The Godsrain Prophecies Part Ten
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Despite my apprehension at reading about the deaths of so many of Golarion’s gods and my continuing belief that these Godsrain Prophecies cannot be taken at their word, I still feel a bit wistful about reaching the end of my analysis. While it is certainly possible that there are other prophecies in this vein, this is the last that I will read before delivering the collection to my Lady.
I am not sure why I feel so hesitant to put this work aside. Of course, there is something satisfying about feeling like you are a part of important research, even if the experience of it is less than pleasant. (I think here of those who have documented the beliefs of faiths that are somewhat more difficult to understand, as in To Scream Is Divine: My Year at a Nidalese Temple and its somewhat more uneven follow-up, Kuthite Lullabies.) Beyond that, though, I believe I will miss the gods themselves—or at least the insights into them that these texts have given me, even when I don’t believe a word that I am reading.
After reviewing the entirety of the Godsrain Prophecies, I am confident in one thing and one thing only: that the author has been made privy, whether through prophecy or otherwise, to the fact that one of Golarion’s gods will die. The preoccupation with the subject of a dead god, accuracy of some of the smaller details, and feeling of anticipation throughout are compelling evidence in favor of my theory. With all the contradictions and confusions in the text, though, I do not believe that the author knows which god, how they die, or why.
Unfortunately, this is where my certainty ends, as there are several different reasons why the author may have taken this information and used it to create the prophecies. It is possible that they feared what might happen and wrote these prophecies as a warning, attempting to prevent the dangers they dreamed up. It is also possible that they hope the death will be a destabilizing event, and that they intended for these prophecies to weaken faith and trust in the gods, making them easier to abandon in the aftermath of a catastrophe. There is no way to know, as I will admit to my Lady; I hope that in her wisdom, she can discern the truth.
If nothing else, as with all futures, only time will tell.
–Yivali
The “Death” of Rovagug
The chant starts as a whisper—an idle piece of pillow talk on nights Sarenrae cannot sleep, her fingertips gone marching on the canvas that is Shelyn’s back, her hands casting surging shadows onto Desna’s resting arm. She weaves a tale of how to win the battle that she hungers for, imagining alliances that span across the Great Beyond and speaking life to victory until the passion of her dream becomes a shared ambition. All three lovers make mention of it, idly, to those who share their interests, pitched in a tone and timbre meant to echo in the listener’s chest. The message drums with nostalgia tinged with rage and thirst for justice long delayed, and it is passed along from ear to ear until it finally circles back, a call to action with the deadly urgency of war.
Imprisonment is not enough. Rovagug must die.
There are more gods now than there were when Rovagug was sealed away, and many sign up for the quest to kill the Great Destroyer, to stand alongside Abadar and Gozreh and Calistria. Some do so to show their mettle, some to gather bragging rights, and some to reassure themselves that if there is something to gain, they won’t leave empty-handed. Sarenrae worries, privately, that many do not understand the danger they’ve signed up for, but she takes the names and notes the skills and hands the roles out all the same—rear guard to those who fear but fight, support for those who dwell in hope, melee for those who want to feel the blood beneath their fingers.
At first, it seems too easy. Asmodeus unlocks the seal that leads into the Dead Vault and gods pour through in something like a line. Wrackworms turn from feasting on the Rough Beast’s flesh to face them, but fall to sword and spell and scythe as if they were an afterthought, slicking the ground around themselves with remnants of their dying. After the cheers and murmurs fade, a gnawing silence fills the air, thick and dank and hungry, and for a moment, no one moves, a huddled mass of godhood waiting for something to happen.
Then Rovagug is everywhere—suddenly, impossibly. Rending, clawing, tearing open, shoveling exalted flesh into his waiting mouths. Apsu’s wing is torn asunder. Hei Feng’s feathers fall like rain. Grandmother Spider holds her own, her arms a whirling blur of blades, but watches as Thamir falls still, body crushed beneath a claw, and Hanspur drowns a second time, awash in his own blood. But Rovagug, despite his power, cannot overcome them all, and soon the tide of battle changes, rattling the prison’s walls as gods press their advantages, slamming his body side to side—an endless, rhythmic dying.
