03-13-2020, 03:01 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-01-2020, 04:07 PM by Charlotte-ate-wilbur.)
Hexis and I are looking for people interested in playing in a Cult dedicated to Set from the setting of Conan the Barbarian. As of now we do not have a Shard storyline for the group as we are in the formative phases of it's creation and concept. However I've collected some information I'll post here! Here is the source of my reference- http://dnd.rushland.eu/Conan/Aidesconan/..._Kings.pdf
Religion in Stygia
Religion in Stygia is synonymous with the worship of Father Set, who reigns supreme over that darksome land. His pantheon, however, includes several ‘hideous, halfbestial gods’ as subordinates. At one time, according to Xaltotun, much of the world was likewise dominated by the Old Serpent. Set, today, is worshipped primarily in Stygia and in places of strong Stygian influence, such as areas of Kush and Shem and by dark sorcerers everywhere. Set’s symbol is a scaled serpent, coiled, with its tail in its mouth. Set’s is a bloody religion, a survival from the strange prehuman culture that was thrown down by the Stygians in pre-Cataclysm days. At one time, Set walked the earth in the form of a man and created that ancient and mysterious race. Now the god of the Stygians, Set’s cult is outlawed by the Hyborians, who regard Set as the archenemy of Mitra and fear the gruesome and mysterious rituals of Set’s priests. The specific rituals used to worship Set are a guarded mystery but they are known to be gruesome and sinister, comprised of unspeakable rites and human sacrifices in grisly quantities. Priests wear monstrous, half-bestial masks surmounted by ostrich plumes in certain ceremonies. Silent, ritualistic processions also play an inexplicable part in this dark religion. Sacred objects, such as curious black candles that flicker with strange green light and staves with white skull heads abound in the Stygians’ grim ceremonies of black magic. Sacred beasts, both terrestrial and otherwise, abound in their religious culture. Giant pythons hunt abroad in the dark alleys of black Khemi and innumerable human captives held in deep pits are sacrificed to amorphous monsters from the Abyss. Giant, drugged iridescent serpents coil in Set’s temples, ready to accept worship and sacrifice from the priests of Set. Almost all the priests of Set are sorcerers and they terrify their subjects as well as their enemies, for they can and will sacrifice their own followers to gain their corrupt ends. The most powerful of these priests are members of the Black Ring. These priests gather in sacred spots, such as the pyramids that dot the Stygian landscape, to perform their rituals. The pyramids of Stygia, possibly built by the pre-human race superseded by the Stygians, now serve as temples as well as tombs for the mummies of Stygia’s elite. Mummification had been practiced by the Stygians long before the Great Cataclysm, even before they migrated into modern-day Stygia. It is still practiced today and represents a belief in an after-life for the faithful follower of Set.
Government in Stygia
Stygia is a theocracy. The government claims its right to rule on behalf of Set, an unwholesome and ancient deity. The king demonstrates or claims to have the support of Set and his pantheon – and claims that any attempts to remove the king would risk the displeasure of all the gods. Almost the entire bureaucracy of Stygia is comprised of priests. The largest temple complexes are almost cities in and of themselves, employing almost every sort of worker. Temple bakeries, breweries, fisheries, stables and farms can be found in these complexes. Produce and animals from the farms arrive constantly and everything is recorded by temple scribes. Craftsmen and administrators also work here as well as permanent priests. The city of Luxur’s Temple of Set employs more than 81,000 people, for example. Many thousands of Stygians are needed to make sure Stygia runs according to the king’s desires. He claims to be master of the world and rules over all that is seen and unseen. The priests and the bureaucracy then serve as his eyes. The bureaucracy is arranged much like a pyramid. The wide base of the pyramid is built from the common scribes. They function as clerks, record-keepers, tax collectors, supply distributors and accountants. Exceptional scribes can move into the next level of government and oversee the common scribes. Being even a ‘common’ scribe is still a respectful title and higher in status than a nonliterate overseer of a farm. These scribes are primarily scholars, although any class can take the training. Above the scribes in the scheme of Stygian government are the dignitaries, who are high priests, army officers, town officials and governors. The dignitaries live like wealthy landowners. Of course, most of them are wealthy landowners. Skilled scribes can often make their way to this tier of government. These characters are usually midor high-level non-noble characters, or low level nobles. Above the dignitaries are the most gifted and influential of the nobles and dignitaries, chosen by the king to serve as his central administrators. They are usually given impressive titles, such as Master of the King’s Surplus. Another high ranking dignitary is the Speaker of Set, who is one of the most politically influential and powerful sorcerers from Set’s House of Life. Thoth-Amon currently serves as the Speaker of Set in the court of Ctesphon IV. These central administrators live almost like kings themselves, in huge houses approaching the size of palaces and with great numbers of servants. These administrators are almost always high level characters, although a few influential mid-level nobles rise to this station.
