Way of the Gun: Itinerant Gunslinger's of Lorris

 It’s Saturday and it's time to talk about a god. For those of you who haven’t been a part of my explorations into the religions of Golarion, here’s how it works:

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.

Today's god

Lorris, Neutral Good Empyreal Lord of charity, the disadvantaged, and volunteering.

Lorris’s Pathfinder Wiki page

Lorris’s Archives of Nethys Entry

The idea for this came from a group of characters that got put out as a test to see what we would build; four gunslingers who multiclass into something else. It got me thinking about what four gunslingers would be doing hanging out together? That spawned the idea for a Magnificent Seven style troupe, which of course is really just a retelling of Seven Samurai.

With the idea flourishing in my mind, I did something I don’t usually do in these Saturday explorations and worked my way backwards--A band of travelling gunslingers who end up in towns when they are needed most. I wanted to give them a connection that was more than just four random characters thrown together, a greater meeting as it were, and that’s when I found Lorris. A god of charity, of helping the disadvantaged. Sadly there are no Golarion gods with firearms as their favored weapon, but such is life.

Now that I’m actually writing this, I like to think of them as more of an A-Team. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the… I admit this is where I have a problem with names, but you get the point.

There are legends on Golarion. Legends of massively destructive monsters, of deities wielding world-eclipsing power, and even of mortal men who seek to make the world a better place than the one they found. One such legend speaks of four men who walked out of the wastes of Numeria. Four men who travel the badlands to the bread basket of Brevory and through the chaos of the River Kingdoms. Four men whose sole goal in life is to help those who cannot help themselves.

The legend speaks of the leader of the group--a quick witted human with golden blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkle as if staring at the reflection of the sun on a crystal clear lake. It is said he has a flare for the dramatic and a mind that can run circles around even the greatest scholars. Some say he chose the life of a lawman wherever he was from, but was disillusioned by the corruption. Other tales say he was framed for some crime or another and fled. With a pistol in one hand and a rapier in the other, This man leads his troupe from the front, never backing down in the face of evil or oppression.

“Off we go lads, ol’ Vesta never met a target she didn’t like. Don’t want to live forever, do ya?”

(Human Investigator Steel Hound/Sleuth 2/Gunslinger (Mysterious Stranger) 1/Swashbuckler (Picaroon) 1/ investigator X)

Following this mythical leader into battle is a savage beast. Although his pronounced tusks and ridge brow give away his orcish ancestry, his ruddy and weather skin tone speak to his origins among the Numerian tribes. They say he is an outcast from one of the tribes that shunned technology. In the heat of battle during a giant raid he found a deformed and broken firearm in a pile of junk and used it to win the day. With no prior training he intuitively slapped together some scraps and forced the weapon to work, almost as if through the strength of his own determined will.

Although he loses himself in the heat of the moment, those who claim to have met the quartet say he is a gentle soul. He seems to take a particular shine to children, with practically a childlike demeanor of his own. But never forget that he is a savage killer, even if he has calms between outbursts.

“Ghuran put this um.. um this here. And that um.. whatever that is there. See and now lightning stick make big boom all the time.”

(Half-Orc Gunslinger (Gun Scavenger) 9/Barbarian (Savage Technologist) 11)

If the tales of the wild rages of the half-orc are to be believed, then so too must the tales of the stoic dwarf. Whereas many gunslingers, especially those who use a pistol, try their best to keep mobile, the dwarf lumbers through the battlefield in a full set of plate armor. Rumor says that he was a mercenary for many years, using his gun to make money from whoever paid the highest with no question or qualms. These days, like the others, he carries with him a holy symbol of the Empyreal Lord Lorris.

He never speaks of whatever change occurred--or anything really for that matter. Now, however, his gun has been imbued with holy might. Some say they have seen him smite a foul undead behemoth from 20 paces. Others say they’ve witnessed the stoic dwarf heal the injured with but a touch of his hands. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he has changed his ways, and his righteousness grants him some divine ability.

“...” (His gun does the talking for him)

(Dwarf Gunslinger (Gun Tank) 5/Paladin (Holy Gun) 15)

The last and possibly least (in size that is) member of the drifters is a gnome with wild eyes and a shock of red hair that looks like a roaring blaze when it blows in the wind. As is true of many of his people, the small scion of the first world is always inquisitive. Much like his half-orc compatriot his gun seems to be thrown together from whatever various oddments he could find. What people mistake as slapdash are the gnome’s ingenious experimentations. Even beyond his mechanical prowess, the wild-eyed gunslinger adds potent magical capabilities to his firearms.

“Magic is technology, technology is magic. Trust me, this is going to work wonders... But maybe you should stand back over there just in case.”

(Gnome Wizard (Spellslinger) 5/Gunslinger (Experimental Gunsmith) 5/Eldritch Knight 10)

When a small village is beset by bandits and there is no one else to turn to, the four unnamed gunslingers might just come over the horizon. Then you will know Lorris sees your plight and looks upon your town with favor.

And now that you’ve seen my followers of Lorris, who are yours? What character would you make that is devoted to the Savior Hound?