With each impact on the Dead Vault’s walls, Golarion is shaken. Buildings tumble into streets. Rivers shift to find new banks. Old trees flatten forests. Volcanoes long thought dormant, from Taldor to the Five Kings Mountains, spit dense ash into the sky, blanketing the life around them and blocking out the sun. The Eye of Abendego expands twofold, turning the Mwangi Expanse into newly Sodden Lands. When Rovagug is finally still, Sarenrae standing by his head with her arms held high in victory, the gods emerge from the Dead Vault to find a world that thinks the end has come.
After all the dead are mourned, no one agrees on what comes next. The aftermath grows tense and bitter, victory turned vicious. With Rovagug no threat to them, godly alliances feel heavier, a burden to be shrugged off or set down and ignored. How to rebuild a ruined land becomes the stuff of smaller wars—Abadar feuds with Erastil, Irori shuns Iomedae, Sarenrae feels the weight of blame hurled at her from every corner, and Norgorber sides with anyone who might advance his cause. But while they bicker here and now, the gods may yet unite again, as deep in Avistani soil, disturbed by distant tremors, the worst of Rovagug’s spawn have felt their prison falter and ready for destruction that would make their sire proud.
While imprisoned, Rovagug maintains the peace between the gods, but in his absence, what prevents war between the immortals?
That is certainly one way to end things. If I am being honest, the idea of Rovagug trapped within the bowels of Golarion has always made me a bit nervous, but it seems it may be better than the alternative! Which gives me one final idea as to why these prophecies exist—perhaps they argue against change and tell those who read them that, even for those gods whom you might fear or hate, the status quo is better than anything new that you might long for—a desperate version of a wish that, no matter what they have seen coming, it would be best for things to continue as they are. Sadly for the author, change, I believe, is inevitable. I hope only that we are ready and that we meet it, heads held high and wings outstretched, however and whenever it comes.
Don’t miss our exciting livestream on Tuesday, April 16 at 4:00 PM Pacific at twitch.tv/officialpaizo, where members of the Pathfinder team will announce who among the remaining deities is the unfortunate victim presaged in these prophecies. In addition to revealing which major deity is going to die in the War of Immortals event, we’ll also lay out the entire slate of War of Immortals tie-in products coming in the second half of 2024. Make your final predictions and join us in just under a week.
About the Author
Erin Roberts has been thrilled to be able to contribute a few small threads to the fabric of Golarion in the pages of books like Lost Omens Firebrands, Lost Omens Highhelm, and Lost Omens Travel Guide. In addition to her work for Paizo, she freelances across the TTRPG world (and was selected as a Diana Jones Award Emerging Designer Program Winner in 2023), has had fiction published in magazines including Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, and The Dark, and talks about writing every week on the Writing Excuses podcast. Catch up with her latest at linktr.ee/erinroberts.
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The Godsrain Prophecies
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Bah! He was the one I *most* wanted to see dead.
Ah, well.
Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
So things DON'T kick off with the death of Armageddon.
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Rovagug lives! Awesome that the death of Rovagug kinda sorta ends the world.
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A thousand thanks to Erin for these AMAZING pieces of fiction!
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Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
And all blame lays at Sarenraes' feet for the destruction of the world, for without Rovagug to hold the gods back, there will be divine war unending, mayahp.
And now to see if Gozreh will be the one to fall...
THANK YOU ERIN!!!
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
April 16th is april 17th europe time right?
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And yet again I am surprised.
Two of my favored deities still have the guillotine hovering over their head and I’m growing increasingly nervous to see where it falls.
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An interesting prophecy, the death of the apocalypse actually causes the apocalypse. The idea of Sarenrae being the one to unleash it is perfectly in character, Gormuz 2.0 but on a much grander scale.
