RobbieOC
2006-08-09, 01:58 PM
Loatuo Firewalkers
Fluff
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/RobbieOC/lavaflow.gif
Lava flow on the side of Mt. Loatuo
The time had finally come for his induction, and Rel was terrified. He knew well what he had to do, and he knew relatively well the best method of doing it – he just was not sure that he could. Very few that began their ho’ike came back alive, and he really wanted to stay alive. He gripped the end of his spear until his knuckles turned white and swallowed hard. He was sweating, but he knew it was less from the anxiety he was feeling, and much much more from the immense amount of heat radiating off of the molten rock flowing past him, not two feet from his sandals.
The dwarf, Derrick Ironblood, walked up behind him, reached up and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“You’ll do fine, lad. Keep your head up, and don’t let the creepers get a hold of you. That’s where most get done in. Keep your eye on the stone and put everything else aside.”
“Right.” Rel sighed. Easy for him to say. The dwarf had been a firewalker for years. Rumor had it he’d been around longer than the high priest, though no one else was old enough to say for sure.
Rel looked to his side and swiped a lock of blond hair out of his eye to see his competitor. She was young and slender and the woman – Avonne – stood next to her, much as Ironblood stood by him. Avonne was whispering something into the girl’s ear and they both threw nasty stares towards Rel.
High priest Koa-lun walked slowly to the top of the Rock and stared down into the waiting crowd. He cleared his voice and began the ceremony.
“Friends and fellow devotees! Today we are about to welcome in a new member to the firewalkers. They know what they must do and have proclaimed themselves ready to begin the trial. Let us wish them both luck and may Loatuo favor them!”
Rel grimaced and prepared his mind. He was going to win, because he must. He would be the next to join the ranks of the firewalkers and there was no one that was going to stop him. Not the girl standing next to him, not the creepers and certainly not the nasty Avonne throwing daggers at him through her eyes.
Suddenly, the starting gong went off and Rel dove, head first, into the molten hot magma flowing swiftly in front of him…
Thousands of years ago on the small island of Oahaui, the mountain of Loatuo spewed forth both fire and earth and destroyed the small village at the foot of the mountain, covering it in melted rock and burying the village under layers of grey pumice and shining obsidian. Though one village was destroyed, many others lived and grew to fear the towering mountain. For years they lived in terror that the mountain would once again get angry and send the lava and monsters that once destroyed their neighbors.
They began to worship the mountain, hoping their reverence would appease the spirits within and they could prolong their inevitable doom. The mountain, however, seemed less than interested in their feeble attempts to please it. Their fear drove them on, and they continued their worship of the mountain. Over hundreds of years, their devotion grew and grew and the Loatuo Firewalkers were born.
Their rituals covered everything from battling the nasty Lava Creepers to swimming races across the melted rocks. They became fanatics, and they began to recruit members from not only their small island, but also from the mainland. Vacationers came to see the crazy cult in the mountain and wound up joining them, instead. No one can really explain this, but it seems that dwarves and Halflings have become the most susceptible to joining this new island sensation.
The word "Firewalker" is actually a misnomer. Though most Firewalkers can indeed walk across fire, their most important ability is that they can actually swim through lava. Their special abilities allow them to immerse completely in lava and come out completely unscathed. This is, in fact, one of the most important parts of the ho'ike, swimming across a lake of lava to retrieve the Stone of Fire and Earth from the other side. They are still called Firewalkers by the locals, simply because it is an old habit.
Purpose: The Firewalkers are an ancient brotherhood of warriors dedicated to appeasing the spirits at home in the active volcano Loatuo to protect the villages on the island of Oahaui.
Alignment: TN though anyone can join, assuming they are fully devoted and can survive the ho'ike.
GP Resource: Very low. There are no membership fees and money means very little on the island of Oahaui, so the firewalkers do not have the ability to support any of their members. They do look out for each other, but not with money.
Membership requirements: Proof of dedication to the magma spirits by successfully completing the ho'ike - a literal trial by fire where each member is required to swim across a lake of magma and complete a small, fire-oriented obstacle before they can be fully inducted into the ranks of the Firewalkers.
Authority figures:
High priest Koa-lun (N, human male cleric 10/ firewalker 5)
Koa-lun is a tall, lanky human male and high priest of the Loatuo Firewalkers. He is a good-natured man, though he takes his position seriously, always watching over his priests and followers. He is quick to laugh and swift to react to danger. Some say he was born to serve Loatuo, and he would be the last to argue that. He always does what he thinks is right by him and his, though he could really care less about the “world at large.” He has dark skin – a product of growing up on the island of Oahaui and wears his long black hair in a braided pony tail. He wears little clothing, opting for maneuverability and comfort over clunky armor. He carries a quarterstaff and wears the traditional headdress of the Firewalker high priest.
Other important figures:
Derrick Ironblood (LN, dwarf male cleric 8/ firewalker 5)
Derrick Ironblood is the oldest living member of the Firewalkers. He has been around longer than any of them and is often found surrounded by the younger members, sharing stories and telling tall tales about their lore and history. He is a jovial man. He loves the company of others and he loves a good mug of mead even more. He wears his fire-red hair and beard groomed neatly. His favorite outfit is a tight fitting brown robe, which he wears nearly everyday.
