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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Pixie in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Gender
    Male

    Default Concerning vrylokas, the Red Witch, and the Raven Queen.

    I feel as though vrylokas' entire existence doesn't make any sense. I'll explain myself.

    The very existence of vrylokas stem from their desire for immorality. They sought to increase their lifespans and that's when the Red Witch found them and offered them the blood-bonding that would provide them the vitality of vampires, without the taint of undeath.
    "The essence of the bloodbond ritual is the pursuit of eternal life, and the ritual’s effects shape every vryloka’s personality."
    So basically vrylokas seek immortality and it's so important to them that they would become living undead. And the Red Witch happily provided them with this.
    But in some way it seems that vryloka worship the Raven Queen and believe that her and the Red Witch are one in the same.
    "The vrylokas universally pay fealty to the Red Witch, whose actions created their race. That faith is built on a strong sense that the Red Witch and the Raven Queen are connected, though argument persists over whether the Red Witch existed as an exarch, an avatar, or even an aspect of the god of death. Whatever the truth, vrylokas of a religious bent treat the Red Witch and the Raven Queen as one and the same, and few adopt the faith of any other deity."
    But the Raven Queen sees undead as abominations. And she wishes to see those who attempt to defy fate brought down. She sees death as a natural and good end to life and obviously doesn't like people tampering with that.
    Anyone else see the complete contradiction here? Or am I missing some line of reasoning?
    It seems as though vrylokas believe they owe everything to the Raven Queen and they revere/worship her greatly. But on the other hand vrylokas seem like the exact type of being that the Raven Queen would despise.
    Is this just a major flaw in the writer's logic and lore?
    I honestly hope it's not, because what made me think about this was a character I'm currently playing. He's a vryloka cleric who worships the Red Witch and Raven Queen. And I'm starting to have no idea how to play him. Someone who destroys undead, and shows his enemy that they can't escape their inevitable deaths, or someone who seeks immortality and power while raising undead. I'm starting to not be able to role-play properly with this possible paradox.
    Any insight?
    Last edited by Rhoederak; 2018-11-25 at 08:44 AM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Dwarf in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2016

    Default Re: Concerning vrylokas, the Red Witch, and the Raven Queen.

    Could be that the Red Queen is a secretly an exarch of Orcus, looking to taint and subvert worshipers of the RQ from within the faith.

    This might make for some interesting exploration of your character's personality as s/he slowly becomes aware of the true reasons for these contradictions you point out. Then, as the PC advances to Epic tier, a desideratum of play could be defeating this betrayer of the faith and freeing her followers from this taint on the behalf of the RQ.
    Through a series of unfortunate events, my handle on the WotC boards was darkwarlock.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Aug 2011

    Default Re: Concerning vrylokas, the Red Witch, and the Raven Queen.

    I think there are three key factors to why their existence isn't at odds with the Raven Queen's wishes:
    Vrylokas do not live indefinitely, just for a long time compared to regular humans. The Raven Queen doesn't seem to object to elven lifespans, so she has no real reason to complain about the vrylokas. They'll be hers in time anyway.
    Vrylokas are not actual undead, but some sort of undeath-powered living creature. Not a reanimated corpse or runaway soul of some sort, so no one is intruding on her domain with it.
    Finally, the Raven Queen doesn't seem to particularly care about things like the natural cycle of life and death or whatever. She cares about death being her domain. People not dying denies her what she views as rightfully hers. She is a very ambitious and power hungry deity. Remember the revenants, too. Raven Queen-sanctioned actual undead.

    Furthermore, there is always the possibility that the vrylokas ideas about who she is and what she wants differs from other interpretations. For some people, Bane is a deity of safety and prosperity. The (religious) vrylokas tend to view the Raven Queen as their creator deity, a divine mother. It makes sense that the chosen children of the goddess of death would have deathly traits, doesn't it? It also makes sense they would carry out her work, protecting the sanctity of death and fate (and I suppose winter, as well).

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Concerning vrylokas, the Red Witch, and the Raven Queen.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rhoederak View Post
    I feel as though vrylokas' entire existence doesn't make any sense. I'll explain myself.
    That's correct. But there was already a feat for becoming a vampire, and a class for becoming a vampire, and IIRC also a theme for becoming a vampire, but there wasn't yet a race for playing a vampire. So the existence hinges on the quantity of fans who want to play a quadruple-vampire.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

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