And outstanding end to such a riveting series. Thank you so much Erin!
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CorvusMask wrote: April 16th is april 17th europe time right? April 16th at 4pm Pacific for your calculations.
Dang I'm out, he was my bet. At least I called the God's alliances falling apart after his demise though! XD
A very cool prophecy to cap it off! I never quite settled on whether it was possible they'd be willing to kill Rovagug, but I suppose this settles that. But it's an interesting future this offers; he can be killed, he can be beaten. Even if doing so would be catastrophic for the Cage he inhabits.
A few of the gods haven't been mentioned at all in the prophecies thus far. Gozreh, Lamashtu and I think Calistria have so far been unmentioned. Though I don't think this has any bearing on anything. No mentions of Dark Tapestry stuff here either, which is what I was thinking based on the previous prophecy. Unless you count Rovagug himself as lovecraftian enough. Anyway, is it too insane of a theory that some of the non-core deities mentioned here might be in danger in War of Immortals? Apsu, Hanspur, Grandmother Spider, Hei Feng, Thamir. Though I seriously doubt they'd kill Hei Feng only a few months after the Tian Xia World Guide comes out, and even more so Grandmother Spider.
...And the prophecies end with my two favourite core 20 gods on the chopping block. John Paizo, I will pay you two whole dollarydoos if you kill literally anyone except Lamashtu. It can be all nine of the rest, I'm willing to do that. Now let's keep this hush-hush.
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CorvusMask wrote: April 16th is april 17th europe time right? Yes - the stream will be around 12AM/1AM for most folks in Europe! But the VOD will be available afterwards!
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Thanks, Erin.
I admit I'm not exactly surprised Rovagug isn't the one to get it. He was my "least likely to be killed" nominee, because killing him off would remove a very big villain from Golarion.
Also, I'm just a little concerned Shelyn, Sarenrae, and Desna talk about divine murder on their dates. Yikes.
My fence-sitting guess of Torag or Iomedae biting it still holds. I suppose I need to take a stand...
RIP Torag
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VerBeeker wrote: And yet again I am surprised.
Two of my favored deities still have the guillotine hovering over their head and I’m growing increasingly nervous to see where it falls.
Seven of the ten remaining deities (Sarenrae, Torag, Iomedae, Shelyn, Abadar, Calistria, and Lamashtu) are big fan favorites. Of the 10 safe ones, we have the three major baddies (Asmodeus, Zonk, and Rovagug), three that it seems like most have something of a "meh" reaction to (Erastil, Irori, and Nethys) and four that I'd consider "fan favorites" (CC, Desna, Pharasma, and Urgathoa).
Was sure Rovagug wasn't going to die (gotta save him for the end times), but surprised he was marked "Safe."
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BookBird wrote: A very cool prophecy to cap it off! I never quite settled on whether it was possible they'd be willing to kill Rovagug, but I suppose this settles that. But it's an interesting future this offers; he can be killed, he can be beaten. Even if doing so would be catastrophic for the Cage he inhabits.
A few of the gods haven't been mentioned at all in the prophecies thus far. Gozreh, Lamashtu and I think Calistria have so far been unmentioned. Though I don't think this has any bearing on anything. No mentions of Dark Tapestry stuff here either, which is what I was thinking based on the previous prophecy. Unless you count Rovagug himself as lovecraftian enough. Anyway, is it too insane of a theory that some of the non-core deities mentioned here might be in danger in War of Immortals? Apsu, Hanspur, Grandmother Spider, Hei Feng, Thamir. Though I seriously doubt they'd kill Hei Feng only a few months after the Tian Xia World Guide comes out, and even more so Grandmother Spider.
...And the prophecies end with my two favourite core 20 gods on the chopping block. John Paizo, I will pay you two whole dollarydoos if you kill literally anyone except Lamashtu. It can be all nine of the rest, I'm willing to do that. Now let's keep this hush-hush.
