in opposition to the party spring up. There's going to be undead, with a mummy lord being a major BBEG to tackle at higher levels - he's going to be trying to found his own Eternal Empire from the far end of Kushta. At the very last is a trek into the drow caverns and probably a planar hop to beat up on Lolth and Nyarlahotep a little bit.

The kicker is, for the sake of convenience and conversion, the PCs are probably going to go with the Golarion pantheon, which will be unknown on Brana. So this Brana pantheon would largely be for NPCs. I'm sure the Brana pantheon is largely in favor of what they're doing, but I can't see the PCs switching to it -- based on what I know of my likely group of players.


Any thoughts on what an alien pantheon of gods looks like in that situation? Any comments are welcome.

[falcon1]

Perhaps recombine domains a bit? Make the sun god also a god of rain and agriculture, as opposed to the more common associations.

Or make them monotheistic, or worship their ancestors.

[TheYell]

Interesting, since the undead are basically ancestors refusing to do their job properly and meddling.

[theVoidWatches]

How about a god of the dead whose priests often raise undead to continue serving their people? The mummy lord is one who fled, seeing it as slavery, and intends his Eternal Empire to be a place where the undead can be free of the chains of the living.

[Nifft]

Interesting, since the undead are basically ancestors refusing to do their job properly and meddling.

Smite Restless Mother-In-Law.

Best class feature possible.

[TheYell]

How about a god of the dead whose priests often raise undead to continue serving their people? The mummy lord is one who fled, seeing it as slavery, and intends his Eternal Empire to be a place where the undead can be free of the chains of the living.

Interesting because the Empire is going to have been against undead, so this is technically an illegal cult, and an enemy of the Empire --the mummy lord -- originates in opposition to it. Got a suggested name for this deathgod?

[theVoidWatches]

If it's an underground cult, that cuts off my initial idea for what the undead were used for (labor, mostly) but also raises some much more fun possibilities (Weekend-at-Bernie's-type shenanigans).

As for the name of the god... how about Kafsof? A CG god of death, who teaches that the undead are meant to serve the living.

_{BERNIE -> CFSOJF -> CAFSOF -> KAFSOF}

[TheYell]

ok here are some ideas I have

Pre Empire

Ker Goddess of Order and Fertility, the Moon Goddess, Keeper of Time and Traditions LG

Worship of Ker goes back before recorded history. Ker is unofficially the Liberator and her worship persisted through the Empire period. It is Ker who brought the party to Kushta to help unite it.


Zuk God of War and Chaos CN


Zuk was a suppressed god during the Empire period since appeals to war and revolution were right out. Modern appeals to Zuk include an appeal for justice for the oppressed.



Kafsof God of Death and Undeath CG


Kafsof is another repressed cult by the Empire. Priests of Kafsof raise the undead to be slaves to the living. cG??



Imperial Period


Mudu LN Philosophy


Mudu is the official creed of the Empire and wildly unpopular for its spartan agnosticism. "The gods help those who help themselves" and pity the fool who doesn't improve himself rigorously with discipline. If you had pity, which you won't really. It comes with a rigid caste system that was helpful in conquering the 99/100ths of the population that made up the bottom tier of heathen. Its really only redeemed by its absence of any racial bigotry, the belief that anybody can redeem their caste through proper behavior and civilization, and its generally benevolent system of laws of conduct. Mudu preaches ancestor worship, with the best being reincarnated, the few examples being politically very very very important-- the top one being the High Matriarch herself.

PCs in my game wishing to take on the privileges of Imperial Officer must spend a skill point in Linguistics to learn to read and write Kushti, the Imperial lingo, and a Knowledge Religion skill point to learn the principles of Mudu. Imperial Officers get a purty uniform - rainbow colored mantle-- that makes them technically inviolate in Imperial territory, they get guaranteed resurrection at the High Temple if their body can be hauled back when people don't respect the inviolate uniform, and they get paid in leather scrip that is only honored in Imperial territory, so they have a pecuniary interest in seeing more places switch back to the Empire.


Post Imperium


Cult of Old Ones Boy this one fell from outer space! C with a general leaning towards CE rather than CN


Jinjai LE Deathcult of the Eternal Empire. Undeath is a Pact that transcends and cures Life.


so post Imperium we've got some bad boys revived and some wicked new ones out there.

I think, as a matter of game politics, it will be entirely up to the party if they repress any cults in restoring the Empire. Just because Imperial Officers have to know a LN philosophy doesn't mean they have to be LN characters, and they may personally feel like letting things go so long as they coexist. Of course that supposes opponents take defeat lying down, which is a GM matter. I think I may roll that randomly rather than plan for flare ups of defeated but spared cults. Thoughts on that subject?

Your further thoughts on gods and domains is welcome

[TheYell]

If it's an underground cult, that cuts off my initial idea for what the undead were used for (labor, mostly) but also raises some much more fun possibilities (Weekend-at-Bernie's-type shenanigans).

As for the name of the god... how about Kafsof? A CG god of death, who teaches that the undead are meant to serve the living.

_{BERNIE -> CFSOJF -> CAFSOF -> KAFSOF}

Edited my post to adopt your name and alignment for this god. Why is he CG?

His followers could use him for mass labor, which I hadn't thought of. And maybe warfare with the Eternal Empire.

[theVoidWatches]

I'm pegging him as Good because he wants to improve the lives of his followers, and Chaotic because the way he does that goes so completely against what basically every other god and society teaches. And yeah, mass labor is the most obvious use for masses of mindless undead. Other potential uses - ghosts can be bound as poltergeists and used to control machinery, or at least to pull carts (you can do that with a skeleton or zombie too, but ghosts are smarter and don't smell), or can be bound to serve as record-keepers, teachers, etc.

