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NAGHUL.CUL
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1994-09-29
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From: steve@tfs.com (Steve Maurer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Gloranthan (Runequest) Cult: Naguhl, Lord of the Dispossessed
Date: 27 Sep 91 23:37:59 GMT
Organization: Trw Financial Systems
Fourth in a series of new RQ cults, for my City of Assassins campaign.
Steve Maurer
steve@tfs.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cult of Naguhl
Naguhl was a child of Rastlaf, a weak and stunted younger brother
of the Trickster. Unlike his sibling, his powers were neither great
enough to cause disasters in the Gods War, nor great enough to stop
them. Rather, Naguhl simply fought to survive. He did so by slipping
unnoticed beneath the footsteps of the greater gods, retriving a few
of their discarded or lost treasures. From his low position, he
witnessed many of the Gods War's most crucial events, and learned many
secrets thereby. A few gods accused Naguhl of aiding their treasures in
getting lost, but most were too busy to find him to gain their return.
Naguhl is god of the dispossessed. His worship appeals to whose
who must live by their wits, because they are lacking in strength and
social position. The cult believes that those who cannot keep track
of their possessions do not deserve them. Yet despite his preditory
nature, Naguhl hates Chaos as bitterly as any ruling god, and often
his cult is more effective at stopping it than many great cults.
His runes are Disorder, Luck, and Mastery.
Naguhl's cultists make their living as beggars and thieves. Nor
are they the royalty of thieves. The cult does not sponsor great
robberies of magic treasures, but rather rings of pickpockets and
cutpurses. Robberies almost never exceed about 250sp, about half
what it costs to buy a Divination spell to find the thief. The
cult of Naguhl also runs numbers, recruits for Uleria temples, and
does other small time, non-coersive, criminal acts.
However, the cult of Naguhl is also a great opponent to the
chaotic gods of social corruption, Krarsht and Eleskar. Not by
mounting great raids on their deadly temples, but simply acting as
an alternative for typical recruits to these cults. Naguhl offers
an "honorable" method of survival, treats his cultists well, and
promises them eventual rebirth in a better position. This makes
Naguhl the god of choice to most of the poor and destitute, and saps
chaos temples of their power by removing their underlying foundation
of laymembers. In great cities, Naguhl cultists are everywhere, and
know much about the plots and secrets of other outlaw cults. Naguhl
cultists cannot be sensed by the Krarsht Sense Law skill.
In most areas, Naguhl worship is outlawed, and the cult hunted
just as much as Krarsht is. This allows Krarsht to flourish. Only
during great political upheval will a rare wise king understand how
useful these petty criminals can be in uncovering trecherous plots
by chaotic assassins.
Laymember
Enrollent: Impoverished; non-chaotic
Tithe: 80% of all income; this can apply to cult spells/skills
Benefits: Always provided (not great quality) food, clothes, and shelter
Spells: 1/2 Price: Coordination, Mobility, Befuddle
Skills: Begging, Pick Pocket, Running, Hide Self, Disguise
Leaving: Cultists are free to leave
Initiate
Enrollent: Three years as a lay member; (1 POW on acceptance)
Tithe: 80% of all income; this can apply to cult spells/skills
Spells: Free: Coordination, Mobility, Befuddle
1/2 Price: Healing(6), Silence, Spirit Binding
Full: Detect: Silver, Gems, Gold, Copper, Magic
Skills: Laymember skills are at 1/2 price; Scrounging
Retribution:Cultists are free to leave; absent mindedness
Scrounging - This skill allows the recipient to find discarded
but still useful objects and edible food. Success depends on
the user's skill, and the wealth of trash he looks through (a GM
skill modifier). More Scroungers cause leaner pickings, so the
cult restricts teaching this skill to Initiates. On success,
the scrounger finds one item at random in the following table:
01-05 Special (old documents, broken weapon, hidden corpse)
06-35 Object (plate, cart, horseshoe, broom, furniture)
36-50 Clothing (dress, leather jacket, broken piece of armor)
51-00 Food (half good fruit, half good meat, stale beer)
On a special, the item will be in very good condition, enough
so that with cleaning, it can be resold for (1d20L). On a
critical, an accidentally discarded valuable item is found. A
user gains an effective +5% for each Detect <object> spell he
uses in conjunction with this skill. The skill wielder gets one
Scrounging per day of use. Knowledge (05%)
Rune Priest
Enrollent: Initial 18 POW/ (INT+CHA) as % + 1/person aided; 1 try/year
Tithe: 90% of all income
Runespells: All Standard to 3 (Spell Teaching to 6), Awaken Mongrel(1nr)
Special: Conceal Identity, Avoid Fate, Beggar's Luck
Retribution:Cultists are free to leave; absent mindedness
Conceal Identity Cost -- 1 POW Point
Range - 180 meters Duration - 15 minutes
Nonstackable Reusable
This spell prevents the recipient from being recognized.
