Overseeing the Flock

Shepherds of Rowdrosh

The Empyreal Lords cover a lot of the minor things that the full on deities don’t because they look at the bigger picture. There is one of these angelic deities for just about every type of occupation on Golarion. This week we look at Rowdrosh, the Empyreal Lord of herd animals, husbandry, and shepherds. Here are three possible sects of the being known as The Divine Herdsmen.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game that we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Rowdrosh. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The Divine Herdsmen. What character do you make?

For more information on Rowdrosh

Rowdrosh’s Pathfinder Wiki Page 

Rowdrosh’s Archives of Nethys Page 

Calftenders

The calftenders are a group of Rowdrosh worshipers in Adoran who specialize in the breeding and raising of animals. Although they originally started out just working with cattle they have expanded their purview to include other types of herd animals. They are much sought after for breeding stock, as the sect has its own pastures with a few different types of animals, and its studs are known to produce good offspring.

This group of acolytes of the Divine Herdsmen is actually mostly just common folk with knowledge of animals. Commoners, experts, and adepts make up a vast majority of this sect. Their home pastures also include the sect leader, a druid named Ely and his sheepdog companion, and a ranger named Malia who helps move the breeding studs from farm to farm and finds lost members of the herd.

The Wild Ones

This is an odd sect of druids dedicated to the Divine Herdsmen in that they revel, not in the domesticated herds but in the wild ones. The members of the sect elect to remain in their wild shaped forms as a member of a wild herd; wild horse, buffalo, mountain goats, and deer are all common herds chosen by these shapeshifters. Some of the members are known to lose themselves to the herd as they get older and can stay in their wildshaped form for days at a time.

This sect is exclusively druids. They are loosely connected, meeting only when their herds come to the same watering hole. They will fight fiercely to defend their animal brethren, and will even defend herds that have another member of their sect among them. Nothing is scarier than a stampede of wild horses coming to the aid of a gathering of buffalo.

The Shepherds of Men

Most followers of Rowdrosh concern themselves with the flock and the herd. There are those among his followers, however, who watch over those who watch. This group of defenders of the herdsmen began in Taldor, but as the empire began pushing its way through Avistan with each army of exploration the Shepherds of Men went with them and remain in the places those armies passed through to this day.

This group is mostly druids, hunters,  and rangers, with a few clerics and paladins thrown in. Their main goals are to protect those shepherds and herders who keep their livestock far from the walls of a city. They cannot always protect these frontier shepherds, and when they cannot they seek to repay those who have cause their flock harm.

The flock of he who tends the flock looks after the least among us. Who is your disciple of Rowdrosh? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Divine Herdsmen? Where does their devotion to this Empyreal Lord come from? Let me know in the comments.

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