Gods of the War Machine

From: MSmylie_at_aol.com
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 17:59:53 -0500


[First off, a few comments. The notion of the "warlike sects" which make up the Kingdom of War, here the War Machine, seems to suggest two primary possibilities. One is that each Sect holds a specific God of War as its primary deity, this god presumably being either a god of a particular weapon - -- such as Humakt as the Sword, Yelmalio/Elmal as the Spear or Pike, Orlanth as the Sword of Thunder, Babeester Gor as the Blood Axe, etc. -- or a god of a particular organizational or perhaps behavioral principle -- such as Urox or Urain as the Berserker, or Yelmalio as the Phalanx (or, as he might have been in an earlier context, of the Chariot) -- though presumably a god might encompass both. The other possibility, similar but a little different, is that the Sects are more secular in outlook, representing a different strategic or tactical philosophy, choosing a combination of gods which happen to complement that philosophy; a slight variation here might be the Sects as sorts of Martial Arts Schools, perhaps providing a Martial Art or Discipline which could be applied to certain weapons or tactical situations, similar to the way that the current Martial Arts skill complements and reinforces hand-to-hand rolls (though this might be too much of a boost to their already formidable skills).

Either way (I've written this following the second interpretation at the moment), I think that each Sect would also include those who worship the various gods/spirits listed here, as acolytes or devotees; thus, each Sect would be
its own miniature War Machine, theoretically self-sufficient, possessing shrines to all of these entities in addition to their primary gods of choice. The acolytes of these cults would be responsible for coordinating plans and logistics with their counterparts in other Sects, though the cults might also exist at the "meta" level, directing the War Machine from a more centralized point and smoothing out the problems between the various Sects. The Sects would come together for battles, sieges, and campaigns, and disperse afterward, in part to ease the logistical strain of feeding them, almost always on the move except for rest and training periods at their Headquarters - -- I think.

A final note; as sketchily as they are here presented, I guess these are essentially traditional Theistic cults, teaching spirit/battle magic and divine magic as appropriate, which follows the G:GCotHW form which states that warriors receive spells as per Barbarian Initiates. This raises the mild problem of their well-described Tapping; while Tapping could perhaps be learned as Monotheist peasants learn their spells -- i.e., they only know the one spell, and never learn the skills to manipulate it -- given the limited duration of the Tapping spell, this raises the odd image of each Sect having to drag around huge numbers of serfs with them which they tap immediately before battle (a small number maybe, but too many becomes a major impediment), and there would be little productive point in Tapping the serfs immediately upon their enslavement, as the mps or fatigue pts would simply dissipate in ten minutes. I suppose that there could simply be a few full-fledged sorcerors who go around Tapping all of the serfs, but this concentrates this particular Horror a bit too much, IMO. An alternative I would suggest would be that the particular Tapping spell learned by their warriors is a variation on the traditional one, with an Intensity of 1 and a Duration of "good until used." Some may find this has the potential of making them too individually dangerous.

Most of these gods do not yet have anything in the way of a "personal" name yet, though such may not be necessary. Continuing in the voice of the Warlord:]

We are the War Machine; we are one in Kargan Tor, first God of Conflict and Separation. We are the Fanged Vise Sect, who follow the way of Hammer and Anvil, who trap our foes in the vise of pike and charging horse, and there slaughter
them. Some amongst us, who form the Anvil, worship the Bright God of Spear and Phalanx, who blesses their pikes and gives them magic to hold the line; some amongst us, who form the Hammer, worship Horsebreaker the Lancer, who gives them magic to guide their spears and horses in the fray. Many of us also worship other Gods of the War Machine, invoking it in its full glory and bettering our pursuit of Victory. Other Sects follow other ways, such as the Rain Horse Sect, who worship Horsebreaker the Archer, and the Dark Dancer Sect, who worship Zorak Humakt and the Veil of Iron.

