Ivan Rûski's page

So, I found it really odd that it seems that no one has made a map of the lumber mill crime scene from the Skinsaw Murders yet, so I did. Or rather, I hacked one together from an existing map by Mati on Inkarnate and assets from Forgotten Adventures. It doesn't quite match up to the book as written, since Harker's body is described as hanging, but I couldn't figure out a way to accurately portray that.

CONTENT WARNING! BLOOD & GORE!

Lumber Mill Crime Scene

Its been a wonderful few days. I wish I could've gotten my parents into Pathfinder years ago. Saturday, we spent about 8 hours playing, and had another 3 hour session yesterday. They also dug out a laminator, bought pouches for it, and more toner for my printer so I can print out NPC cards, maps, etc. as much as I want/need. In other news, a friend from my last job who left it about a year ago reached out to see how I'm doing and that where he's working now is hiring. He's going to send me a link to apply and is putting a good word in for me.

Well, just got done running my parents through their first ever session of Pathfinder. It went way better than I could have hoped for. They have decided we are making a day of it this Saturday. They are in their early 60s, never played any kind of RPG before today, and my mom isn't even really into fantasy, but they both had a blast.

A lifetime of such events is why I despise automated anything. I even have *gasp* manual hand cranks for the windows on my car.

Old-fashioned? Perhaps. Too many accidents with an automated device trying to kill me because I pressed the wrong button? Absolutely!

I would say that without automation I'd be out of a job, but managed that on my own.

Today's entry is Satori.

Satori
The Lord of the Mountain
Guardian of the Wild
Alignment N
Areas of Concern souls, nature spirits, wild beasts, sage wisdom, animal pilgrimage, spiritual guardianship, reincarnation
Domains Animal, Luck, Magic, Repose
Subdomains Ancestors, Divine, Fate, Imagination, Souls
Favored Weapon quarterstaff
Holy Symbol a cherry blossom tree
Sacred Colors cyan and pale yellow

My notes:

Satori is a mysterious entity that lives on Satori Mountain.

He appears beneath a cherry blossom tree next to a small pond near the peak on nights with a waxing crescent moon.

The entity does not speak, but is believed to communicate psychically through emotions and images.

Ivan Rûski wrote:

Getting ready to run this again, so I spent a bit of time editing a map of Sandpoint to look like a "real" map that the party might receive.

Map of Sandpoint

Also made a flyer for the Swallowtail Festival with some of the events from the Swallowtail Festival Games thread. It isn't all of them presented there, but the ones I'm going to run if any of my players are interested.

Swallowtail Festival Flyer

These are fantastic! Thank you for sharing. <3

You're welcome! Not sure if I'll be making anything else anytime soon, but if and when I do, I'll be posting it.

So, this evening I found out that my parents' couch can go into a full recline with one button press. Which is fine, whatever. What wasn't fine about it was that I found this out when I was getting myself set-up to paint minis at a TV tray and bumped said button with a paint case without knowing it existed. Suddenly my feet were lifting the TV tray which had minis, a couple of paint dropper bottles, and my full rinse jar on it while I'm trying to grab things so they don't fall and my mother frantically trying to get the dang thing to stop moving. One of the paint bottles almost became victim to the puppy, but we discovered it before she punctured it thankfully.

Getting ready to run this again, so I spent a bit of time editing a map of Sandpoint to look like a "real" map that the party might receive.

Map of Sandpoint

Also made a flyer for the Swallowtail Festival with some of the events from the Swallowtail Festival Games thread. It isn't all of them presented there, but the ones I'm going to run if any of my players are interested.

Swallowtail Festival Flyer

And now, Malanya, the Horse God.

Malanya
The Horse God
Guardian of Horses
Alignment N
Areas of Concern horses, travel, resurrection, loyalty, stewardship, the bond between rider and mount
Domains Animal, Healing, Knowledge, Travel
Subdomains exploration, medicine, memory, restoration, resurrection
Favored Weapon lance
Holy Symbol a horse-head silhouette
Sacred Colors magenta, teal, and gold

My notes:

Malanya may be a brother spirit to The Great Fairies, but where the Great Fairies exist as whole bodied beings, Malanya appears as a pair of disembodied hands, and a floating horse mask, jewelry, and clothing. He lives in the Lake of the Horse God.

He delights in scaring those who visit him with his unsettling appearance, "blaming" them for killing the steeds they come to wish revived and threatening to eat them, but is quick to reassure that he is only joking.

Malanya doesn't have a traditional church, priests, or temples. His "priests" are usually stablemasters, and his temples are every stable throughout the land. Stables themselves serve as shrines of sorts, with many being constructed to resemble his visage. If the structure itself is not built to resemble him, usually a stylized horse mask can be found mounted unobtrusively on a wall within.

Y'know when your kid goes to live in an apartment on their own for a couple of weeks and you think, "Oh, good! They're finally going to learn about shopping, and housework, and all those good things!"

