Imagine, if you will, you're making a character for a
group. Your only instruction is that you must be a worshiper of a specific god.
You do not need to be a divine casting class, although you can be, but the
party’s purpose is working toward the goals of this specific divine being. I'd
like, not just a race/class combo, but a little bit about why the character
would choose to dedicate themselves to this particular deity. Feel free to make
up secret or not-so-secret orders within the church, or even sects outside of
the church that you think might be interesting. With only this one piece of information
that must be true, let your imagination go wild with the rest.
This week we’re doing a little something different. With
all our talk about end-of-the-world prophecies on Wednesday, we’re going to look at the beings who personify the cataclysm
and catastrophe that will arise in the final days. The beings that will ride
the face of Golarion, turning it into wastes, and reveling in the death and
slaughter. We will discuss the anthropomorphized eschaton, the four Horsemen of
the Apocalyspe—and no I don’t mean Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson and
Tully Blanchard (Yes, that’s a wrestling reference. I’m a wrestler, so sue me).
Apollyon,
The Prince of Locusts – Horseman of Pestilence
Apollyon’s
Pathfinder Wiki page
Apollyon’s
Archives of Nethys Entry
Charon, The Boatman – Horseman of Death
Charon’s Pathfinder Wiki page
Charon’s Archives of Nethys Entry
Szuriel,
Angel of Desolation – Horseman of War
Szuriel’s
Pathfinder Wiki page
Szuriel’s
Archives of Nethys Entry
Trelmarixian,
The Black – Horseman of Famine
Trelmarixian’s
Pathfinder Wiki page
Trelmarixian’s Archives of Nethys Entry
Throughout history the horsemen have been depicted in
many, many, mediums. In Good Omens Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett modernized the Horsemen by portraying
them as a biker gang. In Piers Anthony’s series Incarnations of Immortality, both Death and War aren’t so much horsemen as
they are jobs held by people. Whether evil or just doing their job, the
horsemen always bring death and destruction with them.
On Golarion the horsemen are Archdaemons, not to be
confused with Demons, and rule over the desolate realm of Abbadon. The title of
"Horseman" is transferable and can be usurped by upward-minded daemon
harbingers. The positions bring with them power like that of a demigod and the
ability to imbue their followers with small portions of this divinity. And with
mortal lust for power being what it is, there are those who will flock to
worship even these beings who personify their own end.
Although they do not technically have churches, or really
any organized faith to speak of, the Horsemen are worshipped by no small number
of creatures on Golarion. Some pay them their due out of fear of their own
mortality. Others are hate-filled monsters who want nothing less than the total
destruction of the world to ease their own pain. We're going to explore those
who willfully dedicate themselves to the worship of these foul Archedaemons and
comprise their dread cults.
Apollyon
The cults of the horsemen of pestilence usually come from
the ranks of those who have either lost someone they love to, or themselves
suffered from, the ravages of a foul disease. These demented souls are so full
of hatred and anger that they turn to Apollyon and pray for him to inflict upon
others the same illness they have been stricken with. Necromancers fascinated
with diseases, plague born sorcerers and witches are very common among the
worshipers of the Archdaemon of disease.
These cults tend to use sewers as their base of
operations in larger cities. They often ally with wererats, or more rarely they
become lycanthropes themselves in order to better spread the word, the will,
and the plagues of their master. In some dark corners one might hear whispered
rumors of a gathering of ghasts and ghouls who seek to serve Apollyon with the
spread of their fevered, diseased touch.
Charon
Death is death. Whether the cause be disease, war, or
famine, it’s all still death and all things living will eventually find
themselves in Charon’s icy embrace. Charon’s main sphere of influence, however,
is death by old age. Many of his supplicants have lost a loved one who has been
ravaged by the passage of long, hard years. Some have seen their children
perish before them and, in their bitterness, wish a similar pain upon others.
Almost all seek to find a way to lengthen their stay on Golarion, and undeath
is one of the most common routes to this goal.
One of Charon’s largest cults is actually a group of
forlorn elves. Born into a world with few of their kind, they’re forced to
watch the shorter-lived races around them die. Watching generations of humans
wither away was not easy on them. Even with the return of their kin, not all of
these elves managed to retain their sanity.
Calling themselves “The Ageless”, they are masters of
necromancy and alchemy. The elves have a specific focus on accelerating the
aging process. They especially love to use their abilities on their kinsmen
which returned to Golarion in the Age of Enthronement. Those who did not have
to live through death after death must be made to suffer by watching that which
they love wither and die before suffering the same fate themselves.
Szuriel
Szuriel’s followers live for the blood and thunder of battle—the
bigger the better. Although many of his followers are warfighters themselves;
anti-paladins, holy warriors, savage brutes and the like, the Angel of
Desolation needs those who can cause wars and not just fight in them. The
horseman of war finds followers among the aristocrats, politicians, and
diplomats who can force their people onto the battlefield. One misstep of
language can cause entire countries to field mass armies, and Szuriel’s
followers have a penchant for the misspoken word.
In darkened backrooms, his minions can be found
engineering enmity and planning the calendar of carnage. These wealthy warhawks
make and spend fortunes trading in the secrets of their homelands to make sure
other followers can keep their countries geared up for war. National interests
mean nothing to the worshipers of Szuriel, watching their countrymen die in
droves elevates both them and their Archdaemon master.
Trelmarixian
The horsemen of war is not the only one of the
Archdaemons whose worshiper base moves outside the realm of cultists.
Trelmarixian is considered to be a part of the Kobold pantheon as well as a
member of the four horsemen. Although he does still have cults among the more
civilized races, his kobold followers could actually be called an organized
religion.
Kobolds are known for their ravenous appetites, although
perhaps a little less so than goblins, but food is not always readily available
for the little dragonmen. In times of great hunger the priests of Trelmarixian
urge their brethren to steal food from the more civilized races. This
Kobold-made destruction of crops, when allowed to get out of hand, can mimic
the effects of a food shortage brought on by drought.
The Kobolds who truly dedicate themselves to Trelmarixian
do not consume more than the most basic amounts of food needed to sustain them.
The priests are known for their emaciated bodies, ribs showing through dry,
cracked, leathery skin. This self-imposed fasting is considered to be a worthy
sacrifice for the powers granted by their Archdeamon lord.
Grand Conclaves
On very rare occasion the followers of all four horsemen
will gather. These conclaves are often followed by a great period of mass
destruction in a region. Plagues of vermin will sweep across the land, crops
not eaten by the locusts will wither and die, and the populace will fall to
bickering and fighting until no option is left but all-out war. Recent memory
hasn’t seen such a thing, but ancient texts suggest that it has happened in the
past and the followers of any goodly gods would be wise to remain vigilant for
any sign of these apocalyptic grand conclaves.
And there you have the cults of the four horsemen. Who are your flag bearers of the apocalypse? Death, War, Pestilence or Famine, what character would you make?
And there you have the cults of the four horsemen. Who are your flag bearers of the apocalypse? Death, War, Pestilence or Famine, what character would you make?
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