Line #14 WMG/Pathfinder


1	[[WMG:[[TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}} Rovagug]] and [[TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}} Tharizdun]] are one and the same.]]
2	Gods of wanton destruction? Check. Forced all the other gods to join forces against them? Check. [[SealedEvilInACan Sealed away in a demiplane?]] Check. Rovagug and Tharizdun are aspects of the same god worshiped on Golarion and Oerth, respectively. Myths about them have diverged wildly over the ages, leading to many differences in the details, but the core story is the same. Other possible aspects include Khyber from TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}, the wraithlike Dark God (see 2E's ''Monster Mythology''), the oozing Elder Elemental Eye (worshiped in Greyhawk), and the Drow god Ghaunadaur.
3	* The Elder Elemental Eye is explicitly a hidden avatar of Tharizdun, so very possibly.
4
5	[[WMG: Aroden knew his death was coming.]]
6	Aroden had fostered two goddesses risen from mortal humanity, Aranzi and Iomedae, because he knew he would need a successor. Either something was coming for him, or some inevitable threat was on its way that would require a HeroicSacrifice from Aroden, the last [[LastOfHisKind Azlanti]] on the planet, himself.
7	* Something tells me that Aroden's death was an effect of the strange occurences across Golarion, not the cause. To my knowledge, Aroden was only worshiped in Avistan and northern Garund, but the fallout was felt worldwide.
8
9	[[WMG: Asmodeus killed Aroden.]]
10	Think about it. Aroden dies and Asmodeus conveniently takes over the nation he founded in the uncertain aftermath? Suspicious enough, and we know Asmodeus has killed a god before.
11
12	[[WMG: What Zon-Kuthon did to his father wasn't malicious.]]
13	We know that ZK still feels in his way some of the attachments he had during his days as Dou-Bral (see: Shelyn), and that he has a [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad severely warped sense]] of what is and is not desirable. Maybe he just wanted a little NightmareFetishist father/son bonding?
14
15	[[WMG: That unspecified otherworldly wrongness that turned Dou-Bral into Zon-Kuthon? The internet.]]
16	To be specific, direct psychic contact with the more disturbed and disturbing corners of it. Encountering either some of the weirder manifestations of the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom or absorbing the psychic energy of the Furry Hatedom is probably to blame for his attack on his dad. (Who, remember, was a wolf-spirit.)
17	* Considering that he travelled into the dark tapestry, it was likely one of the outer gods. There's a good chance he ran into Nyarlathotep (who operates around Golarion) or worse yet stumbled into Azathoth's court.
18	[[WMG: Lamashtu's influence has reached Earth, and Music/LadyGaga is her herald.]]
19	Lamashtu is the three-eyed Mother of Monsters and associated with childbirth and fertility. "Born This Way" is "the manifesto of Mother Monster", features lots of weird birthing imagery, and shows Gaga with an extra eye in the opening monologue. Consider also that Lamashtu is the goddess of madness and nightmares, and Gaga's videos are known for their generous doses of creepiness and [[MindScrew WTFery]].
20
21	[[WMG: The Website/SCPFoundation has at ''least'' one minor Spawn of Rovagug in custody.]]
22	682, clearly some kin to the Tarrasque, is the ''obvious'' one.
23
24	[[WMG: Imrijka is actually a [[Webcomic/GirlGenius Jägermonster]].]]
25	She definitly would not look out of place if depicted in Webcomic/GirlGenius: She has green skin and fangs and wears clothes that fit perfectly, most importantly the hat. She probably was somehow teleported to Golarion- which could be both thanks to a Spark's experiment or due to conjuration, and has false memories according to which she is a half-orc.
26
27	[[WMG: Aroden fell into a black hole.]]
28	That's why his death couldn't be foretold: because the "no information can escape" rule applies to ''metaphysical'' information being flung backwards in time (the raw material of prophecy) as well as mundane stuff. (Not to mention all the temporal weirdness inherent in black holes and such.)
29
30	[[WMG: Alchemists' Sunlight Bombs are tiny hydrogen bombs.]]
31	I suppose it's more likely that they just include some kind of flash powder that gives off ultraviolet light as it burns, but - RuleOfCool.
