Lycanthropy, Moon Gods and More

[Ghoster]

I am running Carrion Crown and about to enter into the third book of that adventure where lycanthropy takes center stage. However, I wanted to modify it a bit and possibly add a more optimistic spin on the condition. Specifically with natural-born lycanthropes, at least.

I know there is the demon lord of werewolves, but I want to try and pursue a route of there could be good lycanthropes, even among the non-bear variety. And I wanted to do so by introducing basically the son of the once-Packlord who had basically found new meaning in both himself and his condition, that of his people as well, through worship of a power that basically showed him that succumbing to the beast and wild inside him need not be the way.

Right now I am struggling to find deities or the like that could help do that beyond maybe Desna since she opposes Lamashtu over the whole beast domain thing. And I would appreciate some help in this regard of maybe finding deities of the moon or that could resonate with a lycanthrope trying to fight back against the whole succumbing to the beast inside.

Can anyone help me with all that?

[Sibelius Eos Owm]

In my own Carrion Crown playthrough I also wanted to vary up the packs of the Shudderwood. I did not introduce any moon deities though that would have been a fine idea. Instead I gave each pack a new identity with regard to their typical alignment.

Spoiler:

For the Primals, whose backstory involves a band of kellids who revered strength iirc, I simply changed their alignment to CN. They value honour and strength, so when the party defeated the two at the early part of the book, the survivor bared her throat and said that she had clearly underestimated the party, and asked to be allowed to take her fallen comrade. From there the party's Medic actually tended to the fallen wolf's wounds, which led the other Primal to apologise for the misunderstanding (the conversation formcused on her belief that the lodge was allied with the traitorous Mordrinacht and the humans were enemies. This unnamed wolf later became the focus of the Primals' own succession crisis.

The Mordrinacht I changed to be mostly NE but otherwise it didn't make much difference. I changed their ancestral spirit from an undead to a nature spirit, but left the vilkacis as CE as an explanation for why afflicted werewolves default toward CE--the instinct to dominate and hunt the weak.

The Dorzhanev I made N since their backstory involved a Druid progenitor who became a werewolf through communion with nature spirits. I felt it made sense that they had a sort of druidic slant to their pack philosophy and in 1e druids were always part neutral.

The Prince's Wolves I straight up made CG worshippers of Desna who oppose the Whispering Way and roam the land freely. They don't have to be good guys but I felt it was appropriate to give my party one pack they could unambiguously support (though as mentioned earlier, their interactions with the Primals surprised me into having at least good relations with 2). Since they are Varisian nomads, Desna makes sense for them and the Stairs of the Moon being a long forgotten temple of hers only tightens the theme.

Finally the Jezeldans I left CE. Since they're all afflicted werewolves whose leader only keeps his own control over his shifting through the divine blessing of a wolf demon, it seemed to fit and kept up the threat.

Beyond that the first moon deity that springs to mind is Tsukiyo.

[Simeon]

Well, if you want good lycanthropes, look no further than Ashava!

Among her worshippers, good lycanthropes are explicitly mentioned. Additionally, a series of PFS with a big focus on her lets you transform into a werewolf, showing a clear focus there.

[Saedar]

While neither moon- or lycanthrope-focused, Aakriti is an ooze god introduced in Impossible Lands that might be a weird-if-neat option.

Anathema: fail to study a new creature if safely able, force a creature to live in the wrong body, reject creatures or information due to bigoted or rigid beliefs

The second two, specifically, could really resonate with non-evil lycanthropes. If one of your packs was also of a more scholarly bent, all the better fit. Their whole deal is just creating stuff and exploring and being yourself and being incredibly unamused by bigotry.

[Ghoster]

Thank you all for your help thus far, these are a few more options than I would have thought of. It will be a bit difficult, I think, to try and decide on one that makes the most sense for the Ustalavic region. But these do give me some good ideas.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

The one that fits best for Ustalav is definitely Ashava: her most common worshippers are Varisian humans, who are also Ustalav's largest population demographic. Her temples are often in barrows, graveyards, wilderness areas, and isolated communities, all of which Ustalav has aplenty. And in addition to her emphasis on good-aligned lycanthropes, she has a specific interest in guiding lost souls to peace that she shares with Pharasma, and Ustalav does have plenty of ghosts who need that guidance.

Honestly, it almost feels like Ashava was written specifically WITH Ustalav in mind sometimes! The only reason I think Magnimar and other parts of Varisia are listed as her main centers of worship, I think that may be because in Ustalav her faithful have to contend with the hegemonic presence of Pharasma's church and the Pharasmin Penitence sect.

[GM_3826]

I asssume the paucity of followers of Ashava in Ustalav has more to do with how superstitious Ustalav's culture is. In Ustalav, the average person's response to an area becoming haunted is to get out or brandish Pharasma's holy symbol. Not a whole lot of Ustalavs would find the idea of helping lonely spirits move on appealing. When you combine that with the fact that Magnimar is home to the Inner Sea region's most famous non-evil ghost, Ordellia Whilwren, it's unsurprising that Ashava is more popular there. That's not to say that Ustalavs don't have more reason to devote their attention to the goddess, but they're presumably inclined to run away or attempt to destroy spirits.