I was summoned, but am as yet unbribeable.
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[LOUD EXPLETIVE CENSORED}
I was really hoping it would be Iomedae..... at least it's only a 10% chance she'll die? (Well. Not really. But you know.)
Jonathan Morgantini wrote: BookBird wrote: A very cool prophecy to cap it off! I never quite settled on whether it was possible they'd be willing to kill Rovagug, but I suppose this settles that. But it's an interesting future this offers; he can be killed, he can be beaten. Even if doing so would be catastrophic for the Cage he inhabits.
A few of the gods haven't been mentioned at all in the prophecies thus far. Gozreh, Lamashtu and I think Calistria have so far been unmentioned. Though I don't think this has any bearing on anything. No mentions of Dark Tapestry stuff here either, which is what I was thinking based on the previous prophecy. Unless you count Rovagug himself as lovecraftian enough. Anyway, is it too insane of a theory that some of the non-core deities mentioned here might be in danger in War of Immortals? Apsu, Hanspur, Grandmother Spider, Hei Feng, Thamir. Though I seriously doubt they'd kill Hei Feng only a few months after the Tian Xia World Guide comes out, and even more so Grandmother Spider.
...And the prophecies end with my two favourite core 20 gods on the chopping block. John Paizo, I will pay you two whole dollarydoos if you kill literally anyone except Lamashtu. It can be all nine of the rest, I'm willing to do that. Now let's keep this hush-hush.
I was summoned, but am as yet unbribeable. Foiled again! Anyway, cool stuff, looking forward to the livesteam.
Kittyburger wrote: VerBeeker wrote: And yet again I am surprised.
Two of my favored deities still have the guillotine hovering over their head and I’m growing increasingly nervous to see where it falls.
Seven of the ten remaining deities (Sarenrae, Torag, Iomedae, Shelyn, Abadar, Calistria, and Lamashtu) are big fan favorites. Of the 10 safe ones, we have the three major baddies (Asmodeus, Zonk, and Rovagug), three that it seems like most have something of a "meh" reaction to (Erastil, Irori, and Nethys) and four that I'd consider "fan favorites" (CC, Desna, Pharasma, and Urgathoa). But what about Gorum! I'm so worried about Gorum!
(to all Gorum fans out there...if you exist: I jest, I jest, but he's a tad bland for my tastes. He, Gozreh, Abadar, and Norgorber are probably the safest of the remaining deities though. Re-enacting the global financial crisis of 2008 with the death of Abadar is a little too on the nose...)
Has it been announced how late into the livestream the dead god will be announced? Or will it be a countdown of safe gods or something? Or just unknown?
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Interesting reference to the super-dangerous Rova-Spawn. Wonder if this is the same creature that hunted Erastil in his prophecy.
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I was hoping Rovagug would be dead already when they opened the vault. But the story was good.
I need Paizo to give us "Kuthite Lullabies" now though.
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The only time Rovagug can be considered "safe" in any way, shape, or form.
Saedar wrote: Interesting reference to the super-dangerous Rova-Spawn. Wonder if this is the same creature that hunted Erastil in his prophecy. We do get many potential hooks for Mythic stories.
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The Raven Black wrote: I was hoping Rovagug would be dead already when they opened the vault. But the story was good.
I need Paizo to give us "Kuthite Lullabies" now though.
+1
I really want them to include lore snippets from the docs previewed in these prophecies. Maybe like chapter art in some Book of the Dead-esque project. "To Scream Is Divine: My Year at a Nidalese Temple" sounds bananas.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Lamashtu the only one now that wasn't mentioned in any of the prophecies? Hmmm.
My money is still on Iomedead.
Edit: Iomedae appears to be the most mentioned. So the last remaining conspiracies I can think of point to either of these two.
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Prismatic “Mat” Gay wrote: Has it been announced how late into the livestream the dead god will be announced? Or will it be a countdown of safe gods or something? Or just unknown? It has not been announced and I dont see it BEING announced. ;) it'll be a fun ride.
