Becoming The Beast

Throwbacks of Ealdeez

There is a beast that resides in all of us. Most of us can keep that snarling creature at bay, but some give in to the savagery. The Daemon Harbinger known as Ealdeez feeds off the rage in these people’s hearts. Those who give themselves over to the Harbinger of reversion, regression, and savage revenge give up any semblance of a civilized life. Today we look at three possible sects of the being known as The Beast Behind the Dream.

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 Ealdeez. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The Beast Behind the Dream. What character do you make?

For more information on Ealdeez

Ealdeez’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Ealdeez’s Archives of Nethys Page

Moonless Children

In one of the many secluded villages, off the beaten path in the River Kingdoms, reside some of the most inhospitable people you may ever meet. Outsiders are reviled and actively threatened. Most of the inhabitants of the region know to steer well away from the village, and rumors of missing travelers are common but unproved.

In truth this town’s entire populace are skinwalkers. They are descendants of mostly bat, rat, and wolf lycanthropes. They are also a cult of the Daemon Harbinger Eadleez who look to find a way to become full lyncanthropes so that they may truly feel the pull of their bestial blood.

The Lashing Tail

Among the lizardfolk of the Sodden Lands the aggressive Terwa Lords rile up their people to take back the land they believe was once theirs. They have convinced their people that their aggressive acts are from a place of vengeance for what has been stolen. They preach that the savagery they use is their birthright. They war and kill because it is how it should be.

Within the ranks of the Terwa Kings including some of the leading shamans, and kings themselves are members of a clutch of Eladeez devotees. These followers of the Beast Behind the Dream truly don’t care if they take back their land or not, all they want to see is the brutality of the event. Shaman, oracles, barbarians, hunters, and bloodragers make up the ranks of this sect within the great Terwa Lords.

Those Who Walk On Fours

Although most to the Hyena-folk who travel the deserts of Casmaron fall in line with their peers as worshipers of Lamashtu, some follow other beings of power. Those Who Walk On Fours are a small tribe of Gnolls who seek to become more like the Hyenas that they believe they came from. They refuse to walk on two legs, and they speak only in guttural growls and body language.

The tribe began and is still led by Fangscar, a grizzled battlerager who began to have disturbing visions. He saw himself constantly transforming back into a giant hyena over and over again. Through these dreams he began to believe that his people weren’t the creations of The Mother of Monsters but the evolution of the Hyenas that still roamed the deserts. He sought a way to become what he saw in his dreams and turned to Ealdeez to aid him in his regression, bringing over a number of other supplicants with him.

Like their patron the Deamon Harbinger’s followers are the epitome of savagery. Who is your disciple of Ealdeez? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Beast Behind the Dream? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

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Character Exploration 74 - Kalissa

This week’s random rolls were tough. Although the class seemed pretty cut and dry, with her being the follower of a savage god and having a high strength and constitution, the low dexterity meant being someone who uses lighter armor would be a problem. Still barbarian was the glaringly obvious choice and I went with it.

Where I had my problem was canon lore to build from. So little is written about lizardfolk that it was hard to find a the hook I was looking for. I actually had to search into the adjacent region to The Shackles, a place called the Sodden Lands, to find what I needed. A little tidbit there sparked the idea and I just ran with it.

Kalissa

In the south part of The Sodden Lands the lizardfolk tribes make their home. For generations the tribes lived in harmony with each other; aiding one another in times of trouble. In recent years that harmony has been disrupted. Some of the lizardfolk tribes have fallen under the rule of powerful warlords who call themselves the “Terwa Lords.” Although each Terwa Lord is sovereign, they seek power at the expense of the weaker and more peaceful tribes.

Kalissa was one of the youngest of her family, or clutch, when the raiders game to her village. They killed her parents and her one older brother. Her brother’s death was an act of sacrifice so that her older sister could take the remaining children – all girls – away to safety. The Terwa Lords would destroy her home and force her people to become refugees.

The clutch of females made it across the southern border to the pirate kingdom of The Shackles. This was before the Terwa Lords riled up their people to begin raiding that far south, so the reptilians made their way in the city of Neruma. They were accepted, though as second class citizens, within the walls of the human enclave and Kalissa’s eldest sister managed to keep them out of the slave pits.

Living in the slums of Neruma was no easy life. The sisters scraped by working on jobs around the city. Living away from the coast made their life more difficult as their parents had been sailors and that was the only life the girls really knew. As Kalissa grew up she fell in with a number of street kids who all learned from criminal named Kerbus Trout.

Trout would teach Kalissa how to navigate the city, what areas to avoid to stay out of the slave pits, and how best to con some of the local vendors out of a loaf of bread or round of cheese. Although he himself was a well-known criminal – no small task in a land of criminals – he never asked any of the children to follow in his footsteps. He had a soft spot for kids, especially those who were growing up on the streets like he did.

