Ducks aren't silly...

Ducks are serious business

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_hcwB8i64

Quote from: Kiero;597156The main source of non-ambient magic and a significant threat/antagonist source are the Outsiders (this is a placeholder for a proper name). Rather than a myriad of alien types, I want to go with just one, and rather than demons I'm currently thinking the Fae.

If you're distancing your setting from the West, Fae seem like a strange inclusion. Why not some form of native malicious spirits, of which there are tons in every culture. You could use the dark powers from Zoroastrianism (the Daeva), djinn (later culture, just as alien as fae but still appropriate), and so forth.

No idea what your academic background is, but there's a lot of online resources freely available on mythology. Look up the myths of Sumer, or Babylon, or Egypt. There's certain to be otherworldly beings who fit the bill.

Just my first response.

Otherwise, the setting sounds cool.

Quote from: Daddy Warpig;599240If you're distancing your setting from the West, Fae seem like a strange inclusion. Why not some form of native malicious spirits, of which there are tons in every culture. You could use the dark powers from Zoroastrianism (the Daeva), djinn (later culture, just as alien as fae but still appropriate), and so forth.

No idea what your academic background is, but there's a lot of online resources freely available on mythology. Look up the myths of Sumer, or Babylon, or Egypt. There's certain to be otherworldly beings who fit the bill.

Just my first response.

Otherwise, the setting sounds cool.

I'm not talking about the Celtic-inspired Fae, but rather Exalted-style Hindu-inspired emotion-vampires.

Quote from: Kiero;599252I'm not talking about the Celtic-inspired Fae, but rather Exalted-style Hindu-inspired emotion-vampires.

My advice, FWIW: use a different word.

It's kind of jarring for an Antiquity culture to use the term "fae" (which originated in Old French, more than 3000 years later). Especially when the intended meaning ("hindu-inspired", etc.) has nothing to do with what people associate the term "fae" with: Tuatha, the Fair Folk, fairies, elves, etc. (See most of Urban Fantasy.)

It's like using the term "Dragon" to refer to sparkling emo vampires. You can argue about Vlad Dracul being The Dragon, and hence why vampires are dragons, but it'll still confuse people. Dragons are not vampires, and vice versa.

My advice is to use a different, culture-appropriate name for them, so people won't get confused. Daeva, Asura, whatever you want.

Look up some Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Hittite, whatever monsters and pick one that resembles what you intend these Outsiders to be and use its name. But fae...

That's just jarring. Like calling a specific breed of them leprechauns.

"I, Ashur, from the city of Kushap, did go forth in the name of El, the Lord of the Tempests and Night, and did slay many leprechauns, orcs, and tinkerbells."

Jarring.

Just my two cents.

Quote from: silva;597361Except for the Magic part, you just described Glorantha.

That is one of the most inaccurate statements I've read on this forum (barring some Pundit forum foolishness).

1. EVERYONE uses magic.
2. Elves, dwarves, ducks, broo, etc.
3. Helpful gods that grant magic.
4. The west is full-blown medieval Europe.
5. The east is China and Japan.
6. God-Learners.
7. etc.

Im with Daddy here. The term "Fae" is already loaded with a lot of assumptions. Picking another from bronze age cultures, or inventing a new one yourself, would make more sense.

Quote from: silva;599145"New-age movement" ? Is that a new real world religion ?

If you go into new age bookstores, crystal stores, even neo-pagan bookstores, you'll find all kinds of things that are labelled as "Celtic"; tarot card manufacturers, for example, have found that putting the word "Celtic" on the box instantly ups sales with a certain crowd, and most of the crappiest new-age music in the world tries to present itself as "celtic".

However, like with most things new-age there's nothing genuinely celtic about it, its all this kind of ersatz nonsense that has about as much to do with real celts as renaissance faires have to do with the real middle ages.

RPGPundit

Wait! You mean those books on Gypsy Magic aren't real?! Dammit!

Quote from: Gruntfuttock;597561Back on topic - Kiero, how do you see the question of the Gods?

Are they real and active, or are they 'silent' like in a lot of the old S&S stories. Do priests have access to supernatural power from their God, or is religion more a matter of power structures and political clout?

My preference is that the Gods no longer manifest themselves in the world. If a priest has mojo, then it means they are a closet mage and are simply pretending their power comes from the Gods. I suppose in your 'no humans have magic' set up, that would mean that the priest or priestess is a Changeling.

I like the gods having some effect, but I also like the unknowability.  SO though I have a few religions that do not really conflict, my Bronze age stuff has a number of oracles that are worshipped.

"Religion in Accis


Accis is a world of mystery and myth.  Religion is not a clean, clear cut thing,  Rather, it is a morass of politics and belief, a mess of cults and temples and rituals and prophecy.  In Accis, they worship the 'Divine Family', which is supposedly one of a few divine families, but the most powerful one.  The other divine groups are what rule other areas of the world, according to the Accians.   Juesak the Maimed yet strong, Herad the Burnt Smith, Calip the Lonely Scholar, Herani the Homemother, Ven the vain and beloved, and The 4 Weavers are the largest temples to the Divine Family.  Hetmar the Protector has a small temple, as does Rex The Father, Piner the brother and friend, and Warnock of the Night terror.  