The shopping is a very interesting take, as he comes from an exceedingly-privileged family. As I've said both here and to him, we have the luxury of being able to choose our groceries based on quality, not on price. A good example is ham: We buy nitrate-free ham to avoid the whole ultra-processed foods thing, but it easily costs 2-3x as much as Oscar Meyer. But I'm old enough and rich enough that I don't want to eat crappy-tasting crap. Impus Minor shopped with his girlfriend, who's very obviously raised with Midwestern frugality in her soul. Her parents are well-off; I know that they own a large house in Minneapolis and are doing quite well for themselves. But... Midwestern. So the food he brought home is Target brand everything. Butter (shudder), ham, peanut butter. If it was available in the dirt-cheap store brand version, they got it. I can forgive the peanut butter. But dairy? Cured meats? Please, no! Such an interesting take, since we were paying for everything for them. Price didn't matter, but she still couldn't overcome her frugal sensibilities.

As for cleaning up after himself, the other thing he brought home was paper plates and plasticware. So much for frugality! And cleaning up after themselves!

An interesting juxtaposition, in my mind.

Having grown up firmly middle class, and living more or less just above the poverty line most of my adult life, eating that low quality processed crap for so long does something to your taste buds. Either that, or it has to do with being a smoker. When I started making decent money, I tried a few of the "higher quality" things I couldn't justify getting before. For most things I find that I either can't taste the difference or even prefer the taste of the supposedly lower quality things. I can't bring myself to pay $9 for a pound of ham that tastes nearly identical to the pre-packaged stuff that costs half that. And as far as butter goes, if I'm shopping I get margarine because I actually prefer the taste to real butter. That one I know is weird though.

Today we have Lord Jabu-Jabu.

Lord Jabu-Jabu
Protector of Zora’s Domain
Guardian of the Zora
Alignment N
Areas of Concern water, protection, fertility, cleansing, purification, containment of corruption
Domains Animal, Water, Protection, Healing, Strength
Subdomains Aquatic, Flowing, Ice, Renewal, Resolve
Favored Weapon Trident
Holy Symbol a trio of crescent shapes arranged in a triangular, flowing pattern AKA the Zora crest
Sacred Colors Blue and White

My notes:

Lord Jabu-Jabu's current location is unknown, though he once resided in Zora's Domain.

Zora make up the bulk of his worshippers.

Some scholars theorize that Lord Jabu-Jabu, Levias, and the Wind Fish may be the same entity, due to the similar descriptions of their appearance as a whale wearing various jewels. Others dispute that while Levias and the Wind Fish may be the same, Lord Jabu-Jabu has never been stated to fly, so therefore could not be the same. Regardless, no concrete evidence exists to link any of the three other than their similar appearances.

Painted some minis today for the first time in a year or so. These are from a batch of several dozen minis I printed and primed but never actually got around to painting. It was my first time trying out a zenithal prime. Although I definitely need to touch up a couple of spots on these, overall I'm pleased with the result. I don't think I'll ever use a rattle-can primer on minis again, though. These ones are ok, but looking at some of the other minis I primed with them, there are too many details lost. Some are bad enough I'm debating whether or not if stripping them is worth it since I don't really have anywhere right now to set up my printer to re-print them.

Next we have Levias from Skyward Sword.

Levias
The Great Sky Leviathan
Guardian of the Skies
Alignment NG
Areas of Concern skies, wind currents, flight, storms, protection of airborne travelers, celestial phenomena, freedom
Domains Air, Good, Liberation, Travel, Weather
Subdomains Cloud, Exploration, Lightning, Monsoon, Storms, Wind
Favored Weapon Spear
Holy Symbol A flowing, spiral wing motif with sweeping, feather-like curves
Sacred Colors White and Gray

My notes:

Levias's current location is unknown.

Some scholars theorize that Lord Jabu-Jabu, Levias, and the Wind Fish may be the same entity, due to the similar descriptions of their appearances.

I took the symbol of the wind crests from the Minish Cap for his holy symbol.

Finishing up the Immortal Dragons entries today with Farosh.

Farosh
The Spark of Life
Guardian of Lightning
Alignment N
Areas of Concern water, storms, rivers, lightning, life-force, vitality, growth, fertility
Domains Air, Liberation, Scalykind, Weather
Subdomains Dragon, Freedom, Lightning, Storms, Wind
Favored Weapon shortbow
Holy Symbol A yellow-green forked blade
Sacred Colors Chartreuse and Slate Gray

My notes:

The notes for all the Immortal Dragons are the same, repeated here for convenience.

Unlike the Great Deku Tree and the Great Fairies, The Immortal Dragons do not directly interact with their worshippers.

Although existing in the real world, not everyone can see The Immortal Dragons. It is believed that only those with a pure heart or an extremely deep connection to one of the dragons can see them.

