Exiled in Shadows

Devotees of Count Ranalc

Count Ranalc, the exiled fey lord, the only member of the Eldest who does not reside in the first world. The Eldest have many goals, almost all of them inscrutable. We have already look at Ng and The LostPrince, but Count Ranalc is even more of a mystery. Exiled to the plane of shadows for reasons unknown, his clerics still receive power but not so much guidance. Why has he been banished? Where is he hiding in the realm of shadows?

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 The Lost Prince. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of this member of the Eldest. What character do you make?

For what little information there is on Count Ranalc search here

Archives of Nethys Page 

Pathfinder Wiki Page

The Second Men

Although not all men, this small sect of Count Ranalc worshipers in Taldor boasts some of the most well trained duelists in the country. They specialize in being the second to those who have been betrayed. Whether it is by a business partner, or a lover, or a political rival it doesn’t matter to the Second Men. What matters is they help right the wrong committed upon those they take up the blade for.

Becoming one of the Second Men isn’t just about learning to swing a sword. Each of the Second Men have faced major betrayal in their own lives and have sought Count Ranalc to help ease their pain. It is only through the divine guidance of the Count that the wronged can even find the Second Men to begin with. They offer training so that the injured party might right the wrong and when they succeed they may join the Second Men. Those who fail, usually aren’t around to complain about being denied entry.

The Fangwood Elves

This enclave of elves are a holdover of surface elves from before Starfall. They did not flee Golarion like many of their kin, they burrow deep to hide in the darklands, and they did not lower themselves to seek succor among the shorter lived races. Their choice to remain in their ancestral home, however, has seen them become exiled from their people, albeit self-imposed. They have also turned their back on the elven gods and embraced their fey roots by seeking to follow Count Ranalc among the shadow-draped trees of the Fangwood.

One does not so much join the Fangwood elves are born into it. These elves lead a very strict and regimented lifestyle, eschewing the more carefree ways of their kin. The Fangwood has become the home to a great green dragon named Zedoran and more recently bands of orcs from the Hold of Belzkan that have taken to worshiping it. The wood has also seen a blight that has corrupted many a fey, including a powerful dryad, Arlantia. The Fangwood elves fight a battle on two sides and to this end their people live an act in a militaristic fashion.

The Shadow Seekers

The Count has been banished for thousands of years from the first world and the Shadow Seekers aim to find out why. This small sect within the church of Count Ranalc know that they continue to have their prayers granted and their spells bestowed upon them, but direct communion with their patron has ceased. This group of hunters searches the shadow plane looking for Count Ranalc to find answers to their questions.

Hunting on the plane of shadow is no easy task. Avoiding the many insubstantial monsters that exist there is a difficult proposition; and beyond the roaming shadowy beasts there are the great umbral dragons, the Kyton Demagogues who are near gods in their own right, and the unofficial ruler of the realm of shadows Zon-Kuthon himself. The groups of Shadow Seekers included more than just clerics, but shadow wizards, rangers who specialized in the outer planes, and those who have mastered the art of the shadow dancer. To survive the plane of shadows one must understand the darkness.

You’ve seen my sects and maybe they’ve inspired you in your creation of a worshiper of Count Ranalc. Who is your devotee? Why have they chosen to dedicate himself to the Count? Where did they even learn of the Fey Lord? Let me know in the comments.

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Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness

Sects of the Lost Prince

To The Lost Prince, balance is all -- but in his search for balance things get lost, forgotten, or set by the wayside. Not all beings that grant divine power are gods. The Eldest of the Fey are beings of such immense strength that, when worshipped, they can bestow upon their devotees some of their essence. The Lost Prince may seek solitude but he is never lonely, for those who have also been forgotten find him and pay him homage.

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 The Lost Prince. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of this member of the Eldest. What character do you make?

For what little information there is on The Lost Prince

Archives of Nethys Page 

Pathfinder Wiki Page 

Supplicants of the Black Tower

The Supplicants of the Black Tower are a group of librarians who seek to keep all of the forgotten things. Unlike followers of Norgorber, with whom they are frequently at odds, they do not seek to hide knowledge away from the world -- just hold onto it for safekeeping. Upon hearing of its existence, many a loremaster will search the wilds for the black tower itself and attempt to gain admittance. The price for entry is a piece of information that few if any know. The price to become a supplicant is to forget something important to you, your own name.

The nameless brothers of the black tower normally find the solitude of their hidden home more to their liking, but occasionally they will head out into the world. Rumors of lost libraries, forgotten wizards towers, and buried tombs of kings are all the incentive the Supplicants of the Black Tower need to venture out from their home. The lure of ancient and forgotten knowledge is the strongest thing in the world to a nameless brother.

The Black Wing Society

Where The Lost Prince himself cares little for furthering the cause of law and chaos or good and evil, not all of his followers are so inclined. The Black Wing Society feels that loss and sorrow are the only true motivators of the world and that everyone should feel this pain as they do. Members of the Black Wing Society are so mired in their own sadness that goes far past melancholy and into outright despair. Every member has had a personal loss; some have lost limbs in battle, others family members to horrible death, and still others have been spurned by someone they loved.

The Black Wing Society uses the iconography of the raven and many keep these large black birds as pets or companions. They haunt the nightmares of entire towns through acts of diabolic mischief. Stealing precious items kidnapping family members, spoiling the plans of people’s hopes and dreams. These followers of the Lost Prince feed off the despair of those around them. Although they often work alone, occasionally they well gather to despoil a particularly idyllic village, and when an unkindness of Black Wings gather only pain and death will follow.

The Unforgotten

When lost in the woods you just happen upon a guide who can lead to the forest’s edge. That is probably a member of the Unforgotten. Just because the Lost Prince deal with those things lost and misplaced doesn’t mean he intends them to stay that way. Members of the Unforgotten seek to show the good works of the fey lord. Although they still prefer the solitude of the deep woods, they know not all others do.

The Unforgotten are one of the few known sects of The Lost Prince. They do their good deeds in his name, seeking to bring better understanding of their patron. The Unforgotten will hire themselves out as wilderness guides to caravans and adventuring parties at reasonable rates. Where they excel is finding lost children, which they do for free. Many a distraught parent has come to the refuge of the Unforgotten with the tale of a missing son or daughter who wandered into the trees. The success rate of returned younglings is much higher when a devotee of the Melancholy Lord is involved.

The Darkened Verse

This is a very small sect of elves who follow the Lost Prince. Each and every one considers themselves a master poet. They try to constantly outdo each other in the most depressing lines of verse they can possibly muster. They take pride in their own personal heartbreak and sadness and see these feelings as the truest ways to express their art. Most other elvish parts see them as petulant children but the draw of their performances cannot be denied. Right now the members of the Darkened Verse are all the rage among the younger elves of Kyonin.

These are the ideas I had. The characters I pictured would fit into one of these sects. But what did you come up with? Who is your devotee of The Lost Prince? Why has your character chosen to follow this dour and obscure divine figure?

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