When the raids started the lizardfolk who resided in Neruma were all looked upon with suspicion. The Terwa Lords had turned their eye from the traditional home in the southern Sodden Lands to the north of The Shackles. There were whispers among Kalissa’s people that this city was once a breeding ground for the ancient tribes and the Lords were seeking to reclaim it.

With the turn against the reptilian citizens some of the gangs of thugs would come to drag off the lizardfolk to the slave pits. It became common to see those who looked like the raiders to be cheated by merchants of all sorts. These actions bred fear and hatred among the lizardfolk, which in turn gave more excuses for the other citizens to treat them poorly. It was a vicious cycle.

Although the Terwa Lords were the driving force among the lizardfolk for domination of the region, other groups used their movement as a way to gain their own power. Among these were worshipers of the Daemon Harbinger Ealdeez. These degenerates used the aggressiveness of the Lords to promote reversion back to a more animalistic, or natural state.

Watching her people fall from their already low place in the city, Kalissa felt anger in her heart toward the people mistreating them. When a local leatherworker began abusing some of his help she lost it completely. She confronted him in front of his shop in full view of any bystanders and accused him of terrible things. The problem was that, because of the skills taught her by Kerbus, she knew these things to be true. Many of the people he traded with looked upon the leatherworker unkindly but Kalissa didn’t care.

Eventually the remaining lizardfolk that weren’t killed or enslaved were driven from the city. Kalissa was separated from her family and fell in with a group of raiders heading home to the Sodden Lands. It was here she first heard the teachings of Ealdeez. She learned to reach deep and use her hatred to release her inner beast. They taught her to fight with tooth and claw.

Kalissa’s rage was focused on one thing and one thing only, the people who had treated her and her people so badly. She would join the raiding parties and seek to punish the people of Neruma. One day she also hopes to find her sisters, if any remain. But for now the destruction of the warmbloods will fill that void.

Is this what you envisioned when you first laid eyes on the random rolls? What class did your lizardfolk choose? What happened to her parents? What disaster did she witness? Why did the end up in a human city? How did she come worship Ealdeez? 

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Random Roll 74 - The Randomness

The warm climate and wet weather of The Shackles is the perfect home for a Lizardfolk. But why does she live in a human city? And how did her parents die? This follower of a deity of bestial regression is served well by her incredible strength and durability, but her lack of coordination could prove a problem. So what do we do with these bits of flotsam that are the random rolls? We’ll see on Friday.

Gender:Female

Race:Lizardfolk

Nationality:The Shackles

Age:  Unknown

Height: 5’ 8”

Weight: 154 lbs

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Str: 16

Dex: 9

Con:  20

Int: 12

Wis: 10

Cha: 8

Homeland: Raised in a Human Homeland - City or Metropolis

Parents: Both of your parents are dead.

Siblings: You have 5 lizardfolk siblings.

- olderlizardfolk sister

- olderlizardfolk brother

- olderlizardfolk sister

- olderlizardfolk sister

- youngerlizardfolk sister

Circumstance of Birth: [Middle-Class Birth] You were born to the middle class, which includes merchants, artisans, and tradespeople. You likely grew up in a good-sized settlement, and one of your parents is likely associated with a guild or other trade organization. As a free person, you don't experience the bondage of serfdom or peasantry, but you also lack the privilege of the nobility.

Parent's Profession: Sailors

Major Childhood Event: [Major Disaster] You witnessed—and survived—a major disaster in your childhood years, such as a great fire, flood, earthquake, volcano, or storm. It obliterated the settlement where you lived, whether a small village, large city, or entire island.

Influential Associate:[The Criminal] One of your associates committed crimes regularly. He regaled you with many stories of daring robberies and break-ins—and perhaps even murders. You learned most of what you know of the criminal element from him, and he trusted you as a friend.

Conflict: [Destroyed a Reputation] You deliberately ruined the honor, reputation, or fortunes of another individual or group.

Conflict Subject: Artisan.

Conflict Motivation: Hatred or Malice.

Conflict Resolution: [No Guilt] Either guilt is for the weak, or you know you made the right decision. You might not openly brag about your part in the conflict, but you don’t deny it when confronted either.

Deity/Religious Philosophy:Ealdeez

Romantic Relationship(s):[Several Significant Relationships] You’ve engaged in a number of partnerships, but for some reason or another your relationships always fail.

Drawback:[Youth] You reflect upon your youth as a golden time, one ever present in your mind and that refuses to fade into the background. Every day, you feel yourself growing older and closer to your inevitable end. You seek ways to make yourself look and feel young in attempt to rekindle that fire of your adolescence, but despite your attempts, you realize that your time still draws ever nearer.