Character themes we seek
Lizardmen/women
Evil dragons
Naga/Nagini (Snake people)
Demons
Vampires
Evil beasts/ beast people
Cultists
Evil Egyptians
Evil sorcerers
Undead*(Followers of Set are promised undeath)
Don’t kill snakes in Roleplay- Sentient Snake creatures and Dragons are considered Semi-deific within the cult, others of these races that don’t follow Set are NOT deemed Deific and may be slain
Guild Structure
The structure of the guild will be loosely modeled after Stygian Government, so there will be one main driving leader with an assistant or a ‘second’ known as a Vizier. The leader can be called King, Queen, Pharaoh, High Priest, or pretty much whatever they want. Beneath the King or Queen is their Black Circle, this is comprised of Advisors, High priests, and Generals.
Notes from Faith and Fervor conan Dnd
While the Set cult is one of the world’s darker religions, that does not mean it or its priests will do stupid things to rid the world of a supposed ‘good’ god. When the Set cult as a whole acts against any one thing, be it a person, a religion or a nation, it is not a religious crusade. It acts because it brings power, wealth and prestige to the king, the cult or Stygia as a whole. The Stygian religion is harsh, pervasive and oppressive but it certainly is not stupid and not given to acting stupidly or out of religious fanaticism. The mysterious Stygian religion is more about preserving a certain culture than it is about smiting other religions, even if foreign religions are supposedly ‘good’ and Set is supposedly ‘evil.’
Women in Stygia
The Role of Women in Stygia Women in Stygia are highly respected and treated as equal to men in many ways. Legally, Stygian women can run businesses, own land, inherit property and appear in court. They face the same penalties under law as men do. Women can hold professions and run households. In marriage, women retain their independence and control their own assets; Stygian women are not subordinated to their husbands nor are they treated like property. Historically, a few women even managed to rule Stygia outright as pharaoh. As the bearers of children, women have a highly regarded role in Stygia. Families are extremely valuable and Stygians treasure their children. Since women bear and raise these treasures, the women are likewise treasured. While land was usually passed down to a family’s sons, the jewellery and furniture usually goes to the daughters. If there are no sons to inherit the land, then it would go to any daughters. The importance of women in Stygia can be seen in the number of female deities in Set’s pantheon. Power actually resides in the hands of women in darksome Stygia, especially in terms of lineage. Future kings of Stygia are not so much the sons of kings, but the sons of queens. Men have a right to claim the throne of Stygia by right of kinship to the queen – either because she is their mother, sister, stepmother, step-sister, half-sister or niece. The children of the king are not automatically the heirs to the Serpent of the South. The inheritance of royal power depends entirely upon the queen of Stygia.
Young girls work and train at home with their mothers, learning to read and write if their mothers know how. Usually only noble women learn this from their tutors. Women who know how to read and write may become scribes. Women can become farmers, doctors, acrobats, dancers, singers, musicians, perfume makers, professional mourners, maids, nannies and priestesses (although the latter is reserved for noblewomen) to name but a few. Although rare, women can also hold official positions and can potentially even rule the whole of Stygia as queen.
Slavery
Slavery has a slightly different context in Stygia than in Zingara or Zamora. A slave in Stygia is simply a person with reduced rights and dedicated to a certain task. People become slaves when in debt, because of punishment, due to voluntary action, when taken as a prisoner of war or when sent forth as payment of tribute. The period of enslavement is normally limited. Some slaves are personal servants. Other slaves serve estates and are transferred when the estate transfers. The children of slaves are also slaves, so one can be born into slavery, but they are not separated from their mothers under normal circumstances. Debt slaves are Stygians who are sold into slavery by creditors because they cannot pay their debts. Also, some Stygians sell themselves into slavery to escape poverty; the economic security offered by such a situation outweighs the freedoms lost. These slaves can buy themselves out of their status at any time they can come up with the economic wealth to do so. Convicted criminals can also be enslaved by the vizier. He also sets the term of enslavement, which can be life if the crime warrants such a term. Some Stygians merely want protection and safety in an almost feudal sense and often pay a monthly stipend to a temple or powerful person to take them on as a servant or slave. Such contracts are usually worded thus: ‘I, (name), am your servant, with my children and my children’s children. You will keep me and mine safe and shall guard me, keeping me sound and protecting me from all demons. In return I will pay you (a sum) of copper monthly until the completion of (number) years.’
