Witch's Brew

Cults of Mestama

We continue this week’s discussion on witches by taking a closer look at one of the goddesses most revered by witches and hags. Since I’ve already covered Alazhra that leaves us with the Demon Lord, Mestama. The Mother of Witches has much more written about her than many of the other Demon Lords and she even has a worshiper in the fourth book of the Shattered Star Adventure Path. But even with the slightly deeper delving into this deific being there is a surprising amount of room left to expand upon. So today we look at three possible sects of Mestama.

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 Mestama. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of the Demon Lord. What character do you make?

For more information on Mestama

Mestama’s Pathfinder Wiki Page 

Mestama’s Archives of Nethys Page 

The Bubbling Cauldron

The Bubbling Cauldron is not just the name of the sect but it is also the name of the establishment where these witches are based. The Bubbling Cauldron is located in the plagued town of Edme, a city that seems to be a magnet for criminal activity. No small part of this is thanks to the coven of witches who runs the Bubbling Cauldron.

There are seven members in the coven of Mestama worshipers and each is an Alley Witch connected to the rotting city. Whereas other criminals and instigators wreak havoc physically upon the city, the coven adds their contribution to the city’s blight by corrupting the very spirit of the city itself. The coven’s great deception is that, in a city of scarce food due to a pestilence in the surrounding countryside, the Bubbling Cauldron goes out of its way to feed the poor and hungry. What is in the food, nobody really knows.

Kilner’s Hope

When love fails, many in Taldor look to the small shop of Kilner’s Hope. Kilner is one of the few male worshipers of Mestama. He is a eunuch alchemist who specializes in love potions, or at least that’s what the people who visit his shop believe. Kilner’s Hope actually houses a small cult of Mestama and their potions last for a while, at least until they drive a wedge between lovers that usually ends in violence.

The cult in Kilner’s Hope is actually led by mute hag who was once a spurned woman of Taldor. Her would-be paramour is now the eunuch, Kilner. She seeks nothing but to make the lives of others miserable and devoid of love. Those women who fall victim to her machinations and live – many commit suicide – find their way into the cult for a time as they also seek to make other’s lives hell.

Widow’s Promise

Mestama finds her followers among those who have suffered. Often women who have tied themselves up in their spouses and cannot live without them. When women like this lose their husbands to the hands of another, whether actually or just perceived, their need for vengeance drives them to the cold arms of the Lord of Deception.

Although many of Mestama’s followers are witches, all of the members of the Widow’s Promise are Antipaladins of the Demon Lord. After they exact vengeance upon the person they believe stole their true love, they then seek out others who stand in the way of love. They see their own loving relationships as the pinnacle of love and have a special hatred for cheating spouses.

From cities to forests, only the most vile revere the Demon Lord of Hags and Deception. Who is your follower of Mestama? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to the Mother of Witches? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

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Character Exploration 31 - Callius Waterborne

Our subject is a Gillman who is slightly above-average in all areas, which meant that the meat of the backstory and choices would have to come from the random background rolls. Truth be told I had a hard time picking a class for this character so I narrowed down the possible choices and then rolled to pick one. In an attempt to give myself a bit more information to work with I also rolled on the background chart for that class. And that is how our Gillman became a witch.

Witch Background Roll

Witch Training: [Initiated] When you came of age, a coven of witches initiated you into their circle because you showed great promise. After your initiation ritual, you changed on a fundamental level.

Callius Waterborne

When a group of Gillman brought the keystone of the fallen Arch of Aroden up from the depths to the people of newly-formed Andoran, it wasn’t just as a gift. The piece of the once great monolith was more than a symbol of support. It was a request to be accepted by the people of the fledgling democracy, although most common Andorans go about unaware the Gillman have made a home for themselves in the deeps far off the coast of the growing nation.

The city of Tidesmarch has grown in that time, now hosting a few thousand Gillman. Much like Andoran they have chosen a democratic form of government, electing a council from among the people of the different districts of the city. The council also includes representatives of the church of Gozreh—worshiped in her aspect as goddess of the sea—and members of the Emissaries of the Waves, a group of witches attuned to the heartbeat of the sea.