Gods, I am sick of the smell of dog. A few years ago, my parents took it upon themselves to start taking care of the stray dogs that kept showing up in the neighborhood. Said strays had puppies, and puppies had puppies, and...its a lot of dogs. They aren't officially my parents, but they feed them and do their best to make sure they are cared for because there isn't a shelter for this county, and the only ones close will only take them if your address is for that city.
About a week and a half ago, one of the pups showed up with a wound next to her eye. At first we thought she got into it with one of the bigger dogs, and were keeping an eye on it. Last week, I was checking her over when I saw what I thought was infection coming out of the corner of her eye. Upon closer inspection, it was something metal. So we took her to the vet. Some jerk shot a 3 month old puppy with a pellet gun. It looks like we got her to the vet in time that her eye looks like its going to fully heal, but she's in the house with a cone of shame until next week at least.
Then over the weekend the storm rolled through. My parents bought a couple of extra kennels, and we've had way too many dogs in too small of a house and all I could smell was dog. The space factor wouldn't be so bad if my dad wasn't a hoarder (though that still wouldn't help the smell). Its a 5 bedroom house with 2 living areas, but 1 bedroom and the second living area have been taken over by my dad's tools and miscellaneous hardware, lumber, and plumbing supplies, and its starting to encroach on other areas of the house. Thankfully, it warmed up enough today that with the exception of Bitsy (what we've named injured pup) all the outside dogs are back outside. I spent the past 2 days cleaning up the resulting mess.

Naydra
The Frostbound Sentinel
Guardian of Ice
Alignment LN
Areas of Concern ice, cold, mountains, endurance, wisdom, preservation, vigilance, natural balance
Domains Knowledge, Law, Scalykind, Water
Subdomains Dragon, Ice, Judgment, Memory, Thought
Favored Weapon rapier
Holy Symbol a tri-pointed crest resembling a claw or spearhead
Sacred Colors Ice Blue and White

My notes:

The notes for all the Immortal Dragons are the same, repeated here for convenience.

Unlike the Great Deku Tree and the Great Fairies, The Immortal Dragons do not directly interact with their worshippers.

Although existing in the real world, not everyone can see The Immortal Dragons. It is believed that only those with a pure heart or an extremely deep connection to one of the dragons can see them.

Didn’t spend much time online with preparing for and dealing with the weather the past few days. Here’s Dinraal.

Dinraal
The Eternal Flame
Guardian of Fire
Alignment CN
Areas of Concern fire, volcanic activity, passion, purification through trial, elemental change
Domains Chaos, Fire, Scalykind, Strength
Subdomains Arson, Ash, Dragon, Ferocity, Smoke
Favored Weapon Greataxe
Holy Symbol A symmetrical blade-like crest with flame-inspired curves and points
Sacred Colors Bright Orange and Ash Gray

My notes:

These are the same as posted with the Immortal Dragons entry, but I will repeat them here for convenience.

Unlike the Great Deku Tree and the Great Fairies, The Immortal Dragons do not directly interact with their worshippers.

Although existing in the real world, not everyone can see The Immortal Dragons. It is believed that only those with a pure heart or an extremely deep connection to one of the dragons can see them.

Ivan Rûski wrote:

So, I've been trying to go to sleep for about 4 hours now. I accidentally took one of my Ritalin from nearly 30 years ago thinking it was Claritin. Apparently they're still are effective if the insomnia is any indication.

You might want to get rid of those. 30 year old meds probably aren't a good thing to keep around.

Yeah. I'll be asking my parents why they hadn't. Thought the only meds in that cabinet were my recent-ish Claritin and some OTC cough syrup. Those are only a couple of years old.

So, I've been trying to go to sleep for about 4 hours now. I accidentally took one of my Ritalin from nearly 30 years ago thinking it was Claritin. Apparently they're still are effective if the insomnia is any indication.

I find it amusing that I can't for the life of me remember my paternal grandfather's name. My family tends to have kids later: My grandmother had my mother at 33, then my mother had me at 36, then I spawned Impus Major at 34, so our generations are widely-spread. Add my grandfathers being typical for their generation (smoking, drinking, lots of red meat) and they both died in their 70s when I was still pretty young.

I only remember Henry's name because my mother frequently talked about how abusive he was up until his first heart attack and how that mellowed him out quite a bit.

My father's father? I know I met him once. That's about it.

I was really close with my grandfather on my mom's side, Jerry. My PopPop was a stern, but very loving man. We lost him to cancer a few years ago. My dad's father was always a bit distant, but kind. I think part of it was his being a doctor and letting that professional detachment seep into his personal life.

One of my nieces posted a thing to the family group chat today, saying "Your baseball name is your grandfather's first name, and the last thing you bought as your last name." Why baseball name? Who knows? Most of the last names were things like "snacks" or "bang" (apparently it's an energy drink" or "coffee". I replied "Well, right now my name would be '[Grandpa's name] Groceries', but if you had asked tomorrow night it would probably be '[Grandpa's name] Arby's-Roast-Beef-Combo-with-Curly-Fries-and-a-Dr-Pepper-with-No-Ice.'" Which is probably a bit long for the back of a jersey.

Anyone else care to share?

Jerry or Reginald Primer. Though I suppose if I used the brand it would actually make sense. Reggie Vallejo does sound like a baseball player.

Been busy the past couple of days, but I’m back now. Next we have The Immortal Dragons: Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh. Just as I did with the Golden Goddesses, this will be an entry on them as a whole, with individual entries to be posted in the coming days.