32
33	[[WMG: Nethys is really [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Nyarlathotep]].]]
34	We've been told in many places that Narly had a great deal of influence over ancient Osirion, but in "Lost Kingdoms" it is revealed that Nethys manipulated the first Pharaoh and his successors to create and shape the kingdom. Perhaps the insane god of magic, creation, and destruction is really the Dark Pharaoh in a guise that lets him be worshiped alongside the more conventional deities without raising an alarm?
35
36	[[WMG: Aroden killed himself]]
37	Why? Just before his scheduled return, he saw a prophecy. Something bad on the 'Rovagug gets out" scale. The only way to disrupt it required a major sacrifice. Something akin to the life of a God.
38
39	[[WMG: The 4th Bestiary will '''not''' stat Cthulhu]]
40	The cover of Pathfinder Bestiary 4 appears to show the great old one Franchise/{{Cthulhu\|Mythos}}. Let's think about this, Cthulhu is essentially a God and in Pathfinder Gods' stats usually look something like this:
41
42	CR: HaHaHaNo.
43
44	So what's the creature shown on the cover? This tropers theory: Star-Spawn. They've been statted before, just not in one of the bestiaries and they've been depicted as being beatable (albeit very difficult to kill).
45	* However the page on Paizo's website claims that the 4th Bestiary will correspond with the release of Mythic Adventures so I suppose statting Gods might still be possible.
46	* It's been confirmed to be Cthulhu by WordOfGod, so Jossed.
47	** Specifically, Great Old Ones like Cthulhu and Hatsur are on the level of Demon Princes and Emperyal Lords, which also got stats in Bestiary 4. True Gods, including Outer Gods like Shub-Niggurath(sp), remain deliberately unstattable.
48	* Also...Where does the idea that Cthulhu is an unbeatable horror come from ? In the book he was JUST a giant alien with some psychic powers. A good bomb in the face would have probably killed him, I don't see any reason why he should be seen as the ultimate monster. I even think that his stats were far too high for what he was in the short story, especially the immortality thing.
49	** The answer to your question would be ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'', which dramatically overstatted him and added MemeticBadass points like "hit by a nuclear weapon, he reforms almost immediately but is now radioactive."
50
51	[[WMG: There will be an adventure path that visits Earth]]
52	Cthulhu is supposed to be slumbering on a distant world - obviously Earth. So there's an opportunity to use the Franchise/CthulhuMythos as a bridge for Pathfinder characters to visit Earth. However, unless Paizo wants to get ambitious and use this as a launch for a Pathfinder Modern game, they probably won't visit modern Earth. The simplest solution would be to drop the characters somewhere in Earth's past. My personal hope would be for the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar - a little more advanced than Pathfinder (ubiquitous guns), full of religious intolerance, and generally not a fun place to be.
53	* Book Five of the Reign of Winter adventure path (Entitled "[[UsefulNotes/RasputinTheMadMonk Rasputin]] Must Die!") does just that - the search for Literature/BabaYaga brings you to the world of her birth, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne. The specific area is an out-of-the-way prison camp where Rasputin, his supernatural minions and the players can all throw down without messing things up too much. The human soldiers there are blithe to the magic thanks to a combination of their training and the Film/{{Nosferatu}} chaplains keeping them all under CharmPerson effects to make them [[WeirdnessCensor oblivious to the supernatural things they're seeing]].
54
55	[[WMG: Norgorber was a worshiper of Hastur when he was still a mortal.]]
56	Norgorber's divine form is similar to that of Hastur's, an invisible body wrapped in a cloak; his title, the Reaper of Reputations, takes it's real world inspiration from one of the short stories from ''Literature/TheKingInYellow'', which is the inspiration for Hastur.
57
58	[[WMG: Norgorber is actually a halfling.]]
59	Or maybe ''[[TotemPoleTrench four]]'' [[TotemPoleTrench halflings.]]
60
61	[[WMG: The Starstone Test is about your fear]]
62	The Starstone actually represents the greatest fear of mortal life - the unknown. Nothing frightens us more, so the Starstone presents each applicant with a different Test, designed against their greatest fear. If you think about it, the only 4 to ever have passed the test are an Immortal, a Drunk, a Paladin, and an Assassin, all of whom were suited to pushing beyond their fear.
