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For the second preview of Campaign Cogs- Morithal, Lord of Unceasing Hunger we take a look at two of Maggot God's most trusted servants.
Hollow Longing
Hollow Longing is an ideal, a spirit that embodies the devastating effects of hunger and famine. Where it came from or how it was born is unknown, though some legends directly connect its rise to Morithal’s emergence. Not even the oldest gods claim to know the origins of this primeval being or even understand its purpose in the multiverse. Whatever the case, Hollow Longing's fate has been intertwined with the Maggot God for as long as anyone can remember.
In its natural form, Hollow Longing is a mass of vapors from which an unending wail of misery can heard. When necessary, Hollow Longing may take the form of a ravenous ghoul of any race and gender. In this body it appears as a bloated abomination with waxy, milk-colored skin. Its eyes burn like embers and its yellowed teeth appear too large for its mouth. When mortals gaze upon Hollow Longing in ghoul form they can always sense that something is not quite right, that the creature before them is not a normal ghoul or even a ghoul from the putrid nobility that rule the race.
No matter what form it takes, logic and reason mean nothing to Hollow Longing. It has no pity for those it harms, no empathy towards other creatures, and exhibits an unflagging loyalty to Morithal alone. While intelligent and capable of critical thought, Hollow Longing is often overcome by its need to devour. This makes it a poor choice for diplomatic or tactical missions, but perfect when the Lord of Unceasing Hunger wishes to sow discord and chaos amongst his enemies.
Paranvoi the All-Consuming
Born from a cataclysm enacted by worshipers of Morithal on the world of Malheur, Paranvoi is a black pudding of epic proportions. It began life like one of many such oozes found in the temples of Morithal, created spontaneously in the presence of morthacite. However, Paranvoi was inadvertently empowered by an ancient and forbidden rite designed to shift the planet closer to the Plane of Shadow and shroud it in a black cloud known as the Ebon Caul.
While it is unclear what exactly went wrong, Paranvoi became stronger and more intelligent. It quickly consumed the priests who performed the ceremony, integrating their thoughts, emotions, and personalities into its own burgeoning identity. Understanding what had just happened and feeling an undeniable calling to the service of Morithal, Paranvoi began to devour.
In two years, it had wiped out nearly all life beneath the surface of Malheur. Its body swelled beyond normal proportions so that by the time it burst into the surface world, Paranvoi was the size of a small nation. What it found when it emerged was a world on the verge of collapse. For two years the nations on the surface had been without sunlight. Famine was rampant, war was everywhere, and extreme methods of survival had become a normal way of life. Paranvoi saw this as the perfect expression of Morithal's power, a precursor to the delicious horror that was to come when Final Consumption became a reality. Filled with religious fervor, it moved across the land, devouring all it could while singing unholy praises to the Maggot God.
Morithal took notice of this slaughter and turned his attentions to Paranvoi. What he saw pleased him. Paranvoi had grown to encompass the entirety of Malheur. The surface was completely covered by its undulating body. Paranvoi stretched into the tunnels of the Underworld, filling the dark places of the world with its massive bulk. Malheur became a dead world, nothing more than a lair for a devoted and powerful servant of Morithal.
The Feasting Worm visited Paranvoi in dreams and visions. Paranvoi was granted a place as one of Morithal's divine servants, second only in greatness to Gothgor the Putrid. Upon the ooze Morithal bestowed the gift of foresight, which blended with Paranvoi's composite mind to endow it with a perception of time not even the Lord of Unceasing Hunger can completely understand. With the ability to simultaneously view every possible future, the All-Consuming became an oracle of devastating accuracy.
Paranvoi continues to dwell on Malheur, which still lies in conjunction with the Plane of Shadow. It can split portions from its body and embed part of its mind into the newly formed vessels. Due to its conglomerate psyche, Paranvoi's mind can easily exist in multiple locations at once without any serious detriment. As a result, powerful temples maintain oracle chambers to house a portion of Paranvoi within specially prepared pools. The oozes in these pools hold a portion of the High Oracle's mind, allowing priests to access the impressive foresight of Paranvoi whenever the need arises.