The Immortal Dragons
The Eternal Currents
Guardians of the Elements
Collective Alignment N
Areas of Concern elemental forces, the natural order, cycles of weather, celestial power, renewal, life-force
Domains Air, Fire, Knowledge, Scalykind, Strength, Water, Weather
Subdomains Arson, Ash, Dragon, Ice, Judgment, Lightning, Memory, Smoke, Storms, Wind
Favored Weapon kukri
Holy Symbol A multipart blade-like emblem representing the 3 dragons
Sacred Colors Bright Orange, Chartreuse, and Ice Blue

My notes:

Unlike the Great Deku Tree and the Great Fairies, The Immortal Dragons do not directly interact with their worshippers.

Although existing in the real world, not everyone can see The Immortal Dragons. It is believed that only those with a pure heart or an extremely deep connection to one of the dragons can see them.

Got a new office chair today, courtesy of my mother. Went with her shopping to get things in case the Texas power grid fails us this weekend with the expected cold and bad weather. Sam's Club actually had a chair out you can test that's back wasn't either as flat as a board or had lumbar support trying to push my back into the next room. So, I got a late Christmas gift. My old chair I got about a year and a half ago used, and the cushions are breaking down. I've been trying to find a chair that I find comfortable for about 5 years now, and that used one was the closest I found to my old Ikea chair I got on a last chance sale back in 2011. This new one looks nothing like it being a "gamer" chair, but the support feels remarkably similar.

Today we have The Great Deku Tree.

The Great Deku Tree
Wisdom of the Woods
Guardians of the Forest
Alignment LG
Areas of Concern forests, childhood, memory, natural cycles, protection, beginnings, destiny
Domains Animal, Good, Plant, Protection
Subdomains Defense, Friendship, Growth, Leshy, Thorns
Favored Weapon slingshot
Holy Symbol Two thick, red, tapered strokes forming a loose spiral AKA The Kokiri Crest
Sacred Colors green and brown

My notes:

The Great Deku Tree is the father of the Kokiri/Koroks.

His clergy are more often druids or rangers than clerics. Like many guardian spirits, there is no formal church.

This entry could also work for most any forest or nature guardian, such as the Maku Tree. A great fairy particularly focused on nature would be another good choice.

Pizza Lord, the links appear to be working now. Imgur was being screwy earlier. This is intended to do away with weight entirely. I'll probably wind up either changing or more likely entirely dropping the non-proficiency thing with armor since I've never had anybody try to wear armor they aren't proficient in. And, yes, it is very video-gamey. I've been playing video games for 20 years longer than I've been playing TTRPGs. As far as stacking goes, I'm going to try and just apply some common sense to it. I don't foresee anyone that I play with abusing it, but my long standing rule with any mechanic we've not played with before is that it is subject to change. I think that by the time we are getting to where this system could be truly abused, bags of holding will be in play anyways, at which point encumbrance mostly stops mattering. Its probably going to be a few weeks before this hits the table.
My goal with this system was to both make it a bit less of a headache to track, and to increase carrying capacity a bit without just saying don't worry about it. Every game I've either been in or GMed we've wound up throwing out carrying capacity altogether. Either we didn't use it at all, or it went out the window early on, because we didn't want to keep looking up how much something weighed, especially when 90% of it was just going to be sold. The week after we got rid of it in my first campaign, one of our players bought 1000 arrows just because he didn't have to worry about it anymore, and he knew that buying so many he wouldn't have to track them anymore. With this, no more looking things up. It's just a slot. People will still be able to have a bunch of cool toys, but they might have to make some decisions about them. At least for a few levels.

So, I am gearing up to start a new game, and finally put pen to paper so to speak on an alternate encumbrance system that's been kicking around in my head for awhile. I created a sheet for it, as well as a version of the sheet that can be used without the alternate rules. The rules are as follows:

You may carry a number of items equal to your strength score with no penalty, up to double your strength score is a medium load, and above that is a heavy load. You cannot carry more than triple your strength score. Your pack and worn jewelry, clothing, or armor do not count towards encumbrance so long as you are proficient with it. Armor you are not proficient in counts as one item for every 5 pounds it weighs (rounded down) when worn. A belt and its contents count as one item, as do bandoliers and their content. You may wear 1 belt, and 2 bandoliers. A belt may have up to 4 pouches, an item attached on either hip, and one attached to the back. Belt pouches can hold one small item approximately the size of a paperback novel, or a stack of up to 10 identical smaller ones. Bandoliers can hold up to 8 small items, but no stacks. Quivers and other ammunition containers count as one each and can hold up to 50 of the associated ammo. The wands & ammo section is provided for convenient tracking, this equipment must still be accounted for encumbrance.

Links to the sheets:

Sheet with alternate rules

Sheet without alternate rules

Next we have what is likely the most numerous of the guardian spirits, the Great Fairies. This and the Horned God were probably the most fun of these deity write-ups for me.