(Trait) Artisan

(Trait) Brute

(Trait) Canter

(Trait) Kin Guardian

(Trait) Merchant

(Trait) Orphaned

(Trait) Resilient

(Trait) Vagabond Child

(Trait) Worldly

(Story Feat) Unforgotten

(Drawback) Vain

In the comments please tell us what character you would make with these disparate pieces information? What class would this Lizardfolk naturally gravitate towards? What disaster did she witness? Whose reputation did she destroy? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me right – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Character Exploration 43 - Yitheris Shadowtongue

This week we had a fiend-thralled lizardfolk who came through The Worldwound with a dedication to what is true and righteous in the world. Strong, quick, durable, and charismatic, but with a low wisdom—which could mean oh-so-many fun things. There are a lot of other things to work with: a large family, an influential associate, an inability to truly connect in romantic relationships. So where to start?

First thing I want to do, of course, is pick a class. To me, the elevation from fiend thrall who ran with a bad crowd, to someone who represents order and decency screams Paladin. If it hasn’t been clear through the history of this blog, I’m a paladin fan. I’ve spoken about why paladins don’t need to follow gods in Shining Light. Three of my other random characters have become paladins; Marluk Denbrauth, Billup Wheatwhistler, and Standing-Stone.

Yitheris Shadowtongue

The battle for Golarion may not start in The Worldwound but it very often ends up there. With each passing day the demons push the borders of their corruption further and further. The shrinking lands which the crusader state Mendev protects, the only thing stopping the beasts from getting out into the wider world.

Because the demon force remains, for the most part, contained within the borders of the Worldwound, they need mortal agents who can travel into the wider world. The Demon Lord Shax already has a few such agents, a tribe of possessed Kellids he uses to bring in more chattel to kill, torture, and corrupt. These Kellids raid into Numeria, Mendev, Ustalav, and even The River Kingdoms.

Yitheris was born in Echo Woods, a forest many think has a sentience of its very own. With Azlanti ruins, giant spiders, raiding Kellids, and mischievous fey, the wood can be a very dangerous place. The west edge of the forest which borders the Western Sellen River is home to that Snapjaw tribe of lizardfolk. With his mother, father, and two older sisters, Yitheris called this place home.

When the Kellid raiders came it wasn’t unexpected. When the shadows came, that is when the fear set in. A good half of the tribe was taken that day, Yitheris and both his parents among them. Luckily his older sisters lost their pursuers in the wood.

Those who were captured were dragged back up the West Sellen to The Worldwound. Their trek took them straight through the heart of the chaos and corruption and into the frozen region called Frostmire. The Sabertooth Vale was were their journey ended.

Nearly a quarter were slaughtered on the first day in some bizarre ritual. The rest were pushed into caves and ushered into the darkness. It was here that the lizardfolk learned who their true captors were. In the shadows the form of the Kellids flickered, showing the malevolent demons that ensconced themselves in barbaric flesh like a warm coat. These shadow demons, servants of Shax, were the lizardfolk’s new masters,

Yitheris was singled out among his tribe; he wasn’t sure why but he didn’t suffer the same predations as the others. At first he didn’t mind because it meant the shadow demons and their Kellid puppets let him be. As time went on, the young reptilian began to enjoy the powers that the shadow showed him, learning to love the darkness and the fear it caused.

In his teen years he began to run with the Kellids. He raided with them, howled with them, and slaughtered with them. He became disconnected from even his own family as his lust for darkness grew. To prove himself he would pull pranks on his younger siblings who were born in captivity. For Yitheris it was all about the power that the shadows promised.

Life has many twists and turns in it and even the shadow demons do not control the chords of fate. During a raid into Mendev itself, Yitheris fell. The Lizardfolk was left for dead by the Kellids who fled in the face of defeat by a large contingent of paladins. Only Yitheris was left. Expectation of his own death however was not to come.

The knights were a mixed group of holy warriors from many faiths, but their leader was a devout worshiper of Zohls. He looked into the boy’s eyes, maybe even into his soul, and saw the truth. The knight, Iris Sant, took the young man back with them, not as a prisoner but as a lost soul.

The nights were long as Sant sat with Yitheris and the two spoke. The paladin never made the lizardman feel lorded over, always asking questions, digging for the truth with determination. Yitheris spoke of his family, his sisters back in the Echo Wood, and his parents and younger siblings trapped in Sabertooth Vale. He was sullen when he spoke about them, he felt bad for the way he treated them.

It was weeks before Yitheris was able to walk again, but he insisted that he must save his family. Iris told him that though Zohls appreciates determination, he was in no condition to go. Sabertooth Vale is deep in Worldwound and he’d never make it on his own. The paladin did promise he would lead a small group himself and see what they could do. All he asked was that Yitheris pray while he was gone. Pray to see if Zohls saw the truth of his path.

