Does each of the four horsemen just have ONE race of daemons that specifically serves as its deacons, or will there be more?
Alzo,...could a really motivated hydrodaemon (with class levels and/or advanced templates) become a deacon of war, or does the deacon have to be of a specific race of daemons who have special deacon privileges or whatever?
Then, I was thinking......
let's say just for saying sake that....aaaah...
KILLGROM the KILLINATOR
gets subsumed in his role as Horseman of War by
GWORGWOR THE GORE GWORRYOR or whatever....
does a new race of daemons become the deacons, or does all of KILLGROM the KILLINATOR'S guys just go work for GWORGWOR now?....
From what I've read about the Daemons there are four "horses of apocalypse" (not an official term, just my working term) - war, famine, disease and death (and there are rumors about fifth). These horses exist since the beginning of time and will do so till the end, galloping madly toward the ultimate destruction of all that is and ever will be. On the saddles of these horses sit the horsemen who guide them and as the riders they hold special powers. Sometimes the rider is replaced by another, but the horses still go on and on. When one saddle is emptied, someone quickly climbs in it and so it will be till the end. The deacons are direct representaives of the horse, not the rider, who is just an acknowledged leader of them all.
Todd may jump in with his own ideas, but I think deacon is just a title a daemon can earn, not a separate "race" of daemon. So the deacon of war may be a hydrodaemon with extra HD and some fighter levels and perhaps a unique ability or two.
I've always thought about the deacons as a race of daemons who serve one particular horse in exclusion of the others. There wasn't anything saying that there can't be any other daemons serving the same horse, but to have a deacon serving another horse is exceptionally rare.
Creative Director
|
Or James might jump in! :P
The original concept for the deacon races was that each horseman would have one race of specialized demons that serves him more than any other daemon. These would be the purrodaemons (war), thanadamons (death), leukodaemons (disease), and meladaemons (famine). These four types of daemon almost always serve their associated horseman or his interests (although sometimes they might go rogue and serve another daemon lord, or even go off on their own).
The other daemon races are more like free agents. ANY of them could end up working for a horseman, but it's just as likely that they're on their own or serve a more powerful (but non-horseman) daemon.
A hydrodaemon who really wants to work for a horseman could certainly do so, and would certainly gain rewards for jobs well done. We haven't explored much about how daemons work yet, but I think that each of the Horsemen being able to transform favored minions into deacons could certainly be a possibility. But unless you're one of the four above-mentioned deacons, you can't really be called a deacon.
Also, what happens to a deacon race when its horseman dies or is replaced is a subject we haven't explored yet.
We will someday though.
(although sometimes they might go rouge and serve another daemon lord, or even go off on their own).
So if they change color watch out!
I'm just playing -- :D
Hey! So Haley isn't the only one sipping on the potions! Latest OotS
Pretty much what James said. As I see it the deacons serve their respective horseman, but not to the absolute exclusion of anything else. In the module 'Beyond the Vault of Souls' the meladaemon Couthewaile is actually serving Charon in some nominal capacity but mostly doing his own thing. I figure that a small fraction of deacons might be rogue at a given period since unlike devils they aren't absolutely bound to a rigid heirarchy, and others of them might be politically on the outs within their own particular daemonic court.
I easily could see a non-deacon being turned into one as a result of their actions. Perhaps most or all deacons originate as a result of other daemons being granted that status?
As for what happens to deacons when a horseman is replaced, it hasn't been addressed directly, but tangentially we do know that Trelmarixian the 'Lysogenic Prince' replaced the former Horseman of Famine, the as yet nameless 'Parasite Queen'. He was formerly one of her favored deacons before usurping her (and perhaps the top tier of deacons have unique forms as befitting their own desires or those of their master to set them apart from the rest of their kindred?). It was somewhat implied across a few places that Trelmarixian completely remodeled the meladaemon caste in his own image after he came to power.
Huzzah! Three heavy hitters in one thread....
Cool; well, the one thing I can tell is there's enough material there for the daemonkind to get their own book of fiends...
Regarding serving the deacon AND other principals,.....
my thought is these creatures are "champions" of whatever concept i.e. war,.....famine,....death.....
and maybe that particular horseman not only likes the fact that his deacon is out there serving another power such as Charon, he's actually brokered the deal;
getting the merc's out there and actively promoting the horseman's ideal is in everybody's interest.
The four horsemen don't care about power or soul count the way a demon or devil lord would.
They just care about bringing about the apocalypse. The powers that be amongst demon or devilkind aren't as important as the resultant mayhem the agents of the horseman can bring about.
So they broker interdimensional mercenary contracts, as long as they fit their ultimate goals.