Intelligent Undead in general are usually evil, but if this setting doesn't require that, then good-aligned intelligent undead may be fans of Kafsof.

[ngilop]

Perhaps recombine domains a bit? Make the sun god also a god of rain and agriculture, as opposed to the more common associations.

Or make them monotheistic, or worship their ancestors.

I feel the Ancestor worship makes more sense here. Because of the 'reincarnation of the matriarch' for 1600 years. It gives me the feeling that those in the past are born again in the future so you may or may not be dealing with your great-great-great grandfather when your haggling with that melon merchant. Having something like that direct your society for scores of generations would have a huge impact in how it views the spiritual world and the culture that springs up about it.

Perhaps that is what the 26 kingdoms all centered around was one great ancestor who they venerate above all the others.

[TheYell]

I think Pre-Empire the folk of Kushta popularly worshipped a seasonal pantheon, with five seasons Spring Summer Monsoon Fall and Winter.

Ker will be year-round as the Moon goddess and the matriarch of the pantheon.

Spring



Summer

Zuk CN God of War and Chaos

Monsoon



Fall



Winter

Kafsof God of Death and Undeath CG



Mudu was the cult of the conquerors of Armatta but it didn't become popular, however it did introduce an element of ancestor respect in Kushta that is more widespread.


There will also be a horoscope built around 5 planets, the Sun, two moons and 15 Houses that I'm not even going to touch with a ten foot pole, other than to mention it in passing :P

[TheYell]

Ker LG Major moon goddess, matriarch of the pantheon, Community, Good, Healing, Law, Liberation, Protection favored weapon longsword color silver

Banalu CG Minor moon goddess, little sister of Ker, Charm, Knowledge, Magic, Repose, Rune, Trickery favored weapon starknife colors blue and grey


Tian NG Animal, Earth, Plant Springtime favored weapon sickle colors green and brown

Zuk CN Chaos, Glory, War Summer favored weapon spear colors red and yellow

Gius CG Erosion, Travel, Water Monsoon favored weapon flail colors blue and brown

Huok LG Artifice, Luck, Strength Fall favored weapon scythe colors orange and yellow

Kafsof CG Darkness Death Nobility Winter favored weapon falchion colors black and white

how's that for a pantheon?

[theVoidWatches]

At the moment you've got mostly good gods with one neutral, and they're also mostly chaotic (with only 2 lawful and one neutral). I don't know how much you care about distribution of alignments like that, but it's something to note.

[TheYell]

I think I'll want the original pantheon to be mostly benevolent. The party is going to be neutral to good in alignment.

[TheYell]

Hlan LE Magic, Travel, Void favored weapon dagger colors purple and black


The Gatekeeper


The furthest visible planet from Brana, Hlan is worshipped by those who seek dark powers from Elsewhere. Sacrifices to Hlan are said to boost the power of summoning and communing rituals.

The cult of Hlan was another suppressed by the Empire, with ready agreement by those who follow the Two Sisters and their clan, of which Hlan does NOT fit in.

There is a Dark Horoscope centered around Hlan which is a favorite of dark magicians. Possession of it is a crime in civilized realms.


Rar CE Darkness, Destruction, Fire favored weapon Morningstar color red


The Bastard

Followers of Rar maintain he is Zuk's twin brother, outcast by Ker, which nobody who follows the Two Sisters believes, and followers of Zuk will violently oppose. The cult of Rar is apocryphal, as usually anybody claiming fellowship with Rar is due to be executed for piracy, arson, banditry, or other random violence. The open belief is that they are making things up to impress others with how wicked they are. Still, since the bulk of Kushta are peasants, they quietly believe that Rar is a real threat to their villages.

[TheYell]

Ker

Ker is represented as a cow-headed woman with four arms.
Most of the Kushta pantheon does not have servitors, but Ker has a ball of lightning called Olmi that bears messages and gifts.

Banalu

Banalu is represented as a Elven woman usually with a scroll and lamp. With the rise of ancestor veneration the worship of Banalu as goddess of Ancestors is rising, though this conflicts with traditionalist representations of Kafsof.

Tian

Tian is represented as a water-buffalo headed man with a sickle and bag of planting seed. Tian does not expect sacrifices so much as the dedication and anointing of plow teams before working in the fields.

Zuk

Zuk is a bearded human warrior with bronze breastplate and armored kilt. He bears a spear with a pennant. Zuk does not have formal sacrifices, but warriors often pledge to fight to the death in the name of Zuk before a battle.

Gius

Gius is a halfling farmer in a straw hat and short robes. He bears an oar. Food and possessions willingly sacrificed to floodwaters are considered blessed by Gius.

Huok

Huok is a dwarf with a scythe and a sheaf of wheat. Libations of beer poured to Huok are held blessed.

Kafsof

Kafsof is a hooded human skeleton with an abacus. Kafsof expects that undead raised in his name will build him a shrine as part of their labors, usually a simple pile of stones topped with a string of pennants.

Hlan

Hlan is a wolf-headed nude human male. His priests hold he cannot be invoked without a sentient sacrifice.

Rar

Rar is often depicted as a goblin with a torch. Rar is invoked by shouting his name into an arson fire or pyre.

[Umbral]

It seems you have it covered. I was going to mention, do the people have certain morality or caste system in place? To further your ideas I have another concept.

You could set it up as:

The seasons - four here.

Nature - a female over life and death or two different ones, one life, the other death. Perhaps a sun and moon.

Virtues - Diligence, Fertility, Justice, Patience, Mercy, Wisdom, Charity (Palace of the Sun God)

Vices - Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Pride (Palace of the Moon God)

Castes - Peasant, Priests, Nobility

Maybe the Sun god is asking for revering your ancestors so they will give a good account of you to the gods.

That's 20 or so gods, godlings that you could set up as your pantheon. If you wanted to...