The Great Fairies
The Matrons of Magic
Guardians of Life and Renewal
Alignment NG
Areas of Concern magic, healing, protection, blessings, the enhancement of heroes, benevolent intervention
Domains Charm, Healing, Luck, Magic
Subdomains Captivation, Love, Lust, Restoration, Resurrection
Favored Weapon magic staff, wand, or radiant projectile
Holy Symbol a pink water lily viewed from above
Sacred Colors Varies

My notes:

The Great Fairies are the guardian spirits that have the most interactions with mortals. They usually appear as giant, beautiful Hylian women, sometimes with delicate dragonfly wings, sometimes without. Most appear clad in elegant, if somewhat provocative clothing in colors that compliment their hair, eyes, and jewelry. Some wear nothing more than leaves and vines, and others wear extravagant dresses. At least one Great Fairy is known to appear as an average height Hylian woman with multiple sets of translucent wings, her modesty only preserved by a simple cloth around her waist and her long blue-green hair covering her breasts. Their hair and eye colors can be of a veritable rainbow, from more natural blondes, to pastel blues or violets, to extreme neon colors like hot pink or fiery orange.

Every Great Fairy resides in their own pond or pool known as a Fairy Fountain. While most are natural ponds or pools, some Great Fairies reside in more literal fountains made of polished stone or marble, surrounded by ornate columns and architecture that includes symbols of the Triforce, Hylia, or The Golden Goddesses.

While the sacred colors for the Fairies as a whole are pink and yellow, every Great Fairy has her own sacred color, usually matching their clothing or hair color. Priests will typically devote themselves to one Fairy instead of all of them, wearing the colors of their chosen Fairy. The Great Fairies do not have a "church", with acolytes or structured worship. Instead, their priests are individuals who form a deep and personal connection to a Fairy. It is not unheard of for a priest devoted to a Fairy to love them in a romantic sense of the word. Usually, when such devotion happens it is reciprocated, though the Fairies are rarely monogamous.

The Great Fairies love to playfully flirt with those who come to pay them tribute or ask for their aid.

Gifts of rupees are their favored tribute.

The Great Fairies will enchant armor or clothing for fair market value, so long as the needed materials are provided.

They heal the wounds of all who visit so long as they are kind and respectful. If more potent healing is needed, they will do so for a tribute and the required material components.

The Great Fairies do not have a "church", with acolytes or structured worship

I swear, death's another one of those, "Let's completely hose the poor," things. Legally, we're not allowed to touch my mother's estate to pay for any post-mortem expenses we incur. So Elder Brother has racked up around $2000 in expenses up in Seattle (her cremation and legal work), and my bill is getting close to $5000 (California lawyer, accountant, house appraisal). Considering that article just this year that most Americans can't even afford $400 in emergency expenses, what the heck are they supposed to do if they can't even afford cremation/burial, much less legal fees?

I guess that's why many rural Americans have big back yards...

EDIT: I mean, even if we were looking at dead minimum no-lawyer "we're going to do it all ourselves" stuff, the cremation was $1200 and the house appraisal was $900. That's still over 5x most Americans' emergency funds...

Emergency fund, what's that?

L.A. has some great Mexican places.

Just sayin'.

1400 miles is a bit far of a drive for dinner.

I just had to laugh at how inept Google's AI can be. We are driving over to my aunt's to pick her up for dinner after she gets home from work, and my mom said she wonders if there's any new Mexican places we haven't tried. So I googled it, and the AI suggested result that pops up at the top said "For new Mexican restaurants in LA...". We were driving through Arlington, TX. Google showed we were in Arlington, TX. Yet the AI was still trying to give suggestions for LA.

Now we move on to the guardian spirits. Guardian spirits are divine entities that exist in the real world. Though limited in what power they can exert directly on mortals, they can grant their clerics and other worshippers powers and spells just like any deity. The first I'll cover is the Four Giants as seen in Majora's Mask.

The Four Giants
The Eternal Guardians
Guardians of Civilization
Alignment LG
Areas of Concern protection, balance, guardianship, the natural order, divine enforcement
Domains Community, Earth, Protection, Strength
Subdomains Cooperation, Defense, Family, Resolve, Solitude
Favored Weapon Club
Holy Symbol A four-pointed compass-rose with colored triangular blades
Sacred Colors Golden Yellow, Sea Green, Dark Cyan, and Scarlet Red

My notes:

The Four Giants are distant guardians, only showing themselves in the most dire circumstances. Legend holds they once stopped Majora from crashing the moon into the planet by catching it while a hero battled Majora's chosen puppet, then launching it back into the sky.

Their holy text is called the Oath to Order.

There is a fable called "The Four Giants" which is about them. This is the same story that Anju's grandmother tells in Majora's Mask. Whether the fable is true or not is debated.

And now we come to the final god, The Fierce Deity. Though this is the last god, it is not the last divine power, as I will start presenting the guardian spirits tomorrow.

The Fierce Deity
The Unyielding Warrior
God of Battle and Vengeance
Alignment CN
Areas of Concern vengeance, war, masks, rage, martial prowess, punishment of the wicked, retributive justice
Domains Chaos, Destruction, Glory, Strength, War
Subdomains Blood, Ferocity, Hubris, Rage, Resolve, Riot
Favored Weapon greatsword
Holy Symbol a crescent moon inside an inverted golden triangle
Sacred Colors sky blue, white, red

My notes:

Majora hates and fears The Fierce Deity.

The Fierce Deity is a dark entity, often seen as little better than Majora or the Demon King, even though he is not truly evil.