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"It's possible there's others", that's a good sign, for my wish of getting to read the nine remaining in the future.
Okay, I don't know which stuck out to me first; that it's another "death", or that it's Rovy-boy. He's the one I was most confident in capping off this series, but let's keep reading and see how this goes....
Ah. So the being known as "Rovagug" dies, but Rovy 2.0 is coming up. That's... yeah I guess death-in-quotation-marks is the best way to put it, where there's absolutely a death but also the role isn't emptied.
Also, yikes I hadn't thought about the collateral damage full-on FIGHTING him would cause. Like, not just deities dying, but the physical effects to the landscapes. (Messing up relationships between the gods, I think everyone predicted that 'removing the threat keeping them all behaving' would happen, but not "blaming the person who first had this idea". That's the sign of a good story; things you hadn't considered, but once you read it you're like "of COURSE that would happen".)
Ah yes, the concept of "maintain the status quo". Which I feel is deeply flawed; a better alternative is Chesterton's Fence, which is like "don't change something until you know WHY it is the way an it is, because maybe it has an important purpose that isn't immediately apparent".
If I'm not able to watch the stream (highly likely, with my computer), is there going to be a comprehensive blog post the next day, about the most important elements from the stream? Is there going to be a thread here where someone posts things as they're revealed on the stream? (I haven't been on the forums for long, I don't know how stuff is done here with that.)
AidAnotherBattleHerald wrote: Lamashtu the only one now that wasn't mentioned in any of the prophecies? Hmmm.
My money is still on Iomedead.
I think it is too much of a coincidence that the other 2 as-of-yet unnamed gods suddenly are name dropped here on the tenth prophecy leaving Lamashtu as the only unmentioned god. Plus, I think it is extremely poetic.
Think about it, since the main character of every prophecy is 'guaranteed safe' it makes sense that the one and only god not mentioned at all is 'guaranteed dead'. Too much coincidence here imho.
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Not surprised the power vacuum left behind by Rovagug is worse than the Rough Beast themself. Too many unkillable spawn out in the world to pick up the mantle.
Great stuff! I'll truly miss these.
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Regardless of what happens in the War of Immortals adventure, I hope Yivali shows up. They'd be a fun little helper-NPC!
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Jan Caltrop wrote: "It's possible there's others", that's a good sign, for my wish of getting to read the nine remaining in the future.
Okay, I don't know which stuck out to me first; that it's another "death", or that it's Rovy-boy. He's the one I was most confident in capping off this series, but let's keep reading and see how this goes....
Ah. So the being known as "Rovagug" dies, but Rovy 2.0 is coming up. That's... yeah I guess death-in-quotation-marks is the best way to put it, where there's absolutely a death but also the role isn't emptied.
Also, yikes I hadn't thought about the collateral damage full-on FIGHTING him would cause. Like, not just deities dying, but the physical effects to the landscapes. (Messing up relationships between the gods, I think everyone predicted that 'removing the threat keeping them all behaving' would happen, but not "blaming the person who first had this idea". That's the sign of a good story; things you hadn't considered, but once you read it you're like "of COURSE that would happen".)
Ah yes, the concept of "maintain the status quo". Which I feel is deeply flawed; a better alternative is Chesterton's Fence, which is like "don't change something until you know WHY it is the way an it is, because maybe it has an important purpose that isn't immediately apparent".
If I'm not able to watch the stream (highly likely, with my computer), is there going to be a comprehensive blog post the next day, about the most important elements from the stream? Is there going to be a thread here where someone posts things as they're revealed on the stream? (I haven't been on the forums for long, I don't know how stuff is done here with that.)
We are gonna have the VOD up on Youtube as soon as we can, and I'm SURE the Community will toss out a thread talking about al the announcements for the stream (actually I'll go do that now)
EDIT: I have started a thread in the Lost Omens Setting forum. Everyone can go there and be excited together and post updates on stream day.