Get in touch with either Hexis or I on Discord
Discord id- Theoriginalmephy(Charlotte)#9288
HeXiS#5684
Religion in Stygia
Religion in Stygia is synonymous with the worship of Father Set, who reigns supreme over that darksome land. His pantheon, however, includes several ‘hideous, halfbestial gods’ as subordinates. At one time, according to Xaltotun, much of the world was likewise dominated by the Old Serpent. Set, today, is worshipped primarily in Stygia and in places of strong Stygian influence, such as areas of Kush and Shem and by dark sorcerers everywhere. Set’s symbol is a scaled serpent, coiled, with its tail in its mouth. Set’s is a bloody religion, a survival from the strange prehuman culture that was thrown down by the Stygians in pre-Cataclysm days. At one time, Set walked the earth in the form of a man and created that ancient and mysterious race. Now the god of the Stygians, Set’s cult is outlawed by the Hyborians, who regard Set as the archenemy of Mitra and fear the gruesome and mysterious rituals of Set’s priests. The specific rituals used to worship Set are a guarded mystery but they are known to be gruesome and sinister, comprised of unspeakable rites and human sacrifices in grisly quantities. Priests wear monstrous, half-bestial masks surmounted by ostrich plumes in certain ceremonies. Silent, ritualistic processions also play an inexplicable part in this dark religion. Sacred objects, such as curious black candles that flicker with strange green light and staves with white skull heads abound in the Stygians’ grim ceremonies of black magic. Sacred beasts, both terrestrial and otherwise, abound in their religious culture. Giant pythons hunt abroad in the dark alleys of black Khemi and innumerable human captives held in deep pits are sacrificed to amorphous monsters from the Abyss. Giant, drugged iridescent serpents coil in Set’s temples, ready to accept worship and sacrifice from the priests of Set. Almost all the priests of Set are sorcerers and they terrify their subjects as well as their enemies, for they can and will sacrifice their own followers to gain their corrupt ends. The most powerful of these priests are members of the Black Ring. These priests gather in sacred spots, such as the pyramids that dot the Stygian landscape, to perform their rituals. The pyramids of Stygia, possibly built by the pre-human race superseded by the Stygians, now serve as temples as well as tombs for the mummies of Stygia’s elite. Mummification had been practiced by the Stygians long before the Great Cataclysm, even before they migrated into modern-day Stygia. It is still practiced today and represents a belief in an after-life for the faithful follower of Set.
Government in Stygia
Stygia is a theocracy. The government claims its right to rule on behalf of Set, an unwholesome and ancient deity. The king demonstrates or claims to have the support of Set and his pantheon – and claims that any attempts to remove the king would risk the displeasure of all the gods. Almost the entire bureaucracy of Stygia is comprised of priests. The largest temple complexes are almost cities in and of themselves, employing almost every sort of worker. Temple bakeries, breweries, fisheries, stables and farms can be found in these complexes. Produce and animals from the farms arrive constantly and everything is recorded by temple scribes. Craftsmen and administrators also work here as well as permanent priests. The city of Luxur’s Temple of Set employs more than 81,000 people, for example. Many thousands of Stygians are needed to make sure Stygia runs according to the king’s desires. He claims to be master of the world and rules over all that is seen and unseen. The priests and the bureaucracy then serve as his eyes. The bureaucracy is arranged much like a pyramid. The wide base of the pyramid is built from the common scribes. They function as clerks, record-keepers, tax collectors, supply distributors and accountants. Exceptional scribes can move into the next level of government and oversee the common scribes. Being even a ‘common’ scribe is still a respectful title and higher in status than a nonliterate overseer of a farm. These scribes are primarily scholars, although any class can take the training. Above the scribes in the scheme of Stygian government are the dignitaries, who are high priests, army officers, town officials and governors. The dignitaries live like wealthy landowners. Of course, most of them are wealthy landowners. Skilled scribes can often make their way to this tier of government. These characters are usually midor high-level non-noble characters, or low level nobles. Above the dignitaries are the most gifted and influential of the nobles and dignitaries, chosen by the king to serve as his central administrators. They are usually given impressive titles, such as Master of the King’s Surplus. Another high ranking dignitary is the Speaker of Set, who is one of the most politically influential and powerful sorcerers from Set’s House of Life. Thoth-Amon currently serves as the Speaker of Set in the court of Ctesphon IV. These central administrators live almost like kings themselves, in huge houses approaching the size of palaces and with great numbers of servants. These administrators are almost always high level characters, although a few influential mid-level nobles rise to this station.
