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  1. #11
    Site Moderator geeman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thelandrin View Post
    That's really a clever idea, Gary.
    Thanks.

    Quote Originally Posted by AndrewTall View Post
    The interesting question would then be whether originally the thri-kreen awnsheghlien was an insect which devoured a scion of Azrai, similar to the Sphinx, or if they were a human/sidhe/etc who became insectlike through the corruption of Azrai. The latter are often more tragic figures, while the former tend to be more bestial.

    I think of some poor scion of azrai staked out in the desert to die being devoured by a colony of insects - which could of course mean that there is, or at least was, a number of awnsheghlien at the outset, with offspring then following to multiply their numbers.
    I like it. The Hive of Azrai. The Swarm of Azrai.

    I like backstory/origin stories for awnsheghlien that tweak the existing materials a bit into a new area--and that have their own drama. Any particular awnshegh could be an "elevated creature" or a "degenerate mortal" if you will, but it could be some combination thereof. A scion of Azrai "lost" or "abandoned" in the dessert who winds up feeding on insects to survive could take on insect-like qualities and/or his death could transfer his bloodline to the creature that strikes the "killing blow" or just eats his heart. A typical act of bloodtheft/transfer involves a stab through the heart or a ritual, but in a background story one could tweak that a bit.

    People do eat insects in various parts of the world. I have a memory from some documentary I saw years ago that several types of locust are even kosher.

    Or a scion of Azrai might die in the desert and be eaten by scavenger insects, his bloodline transferred to one in some divine freak accident (the power of the gods does tend to wander where it may...) and "evolve" that insect to monstrous proportions, and maybe spawning both intelligent insect offspring (thri-kreen) and monstrous ones (various giant vermin with blood abilities.)

  2. #12
    Site Moderator Sorontar's Avatar
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    My secondary character used to be a goblin druid who specialised in insects. If I had thought about it more I could have made him a hivemaster but he had been mainly breeding giant beetles before he became a druid.

    Anyway, a character like him could become Awnshegh and take on an insectoid form in a similar way to the Spider. That would then give him some class powers as well as Awnshegh attacks and skills, and a history relating to breeding. Over the years, he could be the cause of tainting himself and those he "cares" for.

    Yes, I have eaten crickets. The chocolate coating helped.

    Sorontar

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by geeman View Post
    So, if one wanted to do thri-kreen in BR, one of the nice flavourful ways to introduce them would be to have an awnshegh from which they are derived. You could do that in any number of ways, but I'm picturing a kind of "queen mother" of a "swarm" sort of deal in Khinasi desert. (The Tarvan Waste seems apt.) Queen Mantis. The Green Mother. The Sand Widow. (A references to the sexual cannibalism of the preying mantis, which could also be a rather interesting plot/character issue. She devours her lovers, committing an act of bizarre bloodtheft.
    I agree with Thelandrin- this is a really good idea. It lets you expand to some "exotic" races while staying loyal to the themes and tenets of the setting. I may steal this someday.

    -Fizz

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kzinssie View Post
    Any thoughts on this? Places I could improve?
    The one thing i would say is make sure you keep the thri-kreen balanced. Coming from Dark Sun, where the power level is bit higher, you don't want this race to outshine the others. Running amok across Cerilia might be bad. They're inherently tougher than other humanoids, so they should have something to balance that: limited numbers perhaps, disadvantages when not in hot dry climate, etc.

    Of course, the end goal is to have fun. So long as that happens, one cannot be critical.

    -Fizz

  5. #15
    Senior Member arpig2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndrewTall View Post
    Djapur is almost undescribed
    I have been working on detailing Djapar. It isn't ready for publication yet, but if anybody is interested in the details, just write me. and I can give you a rough outline.
    As far as the Dragonborn, I have them living on the Dragon Isles located between Cerilia and Djapar.
    Call me Bob.
    My website: NRGGames.org
    My game design blog: Bob's Worlds

  6. #16
    Ehrshegh of Spelling Thelandrin's Avatar
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    If you play up the changes in the standard races, they could seem quite exotic nonetheless. Xenophobic, immortal, priest-hating feyl compulsively lawful, anti-magical rock spirits who ghost through mountain passes as quickly as men do paved roads; alien half-sidhe with a foot in both worlds and the ability to command magic that normally only those blessed by the gods can manage.

    You could even re-fluff tieflings as the last of the humans still fleeing from the Shadow two millennia on, yet carrying the cursed mark of the Betrayer and being spurned by all who see it, despite their noble intentions.

    Ius Hibernicum, in nomine juris. Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

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