BookBird wrote: A very cool prophecy to cap it off! I never quite settled on whether it was possible they'd be willing to kill Rovagug, but I suppose this settles that. But it's an interesting future this offers; he can be killed, he can be beaten. Even if doing so would be catastrophic for the Cage he inhabits.
A few of the gods haven't been mentioned at all in the prophecies thus far. Gozreh, Lamashtu and I think Calistria have so far been unmentioned. Though I don't think this has any bearing on anything. No mentions of Dark Tapestry stuff here either, which is what I was thinking based on the previous prophecy. Unless you count Rovagug himself as lovecraftian enough. Anyway, is it too insane of a theory that some of the non-core deities mentioned here might be in danger in War of Immortals? Apsu, Hanspur, Grandmother Spider, Hei Feng, Thamir. Though I seriously doubt they'd kill Hei Feng only a few months after the Tian Xia World Guide comes out, and even more so Grandmother Spider.
...And the prophecies end with my two favourite core 20 gods on the chopping block. John Paizo, I will pay you two whole dollarydoos if you kill literally anyone except Lamashtu. It can be all nine of the rest, I'm willing to do that. Now let's keep this hush-hush.
Yes but Calistria and Gozreh were suddenly mentioned here on the tenth prophecy leaving Lamashtu as the only unmentioned god. Too much of a coincidence imho. I betcha someone on Paizo thinks its clever to secretly hint at the dead god by having them as the only unmentioned one. Plus it technically makes sense since, if the main subject of every prophecy is 'guaranteed safe' then the one and only unmentioned god is the 'guaranteed dead'. Too much of a coincidence here imho
visc wrote: BookBird wrote: A very cool prophecy to cap it off! I never quite settled on whether it was possible they'd be willing to kill Rovagug, but I suppose this settles that. But it's an interesting future this offers; he can be killed, he can be beaten. Even if doing so would be catastrophic for the Cage he inhabits.
A few of the gods haven't been mentioned at all in the prophecies thus far. Gozreh, Lamashtu and I think Calistria have so far been unmentioned. Though I don't think this has any bearing on anything. No mentions of Dark Tapestry stuff here either, which is what I was thinking based on the previous prophecy. Unless you count Rovagug himself as lovecraftian enough. Anyway, is it too insane of a theory that some of the non-core deities mentioned here might be in danger in War of Immortals? Apsu, Hanspur, Grandmother Spider, Hei Feng, Thamir. Though I seriously doubt they'd kill Hei Feng only a few months after the Tian Xia World Guide comes out, and even more so Grandmother Spider.
...And the prophecies end with my two favourite core 20 gods on the chopping block. John Paizo, I will pay you two whole dollarydoos if you kill literally anyone except Lamashtu. It can be all nine of the rest, I'm willing to do that. Now let's keep this hush-hush.
Yes but Calistria and Gozreh were suddenly mentioned here on the tenth prophecy leaving Lamashtu as the only unmentioned god. Too much of a coincidence imho. I betcha someone on Paizo thinks its clever to secretly hint at the dead god by having them as the only unmentioned one. Plus it technically makes sense since, if the main subject of every prophecy is 'guaranteed safe' then the one and only unmentioned god is the 'guaranteed dead'. Too much of a coincidence here imho Don't know how likely I think that is, but that would be a very fun and clever loophole-adjacent thing
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Well I called this one wrong.
Poor Sarenrae, don't folks realize you can't make a safer omelet without utterly obliterating the fetid yolk of evil that was in the center of the world egg?
err or something like that.
But Rovagug is on the Safe list now, and instead of speculating on his death, dozens of fan fiction writers will instead debate whether or not the Dead Vault allows Conjugal visits and from whom! :)
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Saedar wrote: Interesting reference to the super-dangerous Rova-Spawn. Wonder if this is the same creature that hunted Erastil in his prophecy. I thought so too. In classic fashion, Death of Bad Guy (#1) results in Revenge of Bad Guy (#s 2+)...but now I guess we won't be seeing that scenario. Someone else is gonna be the lit fuse.