It operates like Invisibility, but causes people to overlook
the recipient's identity, not his presence. To identify a
recipient requires matching MP vs caster's MP. This roll is
not even made unless the identifier is suspicious, and also,
if the recipient is lost in a crowd, a successful Spot roll
is made. Those who do make this roll do not get a POW gain
check. The operation of this spell does not show to Detect
Magic, or other magical detections. With this spell, it is
trivial to become lost in a crowd.
Avoid Fate Cost -- 2 POW Points
Range - caster's awareness Duration - Instant
Nonstackable Reusable
This spell can be cast after the roll any spell or skill
is used, the success or failure of which is immediately ob-
vious to the caster. It voids the result, forcing a reroll;
the reroll cannot cannot be affected by any additional Avoid
Fate spells. Skills or spells which take a long time, such
as Oratory, Scrounging, Map Making, and Ritual Magic, cannot
be affected by this spell. Avoid Fate can work on any being
the caster is aware of, including enemies. The spell effect
cannot be resisted or blocked by any defensive magic.
Beggar's Luck Cost -- 2 POW Points
Range - Glorantha Duration - Permenent
Nonstackable Nonreusable
When cast this spell causes the recipient to critical in
one of the following tests: Begging, Scrounging, Pickpocket,
Running, Hide Self, or Dodge (unarmed parry). Beggar's Luck
does not increase the user's skill, but rather causes chance
circumstance to intervene on the recipient's behalf. There
is no skill gain possible from use of this spell.
Mongrels
Naguhl allied spirits are awakened alley cats, dogs, and other
animals discarded by the rest of society. Like their begging masters,
they must survive on the streets. As a generic term, these allied
spirits are called Mongrels. They make up for their small size
by being extremely quick and intelligent. No matter what their
species, awakened Mongrels will never attack or steal from each
other, or other Naguhl cultists.
Mongrel (Alley Cat, Alley Dog, Rat, etc)
STR 2d2
SIZ 2d2 HP 7
CON 3d6 Bite 45% / 45% 1d3
INT 2d6+9 Move 10"
POW 3d6+6 Defense: 30%
DEX 3d6+6
CHA 2d6
Due to their life before being awakened, Mongrels start with a
full set of cult skills. Scrounging and Hide Self start at INTx5;
Running at DEXx5; Begging at CHAx5. They start with no spells, but
may learn them normally. Mongrels with POW of 18+ may become priests.
Naguhl DI
Naguhl divine intervention acts like an extremely powerful
Beggar's Luck spell. It does not cause direct magical interference,
but changes a situation so that whatever the petitioner asks for
is granted through what appears to be chance circumstance. For
example, an initiate killed by a Krarsht cultists successfully
petitions Naguhl for his life. At that moment, a nearby group of
heavily armed mercenaries, looking for a good bar and a good fight,
sees the Krarsht worshippers hovering over the dead beggar. In but
a few moments of fierce combat, the cultists are killed, and the
warriors, feeling pity for the dead beggar, decide to bring the
corpse to a healing temple to ask for a spare resurrection. One
is available, and the cultist soon lives.
As with all divine intervention, this ability cannot do direct
harm to an enemy cultist. This includes forcing such a cultist to
take an action he would not normally take, or affecting skill rolls
in combat. But beyond this restriction, nearly any combination of
luck and coincidence is possible to effect what is asked for.
Spirit of Retribution
Naguhl is not a jealous god. Any worshipper who does no
harm to the cult, breaks no vows of secrecy, and does not become
chaotic, is allowed to leave without retribution (rune magic, of
course, becomes non-reusable). Ex-cultists are asked and expected
only to remember where they came from, and never let a poor man starve.
Cultists who betray Naguhl, are cursed with the afflicion
of absent mindedness. Once a day, the cultist will loose track
of some object. An ex-cultist who specifically wants to keep track
of an important object may roll INTx5, to make sure where it is
at all times. Other than this, one object a day will be lost
or misplaced: a shield strap, a dagger, rope, a weapon. The
absence of the object will only be noticed when it is needed the
most. Besides illumination and reconciliation, there is no method
to prevent this from happening. It will occur for the rest of
the ex-cultists life, until permanent death.