The Fierce Deity does not have temples. There are likely lost ancient ones, but if they still stand they exist far from civilizations reach in dark jungles or deep under the earth. Shrines are typically private and hidden.

Worship of The Fierce Deity is nearly as taboo as the worship of the evil gods, and those devoted to him tend to be lone warriors either seeking vengeance or simply overcome with bloodlust and violence.

It is rumored that The Fierce Deity was bound to a mask just as he did to Majora.

For my game, I named him Zonai. I didn't here to prevent confusion and since I have a feeling many wouldn't like that.

Ivan Rûski wrote:

So, lesson learned the hard way tonight: even if egg nog still smells and tastes fine a couple days past the best by date, it's better just to toss it out.

Dammit. Im sorry.

Could've been worse. At least it wasn't an "I need a hospital" situation, just a "running to the bathroom every 20 minutes for a few hours" situation. I feel fine now.

So, lesson learned the hard way tonight: even if egg nog still smells and tastes fine a couple days past the best by date, it's better just to toss it out.

Well, another interview done. Now I have to wait up to three weeks for that background check to find out if I get a second interview.

In more fun news, my sister brought up last night at dinner wanting to get my parents to try D&D or Pathfinder. It should be interesting, but I doubt it will turn into more than a night or two. My mom has limited interest in fantasy, my dad doesn't really like complex games, and my sister's boyfriend was sorta meh towards it the one time he played.

Next up, Odolwa.

Odolwa
The Ravenous Berserker
God of Cannibalism, Murder, and Rot
Alignment CE
Areas of Concern Disease, decay, corruption, gluttony, primal rage, vengeance, predation, the untamed wild
Domains Chaos, Evil, Death, Plant, Strength
Subdomains Cannibalism, Decay, Ferocity, Murder, Growth, Riot
Favored Weapon Longsword
Symbol A menacing wooden mask with dark eye slits and bright, striped feather-like extensions OR a multicolored moth of green, yellow, red, and blue.
Sacred Colors Green, Yellow, Red, and Blue

My notes:

Odolwa may have once been a guardian spirit, but was corrupted into his current form.

His worshippers are cannibalistic swamp dwelling tribes.

I've gone back and forth on the symbol, so included both here. Obviously, the mask is his mask. The moth is the symbol as seen on the walls in his boss chamber in MM3D.

Majora
The Bound Destroyer
God of Madness & Destruction
Alignment CE
Areas of Concern chaos, corruption, fear, mischief, apocalyptic change, curses, illusions, dark magic, the unknown
Domains Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Madness, Trickery
Subdomains Catastrophe, Deception, Entropy, Fear, Rage, Revelry
Favored Weapon dagger
Holy Symbol A dark, heart-shaped mask with large, staring eyes and sharp, spiked edges
Sacred Colors Violet, Crimson, and Orange

My notes:

Majora's true form has been lost to time, but has been rumored to be anything from a muscular humanoid, to a serpentine dragon, to a form so incomprehensible that it breaks minds just by viewing it.

Majora is archenemies with The Fierce Deity. The Fierce Deity bound it in its mask form long ago.

His priests are called Maskbearers or Maskbound. They tend to be thoroughly insane. Masks are important in his worship.

Majora's goals are everchanging. One day, he'll wish for the destruction of the world, urging his priests to conduct rites to send celestial bodies crashing into it, the next he'll simply want people to start walking on their hands instead of their feet.

Sheogorath from the Elder Scrolls provides some inspiration.

captain yesterday wrote:

Breaking Bad is extremely well done and one of the greatest shows from an artistic perspective.

That said, it can be hard to watch.

Personally, I prefer Better Call Saul (which is actually WAAAAY better artistically even).

I just never had any interest in Breaking Bad. Plenty of people have told me that it's great, but I don't want to watch it. I've seen some clips on youtube that were recommended as "this will make you want to watch", and I still have never felt any desire to watch it. I've also seen a couple of clips of Better Call Saul, but also haven't been drawn to it.

I felt the same for a long time. Got tired of hearing people say "you need to watch it" so I did and was glad for it. There's a reason why so many consider it one of the greatest shows in the history of television. I too prefer Better Call Saul, but it is best watched after Breaking Bad. And I'd put the first few seasons of Dexter right up with them as some of the best TV ever.

Ivan Rûski wrote:

gran rey de los mono wrote:

NobodysHome wrote:

lisamarlene wrote:

In the car this evening, Tweeny Valeros was singing, "Can you help me hide a body? / c'mon, we can't delay" to the tune of "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?"

I said, "That's just like my friend Ms. Sydney. She's the kind of friend who'd help you hide a body. (pause) Also my friend who is the other Ms. Lisa at school, the gardening teacher. ** (pause) And Uncle Ersatz Russian, of course."

Tweeny Valeros: "Well OBVIOUSLY Uncle Ersatz Russian! Wait, he's never helped you hide a body before, has he?!"

The *moment* you started this story I thought of him.

Did the gang ever tell you his greatest sci-fi roleplaying moment? At the general store:
"And what can I get you, sir?"
"Some latex gloves, and a filter mask, and a portable bathtub, and... do you have any acid?"
"Certainly, sir, how much do you need?"
"About enough to dissolve a body..."

