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Your Nemesis
2010-04-05, 11:00 AM
I have just taken a look at the description of Ethergaunt society in the fiend folio, and I think it would be extremely cool a campaign was set in a world where the ethergaunts all/mostly rule the material plane. So my question to the playground is: What kind of society would this be? What institutions might be implemented? How would this civilization interact with others?

Abd al-Azrad
2010-04-05, 11:40 AM
It would not be fun. Ethergaunts as described are incredibly nasty creatures to rule the world. One could easily describe your campaign setting as "Mature Audiences Only."

I'm imagining a combination of the worst aspects of the Age of Enlightenment and the Holocaust. All art, all cultural and social uniqueness would be quelled; those of nearly any faith would be rounded up for either systematic reprogramming, or slaughter. Depending on when you set the campaign, it would either take place during this transitional time when people are being murdered/mindraped in unprecedented levels, and the PCs would have the early role of creating a resistance and helping free prisoners, late-game leading their resistance army (likely with the help of other societies) in a war against the Ethergaunt aristocracy. Or, setting the game some time after the 'Gaunts have secured their rule, it could play out rather like the plot of Equilibrium or V for Vendetta: the PCs somehow breaking free from the systemic suppression of free will, and feeling compelled to free the world.

In my opinion, the 'Gaunts don't want to eradicate mortals, they want to destroy the Gods. They know the power of Gods, and that it is based on faith; but they also know that Gods tend to step in and wail on them if they commit genocide on the God's faithful. So the actual conquest would probably be very meticulous and careful: a long period of psychological warfare leading up to their invasion, where they use their innate arcane abilities and incredible intelligence to insidiously undermine the intrinsic investment of belief mortals hold for their Gods.

There is one further thing I'd like to add to the matter, which is that the 'Gaunts likely hold a considerable metaphysical flaw in their plan, based on their lack of understanding of "humanity" (or whatever you call it when there are fifty+ sentient species). Mortals are not logic machines, they are habit- and belief-forming creatures, and the way D&D is set up, the Gods can be described as paragons of certain beliefs. In my reading, the Gods are not intrinsic to the universe (this is why the 'Gaunts think they can destroy them), but the system by which the Gods come to be is intrinsic. This means that, even if they annihilate the existing Gods by ways of crushing the faith of mortals, new Gods would spring up based on the new beliefs and hopes of the surviving mortals. Gods of Vengeance. Gods of Freedom. And weirder: Gods of Guilt. Gods of Self-Justification. Gods of Torment.

It would not be a fun time to live.

Oslecamo
2010-04-05, 11:56 AM
This means that, even if they annihilate the existing Gods by ways of crushing the faith of mortals, new Gods would spring up based on the new beliefs and hopes of the surviving mortals. Gods of Vengeance. Gods of Freedom. And weirder: Gods of Guilt. Gods of Self-Justification. Gods of Torment.


Sorry, but the 40K threads are over there. That's the place where gods literally pop out of people's minds.:smallamused:

In D&D gods represent beliefs yes, but they're either ascended mortals, born by other gods or created by specific events. They need worship to survive, but it isn't worship that makes them come to be. The demon princes for example, literally popped out from the Abyss before there was sentient life. Devil Dukes are either fallen angels or lowly devils that worked and stabbed their way trough the ranks. St-Cuthbert and Vecna were normal mortals untill they became gods.

Thus, once the ethergaunts killed all deities, it would be a matter of making sure no new mortals manage to ascend, making sure there's great repression and censorship so people don't start to worship Bob the renegade, who may manage to rise to godhood if enough people believe in him.

The PCs job of course would be to spread their own legend wide and clear so they can ascend and become gods to set things right!:smalltongue:

Your Nemesis
2010-04-05, 12:49 PM
I am looking mostly for ideas on what would happen after the ethergaunts took over: Would they try to become Gods themselves? Also, despite the fact that they are evil, they would probably tolerate other evil creatures even less than human societies would: this would create the interesting situation of goo+evil working together against a greater threat.

Abd al-Azrad
2010-04-05, 01:30 PM
They would certainly not try to ascend to Godhood, such a play would be against their entire culture. Heck, I think it would be against their mental structure- they literally cannot accept the existence of deities, that's what drives them, and why they hate us so much.

They would probably incorporate a rigid caste-based system of hierarchy, with themselves at the top and their mortal slaves in various positions assigned at birth. I agree that they would be less tolerant of other evils than mortals, but this is because they are intolerant of everything. In fact, probably the only reason they wouldn't just annihilate everyone is because they seek to expand their dominion further, and see their mortal slaves as useful parts of their war machine. Life inside 'Gaunt cities would be all about repression, with mortals forced or encouraged to root out any signs of rebellion themselves. Death camps, mental reprogramming, thought police and perpetual terror would be the norm.

The best life generally available would be in service to the 'Gaunts. I doubt mortals would typically see one of their overlords, most communication from the 'Gaunts would be run through their mortal agents. They would need many, many mortals to buy into their plans, because their inevitable goal is not just conquest of the Material, it's conquest of everything. This takes a lot of labour, and while the 'Gaunts are incredibly individually powerful, I suspect there aren't nearly enough of them to conquer the multiverse. So, for those with no real moral qualms, there would probably be a lot of room for... well, not advancement, per se (which is against caste structure) but opportunities to prove your worth as a member of your caste, such that your children may have a chance to serve the 'Gaunts in a better life. That would probably be the best incentive they would offer.

And there would be war. Oh, goodness, would there ever be war. War against any and all other nations on the Material, and the promise of interplanar war to come.

JaxGaret
2010-04-05, 02:15 PM
Here's a good question: would Ethergaunts consider becoming Ur-Priests?

If yes, then I could see the ruling Ethergaunts taking to that particular path with a passion, stealing as much power from the gods as they can, trying to weaken them directly.

An Ethergaunt with 10 levels of Ur-Priest is a frightening prospect indeed.

Arcane_Secrets
2010-04-05, 05:38 PM
I am looking mostly for ideas on what would happen after the ethergaunts took over: Would they try to become Gods themselves? Also, despite the fact that they are evil, they would probably tolerate other evil creatures even less than human societies would: this would create the interesting situation of goo+evil working together against a greater threat.

I agree with a previous poster in saying that they wouldn't try and become gods themselves. It'd be logically inconsistent to them (which is about as close as I see them becoming to having any points of honor).

As far as tolerating other evil creatures are concerned, I'd say that it depends on the circumstances. Certain types of demons probably make a habit of preying on belief and the faithful, and these the ethergaunts might find worthy of making (very temporary) alliances with in order to ferret out opposition in places they couldn't immediately reach before it got serious. At the same time, more potent demons would probably realize that if the ethergaunts got their way any system of belief, including demon worship, would be threatened-and this would menace their power as well.

Undead might be another source of alliance, but I think it would be divided between whether the undead requires rituals to create (beings like mummies or liches) and undead that spawn. The latter would be a threat because they could provide a way for mortals to empower themselves against ethergaunts by creating vampire armies as one example, while the former could be negotiated with at least at first.