I'd note, however, that the non death of Rovagug does not imply that the spawn remain a non-threat.
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I feel very satisfied and vindicated by this one; my hopeful pick and a great ending to the prophecies all in one. Plus, it's cool to see the community and the team/author on the same wavelength viz the fallout of Rovagug's death. That's very cool.
Also, how the heck did I miss wrackworms as a thing this entire time?! I love giant worms! I need stats for this in PF2E now please and thank you.
Also, assuming that Rovagug's last spawn is more powerful than the Armageddon Engine, by the conventions of Pathfinder's CR and level systems that'd make it a true demigod, which is horrifying to think about.
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With the apocalypse dead, it only makes sense that Golarion would enter such a post-apocalyptic state...
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I will be happy if Shelyn is not the one to die next week. I mean sure there are others I could be bummed about dying but... please don't be Shelyn...
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visc wrote: BookBird wrote: A very cool prophecy to cap it off! I never quite settled on whether it was possible they'd be willing to kill Rovagug, but I suppose this settles that. But it's an interesting future this offers; he can be killed, he can be beaten. Even if doing so would be catastrophic for the Cage he inhabits.
A few of the gods haven't been mentioned at all in the prophecies thus far. Gozreh, Lamashtu and I think Calistria have so far been unmentioned. Though I don't think this has any bearing on anything. No mentions of Dark Tapestry stuff here either, which is what I was thinking based on the previous prophecy. Unless you count Rovagug himself as lovecraftian enough. Anyway, is it too insane of a theory that some of the non-core deities mentioned here might be in danger in War of Immortals? Apsu, Hanspur, Grandmother Spider, Hei Feng, Thamir. Though I seriously doubt they'd kill Hei Feng only a few months after the Tian Xia World Guide comes out, and even more so Grandmother Spider.
...And the prophecies end with my two favourite core 20 gods on the chopping block. John Paizo, I will pay you two whole dollarydoos if you kill literally anyone except Lamashtu. It can be all nine of the rest, I'm willing to do that. Now let's keep this hush-hush.
Yes but Calistria and Gozreh were suddenly mentioned here on the tenth prophecy leaving Lamashtu as the only unmentioned god. Too much of a coincidence imho. I betcha someone on Paizo thinks its clever to secretly hint at the dead god by having them as the only unmentioned one. Plus it technically makes sense since, if the main subject of every prophecy is 'guaranteed safe' then the one and only unmentioned god is the 'guaranteed dead'. Too much of a coincidence here imho Counterpoint: please no.
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It's fine, nobody worry about me. I am going to get through this just fine.
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Sanityfaerie wrote: Bah! He was the one I *most* wanted to see dead.
Ah, well.
I feel it would take something truly EPIC to finally end the Rough Beast and all of it's horrible horrific Spawn. Merely killing Rovagug itself nearly brings all of Golarion to complete and utter ruin and drives the Gods into infighting not to mention causes Sarenrae to be shunned by everyone due to being blamed for causing the ruin. To kill all of the Rough Beast's Spawn on top of the Rovagug would probably tear the entire world asunder!
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Jonathan Morgantini wrote: Prismatic “Mat” Gay wrote: Has it been announced how late into the livestream the dead god will be announced? Or will it be a countdown of safe gods or something? Or just unknown? It has not been announced and I dont see it BEING announced. ;) it'll be a fun ride. Oooooooo. Please tell me there will be dramatic readings!
Ridge wrote: Well I called this one wrong.
Poor Sarenrae, don't folks realize you can't make a safer omelet without utterly obliterating the fetid yolk of evil that was in the center of the world egg?
err or something like that.