"Ahh. You'd be wanting the 'Dexter Special' then, sir."

That'd be the Pinkman special. For the Dexter Special you need loads of plastic and a boat.

EDIT: For either, you should be clothed.

To be fair, I haven't watched Dexter, nor does the name Pinkman ring a bell. He was simply the first fictional serial killer to come to mind.

It's a Breaking Bad reference.

NobodysHome wrote:

lisamarlene wrote:

In the car this evening, Tweeny Valeros was singing, "Can you help me hide a body? / c'mon, we can't delay" to the tune of "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?"

I said, "That's just like my friend Ms. Sydney. She's the kind of friend who'd help you hide a body. (pause) Also my friend who is the other Ms. Lisa at school, the gardening teacher. ** (pause) And Uncle Ersatz Russian, of course."

Tweeny Valeros: "Well OBVIOUSLY Uncle Ersatz Russian! Wait, he's never helped you hide a body before, has he?!"

The *moment* you started this story I thought of him.

Did the gang ever tell you his greatest sci-fi roleplaying moment? At the general store:
"And what can I get you, sir?"
"Some latex gloves, and a filter mask, and a portable bathtub, and... do you have any acid?"
"Certainly, sir, how much do you need?"
"About enough to dissolve a body..."

"Ahh. You'd be wanting the 'Dexter Special' then, sir."

That'd be the Pinkman special. For the Dexter Special you need loads of plastic and a boat.

EDIT: For either, you should be clothed.

Ivan Rûski wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

Enjoy some classic Geoff Peterson and Craig Ferguson.

I'm sorry. Everything I've heard about the job market right now sucks. In our gaming group, one friend is "involuntarily retired" (wants to work but at his age and skill level very doubtful any company will make him a reasonable offer), one is unemployed and trying to make ends meet as a contractor, and one is in and out of work several times a year. Younger Spawn looked for work for 6 months before finding something.

And since it's so hard, employers get to pick and choose. "Hey, do we really want to pay for 3 separate maintenance people when we can probably find 1 guy who can do all three and abuse the f*** out of him? Peons like overtime, don't they?"

Add that stupid checkbox and I am not surprised it's frustrating as h***.

Rooting for you. Unfortunately, so far outside of my field I got nothin' more than that.

Thanks. I'm at the point I'd take just about anything, but I have a feeling that until things are settled with the court nobody will seriously consider me. I should hopefully get a decent tax return that I can live off for awhile, but things with that are going to be complicated to say the least.

And now we have Máni, god of the moon. This is the only deity that I more or less created from the ground up. There was a temptation to incorporate some of this into Majora, but I didn't want any deity to have more than 5 domains, and didn't want to lose any of them that I chose for Majora. So, that meant either not having a power associated with the moon, or make my own. Given the importance of the moon in the series, I found the first unacceptable. I took the name Máni from the norse god of the moon.

Máni
The Watcher
God of the Moon
Alignment CN
Areas of Concern inevitability, fate, cycles, judgment, destruction, mortality
Domains Chaos, Darkness, Destruction, Void
Subdomains Catastrophe, Dark Tapestry, Entropy, Moon, Stars
Favored Weapon meteor hammer
Holy Symbol a full moon
Sacred Colors silver, gray, violet

My notes:

It is unclear whether Máni is just the god of the moon, or actually is the moon.

Though the moon is Máni's domain, it was once nearly ripped from the heavens by Majora. This was only stopped through the intervention of the Four Giants and a mortal hero.

It is said that during a blood moon, foul creatures in service to Ganon or the Demon King return to life. Most believe that this is due to a rite performed by those dark gods' worshipers, but a few believe this is caused by Máni.

Now we move on to Ganon.

Ganon
King of Evil
God of Tyranny
Alignment LE
Areas of Concern ambition, domination, dark magic, conquest, corruption, tyranny
Domains Destruction, Evil, Law, Strength, War
Subdomains Devil, Duels, Hatred, Slavery, Torture, Tyranny
Favored Weapon trident
Symbol A golden semi-abstract grinning bearded skull
Sacred Colors Black, Gold, and Crimson

My notes:

As I noted in the Demon King post, at one point I had Ganon incorporated into the same entry. I knew that I wanted to lean into Ganon's desire to rule, so he became the lawful evil of my big 3 evil villains.

The symbol is a description of the face on the back of his robes in Wind Waker. I went between this and a boar's head, but liked this better.

His worshippers follow him in hopes of being rewarded for their service when he conquers the world.

Next up we have The Horned God. This one was fun for me. I felt there was enough to build on in the games, but still plenty of freedom to expound upon it without feeling stifled.

The Horned God
The Dealer of Essence
God of Bargains
Alignment LE
Areas of Concern bargains, essence, corruption, trade, mortality
Domains Law, Magic, Travel, Trickery
Subdomains Arcane, Greed, Legislation, Rites, Trade
Favored Weapon morningstar
Symbol a balanced scale
Sacred Colors black and gold

My notes:

Though called the Horned "God", in reality this being is one of the ancient demons that followed the Demon King before his defeat by Hylia.