63
64	[[WMG: Golarion is in the Andromeda Galaxy.]]
65	One of the galaxies visible from Golarion with ordinary Renaissance-era astronomical equipment is named the "Milk Spiral." If that's our Milky Way, Golarion's galaxy would have to be similarly visible from Earth.
66
67	[[WMG: Aroden was murdered by Paizo]]
68	That's why they [[ShrugOfGod won't tell us]] what happened to him.
69
70	[[WMG: Groetus was scammed...]]
71	Whatever deal it was that keeps him waiting for Pharasma to judge the last mortal soul will have him hanging above the Boneyard indefinitely. Why? Three words: Positive Energy Plane. New souls are constantly born the there under the supervision of the jyoti. As long as new souls are born, Pharasma will have new souls to judge. The only way Groetus will ever have his time to shine is is if sceaduinar ever succeed in their war against the jyoti and destroy the soul growing... [[OhCrap orchards]]...
72
73	[[FridgeHorror And now the Groetus cultists have a game plan]]....
74
75	[[WMG: The starstone killed Aroden]]
76	The Starstone was sent by the Aboleth to destroy the Azlant and, centuries later, Aroden lifted it from the sea, becoming a god in the process...You could think that the Aboleth made a mistake but...
77	The aboleth in fact calculated everything. They knew the Starstone would give the people who passed its test the power to become gods...But the Starstone is a trap. Any person who used the starstone to ascend to divinity will die a horrible death. The aboleth used it to destroy the very concept of fate and prophecy, since their defeat was prophetized. And they have already won. Soon, Caidan, Iomedae and Norgorber will die screaming and the energy they had as gods will feed the aboleth, making them FINALLY powerfull enough to kill each and every gods and finally reign supreme.
78	* Jossed. It's explicitly stated in Mythic Adventures that the Starstone was intended to destroy a lot ''less'', but it backfired when several gods pulled a HeroicSacrifice. Aboleths are not the kind of creatures who are willing to accept the decimation of their own civilization (which is what the Starstone did), even for a long-term gain, so yeah, [[SmugSnake even they have hubris]].
79	* Not that much jossed when you think about it. It wasn't an aboleth plot (though I think that would be cooler) but Aroden still might have been killed by the Starstone. It might bestow only a temporary divinity and then kill the god when the time has passed. And it's not an heroic sacrifice if the gods actually made it worse. If the Starstone bestows the power of the gods it killed, it just might also take it back after some time.
80
81	[[WMG: The Lovecraftian horror, the black tapestry and everything is all the product of Tiamat]]
82	The Tiamat of Paizo is never described as evil, she is always "the other side". The yang to Apsu's yin, the feminine concept, the motherly love. In the dragons' creation myth, Tiamat is saltwater while Apsu is the nice fresh water and they both created EVERYTHING through their union.
83	But Apsu took the form of a dragon god...That means Apsu is NOT a dragon god, the dragon god is only his avatar.
84	Where does it all lead you would ask ? The dragons are deathly afraid of Tiamat but she never did anything evil or scary. It is not what she does, it's what she IS that scares them.
85	Apsu, the real Apsu, not the puny god who serves as his avatar, is the concept of the "normal" universe. The planets, the stars, where life is all nice...And Tiamat is the dark tapestry, the other side of the universe, the entropy. They may love each other, but for the lifeforms that inhabit the normal one, the dark tapestry is a deadly nightmare. And some "lower" dark tapestry creatures might think the same of the normal universe.
86
87	[[WMG: Norgorber killed Aroden.]]
88	Think about it. Norgorber is a ProfessionalKiller (and the latest deity to ascend), and Aroden is dead. Coincedence? Maybe.
89
90	[[WMG: Aroden killed himself to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]]
91	Rovagug's escape and the destruction of the entire multiverse was a prophecy, foreordained to happen. Aroden committed a HeroicSuicide to break prophecy itself. So now Rovagug's escape is a "maybe" rather than a "definitely," and the multiverse has a fighting chance. And he guided Iomedae to the Starstone so that he'd have an Inheritor capable of taking up his mantle afterward.
92
93	[[WMG: Nethys fourth walled]]

Context WMG / Pathfinder