Becoming an Emissary of the Waves is no easy task. The sea witches watch the populace of Tidesmarch, opening their sense to search for an individual's direct connection to the depths. Children who show promise,  as young a six but no older than ten, will be taken from their families and trained to be the voice of the ocean. Not every supplicant survives the training with their mind intact as the ‘thoughts’ of the sea itself can be quite alien.

Callius Waterborne the middle sister of a large family showed her gift at an early age. Her parents who were both shapers of coral, expert artisans working with living material, saw her gifts early and called for the Emissaries to test her. Callius was accepted among the sea witches, as was her younger sister two years later. One child in many generations of a family line to show a connection to mother ocean was rare, but two in the same generation was practically unheard of.

Although Callius had been undergoing the testing and mastering the teachings of the Emissaries for three years before her sister came, when the two took to studying together they began to outstrip all the other students. Callius and the Emissaries, however, were blind to the toll such quick growth in power was affecting young Jindira. The younger Waterborne daughter began to rail against the followers of Gozreh claiming they had no true connection to the sea. Unlike the witches, they need an intermediary to touch the true mind of ocean. This led to Jindira manipulating her sister to help her disgrace and humiliate members of the church of She Who Guides the Wind and the Wave.

Bringing out the worst in her sister was only the beginning. The true betrayal came when the witches realized that Jindara had never been receiving her power for the ocean. Jindara’s mind had been hidden from them and corrupted by the thoughts of the Gillman’s long removed creators, the Aboleth. Her power came through her connection, not to the sea, but to the void to which the Aboleth looked to as a divine nothingness. When Jindara’s insanity became clear the Emissaries tried to do away with her. She killed many and called to her sister, Callius, to join her but at that moment the older Waterborne knew she couldn’t. Jindara thrust a trident through her sister’s side, leaving her for dead as she swam off to join her masters.

Callius decided to leave the Emissaries after the incident, although they assured her she still had a place among them. She looked for her own life outside the city to take her mind away from the loss of her sister. She picked up with an Andoran merchant vessel, having to keep close to the sea as constrained by her biology, but needing to be apart from it. It was on the ship that she met the mercenary Felrick and saw how humans could put a monetary price on anything. Although his dealing were always fair Felrick never did anything for free. “Time is money,” the Andoran would always say.

Many years later she would return home to her family. Trying to put her past behind her she has taken up the family business of coral sculpting. Still wary of Gozreh, Callius has taken up the worship of Shelyn like her parents revelling in art and freedom. But deep down all Callius wants is safety and security for herself and the ones she loves. Her tainted sister is still out there, and as much as she tries to hide it, she still feels the call of the waves. What her future holds for her she doesn’t know and dares not ask.

Was a witch what you would have picked? Would you have gone with the Gilman Rogue archetype Eldritch Raider? Who do you see as the betrayer of our heroine? Take a look back at the rolls one more time and tell me what you would have done different.

Life has been breathed into yet another group of disparate rolls giving a complete character. If you enjoy seeing the process of creation please help fund what amounts to a second unpaid full-time job. Become a Patron today for as little as $1 by donating to my Patreon. If you can’t wait for new content on the CRBs schedule, look to the other forms of social media the CRB is on. Twitter, Tumblr, and now Facebook. Check out as I live tweet my games, see when I might be at a con near you, and find out when new works I’ve contributed to are being published. The CRB itself can also be sent directly to your Kindle by signing up for Amazon’s Kindle Subscriptions, don’t miss a single post.

Character 26 - Menadiric Holyoak

Our orphaned elf, a onetime burglar, servitor to someone in power, and worshiper of the god of magic Nethys needs to come to life. High intelligence and finely honed physical prowess gives us a lot to work with. His lack of willpower, and either abrasiveness or just plain ugly, gives us some flavor as well. Now just to place all the pieces of the puzzle to get the clear picture.

Although much of what I do is based on story, sometimes you have to work the mechanics into the story. This is an important part about the game that I think some people forget. Mechanics are important and shouldn’t be considered a dirty word. To that end here are some mechanical choices I made for the character that may be important:

Alt Racial Traits

I replaced pretty much all the standard Elven Traits; Keen Sense, Elven Magic and Weapon Familiarity and picked up two replacements.

