[PF] Quest for a god

[Shinken]

I have this idea of an NPC running around looking for her god. Actually, it's more like a whole church looking for a god that has disappeared. That's all I have for now, though. Any ideas, guys?

[hemming]

Have you ever read the graphic novel "Preacher" - its awesome and revolves completely around the concept that God is missing from heaven

The missing god should have some meaningful repercussions in the game world (outside of the obvious, clerics and paladins of that God lose divine granted abilities/spells) - what God is it? What class is the player?

[Keneth]

I have this idea...

That's one of the primary premises of Pathfinder's Golarion setting. Aroden is missing and no one knows what happened to him.

[Psyren]

^ Actually they know what happened - he died, and nobody expected him to die. The mystery is how a god could die, and why his prophecy didn't work.

[(Un)Inspired]

This whole idea is such a ripoff of Mario is Missing.

[Cikomyr]

There was a whole Drow series "War of the Spider Queen" where a group was sent to find the disappeared Lolth.

[Shinken]

There was a whole Drow series "War of the Spider Queen" where a group was sent to find the disappeared Lolth.

Yeah, I was looking for something different. I really like War of the Spider Queen, but I was thinking more along the lines of a silent deity. She still provides spells and all, but does not answer when contacted and can't be found by planar travel. All points out to the god being in the material plane - but why?

[Keneth]

Actually they know what happened - he died, and nobody expected him to die.

I'm gonna need some citation on that. I don't recall reading in any book that Aroden is dead, only presumed dead since the link between him and his servants was severed.

[Slipperychicken]

I have this idea of an NPC running around looking for her god. Actually, it's more like a whole church looking for a god that has disappeared. That's all I have for now, though. Any ideas, guys?

Maybe they believe the god will be reborn to mortal parents as a messiah (who they think will lead the chosen people to greatness), so they're waiting while their clergy test newborns and young children to see if they're God 2.0?

Maybe people think it's a spiritual departure. That is, the god sees his congregation as sinful, and will only return after they can purge the wickedness out of their ranks. In the meantime, people will interpret every plague and famine as a sign of his terrible bitterness and unending wrath.

Maybe it's a trickster-god, who has initiated an epic game of hide-and-seek with his followers (infidels can join too, if they wish). The first mortal to find him gets a free t-shirt immortality and a place in His divine court.

[Shinken]

Maybe they believe the god will be reborn to mortal parents as a messiah (who they think will lead the chosen people to greatness), so they're waiting while their clergy test newborns and young children to see if they're God 2.0?

Maybe people think it's a spiritual departure. That is, the god sees his congregation as sinful, and will only return after they can purge the wickedness out of their ranks. In the meantime, people will interpret every plague and famine as a sign of his terrible bitterness and unending wrath.

Maybe it's a trickster-god, who has initiated an epic game of hide-and-seek with his followers (infidels can join too, if they wish). The first mortal to find him gets a free t-shirt immortality and a place in His divine court.

Very good suggestions, dude.
I think I have a framework for this.
1- God goes missing as mentioned before. Clerics still get spells.
2- One faction of the church sticks to the spiritual departure thing. They become more and more opressive of their followers, enforcing their stricter beliefs on what their god wants.
3- Another faction believes their god will be reborn as a mortal so they just lay back and wait.
4- A lone cleric (this would work a bit better with an Archivist, I think, but I want to stick with Pathfinder) thinks the god is actually roaming around the material plane. She even has evidence backing up her claim. No one believes her, though. Shes asks the PCs for help.

Probably using this on the dwarves. I guess Moradin is on vacation...

[Slipperychicken]

The missing god should have some meaningful repercussions in the game world (outside of the obvious, clerics and paladins of that God lose divine granted abilities/spells) - what God is it? What class is the player?

I like this idea of the god's job not getting done in his/her absence. If the god was in charge of bringing the rain, maybe there's a perpetual dry spell. Or if he's supposed to keep travelers safe, then the roads are covered with highwaymen/potholes/monsters, and boats are constantly assailed by storms and sea-monsters. If the god was supposed to handle fertility, then people are less fertile and have way more miscarriages than normal. If the god handled harvests, then crop yields will be smaller. And so on.

[Shinken]

I like this idea of the god's job not getting done in his/her absence. If the god was in charge of bringing the rain, maybe there's a perpetual dry spell. Or if he's supposed to keep travelers safe, then the roads are covered with highwaymen/potholes/monsters, and boats are constantly assailed by storms and sea-monsters. If the god was supposed to handle fertility, then people are less fertile and have way more miscarriages than normal. If the god handled harvests, then crop yields will be smaller. And so on.

Moradin is the god of dwarven community and unity and they lost a major war a few years ago in my game. It could work. Moradin not being around is making the dwarves split up.

Now I don't know if I should keep him giving powers to clerics or not. They could just turn towards other dwarven gods or something.