But Rovagug is on the Safe list now, and instead of speculating on his death, dozens of fan fiction writers will instead debate whether or not the Dead Vault allows Conjugal visits and from whom! :)
I admit I was surprised that Sarenrae believes that "Imprisonment is not enough. Rovagug must die." given her status as goddess of redemption rather than, er, capital punishment.
Also given the LAST time she decided to personally punish things related to Rovagug rather than try a softer approach. Pit of Gormuz and all that.
Not that I think Rovagug actually could have been redeemed, it's just surprising given Sarenrae's history with the Beast. Good thing for all concerned it turned out a little better than last time...
Prismatic “Mat” Gay wrote: visc wrote: BookBird wrote: A very cool prophecy to cap it off! I never quite settled on whether it was possible they'd be willing to kill Rovagug, but I suppose this settles that. But it's an interesting future this offers; he can be killed, he can be beaten. Even if doing so would be catastrophic for the Cage he inhabits.
A few of the gods haven't been mentioned at all in the prophecies thus far. Gozreh, Lamashtu and I think Calistria have so far been unmentioned. Though I don't think this has any bearing on anything. No mentions of Dark Tapestry stuff here either, which is what I was thinking based on the previous prophecy. Unless you count Rovagug himself as lovecraftian enough. Anyway, is it too insane of a theory that some of the non-core deities mentioned here might be in danger in War of Immortals? Apsu, Hanspur, Grandmother Spider, Hei Feng, Thamir. Though I seriously doubt they'd kill Hei Feng only a few months after the Tian Xia World Guide comes out, and even more so Grandmother Spider.
...And the prophecies end with my two favourite core 20 gods on the chopping block. John Paizo, I will pay you two whole dollarydoos if you kill literally anyone except Lamashtu. It can be all nine of the rest, I'm willing to do that. Now let's keep this hush-hush.
Yes but Calistria and Gozreh were suddenly mentioned here on the tenth prophecy leaving Lamashtu as the only unmentioned god. Too much of a coincidence imho. I betcha someone on Paizo thinks its clever to secretly hint at the dead god by having them as the only unmentioned one. Plus it technically makes sense since, if the main subject of every prophecy is 'guaranteed safe' then the one and only unmentioned god is the 'guaranteed dead'. Too much of a coincidence here imho Don't know how likely I think that is, but that would be a very fun and clever loophole-adjacent thing I think Paizo thought of this too and they purposefully mislead us thusly.
Unless they thought we would think that and toy with us again.
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Nintendogeek01 wrote: I will be happy if Shelyn is not the one to die next week. I mean sure there are others I could be bummed about dying but... please don't be Shelyn... Unliking and re-liking this just so I can like it twice. Shelyn was the first love/beauty deity I ever saw in a major setting who wasn't overtly sexualized and who was unequivocally pro-queerness and beauty outside of accepted standards.
I will be ever so sad if we lose her
EDIT: Aaaaaa how did I forget to thank the immensely talented author for the last 10 weeks of suspense?! These stories were fantastic; no matter what happens, you've created some engaging and satisfying fiction, so thank you so much! <3
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Prismatic “Mat” Gay wrote: Or will it be a countdown of safe gods or something? It wasn't going to be, but now that you've suggested it...
Calliope5431 wrote: Ridge wrote: Well I called this one wrong.
Poor Sarenrae, don't folks realize you can't make a safer omelet without utterly obliterating the fetid yolk of evil that was in the center of the world egg?
err or something like that.
But Rovagug is on the Safe list now, and instead of speculating on his death, dozens of fan fiction writers will instead debate whether or not the Dead Vault allows Conjugal visits and from whom! :)
I admit I was surprised that Sarenrae believes that "Imprisonment is not enough. Rovagug must die." given her status as goddess of redemption rather than, er, capital punishment.
Also given the LAST time she decided to personally punish things related to Rovagug rather than try a softer approach. Pit of Gormuz and all that.
Not that I think Rovagug actually could have been redeemed, it's just surprising given Sarenrae's history with the Beast. Perhaps that's what tipped Yivali off for this particular prophecy.
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