Character themes we seek
Lizardmen/women
Evil dragons
Naga/Nagini (Snake people)
Demons
Vampires
Evil beasts/ beast people
Cultists
Evil Egyptians
Evil sorcerers
Undead*(Followers of Set are promised undeath)
Don’t kill snakes in Roleplay- Sentient Snake creatures and Dragons are considered Semi-deific within the cult, others of these races that don’t follow Set are NOT deemed Deific and may be slain
Guild Structure
The structure of the guild will be loosely modeled after Stygian Government, so there will be one main driving leader with an assistant or a ‘second’ known as a Vizier. The leader can be called King, Queen, Pharaoh, High Priest, or pretty much whatever they want. Beneath the King or Queen is their Black Circle, this is comprised of Advisors, High priests, and Generals.
Notes from Faith and Fervor conan Dnd
While the Set cult is one of the world’s darker religions, that does not mean it or its priests will do stupid things to rid the world of a supposed ‘good’ god. When the Set cult as a whole acts against any one thing, be it a person, a religion or a nation, it is not a religious crusade. It acts because it brings power, wealth and prestige to the king, the cult or Stygia as a whole. The Stygian religion is harsh, pervasive and oppressive but it certainly is not stupid and not given to acting stupidly or out of religious fanaticism. The mysterious Stygian religion is more about preserving a certain culture than it is about smiting other religions, even if foreign religions are supposedly ‘good’ and Set is supposedly ‘evil.’
Women in Stygia
The Role of Women in Stygia Women in Stygia are highly respected and treated as equal to men in many ways. Legally, Stygian women can run businesses, own land, inherit property and appear in court. They face the same penalties under law as men do. Women can hold professions and run households. In marriage, women retain their independence and control their own assets; Stygian women are not subordinated to their husbands nor are they treated like property. Historically, a few women even managed to rule Stygia outright as pharaoh. As the bearers of children, women have a highly regarded role in Stygia. Families are extremely valuable and Stygians treasure their children. Since women bear and raise these treasures, the women are likewise treasured. While land was usually passed down to a family’s sons, the jewellery and furniture usually goes to the daughters. If there are no sons to inherit the land, then it would go to any daughters. The importance of women in Stygia can be seen in the number of female deities in Set’s pantheon. Power actually resides in the hands of women in darksome Stygia, especially in terms of lineage. Future kings of Stygia are not so much the sons of kings, but the sons of queens. Men have a right to claim the throne of Stygia by right of kinship to the queen – either because she is their mother, sister, stepmother, step-sister, half-sister or niece. The children of the king are not automatically the heirs to the Serpent of the South. The inheritance of royal power depends entirely upon the queen of Stygia.
Young girls work and train at home with their mothers, learning to read and write if their mothers know how. Usually only noble women learn this from their tutors. Women who know how to read and write may become scribes. Women can become farmers, doctors, acrobats, dancers, singers, musicians, perfume makers, professional mourners, maids, nannies and priestesses (although the latter is reserved for noblewomen) to name but a few. Although rare, women can also hold official positions and can potentially even rule the whole of Stygia as queen.
Slavery
Slavery has a slightly different context in Stygia than in Zingara or Zamora. A slave in Stygia is simply a person with reduced rights and dedicated to a certain task. People become slaves when in debt, because of punishment, due to voluntary action, when taken as a prisoner of war or when sent forth as payment of tribute. The period of enslavement is normally limited. Some slaves are personal servants. Other slaves serve estates and are transferred when the estate transfers. The children of slaves are also slaves, so one can be born into slavery, but they are not separated from their mothers under normal circumstances. Debt slaves are Stygians who are sold into slavery by creditors because they cannot pay their debts. Also, some Stygians sell themselves into slavery to escape poverty; the economic security offered by such a situation outweighs the freedoms lost. These slaves can buy themselves out of their status at any time they can come up with the economic wealth to do so. Convicted criminals can also be enslaved by the vizier. He also sets the term of enslavement, which can be life if the crime warrants such a term. Some Stygians merely want protection and safety in an almost feudal sense and often pay a monthly stipend to a temple or powerful person to take them on as a servant or slave. Such contracts are usually worded thus: ‘I, (name), am your servant, with my children and my children’s children. You will keep me and mine safe and shall guard me, keeping me sound and protecting me from all demons. In return I will pay you (a sum) of copper monthly until the completion of (number) years.’
Get in touch with either Hexis or I on Discord
Discord id- Theoriginalmephy(Charlotte)#9288
HeXiS#5684
