The Apes of Wrath

[Gbeth721]

Hello, Gbeth here. I am wanting to design a completely original, small pantheon of ape-like Demon Gods for a campaign setting of my own original design. I am a real stickler for originality, but am having trouble figuring out

1. What these Demon-Ape Gods should accurately represent. The setting is a vast, unexplored jungle continent, with quintessentially Mesoamerican and Ancient African type native cultures. Predators (apes and monkeys of varying sizes and tempers) abound and the native Mesoamerican/Ancient African cultures are survivalist. I know what I don't want these beings to represent, but I am having a creative block in what they do represent because rather than having my PCs use a Cleric, I would like the PCs to ascend to Epic Level and fight them, other than that, they are antagonists (depending on which one the PCs want to fight and if any PC decides they want to worship one of these Ape Gods).

2. What to call these guys. I should probably worry about this once I get them created. I was thinking I would make, at the most, 4-5. I want to go for a 30's-80's Pulp Sword and Sorcery name for each one. I wanted to make the style of game a kick-in-the-door mixed with a good story and an overall savage feel.

I might be a stickler for originality but I am asking for help because I'm curious about what others would think of this and to hear some helpful insight. Thank you all in advance. :)

[Fouredged Sword]

I like a good triad of evil.

In this case lets keep it simple and brutal.

The Morow, the ape demon gods, are old titans from the dawn of the ages, from before the gods and before the rise of civilization. They are massive, towering figures who are from an age before concepts such as mercy, good will, and kindness existed.

They are said to be somehow related to the gods of civilisation, tho none can say how. They share a particular dislike of all those who cling to the gods, and seek to destroy them and devour their flesh as a delicacy.

They all relish in living sacrifice, for their own reasons, but blood and flesh of civilized races are sought by their followers as prized bounty. The fresher the better, breathing is best.

Wrath - Morow Ur - This is the raging demon god. He represents the brutality and savegry of the apes. He lashes out at all around him and whips his followers into primitive savage rages.

Malice - Morow Kel This is the hating demon god. He represents the dislike of all things other and else. He seeks to destroy simply for the removal of all things not himself. He is cunning and shrewd, and his followers are as well.

Greed - Morow Set This is the feasting demon god. He represents the animal wants of his followers. He seeks to control and own, to consume and take. His followers join him in his gluttony, envy, and greed.

[Gbeth721]

Awesome!!! Thanks dude! I really appreciate your help, especially with the naming parts. An evil triad sounds brilliant! Once again, I cannot thank you enough or express my utmost gratitude. Thank you! :)

[Urpriest]

If you want more, consider using the folks from Donkey Kong as a source of inspiration. Refluff and darken things enough and your players will never know.

[BowStreetRunner]

I can't get the image out of my head - those three chimpanzees posing for 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil', except in this case it would be three apes posing for 'hear all evil, see all evil, speak all evil'.

EDIT: ...or would it be hear no good, see no good, speak no good???

[Khatoblepas]

Another take on it:

There are four brothers, each given a boon and a curse by a greater power to rule over an ancient civilisation. Their perspectives warped over time, and each of them has become a mockery of what they were before.

Mizaru - The Blind Ape, is a great, white ape with red, pupil-less eyes. His rage is great, his tantrums legendary. He is impulsive, and powerful, using his great strength to leverage what he wants, and tear through any barrier. His ultimate goal is to see the planes burn, to crush all beneath his feet and to tear the planes limb from limb. His short-sighted goal does not include himself in his destruction, surely he knows without a world to exist on, he cannot exist either? His portfolio includes Strength, Destruction, Rage, Tempests, Storms.

Kikazaru - The Aloof Ape. His plans are grandiose, like him - he is a brightly coloured chimpanzee, decked in finery and adornments and attended to by countless servitors, all forbidden to speak in front of him. Carried around on a great, festooned sedan chair, he indulges in whatever suits him - and will not listen to anything otherwise. His hedonism leads him to be of great size and little movement, but his servants carry out his will without question. Questions are the thing that Kikazaru hates - to be proven wrong, to be upstaged, all abominations in his eyes. His followers carry out his plans, unquestioningly, and are instructed to never listen to critics, as critics are inevitably wrong, as Kikazaru is always right, whatever he chooses to do. His portfolio includes Pride, Envy, Sloth, Domination, Zealotry

