I am creating a druid in case my current character dies (he has been close a couple of times and he has a do not raise clause). I have two ideas. Both include an animal companion, but for one idea the companion is a Velociraptor and the other the companion is a Tiger.
Harking back to WotC FR setting there was specifically a god of dinosaurs (Ubatao sp?) and I was just wondering for Golarion is there a deity similar to that one, for either dinosaurs or tigers?
I know that Gozreh would work, but I would like something more specific.
Thanks,
-- david
Papa.DRB
Chamidu, the Vudrani deity of animals and nature.
I agree. She's a good choice. Her vahara (animal-mount) is clearly a tiger. She's mentioned only briefly in Escape from Old Korvosa.
India - the Kumaon hills specifically - was historically a site of fossil collection in classical times. Of course, they thought the bones were of dragons and griffons, not dinosaurs.
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Shimye-Magalla might be an interesting option as well, as she's popular in the Mwangi, which is a popular dinosaur haunt.
There aren't a whole lot of gods that share interest in the Realms of the Mammoth Lords, Mediogalti Island and the Mwangi Expanse, which are the three places one is most likely to find giant prehistoric beasties...
Thanks guys. Is there any more information on Shimye-Magalla? I checked the pathfinder wiki and could not find an entry for her.
-- david
Papa.DRB
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I might go animistic/green faith on this one and fill in the blanks, basically arguing that a dinosaur spirit would not be a god picked up by humans.
For example--
Crows, unlike humans, are very pragmatic about religion. They not care about justice or fairness. They do not care about kindness. They care about survival. They care about food. They care about raising the young.
That is why their gods number in the few and except for Mother of all feathered, Father of all beaked, and Aris-who-guided-the-flocks- through-the-long-winter-when-the-great-rock-fell-to-earth. Most deities of Corvidkind are local, worshiped only by a few flocks as ancestors. Ravens have a special queen of course. But Crows are another matter.
All the crows of the city of Cartis as well as the crowkin who walk the streets as humans worship the Cult of Karley of Cartis. He is the ancestor and patron who brought about the great feast of garbage and offal that the Crows of Cartis feed upon to this very day. His names are food bringer, human herder, and the clever one.
Once many years ago, Karley was a familiar of a human wizard. In those days Cartis was a small backwater of no importance. It was however a crossroads and river crossing. Here the wizard built his place of study. Pretty soon an inn was founded, as was a black smithy. All of them looked to the wizard to give advice and guidance. The wizard had no interest in these things and was annoyed at the constant interruptions. After some discussion Karley and the wizard came upon a novel solution.
Karley disguised as a human began to manage the town as the wizard’s nephew.
Given a magic bauble so he could change back and forth, Karley at first resented his new job. But over time he began to see the possibilities. For example, if a horse died he could make sure that it was dumped in a place where he and his flock could conveniently feast upon it latter. He could collect tolls and therefore collect more shiny coins for his nest. He could make sure that the sewers were open and could be dominated by the crows rather then rats and other haired pests.
Given a free hand by his uncaring master, Karley started to work to actively attract humans, particularly humans that left a lot of waste for Karley and his flock to eat. Karley continued in his role, herding the humans so that his flock could grow and feed. He continued in this role even after his wizard died. Under the crows care, the ignorant humans prospered, creating great piles of trash for the crows.
In time he passed the Shiny Bauble of Leadership to his hatchlings. In time Cartis grew into one of the great trading city. Karley was honored as the great ancestor of the many crows of the city. All the crows and crowkin honor him as their ancestor. In addition, several of his decedents are honored. Among them:
Canar Cleverkin: After the plague of ghouls began the custom requiring open air burials outside the city. This prevented the rise of more walking dead things and gave the crows an additional source of food. Among the humans who knew him as a magistrate, he remembered for his defeat of the undead. Among the crows, he is remembered for creating the feasting plain, where the humans leave their dead.
This has also made the crows great foes of the undead. After all, who wants their meals to be animate, bad tasting things that could potentially kill you?
Kit Beggargirl and Donar: Kit was a small beggar child abandoned by her parents in the city. Normally she would have starved and the crows would have eaten her. Instead, she learned the language of Corvids and traded baubles for a take at the food scraps.
Donar was a crow at the time that became her friend. Somehow they bonded as mates and Donar learned a great magic: how to change into a human. From them many crowkin are descended (though a few others have mastered this trick). One line, the Corin family took over as hereditary lord mayor of the city, the guiding the humans when the Shiny Bauble of Leadership was lost.
Mugin Misnamed: He is called misnamed because of his infamous deed. He forgot where the Shiny Bauble of Leadership was placed in the great heap of Karley. Since then leadership of the city has been in the hands of the crowkin. Still he is prayed to whenever something is lost. After all, who better to sympathize with a petitioner?
His loss has also created the contest. Each Crow and each Crowkin are allowed to reach into the great pile of baubles, hoping to recover the Shiny Bauble of Leadership. So far none have succeeded.
Hugin Sewerslayer: Once a great Wererat engineer convinced the people to build an underground sewer. This would have been a catastrophe had it succeeded for the sewers would be a great lair for walking dead things and wererats. In addition, the open drainage aqueducts would have been inaccessible to the crows. Hugin rallied the crows to drop so many stones in to the first section. This was abandoned after flooding and no more sections were built.
To this day the great sewers are open air, flowing into the river, allowing the crows plenty of time to get any shiny baubles they care to or eat any tasty morsel dropped into the drains.
The Cult Today:
All the Crows and crowkin worship Karley as their great patron and ancestor. It is he who brought the humans together to provide an unending feast for the crows in Cartis. Even the humans are on somewhat aware this for outside the town there is a Great Piles of Shiny Baubles. There are several other piles lined up beside the largest one.
The crows sit upon the pile. The largest pile is dedicated to Karley while the rest are the dedicated to his famous descendants. Crows or crowkin who ask a boon drop a bauble upon pile. Outsiders are free to look upon the great piles but should anyone take a bauble (other then a crowkin making their attempt to find the Shiny Bauble of Leadership) they are attacked by a great swarm of crows.
Most are pecked to death in minutes, if not seconds. The hereditary mayors have put up signs pointing out the danger. However, the city fathers have been unwilling to move against the crows. The mayor wrings his hands at the potential casualties if the crows were removed. He also sights budget shortfalls if pressed. Now one who has pressed further has lived.
Needless to say, the natives have lost their curiosity. An occasional outsider is eaten.