However, the temples of Morithal have continued to see some of their plans fail since gaining this advantage, which has led a few to believe the insight of Paranvoi is not as potent as many allege. Some of Morithals' faithful have come to the conclusion Paranvoi has its own goals and is only using the temples as a tool to usurp the Maggot God's position. Others have suggested the All-Consuming has foreseen that the Final Consumption will never come to pass and this has shaken its faith in the Lord of Unceasing Hunger. Whatever the case, while Parnavoi's amazing talent has not made the Cult of Morithal invincible, it has provided those who work the will of the Feasting Worm a powerful tool to aid them in many of their schemes.
The Virtuous and the Vile
Since the beginning of time, the Maggot God has burrowed his way through the earth, indulging a hunger that can never be satiated. Morithal is an artifact from another time, a being who survived the fall of one multiverse and the birth of another. Cursed with a unending desire to consume, He Who Gnaws has hollowed out vast caverns beneath the earth and these have become the subterranean realm of the dark elves, derro, and other depraved creatures. Despite his repulsive nature, Morithal's followers are powerful and many. His cults are everywhere and each of them is tasked with a single goal: to bring about the reign of their god so that he might consume the stars and cast all the worlds of the Material Plane into eternal night.
The Virtuous and the Vile- Morithal, the Lord of Unceasing Hunger will be available for Labyrinth Lord and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game with an expected release date of late November.
Thanks for the awesome preview, Allen! I'm looking forward to inflicting these guys on my players.
Thanks for the awesome preview, Allen! I'm looking forward to inflicting these guys on my players.
Can you describe exactly what the product is? is it stats and history for those there NPCs or is it more?
I am sorry I did not catch this earlier.
Can you describe exactly what the product is? is it stats and history for those there NPCs or is it more?Thanks for the awesome preview, Allen! I'm looking forward to inflicting these guys on my players.
Sure, I would love to talk some more about the book. Here is the product description from the website.
The Virtuous and the Vile
Since the beginning of time, the Maggot God has burrowed his way through the earth, indulging a hunger that can never be satiated. Morithal is an artifact from another time, a being who survived the fall of one multiverse and the birth of another. Cursed with a unending desire to consume, He Who Gnaws has hollowed out vast caverns beneath the earth and these have become the subterranean realm of the dark elves, derro, and other depraved creatures. Despite his repulsive nature, Morithal's followers are powerful and many. His cults are everywhere and each of them is tasked with a single goal: to bring about the reign of their god so that he might consume the stars and cast all the worlds of the Material Plane into eternal night.
The Virtuous and the Vile: Morithal, the Lord of Unceasing Hunger includes:
*An in-depth overview of Morithal, his origins, myths, and other important traits.
*Information on the cults of the Maggot God, their goals, and the benefits of their faith.
*A detailed temple of Morithal for use as a location-based adventure site and easily dropped into any fantasy campaign.
*The Famine domain and new spells that embody the horrid hunger of the Maggot God.
*Three new monsters who embody Morithal's unceasing need to feed.
If you missed previous previews, there is also an exclusive preview at the blog, Mythopoeic Rambling:
Clockwork Gnome is Rotten to the Core
I think we can talk about some more of the details.
The three creatures in this book will be the maggot swarm, fragment of Paranvoi, and the walking hunger.
The spells are putrefy food and drink, infest corpse, and swarm of maggots.
The two creatures in this preview will not have stats as these are "uber" servants of Morithal. However, there will be a sample temple with a number of NPC clerics, inquisitors, and the like. That will work as a good adventure site for mid-level PCs.
Now, this is all material for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game version. For those interested, the Labyrinth Lord version does differ slightly. I thought I would mention that just to make sure I cover my bases. If you are interested in what appears in that version, I would be happy to list the details.
And if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask. I would be happy to answer what I can.
By the way, the art for the walking hunger featured in the Mythopoeic Rambling preview is for the Labyrinth Lord version of the game. There is another piece for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game version.
Oooo, sounds neat!