Urbanite: Elves who live in cities for more than a century can grow to know the ebb and flow of social situations just as their forest-dwelling cousins know the rules of the wild. Elves with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Sense Motive checks made to get a hunch about a social situation.

Forlorn: Elves raised outside of elven communities—are accustomed to other races' brevity of life. Although they lose the opportunity to train in traditional elven arts, these elves pick up a bit of their adoptive parents' skills. They gain Skill Focus as a bonus feat.

Traits

Forlorn

Magic is Life

Orphaned

Drawback

Vain

I’ve decide to go with the Witch class, specifically the Alley Witch archetype, ad so Ive rolled on the Witch random background chart.

Witch Training: [Gifted] You received your magical ability as a gift from a supernatural being, such as an angel, devil, god, ancient dragon, or powerful fey. This creature expects you to act on its behalf in exchange for the power it loaned you.

Menadiric Holyoak

Menadiric’s family had lived among the Taldane people since the great exodus, and although his parents had given him and his younger sister Taldane names they still retained their elvish last names. Their surnames are the last thing that Menadiric’s parents left them when they both died in a horrible fire that consumed the small hovel they occupied on their Lord’s estate. Ninety may seem almost venerable to humans but elvish Menadiric was barely just a child, and his sister even younger.

Not really knowing how to deal with elven ‘children’ that were older than him, the liege lord sent them off to an orphanage. The orphanage, however, was also ill prepared to deal with them and in less than a year the elven children were living out on the streets. Because most of the humans in the trade city of Yanmass understand little of elven biology, it was easy enough for Menadiric to get himself a job with a merchant as a runner, a step up from the life of a peasant that his parents had.

Running all over Yanmass gave the young elf a unique understanding of the trade city, every street, every alley, every building became a part of Menadiric’s existence. It also meant that Menadiric interacted with people in many circles, including some who lived outside the law. The elven adolescent fell in with the wrong crowd and began using the fact most people assumed he could be in places most people shouldn’t to help his new friends acquire certain items.

Menadiric was enjoyed his life as a part time thief, more because of thrill than the money. At least, he enjoyed it until he got caught red-handed. The pleasure of his own thrill had taken him away from his sister, failing her when she had no one else. The strict laws of the Taldan trade city meant that Menadiric was imprisoned for his crime, and as a non-noble this may have been a life sentence if the son of the lord his parents served – now himself a lord – did not step up for him. The young lord, who had become a master of law, pushed for trial by combat. It was a trial which Menadiric won, but not without acquiring a horrible scar that disfigured his once-perfect face.

The lord that Menadiric remembered only as a child, of course, had his own motives. The price for making it possible to walk free was to serve the lord for as long as he lived. The lord needed someone who could perform tasks around the city without raising suspicion, someone to be his eyes and ears around Yanmass and keep him informed. This was a task almost uniquely suited to Menadiric, and the added bonus of a home off the streets for his sister meant it was a deal worth honoring.

Once again Menadiric spent his days roaming Yanmass and getting to know its streets and byways. This time the experience was different, more visceral, as if he could feel the city in his bones. He could sense the mood of its people and of the city itself as if it were a living breathing person. One night in his dreams he met with a Taldan woman who dressed in a mix of Taldan and Kelesh garb. She told him that her name was Yanmass and she was the city, that she needed him to help keep the balance of the streets. Although hazy, Menadiric understood and when he awoke there was a large rat sitting on his bed. He knew he now served two masters, his lord and Yanmass herself.

When the liege died Menadiric was released as per the agreement, and as a freeman he returned to the city proper. His sister had taken up the life of a seamstress, for which he was very proud. Menadiric even found some happiness, another Forlorn who could look past his scars and sometimes abrasive demeanor. He saved the woman from being mugged and beaten on the streets of his city and she has not left his side since. Now only beholden to his family and the city of Yanmass, Menadiric serves his purpose as the balancing force of his home.

And there you go Menadiric has come to life with but a few random rolls. If the CRB floats your creative boat please consider becoming the patron on my Patreon, this is how us creators survive. You can also check the CRB out on that crazy thing the kids call social media. On twitter I’m @SimonSezCRB and I live tweet my weekend games. You can also find the CRB on Tumblr where you can see some of the art that inspires me as well as random ideas I have throughout the day.