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Post by Scott on Dec 16, 2007 10:28:25 GMT -5
Were any hierarchs mentioned by EGG in the article that detailed the military action in the area?
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Post by GRWelsh on Dec 16, 2007 10:40:37 GMT -5
Hierarch Blontug, a much feared half-orc of great power (cleric/fighter/assassin 4th/9th/9th).
And "there was great wrath in Molag when the Unnameable Hierarch learned of all that had transpired" (FTSS, Dragon #56).
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ghul
Enchanter
Posts: 272
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Post by ghul on Dec 16, 2007 10:57:36 GMT -5
FWIW -- As a GH fan and a spectator of your efforts in whatever comes of this collaborative process, I am most interested in the Horned Society. Just sayin'. :-)
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GT
Wizard
Duke of Indiana, Knight Commander
Posts: 2,032
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Post by GT on Dec 16, 2007 12:49:49 GMT -5
Anybody feel up to "wheedling" Gary for Heirarch names? I asked for the "boss' " name (I think there were three biggies in Gord... ) and he said "He's un-named..." Heh!!
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Post by Scott on Dec 16, 2007 13:18:33 GMT -5
Try pinging him now that his permissions have been enabled. For the time being, I'm keeping my 'wheedling' in check, unless it's in person and I've plied him with a few Bombay Saphires.
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GT
Wizard
Duke of Indiana, Knight Commander
Posts: 2,032
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Post by GT on Dec 16, 2007 13:54:41 GMT -5
HAR!!!!!
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Post by GRWelsh on Dec 16, 2007 21:45:02 GMT -5
Anybody feel up to "wheedling" Gary for Heirarch names? I asked for the "boss' " name (I think there were three biggies in Gord... ) and he said "He's un-named..." Heh!! I nominate GT's new title to be "His Serpent-Tongued Maleficence, the Lord High Wheedler." With a title like that, you should be able to get something. I'm thinking to come up with Hierarch names, we look at existing names of the devils, as well as the cultures their names come from: Roman, Greek, Babylonian, Phoenician, Philistine, and Syriac. Also, pull in some names from nearby people and place-names in the Flanaess: Bandit Kingdoms, Furyondy, Nomads, Urnst, break them up into prefixes and suffixes, throw them in a name generator program, and voila! -- at least a list to start with. The Horned Society strikes me as the sort of culture that would adopt ancient names and fashions, just as medievals always loved to refer to ancients like Hermes Trismegistus, Troy, Hector, the Witch of Endor and so on. Dante pulled Greek and Roman mythology into his rings of Catholic Hell in The Divine Comedy, Milton did the same for his Protestant war of the angels in Paradise Lost. Shelley invoked names like Demogorgon in Prometheus Unbound. In the Malleus Maleficarum, the Latin handbook for sniffing out witches, Asmodeus was referenced (as Asmodai). And the source material just keeps continuing to be brought back... Flaubert's revival of Moloch showed up again in Lang's Metropolis, and Count Orlok of Nosferatu was said to come from "Belial's seed." Subconsciously, I think it is a sense of ancient-ness and mystery that these names evoke that is why authors and film-makers have sought to use them... and it is for the same reason the Horned Society, devils and demons are so fascinating for use in game material.
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Post by geneweigel on Dec 17, 2007 1:19:52 GMT -5
I created hierarchs back in the 80's/early 90's but I'd have to dig up their sheets. Maybe tomorrow. I remember me and my brother fighting over who the Unnamable was going to be and he insisted on his design. I came up with all the rest. The one that I created was relegated to a lesser position but I altered the name of the chief that he designed and embellished over his sketch. They definitely aren't Gygaxian in style. They definitely have my stench about them though!
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GT
Wizard
Duke of Indiana, Knight Commander
Posts: 2,032
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Post by GT on Dec 17, 2007 2:18:11 GMT -5
Gary gave us that there were 13 ruling heirarchs, and in the original Gazeteer he states that the leader is "...an Evil High Priest of the 18th level..." In the Gazeteer, he is a servant of devils, but in the Gord novels I think he serves Hades.
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Post by geneweigel on Dec 17, 2007 2:23:05 GMT -5
Yes, the Gord info wasn't available when I wrote my hierarchs and it was just the Box. I really have to dig those up for a laugh.
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Post by geneweigel on Jan 6, 2008 16:43:43 GMT -5
I did some research into the random encounters for the HS yesterday and this was interesting.
I combined the percentage of those listed by country with the standard encounters in the DMG like it was listed as the last "50%" rolled (51-00). So I used civilized temperate plains and "Men, merchants" is still the highest chance of encounter even though they aren't listed as "country specific" to HS AND the regular chance has to be halved!
"Knights" has to be addressed. The name "Horned Society" is good enough for the main order (i.e. ORDER OF THE HORNED SOCIETY, KNIGHTS OF THE HORNED SOCIETY, etc.) but they should be branched somewhat to give it that "true Greyhawk" feel.
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ghul
Enchanter
Posts: 272
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Post by ghul on Jan 6, 2008 20:08:53 GMT -5
Correct me if I'm wrong about something else implied in the Gord yarns: was the HS not formed when Iuz was imprisoned in Castle Greyhawk, a faction that broke off from Iuz's empire, or am I remembering this wrongly?
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Post by GRWelsh on Jan 6, 2008 20:22:43 GMT -5
The Hierarchs weren't followers of Iuz, they were suspected as having come from the Bandit Kingdoms.
For a name of the knights of the Horned Society, how about ELITE DEATH GUARD from the Minifigs line?
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ghul
Enchanter
Posts: 272
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Post by ghul on Jan 6, 2008 21:05:24 GMT -5
Okay, you done made me look it up:
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GT
Wizard
Duke of Indiana, Knight Commander
Posts: 2,032
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Post by GT on Jan 6, 2008 21:30:27 GMT -5
The Horned Society (worshippers of Devils and Hades) had usurped part of Iuz's territory during his imprisonment as their own. He had to "feign" friendship as he lacked the power to forcibly take it back. ^__^
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Post by Scott on Jan 6, 2008 21:44:50 GMT -5
Speaking of minifigs, did anybody ever ask EGG what was up with Iuz and his evil halflings? Of all the minions you could think of to have around Iuz enthroned, you pick four evil halflings??
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GT
Wizard
Duke of Indiana, Knight Commander
Posts: 2,032
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Post by GT on Jan 6, 2008 22:08:53 GMT -5
Heh!!!
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Post by geneweigel on Jan 7, 2008 10:38:13 GMT -5
Yeah that does seem odd.
However, if you think about it they would be perfect for his demihuman-laden "Circles of Iuz" groups of infiltrators and spies.
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Post by geneweigel on Jan 7, 2008 10:40:39 GMT -5
Considering he kills them every five minutes in the novels!
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Post by geneweigel on Jan 7, 2008 11:28:49 GMT -5
I was just looking at the Hierarchs from the 80's that we used.
Pretty bad to say the least. Scanning the sheets seems a wasted effort.
8 humans and a hobgoblin hero puppet leader (*My creations.):
Brutus Malius 18th level FTR * Efto the Cruel 13th level THF Baron Fukh 15th/17th level FTR/THF * Toom-Phet the Fat 17th level MU * Brother Blade 16th/10th level MU/FTR Brother Bacillus 20th level CLC * Sister Lethia 23rd level CLC Sister Mary 17th level CLC * George the Deceiver 16th/18th MU/FTR (AKA "Good Sir George") * Morkoroth the Bad 10th/20th level FTR/CLC This is the one that I renamed "ZOG" but my brother changed it back. He was the chief hierarch. Rub O Gob 16th level FTR The "Mightiest of Hobs" *
Brutus, Efto, and the "brothers & sisters" were made later on (1989?)and were never used in our campaign but the others were used over and over by me and the other DMs (which included my brother and the two Tims).
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