Lost on the Beach

Faithful of Zogmugot

Illustration by Luis Perez

Many see goblins as insane little monsters, but these vicious creatures have a culture all their own and are also a very religious bunch. Goblins in general worship Lamashtu, and although they hold her in the highest esteem some dedicate themselves to the Goblin-Hero gods in the same way that some worship saints in the real world. These deific level Barghests are said to be the actual progenitors the goblin race, the little buggers being created from drops of their blood. There are four such creatures and we’ve already looked at one – Zarongel – and today we will explore one more: Zogmugot, the Goblin Hero-God of drowning, flotsam, and scavenging. Little is known about her followers so let’s make some up, shall we?

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

For more information on Zogmugot

Zogmugot’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Zogmugot’s Archives of Nethys Page

The Bottom Dwellers

Many of Zogmugot’s faithful collect the things that float to the surface and wash up on shore. A special set of her worshipers look to salvage that which has sunk to the bottom of the sea. Lady Lastbreath takes drowning as part of her portfolio and the goblins known as The Bottom Dwellers see their survival from their unaided dives as proof of their Hero-God’s favor.

Joining the Bottom Dwellers is actually a two-fold process. Of course the first thing that a would-be diver needs to prove is how long they can hold their breath underwater. There is no exact time prescribed, the current Dwellers make their decision on a case by case basis. The second task is to find an item on the bottom and present it to the group. Again there is no set idea of what this object must be, interesting is better than common however.

Eyes of the Sea

It is said Zogmugot can see out of every piece of beach glass in order to look in on those who wander her sands. The Eyes of the Sea are a group of goblin diviners who believe that they can use these “shinies” to see as well. There is no way petition for membership into the Eyes, each member is gifted their power by Lady Lastbreath herself.

The traditional method of divining the future or seeing places far off is to use pieces of glass collected from a beach. It is believed that each seeing uses the power of an individual “shiny” and so part of the Eye’s daily rituals is collecting new material at twilight every night. These goblins will pass over seemingly more valuable items to find just the right piece of polished glass.

Trash Pirates

This group of Zogmugot disciples sail up and down the coast of Varisa in makeshift boats. They stop all along the way collecting pieces of flotsam and raiding the garbage dumps of coastal settlements. They are especially fond of Sandpoint and Magnimar as they feel that they find the choicest pieces of trash there.

The Trash Pirates began their life at sea after their first captain had a vision in the aftermath of a near-drowning. He was tipped overboard by an errant wave and quickly swept away, but by some miracle awakened in the midday sun after being washed ashore. Captain Wavebreaker collected himself a crew, mostly by force, and began the life of pirating. The current captain is Captain Wavebreaker VII. None of them have been related except Wavebreaker II and Wavebreaker VI. When the old captain dies the crew fight it out till one last goblin stands and he takes on the moniker of Captain Wavebreaker.

The sea can give and it also takes away, much like the Goblin Hero-God’s followers. Who is your disciple of Zogmugot? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to Lady Lastbreath? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

If the CRB has inspired your next character please consider showing support and become one of my patrons by donating to my Patreon. Looking for more out of the CRB? Then you’re in luck! Google +, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook all have a CRB presence. And if you’re as impatient as I am, have the CRB pushed directly to your Kindle with every new post by signing up for Kindle Subscriptions.

The opening illustration was created by a fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart.

Brutal Rays Of Light

Dark Disciples of Nurgal

Illustration by Luis Perez

Not to be confused with the Infernal Duke Nergal, the Demon Lord Nurgal is one of the few evil deities with the sun in his portfolio. Unlike deities such as Sarenrae who represents the life giving nature of the sun, Nurgal represents its brutal and oppressive heat and ability to kill with too much exposure. We know that Nurgal was worshiped heavily in ancient Azlant but not much else about his followers, so let us take a look at three sects of this Demon Lord.

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

For more information on Nurgal

Nurgal’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Nurgal’s Archives of Nethys Page

Azlant Rising

During the height of the Azlanti civilization Nurgal’s worship was spread far and wide. The sect of Azlant Rising seeks to bring back that lost civilization by returning the worship of the Demon Lord to the masses. Whether there is actually any correlation between Nurgal worship and the rise of Azlant is suspect but that doesn’t stop this sect from pushing that agenda.

This sect began when a now former Pathfinder by the name of Herrod Kalprus found an ancient Azlant library which was attached to a cathedral dedicated to the Demon Lord. His study of the unholy texts corrupted his mind and he began to think of himself as one of the lost Azlanti seeking to rebuild his once glorious empire. He has gathered around him a dozen or so sons and daughters of Azlant who look to help rebuild his empire, even if they have to do it by force.

The Desert Lions

The desert below the land of Geb houses many nomadic tribes who live a difficult life under the beating sun. Many of these tribes are traders and herdsmen, but not all of them live such a peaceful existence. Having to both live with and fear the glaring desert sun the tribe known as the Desert Lions has dedicated itself to the Demon Lord Nurgal seeking protection from its brutal heat.

The Desert Lions is a small and insular tribe, numbering between two and three dozen at any given time. They don’t grow, create, or trade anything of their own. They prefer to take what they need from those who are not under the protection of their demonic patron. Many oases through this lower region of Garund and up through Geb have set up defenses against these raiders. The desert dwarves are a particularly stalwart foe of the Desert Lions.

The Wartorn

The Wartorn are a sect of military instigators. They look for ways to start as many senseless conflicts as possible all over Avistan. Nurgal’s followers are less than subtle and usually use acts of violence to provoke armed incursions. Dressing as members of one military to attack an opposing state is a common tactic. They occasionally work with followers of the Horseman of War, Szuriel, who will use their more subtle nature to sell the Wartorn’s actions, leveraging them into full scale war.

Most of the members of this sect are warriors of some type; fighters, barbarians, antipaladins, and warpriests are most common among them. Status is determined by prowess in battle, although, like many cults of Demon worshipers, their hierarchy is very loose. Acceptance into the group can only happen by proving one’s self in personal combat.

Like the desert sun the Demon Lord’s followers can kill those who forget their power. Who is your disciple of Nurgal? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to the Shining Scourge? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

If the CRB has inspired your next character please consider showing support and become one of my patrons by donating to my Patreon. Looking for more out of the CRB? Then you’re in luck! Google +, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook all have a CRB presence. And if you’re as impatient as I am, have the CRB pushed directly to your Kindle with every new post by signing up for Kindle Subscriptions. The opening illustration was created by a fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart.