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  1. #1
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    Who's your favourite Awnsheghlien?

    I know some people enjoy the Gorgon or the Raven. But who is your favourite and and why?

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    Rhoubhe

    Why?

    He´s special in that he is more of a sad character then a true villain. Sure, he is an absolute terror to the neighboring peasants and quite evil, yet in a way he is like the spurned ex boy/girlfriend who begins to do everything to destroy for the one who left them.

    He welcomed the humans to Cerilia, made several human friends, and when they started to cut down the forest, invade sidhe lands, he went to his friends, asked them to stop. They ignored him, alternatively to make him even more"human" laughed at him, or beat him up, likely killing sidhe he loved.

    So he went over into hatred. A hate that as Rhoubhe is immortal, have raged since, yet its not born from lust for power as with most awhnsheglien, but from sadness and a feeling of beeing betrayed.

  3. #3
    Site Moderator Sorontar's Avatar
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    Oh, I like Teodor Profiev, because he is borderline. He is not awnshegh yet, but at the same time he is not ehrshegh. The blood of Azrai runs through him, willing him to use it, but he must avoid giving in. He is a great opportunity for DMs to tease and perplex the players (ours did!).

    The Spider is another good one because of the twisted personality. It knows what it is now, but what it came from is another question. Quite what sort of person it should be perplexes him.

    Sorontar
    Last edited by Sorontar; 02-08-2012 at 09:50 AM.

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    The Serpent.

    I love the idea he's able to grant spells to his clerics, as if he has reached at least a demigod status.
    ...Michael Roele's spirit will cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war...

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    Site Moderator Magian's Avatar
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    That's a tough one, I'll have to get back to you on that.
    One law, One court, One allied people, One coin, and one tax, is what I shall bring to Cerilia.

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    Senior Member Jaleela's Avatar
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    Right now, I would say my favorite as a Player and a GM is "the Magian" and it has a lot to do with how he's played.

    He is intelligent, methodical, and ruthless when necessary. He has a way of appearing to be a savior to some and the devil incarnate to others. He's a mage of great power, but also has some lieutenants that are quite capable; a force to be reckoned with on any level.

    My second would be the Spider; the insanity makes him interesting and unpredictable; it's his moments of lucidity that can make him down right terrifying.
    d'estre bons et leaulx amis et vrais ensemble et de servir l'un 'autre envers et contre tous

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    Junior Member severian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by adg View Post
    Rhoubhe

    Why?

    He´s special in that he is more of a sad character then a true villain. Sure, he is an absolute terror to the neighboring peasants and quite evil, yet in a way he is like the spurned ex boy/girlfriend who begins to do everything to destroy for the one who left them.

    He welcomed the humans to Cerilia, made several human friends, and when they started to cut down the forest, invade sidhe lands, he went to his friends, asked them to stop. They ignored him, alternatively to make him even more"human" laughed at him, or beat him up, likely killing sidhe he loved.

    So he went over into hatred. A hate that as Rhoubhe is immortal, have raged since, yet its not born from lust for power as with most awhnsheglien, but from sadness and a feeling of beeing betrayed.

    'sad but true!' :P
    How can you capture a beautiful bird without breaking it's spirit?!

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    Who`s your favourite Awnsheghlien? [9#27502]

    I`m not going to be able to pick just one.

    I do have to chime in with a few words about Rhoubhe. He is in many
    ways the most tragic and troubled of BR`s villains, as is best
    exemplified by speculating about what exactly his totemic
    transformation is. The awnsheghlien all have some sort of monstrous
    form into which they are changing. Most often that monstrous form is
    comparable to an existing D&D monster, or a creature similar enough
    to a mythical one that it`s easy enough to see how that might effect
    character, but in Rhoubhe`s case we have a very strange and ambiguous
    shift. His awnshegh form appears to be some sort of undead. That`s
    a particularly unpleasant thing for a being that`s standard form is a
    Cerilian elf. The Sidhe are (or, at least, consider themselves to
    be) creatures of nature. Undead are pretty unnatural
    creatures. Necromancy is verboten. Worse, Rhoubhe`s transformation
    might not just be into a kind of crypto-undead, but an undead
    HUMAN. His alignment shift is away from the freedom loving, chaotic
    aspect of the Sidhe and into "neutral evil." I`d speculate that he
    is even heading towards being lawful. That`s very different from the
    race which he claims to defend, and even embody as The Elf. So, his
    nature is... unnatural. And being a tortured soul in that way always
    makes for a good villain. Nothing makes for quite as villainous a
    villain as ambiguity and self-loathing.

    All that said, I`d argue that BR is in many ways the most
    Tolkienesque of the D&D settings. To me, that is one of the major
    appeals of the setting. Granted D&D is itself very Tolkienesque, but
    in my view BR does the best job of embodying that without actually
    turning into Middle Earth while maintaining its own identity. In
    that context, the Magian is an example of how a Tolkienesque idea
    appears in the setting without being a sort of pale copy of the
    original. Is the character derivative? At first glance, he could be
    seen as simply betwixt Saruman and Sauron and then discounted. He`s
    a wizard with godly powers of undeath. He`s got "riders" and a
    tower.... However, his background ties him in with all kinds of
    BR-specific details, and makes him different in a way that I find
    very appealing. He differs in ways that are setting specific. If
    you were to compare characters from other settings to Tolkien
    (Elminster to Gandalf, for example, or Tasselhof to one of the
    hobbits--Pippin or Merry) then the contrast is much less flattering
    to the D&D version than trying to hold the Magian up as a character
    who differs from his most likely Tolkien equivalent.

    I also have to note that probably the least appreciated and most
    underemployed, but highest potential awnsheghlien in the BR setting
    has got to be... The White Witch. She has all the possibilities as a
    mastermind and manipulator that any other BR character has right up
    to and including the Gorgon, plus a heady dose of tragedy mixed
    in. The beauty/lost beauty, good/evil, old/young, thing is all right
    there in the character, plus a whole bunch of stuff connecting her
    with two of the aspects of the Norns (and arguably the third just by
    inference as she embodies the two extremes) along with the spite that
    comes with self-loathing. Just like Rhoubhe. The Hag gets points in
    that regard, but doesn`t quite compare as she only has the lost
    beauty aspect. (Granted, she has more of that than the WW does....)

    Along those lines, I think the awnshegh who probably gets the least
    respect is The Chimaera. If you think about it, that character
    really does embody a mindset that makes an awful lot of sense to most
    gamers. She is the "power gamer" of the awnsheghlien, working the
    rules of the game itself to become a sort of god. Maybe being gamers
    that character just seems a little redundant to actually play, but
    from the gamer POV she makes the most sense....

    But... I have to say. My favorite awnshegh would have to be one of
    the ones I wrote up myself. I know, I know: self-serving. Still,
    it`s true. I have a special place in my heart for the Black Beast of
    Boeruine, as that was one of the first write ups I did, and the
    character that made me realize the depth of the awnsheghlien concept
    itself and led to a lot of development of other characters. The
    Lindwrym was probably the most interesting to write up because it
    combined what I like about the BR/Tolkien/mythology aspect of
    awnsheghlien into one character in a way that I think fits with the
    Magian. The Phantom was probably the most fun to write up, followed
    closely by the Nightowl (who is really an ehrshie, not an
    awnnie.) The Vulture was also fun to write up and strangely
    satisfying because that one just seems like it already SHOULD have
    been in the setting materials, so even if he`s not canon, he FEELS
    like he should been there in the first place.

    Gary

  9. #9
    Administrator Green Knight's Avatar
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    Difficult one...there are so many to love!

    Rhuobhe...never cared too much for him until recently. He never got to shine properly. Not until he was finally killed by Braedonnal Tuare and that poor elf inherited Rhuobhe's curse. So it was acutally Rhuobhe's death that finally made him a star, allowing me to highlight how the Manslayer had tired of 'life' and willing gave it up to find some peace. How his killer knew, even before the fatal blow, that his fate would be no different from Rhuobhe's. Knowing that he would fight the curse tooth and nail, and try to do right, but that he must eventually succumb - or do as Rhuobhe and pass it on. No fairy tales with happy endings for these fey.
    Cheers
    Bjørn
    DM of Ruins of Empire II PbeM

  10. #10
    Administrator Green Knight's Avatar
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    The Sphinx made an interesting appearance in one of my games; the regent of the PETG, wanting to expand his holdings East got involved with him. Was finally able to cure his poison-induced madness. The result was an intelligent awnie who felt indebted to the PETG regent. So he allowed the PETG into his lands. There were some Anuirean regents who found this rather odd...diplomatic relations with an awnshegh and all - for even though the Sphinx was no longer a raging beast he was still accursed and not an entirely good person. None of the Sphinx subordinates liked the treaty. Interesting mix of magic, madness, divine blood, gold and diplomacy. Very nice side-story.
    Last edited by Green Knight; 02-09-2012 at 02:34 PM.
    Cheers
    Bjørn
    DM of Ruins of Empire II PbeM

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