why is there an altar of zon kuthon in the sanctuary with the other gods altars?


Strange Aeons

Grand Lodge

i mean, he's kinda a crazy evil god, why would there be an alter for him next to good aligned gods in the asylum?


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Because being evil doesn't necessarily preclude a God from being openly worshipped in Gillson. Even outside of Cheliax, it's more or less socially acceptable to worship Asmodeus, for example, and the same probably goes for Z-K--who is formerly good, after all, and twisted to one of Golarion's preeminent Goddesses who believes hard in the possibility of his redemption. The Shattered Star adventure path established a Lawful Neutral cleric of Z-K who primarily reveres his past as Dou-Bral. Further, given Z-K's portfolio includes loss andg grief, I imagine he might hold a certain attraction to the mentally disturbed and their relatives. Not that he residents healthy grieving, generally speaking, but people find comfort where they can.


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens Subscriber

The other thing is the idea of venerating a god to keep the things he's in charge of at bay.

Like a Lawful ship captain offering sacrifice to Besmara to avoid pirates.


And Zon-Kuthon, like Asmodeus, has an important role: they're the jailers of Rovagug. I think they get a bit of a pass for that.

Acquisitives

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

In YAKMAN'S PATHFINDER(TM), Zon Kuthon is seen by many as a God of Mourning and Longing, and of Loss. He's perfectly appropriate for a hospital setting. Particularly a mental health hospital.

Remember, his story is he was lost, and returned changed after encountering terrible things. he saved the people of Nidal from destruction. He's not Rovagug or Asmodeus.


Or Zon Kuthon could be the god of Lawful executioners... someone has to inflict the punishment the courts decreed, and why not someone for whom it is a sacred task, so they will do it right, without accepting bribes from either the plaintiff's family (to make it worse) or the victim (to make it easier).

Shadow Lodge

Yakman wrote:
He's not Rovagug or Asmodeus.

Well, not Rovagug, anyway.


- Don't want to tick Zon-Kuthon off.
- It's a multi-faith chapel.
- He's still a lawful deity.
- A patron may have insisted.
- Better than worshippers showing their devotion in certain other ways.
- It's not much more than a collection box, if I recall correctly. At any rate, it's a small shrine.


I was actually really pleased that it's in there. One of my players wanted to play a Paladin, but was having a hard time deciding which deity to worship. She liked some of what Shelyn was about, but wasn't sure about her as a whole.

So, we came up with the idea of her "worshipping" Zon-Kuthon's former self Dou-Bral. Knowing full well that he is now evil, her paladin is trying to bring him back to the light from the darkness of whatever he encountered and was corrupted by in the Dark Tapestry.

It doesn't really work out with RAW, but I thought it was a pretty cool idea. I decided that Zon-Kuthon would grant her divine power out of some twisted humor and the assumption that with his power she would eventually corrupt herself.

So I think it'll be neat for her to find the shrine to him in the chapel, and it'll turn some heads when she goes and kneels before it in the morning.

Scarab Sages

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Zon Kuthon isn't only about inflicting pain. He's also about enduring suffering. Since many of the inmates of the asylum are suffering conscientious staff members might offer a small prayer to Zon Kuthon from time to time for their favourite inmates.

"Oh please let this be enough. Hasn't he suffered enough already? I don't even try to understand why you must inflict such suffering upon him but please, could you just go easy for a few days? Grant him some of your strength that he may endure these nightmares."

Scarab Sages

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Alec Keeler wrote:

I was actually really pleased that it's in there. One of my players wanted to play a Paladin, but was having a hard time deciding which deity to worship. She liked some of what Shelyn was about, but wasn't sure about her as a whole.

So, we came up with the idea of her "worshipping" Zon-Kuthon's former self Dou-Bral. Knowing full well that he is now evil, her paladin is trying to bring him back to the light from the darkness of whatever he encountered and was corrupted by in the Dark Tapestry.

It doesn't really work out with RAW, but I thought it was a pretty cool idea. I decided that Zon-Kuthon would grant her divine power out of some twisted humor and the assumption that with his power she would eventually corrupt herself.

So I think it'll be neat for her to find the shrine to him in the chapel, and it'll turn some heads when she goes and kneels before it in the morning.

This actually ties in with a heretical worshipper of Zon Kuthon in Shattered Star who is able to channel positive energy. He doesn't worship Duo Bral, however. He worships Zon Kuthon as someone who takes on the suffering of others and is (in his heretical belief) an innocent martyr who has simply been misunderstood by his orthodox worshippers.


Thanks, this will help me explain why it's there to curious players.


Alec Keeler wrote:
I was actually really pleased that it's in there. One of my players wanted to play a Paladin, but was having a hard time deciding which deity to worship. She liked some of what Shelyn was about, but wasn't sure about her as a whole.

I think Shelyn works okay for a paladin, particularly in a campaign where not every enemy is fanatic and irredeemable - if I remember her code correctly, she is about protection and mercy. It is certainly a somewhat softer around the edges deity for a paladin, but if can work great for a more courtly paladin. In this campaign, they could draw on her story with ZK as an example of standing against evil and in protection of what is good and pure (and of offering redemption where possible).

Sure, she probably won´t have the skills to spare to be a good singer or painter - unless you use the background skills rule to give the party a few extra skill points for such "hobbies". I am a big fan of this rule anyway, especially for low-skill characters (fighters, paladins, clerics etc).

Anyway, I agree with some of the reasons why there is a ZK altar there. My first reason is that it is done to propitiate him, so he does not torment the patients there further. You can say that as sufferers from mental traumas and insanity they are sort of within his purview, and as I see it Zon-Kuthon is a rather jealous deity, who may become displeased if those who are sort of "his" do not give him the necessary respect.

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