Iris Sant and his knights were gone two fortnights. In all that time Yiterhis did nothing but pray and contemplate his path. He ate little and slept less, and was left undisturbed. The riders returned, their horses’ hooves beating fast. They were followed by things that should not be. Other paladins rode out to meet them and eventually beat back the tide, escorting the riders home.

Yitheris ran out to see what Iris and his troops had found. They returned with two of his younger siblings, a brother and a sister. They were gravely injured, but being chased across The Worldwound gave the riders no time for succor. When Yitheris went to touch his sister his hands began to glow and many of her most grievous wounds were healed. Iris looked to the boy and said that Zohls musts have seen the truth of his path.

Yitheris was saddened to hear that his mother died in the rescue and that his father and brother were still trapped among the possessed Kellids. The Lizardman wanted nothing more than to save his family and work toward the truth of Zohls. Some of the other knights who were returning home took his siblings to find his sisters in the Echo Wood. But Yitheris stayed to train as a paladin even though he doubted he could ever make up for all of the things he did.

Some mechanical notes with this character: I wanted to go the Temple Champion/Oath Against Fiends paladin archetypes The domain he will choose when he gets to 4th level is good. The character is going to be about redemption. But I also want to play up the self-doubt aspects and I think this would come out as taint from the demons he was with. At 3rd level I would probably pick up Eldritch Heritage Shadow Bloodline to represent the influence of his former patrons the shadow demon. And I would probably continue picking up that line of feats to show he can never get away from what he was, but can he use that to make himself what he should be.

All of that information has congealed into the tale of Yitheris Shadowtongue. You’ve seen what I did, but what would you have built? Who is your Lizardfolk follower of Zohls? How did you make your decisions when fashioning a background like this?

Becoming more than we once were is a tale as old as time. And if you enjoy my tales then consider contributing to my Patreon. Check out the Patreon page for a video message from yours truly. The CRB is also spreading across social media. You can join the community of gamers on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Google+. Come share your stories with everyone else.

Random Roll 43 - The Randomness

Lizardfolk a usually tribal but not entirely savage race who tend to live in warm, wet climes. So how has this week’s randomly rolled lizardfolk come to live underground in The Worldwound? His family includes his father and five siblings but in truth he was removed from his family and raised by fiends. Spending most of his life in with a bad crowd, he somehow manages to come out the other side as a paragon of purity. So who is the reptilian character? Tune in Friday and find out. Until then why don’t you tell me who you think he is?

Gender: Male

Race: Lizardfolk
Nationality:  The Worldwound

Age: 19
Height: 6’ 6”
Weight: 227lbs

Alignment: Lawful Good

Str: 15

Dex: 17

Con: 13

Int: 11

Wis: 8

Cha: 14

Homeland: Unusual Homeland - Subterranean

Parents: Only your father is alive.

Siblings: You have 5 orc siblings.

- younger brother

- older sister

- older sister

- younger brother

- younger sister

Circumstance of Birth: [Fiend Raised] You were separated from your natural parents and raised by a fiend who taught you the cruelty and malice of the gods and worked to fashion you into its own mortal instrument to corrupt innocent souls.

Major Childhood Event: [Fell in with a Bad Crowd] In your youth, you ran with a brutal, evil, or sadistic crowd. You might have belonged to a gang, a thieves' guild, or some other nefarious organization. It was easy to cave in to pressure and do whatever they told you to do, and your outlook is colored by moral ambiguity.

Influential Associate: [Well-Connected Friend] In your circle of disparate associates, there was someone everyone knew. This person collected friends like trophies, and she had contacts in every social or professional circle. Through this connection, you continue to meet and associate with a wide variety of people in every walk of life.

Conflict: [Petty Crime] You committed a minor crime, like vandalism, trespassing, or mischief.

Conflict Subject: Family member.

Conflict Motivation: Pressured or Manipulated.

Conflict Resolution: [Secret Regret] You regret the conflict, but go to great lengths to keep it secret and try desperately to forget it ever happened. Only you and maybe a select few people know of your involvement in the conflict.

Deity/Religious Philosophy: Zohls

       

Romantic Relationship(s): [A Few Significant Relationships] You’ve tried to make deep connections with individuals on several occasions, but it’s never worked out.

Drawback: [Self-Doubt] No matter what you do, it’s never good enough. You cannot help but see in your victories many little defeats and failures. If you were stronger, smarter, faster, or more powerful, maybe you could be better. However, stuck in the body and mind you have, you feel you’re destined to fail.

(Trait) Child of the Streets

(Trait) Ease of Faith

(Trait) Fiend Blood

(Trait) Kin Guardian

(Trait) Surface Stranger

(Trait) Well-Informed

(Story Feat) Damned

(Drawback) Doubt

In the comments please tell us what character you would make with these disparate pieces information? What class would this lizardfolk naturally gravitate towards? Who is this former fiend thrall? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider (that’s me) by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Google+, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.