Complicating this, there are 4 major and 4 minor priesthood that actually service and care for these temples, each attached to a prophet or auger in the area.   The Auger of the Serpent, the Profound Man, The Furies of the Flame, and Speaker of the Dead are the main, powerful prophets, that control priesthoods in the city.   The Secret Fire, The Guarded Library, The Eternal Family, and the Way of Flesh are the smaller ones.

There are also constantly rumors of mystery cults and secret religions, as well.  


There is also a Temple of the Forsaken in town, which is part of the Codex of Caleb, the major religion for the areas that originated the Dennite peoples.  It is given fair treatment, though it is not part of the politcal climate."

Quote from: LordVreeg;599477I like the gods having some effect, but I also like the unknowability.

Same here. In my BAS&S setting, there is no easy definition of what is a 'god'. There are a multitude of beings with powers in the world of varying degree, and any one of these could be worshipped by a community as a 'god'. Some of these beings have a physicial presence, while others do not.

Most communities believe in their own gods, no matter how powerful. Some of these also believe in the existence of other gods. Some believe that the beings others worship are merely spirits or demons. Some believe that all beings with power are merely demons and that anyone who worships a 'god' is really being duped.

In our campaigns, the characters have encountered:
- A formless being with magic powers that the locals worshipped as a 'great spirit' but who wasn't a god. The PCs believed this was a god.
- Jodhara the Monkey God, which was a being with the body of a large monkey and a human skull in place of a head. The local villagers worshipped it as a god. The PCs killed it, but believed it was a god.
-Khaliya, aka The Black Man God, who was worshipped as a god but the PCs felt he was actually a very old sorcerer and not a god. They killed him, too.
- Avatars of Naho, who believe that if they learn the full name of their lost god, they'll become that god re-incarnate. The PCs believed that Naho was a god-in-absentia.
- The giant tentacle that came out of the ground which was worshipped by The Tongueless Cult. None could say whether this was a god or not or what it's name was, but the PCs believed it was only a demon/monster.
- The Queen of the Two Gardens, the Nayah of Marab, who appeared to be an animated statue that the locals worshipped, and yet had a strange numinous quality. The PC jury is out as to whether this was a god or not.

Quote from: Thalaba;599487Same here. In my BAS&S setting, there is no easy definition of what is a 'god'. There are a multitude of beings with powers in the world of varying degree, and any one of these could be worshipped by a community as a 'god'. Some of these beings have a physicial presence, while others do not.

Most communities believe in their own gods, no matter how powerful. Some of these also believe in the existence of other gods. Some believe that the beings others worship are merely spirits or demons. Some believe that all beings with power are merely demons and that anyone who worships a 'god' is really being duped.

In our campaigns, the characters have encountered:
- A formless being with magic powers that the locals worshipped as a 'great spirit' but who wasn't a god. The PCs believed this was a god.
- Jodhara the Monkey God, which was a being with the body of a large monkey and a human skull in place of a head. The local villagers worshipped it as a god. The PCs killed it, but believed it was a god.
-Khaliya, aka The Black Man God, who was worshipped as a god but the PCs felt he was actually a very old sorcerer and not a god. They killed him, too.
- Avatars of Naho, who believe that if they learn the full name of their lost god, they'll become that god re-incarnate. The PCs believed that Naho was a god-in-absentia.
- The giant tentacle that came out of the ground which was worshipped by The Tongueless Cult. None could say whether this was a god or not or what it's name was, but the PCs believed it was only a demon/monster.
- The Queen of the Two Gardens, the Nayah of Marab, who appeared to be an animated statue that the locals worshipped, and yet had a strange numinous quality. The PC jury is out as to whether this was a god or not.

this is exactly what I mean.  In my main setting, more of an 'age of reason meets magic', things are much more explained with much more ancient knowledge....in my Bronze Age stuff, I use a lot of prophecy and heresay.  Questions are not answered as neatly, if at all.  My guys have run into a number of weird hidden cults, including a very shadowy, political one that recruited a few of their former allies...

Quote from: GluttonfuckBack on topic - Kiero, how do you see the question of the Gods?

Are they real and active, or are they 'silent' like in a lot of the old S&S stories. Do priests have access to supernatural power from their God, or is religion more a matter of power structures and political clout?

One approach I find interesting is the one seen in Bernard Cornwell´s Arthur Chronicles, where magic and gods powers are a mixture of tricks, coincidence and psychology deployed by the druids.

In my Dark Albion campaign, most of the Scots Men are heathens who "follow the Hawk".

RPGPundit

Quote from: silva;599495One approach I find interesting is the one seen in Bernard Cornwell´s Arthur Chronicles, where magic and gods powers are a mixture of tricks, coincidence and psychology deployed by the druids.

Which is a very good exemplar for what I have in mind.

I could just steal the name-source from Exalted, which is Rakshasa. That's clearly not Disney-fairies.

I am curious why you would have Rakshasha (or Fae) but not any active gods.