The Original Sin
Even setting aside my twenty first century desire for equity, if your moon god isn’t whatever the hell gender they want, I don’t much care for your moon god. Continue reading The Original Sin
Category: setting
The Undead of Lyonesse
As previously discussed, you’ve got your Edimmu (Ghosts, Shadows, Banshee, and Spectres) Gallûs (Ghouls and Ghasts) Rabisu (Vampires, Mummies, and Raksasa) All of those are “unnaturally occurring”. You’ve also got your Skeletons and your Zombies, which are raised by the sorcery of a necromancer. Then you’ve got a variety of creatures that only the Church has categorized, such as the Draugr, Mohrg, and Wight-Wolf. Continue reading The Undead of Lyonesse
Witchcraft
In deference to modern sensibilities, Perilous Paths has witches, but they’re not the agents of chaos, evil, and depravity that the historical context would indicate. The loan word in Parsik and Common for darkling witches of either gender who practice infernal sorcery is “ýâtu”, and their dark art “ýâtavô”. The Code of Hammurabi (1.) has things to say about witchcraft, and the context is specifically … Continue reading Witchcraft
Language and Literacy in the Empire
The common (trade) tongue is Latin. In the Empire, pretty much everyone regardless of caste (including the Ardu) can speak Latin, plus whatever regional dialect is local to them. The Mushkenu (middle class) of the Empire were literate in the common tongue as well. This was one of the defining features of the Mushkenu, in fact. So, scholars and scribes and teachers may be penniless … Continue reading Language and Literacy in the Empire
The Salt Goddess is Dead. Long Live the Salt Goddess!
Tiamat’s exact functions as a goddess are difficult to establish. As her name indicates (see below), she was a deification of the primordial sea. Our best source of information for Tiamat is the myth Enūma Eliš , and in fact, there are only a handful of references to her outside of it. Enūma Eliš begins with a description of the two primeval seas, the salt … Continue reading The Salt Goddess is Dead. Long Live the Salt Goddess!
Meet the Anunnaki
The Sumerian “Seven gods who decree” your fate in the city of the dead are: An, Enlil, Enki, Ninhursag, Nanna, Utu, and Inanna. An is the Babylonian Anu. Patron of the nobility, and (literally) patriarchy. The god-kings of the Holy Empire have his blood flowing in their veins. Also, fun fact, where the “Anu” at the beginning of “Anunakki” comes from. Enlil is the Babylonian … Continue reading Meet the Anunnaki
Parais
The western capital of the Holy Empire, located on the west bank of the Seine in the Gaulish territories of Europa. The western Holy Empire was ruled by the most powerful female relative of the God-King of Byzantium, the Empress of the Starry Skies. The city was also the center of cult power for Venus / Inanna in the Empire. The city remains a powerful … Continue reading Parais
Celestial Mechanics and the Lords of Order
The motions of the sun, the moon, and the stars are evidence of the efforts of the pantheon to establish an orderly universe, and to diminish chaos. Likewise; meteors, eclipses, and comets are disruptions in the cosmic order caused by the forces of chaos on the edges nibbling on the world. In addition to the low impact implications of this (church astrologers!), there are high … Continue reading Celestial Mechanics and the Lords of Order
Hare Krishna and the Cults of Chaos
So, a fairly positive spin on “Of Chaos” presented to human worshipers of the cults goes like this: In the beginning, existence was a formless, infinite void of possibility and connection Time and Death arrived; destabilizing the whole thing (the universal consciousness) to fear, loss, and regret Pettty tyrants known to mankind as gods prospered by putting the jackbooted heels of oppression against the week … Continue reading Hare Krishna and the Cults of Chaos
How’s the Weather?
Friendly: clear skies, moderate breeze (1d4 for direction), no precipitation Indifferent: cloudy skies, no wind, no precipitation Neutral: overcast skies, moderate breeze (1d8 for direction), intermittent fog Unfriendly: stormy skies, light wind (1d8 for direction), light precipitation Hostile: Stormy skies and lightning strikes, heavy wind (1d4 for direction), occasional dangerous precipitation Continue reading How’s the Weather?
Perilous Paths 