*The Marcher God* feeds the Ravening Maw of the War Machine. He is
worshipped by the Quartermasters of our Sect, who feed us when we are hungry and direct our encampments. The Quartermasters direct the serfs of the War Machine; some serfs are allowed to become laymembers of the Marcher God cult, and are called Overseers. The cult of the Marcher God includes the subcult of *Pathfinder*, the god of the way, who reveals the path of the War Machine and protects us on it. He is worshipped by the scouts, raiders, and pioneers of our
Sect, who clear our way and alert us to ambush.

*Campfire* is the goddess of the hearth, the locus of the Pack. Around her
your Pack camps, and over her your pact with the Pack was made, the adoption that marked you as part of the War Machine when you were but a child.

*Lord Fortress* is the God of Wall and Tower, of stone and earth and cut
tree. He is worshipped by our pioneers, engineers, and siege engineers; he aids us when we march by clearing paths and building bridges, when we camp, and when we build our forts. He also aids us in blocking the paths of others, ruining their camps, and laying siege to their forts; he is a double-edged god. Some serfs are allowed to become lay members of the cult of Lord Fortress, and are called Overseers.

*The Eyes and Ears of the War Machine* are the gods of stealth and secrets,
who listen and watch our foes and enemies; they are worshipped by our scouts and spies and agents, and provide magic to let us learn the plans and intentions of those who oppose us. Our Eyes scout and watch our paths and our Ears walk unseen amongst our enemies; they count the numbers of our foes, listen to their talk, and follow their footsteps.

*The Mouth of the War Machine* speaks for the War Machine in its dealings
with the World. Our heralds worship it. When our foes and enemies wish to parley with us, they speak to the Mouths of our Sect, who accept their unconditional surrender and inform them of our coming to claim the rights of the victor.

*Vile Rumor* is the Goddess who Whispers in the Dark. Our spies and agents
worship her, and she provides them magic to allow them unnoticed amongst the camps of our foes and enemies. Those who follow her include the Rabblerousers, who incite the fear and madness in crowds and inspire riot, and the Whisperers, who spread confusion and dissension by quiet word and deed, and fill the heads of those who plan against us with falsehoods and bad ideas. She provides us with spirits of madness and fear, hatred and rumor.

*Fear-in-the-Night* is a darkness goddess who spreads terror and gnaws at the
stomachs of our foes and enemies even when they think themselves safe in their camps. The raiders, those in our Sect who follow her, strike in the night or when least expected, with direct action and subtle fear, to rob our foes and enemies of their sleep and health and misplaced confidence. She provides us with spirits of fear and discomfort, pain and doubt.

*Din and Discord* are the goddesses who hover over the battlefield, the twins
of confusion and bafflement. They provide us with spells to confuse our foes and enemies on the field, to rob them of their sight by blinding them with darkness and fog, fill their ears with noise, mistake friend for enemy; they also help us protect ourselves from the very same.

*Pillage* is a vile goddess, a two-edged goddess indeed, who hates the land
which we must ignore. She provides us with spells and spirits of fire and plague for us to loose upon our foes and enemies; but we must be careful with them, and control them, lest they turn upon us and rob of us of the spoils of War. Thus she is kept in a Strong Box, and let out only when necessary.

*The Healing Hand* is the goddess who fixes our wounds and preserves our
bodies and strength for the War Machine. The bodymen, our physicians, worship her; she provides them with skills and spells and spirits to heal the damage done by our foes and enemies.

*The Carrion Eaters* are the Crow, the Vulture, and the Jackal, the Sacred
Eaters of the War Dead, the children of Ty Kora Tek, leader of the Spirit War Machine [?], who feast upon our bodies when we have been slain. Those amongst us who handle the clean bones of the dead and the Sacred Urns of our Sect worship them; they also choose the Spirits of the War Dead who will aid us, and pick out useful Ghosts from amongst our Foes, as is the right of the victor.

*The War Smiths*, the Damascened Gods, are the gods of armor and weapon, the
workers of iron and bronze, wood and leather. They are worshipped by our Smiths, our siege engineers, and Quartermasters, and provide us with the weapons and accouterments of War. Their cult includes the cult of *Kiln Fire*, the sacred flame which makes their art possible. Some serfs are allowed to join the War Smiths or Kiln Fire as lay members, and are called Assistants or Bellows Workers.


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