The Horned God only followed the Demon King as a matter of course, not out of any loyalty. In fact, the Horned God was glad when Hylia sealed the Demon King away; it is hard to bargain with corpses.

The Horned God delights in making bargains with mortals, seeing what they are willing to exchange for their desires. Most often, these bargains are money-for-life deals; the bargainer exchanges money for vitality. Another typical exchange is the decrease of one ability to increase another for a fee.

The Horned God was sealed within a statue by Hylia once she found out about these bargains.

Unlike most of the other evil deities, the Horned God does not seek destruction, domination, or the death of mortals. In fact, if he had the power to he would oppose these destructive forces, as they destroy those who would make deals with him.

The Horned God does not have a church, temples, or shrines. His very existence is unknown to most. Only those few who have visited his statue in an out-of-the-way natural alcove outside Hateno Village know he exists, and few of them make bargains, let alone dedicate themselves to them. This is not to say he has no clergy, just that they are extremely rare, only a handful in the world.

I need everyone's address for...no reason. Scint/Orthos first.

You've got options...

Next we have The Desert Goddess, inspired by the unnamed Goddess statues seen in The Desert Colossus and Arbiter's Grounds. This was one of the last deities I created an entry for, with there being so little information about her. I'd originally had Air as one of her domains to represent power over sandstorms, but I liked the "keeper of secrets" aspect enough to ditch it in favor of Knowledge.

The Desert Goddess
The Silent Sentinel
Goddess of the Sand
Alignment LE
Areas of Concern deserts, tombs, ancient knowledge, sand, secrets, snakes
Domains Erosion, Knowledge, Scalykind, Sun, Trickery
Subdomains Deception, Greed, Memory, Thievery, Thirst, Venom
Favored Weapon scimitar
Holy Symbol a stylized representation of the back of a cobra’s hood (AKA The Gerudo Crest)
Sacred Colors Orange, Green, Red

My notes:

The name of the Desert Goddess has been lost to time.

It is whispered that she was once a lieutenant of the Demon King, before his imprisonment by Hylia, though this may be truth or fabrication.

Most of her worshippers are Gerudo, or have adopted their way of life.

Her priests seek out forgotten knowledge, either to keep it from becoming lost forever, or to ensure dangerous secrets do not fall into the wrong hands. They are not above murder to meet their goals.

The Medjai from The Mummy films serve as inspiration for her priesthood.

From Hylia, we naturally move on to her bitter enemy, The Demon King.

The Demon King
The Ancient Evil
God of Corruption
Alignment NE
Areas of Concern malice, hatred, destruction, corruption, domination
Domains Destruction, Evil, Magic, Ruins, Strength
Subdomains Corruption, Demon, Ferocity, Hatred, Rage, Rites
Favored Weapon bastard sword
Symbol An inverted, crimson Triforce
Sacred Colors black and red

My notes:

Originally, I had this as both Ganon and Demise, them being the same entity just known by different names in different eras. I decided to split Ganon off into his own entry to have an evil deity of each alignment. I dropped the Demise name entirely, reasoning that the name was lost to time.

The Demon King seeks the corruption of mortal souls. He once sought the destruction of the world, but after his defeat by Hylia's chosen hero, his goals shifted. While the destruction of Hyrule would hurt Hylia, she would simply seek retribution. But if he turns Hylia's own worshippers, that is far more satisfying.

Most of the Demon King's worshippers don't really seek to complete his goals, but bow to him in exchange for the power to complete their own, which are inevitably destructive and serve the Demon King well.

With the Golden Goddesses complete, we move on to Hylia.

Hylia
The Lady of Light
Goddess of Light and Sacrifice
Alignment NG
Areas of Concern sacrifice, protection, destiny, divine light, resurrection
Domains Glory, Good, Healing, Protection, Sun
Subdomains Heroism, Resurrection, Purity, Defense, Day
Favored Weapon Longsword
Symbol A pair of stylized wings outstretched from a central diamond-shaped body
Sacred Colors Gold and White

My notes:

The worship of Hylia is the largest faith in Hyrule. The name of her church is the Radiant Church of Hylia.

Being the largest church in the nation, possibly even the world, the faith attracts people from all walks of life.

There is at least a shrine in nearly every settlement, with most having a more formal center of woship. These can range from a simple church with a handful of pews, to grand cathedrals with massive stained glass windows.

Think of the Catholic church for inspiration.

Finishing up the Golden Goddesses, Farore.

Farore
The Mother of Life
Goddess of courage
Alignment NG
Areas of Concern life, courage, nature, renewal, compassion, the spirits of all living things
Domains Air, Animal, Glory, Good, Plant
Subdomains Friendship, Growth, Heroism, Honor, Legend, Wind
Favored Weapon Boomerang
Symbol A green circle nested within 2 green crescents, forming a spiral or concentric wave pattern
Sacred Colors Emerald and Gold

My notes:

Farore's worshippers hold her above the other 2 sisters as without her there would be no life. They do still acknowledge the other sisters as important.

Farore's followers tend to be gentle and caring, with a love for all creatures. Many are very connected to nature, living in forests or small rural villages.

With the focus on life and nature, the faith naturally attracts more druids and rangers than the other sisters.