Roleplaying: The Athar

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*Bloodlines
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Bloodlines »


The latest in a long line of Athar rhetorical speeches has proved a great success with Cagers. Always looking for a new metaphor to use to bring the powers down a peg or three, Denzith Ab Plarok ( Prime / human male / 0-level / Athar / CG ) says that if a power is considered to be a human, then his proxies would be dogs - basically faithful, obedient, dumb, drooling slaves. Priests would be rats - sly and after as many crumbs of the human's food as possible. At the bottom of the heap, as always, are normal bashers, who'd be the equivalent of mice - vulnerable to abuse from any of the others. All the more reason why, argues Denzith, we don't let the powers get exactly what they want: Worship!

In another of his increasingly influential speeches, Denzith mocked one of the favourite claims of priests: That humans are the finest creations of the gods. If this is the case, Denzith argued, then these so-called powers ain't exactly fine craftsmen, are they!

Roleplaying the Athar

Not all the Lost are bitter, but most have had a power turn stag on ’em. That’s why folks join the Defiers, and a lot of them carry around a heavy load of cynicism, paranoia, and resentment. Whatever their attitude, Defiers follow the Rule of Three by having three main goals: to prove publicly the falsity of the so-called gods, to lessen or destroy their influence, and to part the veil of the unknowable to glimpse the truth.

ALIGNMENT. Defiers of various ethical systems all look at the Athar philosophy a little differently. A basher with a hen, toward charity wants to save the “faithful" sods from suffering the pain of the inevitable betrayal by their powers. A few Lost value honesty, and so find motivation in a love of truth. Self-centered Defiers hope to pull down the powers to leave more room for their own schemes to gain wealth, pleasure, or even revenge: Strip the false gods of power by stripping them of believers. ’Course, the Defiers who naturally refrain from passing judgment still detest shams. What is, is - and fraudulent gods only muddy the waters.

Lawful Athar think a berk who follows the rules of the powers follow the wrong guidelines; he needs to see past the powers to the order of the Greater Unknown. Chaotic Defiers insist that the multiverse has no rhyme or reason and think the powers just form part of a false veneer of order. The neutral Lost believe the phonies distort the balance between law and chaos.

CLASS. A basher's profession determines the reason for joining the faction and the methods used to pursue its aims. Fighters seek combat with all who serve the powers and believe that the truth will out in melee. Rangers consider deities who enslave animals more vile than others and claim that animals in their natural state provide clues to sublime truths. Paladins hope to convert all beings from worship of their idols to reverence for the true (though unknown) source of all majesty. Priests also look beyond the powers in search of the Greater Unknown god. Druids insist the powers interfere with the natural cycles of the multiverse and want to see them operate without these interlopers. Wizards claim the powers deliver tainted magic, and thieves want ecclesiastic wealth for themselves.

RACES. Many planars of the Great Ring serve a power and would never join the Athar (nor find themselves welcome). This fact makes the Lost less multiracial than some other factions such as the Believers of the Source and the Free League. Bariaur, half-elves, humans, tieflings, dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings are well represented. Githzerai seem few and far between, though: The majority revere either their race's nameless wizard-king or the legendary Zerthimon as a god.

FACTION ABILITIES
RP Abilities only: Requires consent of a DM/EM or all players involved/affected by its use if no DM/EM is present. (per Server Rules)

All Defier ranks prove immune to the following faith-based spells: abjure, augury, bestow curse, divination, enthrall, exaction, holy ward, and quest. Priests of specific deities may not aid known faction members with spells or other uses of divine power, particularly healing. Only extreme situations might lead a priest to violate this ban. However, Defiers would normally refuse this type of aid anyway.
 
The Athar receive a +2 bonus to their saving throw vs. priest spells. This bonus also applies to spell-like abilities of creatures such as devas and baatezu serving a power.
 
Factors learn a special obscurement technique that cloaks them from observation by powers and their minions. Priests, divine servants, and the powers themselves using spells or spell-like abilities to locate or discover information about an Athar factor can do so only after a successful saving throw vs spell. 
 
This obscurement ability would counter the following wizards or abilities: Detect Evil, Detect Invisibility, Know Alignment, Locate Object, Clairvoyance/Clairaudience (if RPed), magic mirror, contact other plane, sending, esnarement, legend lore, demand, foresight. It also counters the priest abilities of augury, detect lie, divination, reflecting pool, magic font, find the path, exaction.
 
Banishment (as a 7th level wizard): Athar can use Banishment though only rarely and with the utmost discretion. Four or more athaons can link hands, encircling their target. By concentrated force of will they can banish petitioners, servant creatures, or proxies of a power back to the god's domain on his plane. (Up to 2 HD or levels of creature per caster level). This ability only works on representatives of a power and it requires no material component. (I.E, they must be a priest of a god). If used against a PC and the PC fails their will save, they are banished from Sigil or whatever plane they were affected by the spell for one full day.
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