Avonne Heathrow (CN, human female fighter 8/ firewalker 5)
Avonne is possibly one of the least popular firewalkers among the group. She is stern and rude, though her loyalty to the group is unquestioned even by Derrick Ironblood, who has made it no secret that he dislikes her. She wears a suit of studded leather armor and carries a dire mace with her at all times, which tends to make most of the other firewalkers nervous. She has raven black hair and deep green eyes, which seem to burn into one’s eyes when she stares at them.
Racial makeup: Human 45%, dwarves 25%, Halflings 20%, others 10%
Class makeup: Clerics 50%, druids 20%, sorcerers 10%, rangers 5%, barbarians 5%, monks 5%, others 5%
Lore:
DC 10: The Firewalkers are a secretive group of fanatics that live on an island and do rituals involving fire and maybe even virgins.
DC 15: The Firewalkers are actually a beneficial group protecting the villages of a small island from giants that live in the nearby volcano.
DC 20: The Firewalkers get their name because they have learned to not feel pain from fire and use these amazing abilities to fight of monsters and hold back the lava that constantly threatens the small villages of Oahaui.
DC 25: The Firewalkers are in a constant battle with a group of magma oozes that threaten the nearby villages, and someone becomes a member of the Firewalkers through a special ritual where they have to swim across a lake of magma.
DC 30: The Firewalkers are led by a man named high priest Koa-lun. They have been around for centuries protecting the villagers. What else do they want to know?
Possible adventure hooks:
Recently, a nasty band of sahuagin raiders has been causing trouble for some of the local villagers, and the Firewalkers are a little out of their league. They have called in the PCs to help keep the cities safe, and in return might be able to pay them back with some powerful fire-based weaponry.
Over the centuries, the Firewalkers have donated millions of GP worth of resources to the spirits within the mountain. What exactly are these spirits? Are they real spirits or some other organization trying to take advantage of the altruistic Firewalkers?
A band of pirates has stolen a lot of loot from a cave they found hidden on a secluded beach, far from any of the villages. The PCs are surprised when they are approached by a Pyroclastic dragon (Draconomicon) and asked to retrieve his hoarde (which may or may not be the tithes mentioned above – and if they are, what will the Firewalkers say if the PCs are seen with it?).
Joining the Firewalkers is an adventure in itself. How do the PCs make contact? How do they prove their worth? How do they make it across the lava without dying? What if the Firewalkers make two of them race against each other?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/RobbieOC/oahaui2.jpg
The island of Oahaui
Fluff
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/RobbieOC/lavaflow.gif
Lava flow on the side of Mt. Loatuo
The time had finally come for his induction, and Rel was terrified. He knew well what he had to do, and he knew relatively well the best method of doing it – he just was not sure that he could. Very few that began their ho’ike came back alive, and he really wanted to stay alive. He gripped the end of his spear until his knuckles turned white and swallowed hard. He was sweating, but he knew it was less from the anxiety he was feeling, and much much more from the immense amount of heat radiating off of the molten rock flowing past him, not two feet from his sandals.
The dwarf, Derrick Ironblood, walked up behind him, reached up and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“You’ll do fine, lad. Keep your head up, and don’t let the creepers get a hold of you. That’s where most get done in. Keep your eye on the stone and put everything else aside.”
“Right.” Rel sighed. Easy for him to say. The dwarf had been a firewalker for years. Rumor had it he’d been around longer than the high priest, though no one else was old enough to say for sure.
Rel looked to his side and swiped a lock of blond hair out of his eye to see his competitor. She was young and slender and the woman – Avonne – stood next to her, much as Ironblood stood by him. Avonne was whispering something into the girl’s ear and they both threw nasty stares towards Rel.
High priest Koa-lun walked slowly to the top of the Rock and stared down into the waiting crowd. He cleared his voice and began the ceremony.
“Friends and fellow devotees! Today we are about to welcome in a new member to the firewalkers. They know what they must do and have proclaimed themselves ready to begin the trial. Let us wish them both luck and may Loatuo favor them!”
Rel grimaced and prepared his mind. He was going to win, because he must. He would be the next to join the ranks of the firewalkers and there was no one that was going to stop him. Not the girl standing next to him, not the creepers and certainly not the nasty Avonne throwing daggers at him through her eyes.
Suddenly, the starting gong went off and Rel dove, head first, into the molten hot magma flowing swiftly in front of him…
Thousands of years ago on the small island of Oahaui, the mountain of Loatuo spewed forth both fire and earth and destroyed the small village at the foot of the mountain, covering it in melted rock and burying the village under layers of grey pumice and shining obsidian. Though one village was destroyed, many others lived and grew to fear the towering mountain. For years they lived in terror that the mountain would once again get angry and send the lava and monsters that once destroyed their neighbors.
They began to worship the mountain, hoping their reverence would appease the spirits within and they could prolong their inevitable doom. The mountain, however, seemed less than interested in their feeble attempts to please it. Their fear drove them on, and they continued their worship of the mountain. Over hundreds of years, their devotion grew and grew and the Loatuo Firewalkers were born.
Their rituals covered everything from battling the nasty Lava Creepers to swimming races across the melted rocks. They became fanatics, and they began to recruit members from not only their small island, but also from the mainland. Vacationers came to see the crazy cult in the mountain and wound up joining them, instead. No one can really explain this, but it seems that dwarves and Halflings have become the most susceptible to joining this new island sensation.
The word "Firewalker" is actually a misnomer. Though most Firewalkers can indeed walk across fire, their most important ability is that they can actually swim through lava. Their special abilities allow them to immerse completely in lava and come out completely unscathed. This is, in fact, one of the most important parts of the ho'ike, swimming across a lake of lava to retrieve the Stone of Fire and Earth from the other side. They are still called Firewalkers by the locals, simply because it is an old habit.
Purpose: The Firewalkers are an ancient brotherhood of warriors dedicated to appeasing the spirits at home in the active volcano Loatuo to protect the villages on the island of Oahaui.
Alignment: TN though anyone can join, assuming they are fully devoted and can survive the ho'ike.
GP Resource: Very low. There are no membership fees and money means very little on the island of Oahaui, so the firewalkers do not have the ability to support any of their members. They do look out for each other, but not with money.
Membership requirements: Proof of dedication to the magma spirits by successfully completing the ho'ike - a literal trial by fire where each member is required to swim across a lake of magma and complete a small, fire-oriented obstacle before they can be fully inducted into the ranks of the Firewalkers.
Authority figures:
High priest Koa-lun (N, human male cleric 10/ firewalker 5)
Koa-lun is a tall, lanky human male and high priest of the Loatuo Firewalkers. He is a good-natured man, though he takes his position seriously, always watching over his priests and followers. He is quick to laugh and swift to react to danger. Some say he was born to serve Loatuo, and he would be the last to argue that. He always does what he thinks is right by him and his, though he could really care less about the “world at large.” He has dark skin – a product of growing up on the island of Oahaui and wears his long black hair in a braided pony tail. He wears little clothing, opting for maneuverability and comfort over clunky armor. He carries a quarterstaff and wears the traditional headdress of the Firewalker high priest.
Other important figures:
Derrick Ironblood (LN, dwarf male cleric 8/ firewalker 5)
Derrick Ironblood is the oldest living member of the Firewalkers. He has been around longer than any of them and is often found surrounded by the younger members, sharing stories and telling tall tales about their lore and history. He is a jovial man. He loves the company of others and he loves a good mug of mead even more. He wears his fire-red hair and beard groomed neatly. His favorite outfit is a tight fitting brown robe, which he wears nearly everyday.
Avonne Heathrow (CN, human female fighter 8/ firewalker 5)
Avonne is possibly one of the least popular firewalkers among the group. She is stern and rude, though her loyalty to the group is unquestioned even by Derrick Ironblood, who has made it no secret that he dislikes her. She wears a suit of studded leather armor and carries a dire mace with her at all times, which tends to make most of the other firewalkers nervous. She has raven black hair and deep green eyes, which seem to burn into one’s eyes when she stares at them.
Racial makeup: Human 45%, dwarves 25%, Halflings 20%, others 10%
Class makeup: Clerics 50%, druids 20%, sorcerers 10%, rangers 5%, barbarians 5%, monks 5%, others 5%
Lore:
DC 10: The Firewalkers are a secretive group of fanatics that live on an island and do rituals involving fire and maybe even virgins.
DC 15: The Firewalkers are actually a beneficial group protecting the villages of a small island from giants that live in the nearby volcano.
DC 20: The Firewalkers get their name because they have learned to not feel pain from fire and use these amazing abilities to fight of monsters and hold back the lava that constantly threatens the small villages of Oahaui.
DC 25: The Firewalkers are in a constant battle with a group of magma oozes that threaten the nearby villages, and someone becomes a member of the Firewalkers through a special ritual where they have to swim across a lake of magma.
DC 30: The Firewalkers are led by a man named high priest Koa-lun. They have been around for centuries protecting the villagers. What else do they want to know?
Possible adventure hooks:
Recently, a nasty band of sahuagin raiders has been causing trouble for some of the local villagers, and the Firewalkers are a little out of their league. They have called in the PCs to help keep the cities safe, and in return might be able to pay them back with some powerful fire-based weaponry.
Over the centuries, the Firewalkers have donated millions of GP worth of resources to the spirits within the mountain. What exactly are these spirits? Are they real spirits or some other organization trying to take advantage of the altruistic Firewalkers?
A band of pirates has stolen a lot of loot from a cave they found hidden on a secluded beach, far from any of the villages. The PCs are surprised when they are approached by a Pyroclastic dragon (Draconomicon) and asked to retrieve his hoarde (which may or may not be the tithes mentioned above – and if they are, what will the Firewalkers say if the PCs are seen with it?).
Joining the Firewalkers is an adventure in itself. How do the PCs make contact? How do they prove their worth? How do they make it across the lava without dying? What if the Firewalkers make two of them race against each other?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/RobbieOC/oahaui2.jpg
The island of Oahaui