Iwazaru - The Silent Murderer, is a small, mute monkey, with connections with every small thief, every dishonest man. He sees and knows all, but uses that only to destroy. He plots and assassinates seemingly randomly, but always to fulfill his unspoken plan. His knives stretch out forever, and he carries four of them, to kill the bodies, minds, souls, and memories of those he wishes to erase. He is the source of all foul, and evil knowledge, but does not speak it, but communicates through insinuation, through the great webs of whispers and hearsay he weaves. He speaks none, and yet his words carry the greatest weight. It is said that if he ever spoke, those words would carry such immense truth, that a listener would drop dead from the revelation. His portfolio includes knowledge, secrets, thievery, the future, lies.

Shizaru - The Prostrate. Along with his brothers, Shizaru rules what they do not - the capability for Good. His actions are invariably Good, for all that he affects. He is incapable of Evil, even against one person to save many. His guilt is a hundredfold, his actions tempered by his burden. He holds up the world, his helpless tears forming great lakes. Frozen in indecision and wracked with guilt, he is helpless to stop his brothers' rampage. He cannot destroy them, as murder is evil. But he cannot let them continue, as that is also evil. So he stays, begging at the feet of some cosmic other, to free him from his curse. His portfolio is empty.

[Yora]

Are these gods global gods or more local deity tied to a specific country?

And are they all included in one religion that is followed by certain people, or are they just individual gods that have no direct link to each other?

[Blackhawk748]

Shizaru - The Prostrate. Along with his brothers, Shizaru rules what they do not - the capability for Good. His actions are invariably Good, for all that he affects. He is incapable of Evil, even against one person to save many. His guilt is a hundredfold, his actions tempered by his burden. He holds up the world, his helpless tears forming great lakes. Frozen in indecision and wracked with guilt, he is helpless to stop his brothers' rampage. He cannot destroy them, as murder is evil. But he cannot let them continue, as that is also evil. So he stays, begging at the feet of some cosmic other, to free him from his curse. His portfolio is empty.


You need to use this, its to awesome not to be used

[Gbeth721]

To answer your questions, Yora;
These are all gods in the same pantheon, worshiped by a number of indigenous, jungle-dwelling tribes, mixed societies of monkeys, apes, Humans and everything in between. These gods rule a continent, unexplored, filled with lush green jungle and dotted by volcanoes. They are all related through blood and race and in the civilized lands, completely unheard of.

I am going to use Shizaru, only I'm going to change his name because Japanese names don't fit the setting. Like I said in a previous post, I'm wanting to use simple, Pulp style Sword & Sorcery type names. I am also going to use the other three, only I'm combining the "Three Evil Monkeys" with the "Morow" gods described by Fouredged Sword to make two evil triads that have several feuds between their interests, which gives us more violence, and pain, lots and lots of glorious pain, ku ku ku ku ku! jk

Now I'm wanting to describe the "Morow" gods suggested by Fouredged Sword, basically come up with an appearance for each of them. Other than that, thank you all for your help and suggestions, and I thank everyone in advance for helping me out in the future.

[Thrudd]

Hello, Gbeth here. I am wanting to design a completely original, small pantheon of ape-like Demon Gods for a campaign setting of my own original design. I am a real stickler for originality, but am having trouble figuring out

1. What these Demon-Ape Gods should accurately represent. The setting is a vast, unexplored jungle continent, with quintessentially Mesoamerican and Ancient African type native cultures. Predators (apes and monkeys of varying sizes and tempers) abound and the native Mesoamerican/Ancient African cultures are survivalist. I know what I don't want these beings to represent, but I am having a creative block in what they do represent because rather than having my PCs use a Cleric, I would like the PCs to ascend to Epic Level and fight them, other than that, they are antagonists (depending on which one the PCs want to fight and if any PC decides they want to worship one of these Ape Gods).

2. What to call these guys. I should probably worry about this once I get them created. I was thinking I would make, at the most, 4-5. I want to go for a 30's-80's Pulp Sword and Sorcery name for each one. I wanted to make the style of game a kick-in-the-door mixed with a good story and an overall savage feel.

I might be a stickler for originality but I am asking for help because I'm curious about what others would think of this and to hear some helpful insight. Thank you all in advance. :)

I assume you've read the Conan story: "Queen of the Black Coast" as inspiritation for this setting? If not you should.