Ssethregore, varied comments

pg 161 Waves of exhaustion is listed as a control spell. I assume that is the spell from the base book and is now open to all people with the control tradition? I find that add of some base spells to other traditions just for Ssethregore only odd, like graveblight: skeleton. I haven’t read the whole text yet. Did I miss an explanation for this? It seems odd since plenty of cultures seem to have just as much interested in animation as the Ssethregorans.!

Incorrect assumption. There should be a Ssethregore only connotation after it. For PCs in the campaign it remains necromancy and Belisarda only.

Which does nothing to explain my question as to why some core spells are ssethric only for certain types of casting. I mean, if this was a heritage spell it would make perfect sense, but to say that for some reason all ssethrics can use necromancy type powers as a form of other traditions that no one else can is strange and unbalancing. It begs what human psionicists can do that ssethrics can’t, or Elorii casters with the creation tradition can do that ssethrics can’t, etc. Or is the intent to just show that Ssethrics just can do more since they’ve been around so incredibly long?

Val’holryn are parasites and should be expunged from existence…

Hmm I suspect the Elorii think that of ALL vals…

As a player though I am curious why the hate for the val’Holryn? They come across as no worse than any other group in Arcanis. Some good some bad lots of gray when you get down to it. Kind of like the real world.

I suspect it is because they have traditionally been shown as trying to be good, better than most other val families. But with their parentage unknown there is great concern about whether they may actually be secret black hats. Plus, with having access to all the powers of all the known families, what could they be doing?

Hmm I suspect the Elorii think that of ALL vals…

As a player though I am curious why the hate for the val’Holryn? They come across as no worse than any other group in Arcanis. Some good some bad lots of gray when you get down to it. Kind of like the real world.

I suspect it is because they have traditionally been shown as trying to be good, better than most other val families. But with their parentage unknown there is great concern about whether they may actually be secret black hats. Plus, with having access to all the powers of all the known families, what could they be doing?

Well they got that reputation for some reason. Also that aspect of having access to all the other val powers may be the result of something done to THEM rather than them doing unto others as it were. Just one more Arcanis mystery. Also both IC and OOC I tend to base my assessment of people on their individual actions rather than general reputation. While it might color my initial reaction; I’m willing to reserve judgment. That and I hate being a dick at the table. I want us all to have fun.

That said I would love to find out the truth behind the val family I play so often. One thing I love about Arcanis is finding out things that make you rethink your assumptions. Revelations like that are why I have stuck with this campaign for over 15 plus years!

Yig has plenty of mammalian followers via Anshar. But the (traditional) Temple of Yig is dominated by Ssanu and Yissera. They wouldn’t take a human as I understand it.

(I would also note that it’s been hinted that Yig prefers her reptilian followers to the pink skins.)

I can’t see the Matriarchy of the Fire Dragon/Kassegore taking human acolytes, ever. Nor should humans generally want to. Fire Dragon is Nier…right?

Jeggal Sag is a more interesting question, but given that it was Valinor who put him in the mound I don’t think he’s too hot on the children of the Imperium.

Disciple of Jeggal Sag says that it is open to any ssethric race. Obviously this is essentially true, but my character has received some education in the teachings of Jeggal Sag (from a PC disciple). Though I have not dedicated myself to him, it was implied that the Shaman of Jeggal Sag would be open to a convert and if I would pledge myself I could become one.

That raises the question of non ssethric converts, not just to Jeggal Sag, but also possibly of the fire dragon. While I understand these would essentially be unique circumstances, I could see someone who regularly gets saved by BEAST, say, converting to the fire dragon despite not being a ssethric race.

Are the ssethric gods open to mammalian worshippers, and just as importantly, our their clergy open to teaching them? My opinion has always been probably no for the Fire Dragon (or at least his church) and probably yes for Jeggal Sag (if you consider that worship) since they seem a pretty open organization; but based on these rules I’m inclined to say no for both.

Can you tell us the church’s viewpoint on converts? If Jeggal Sag is open to converts, would it be appropriate to change the racial requirements for the path?

You seem to be showing a major misunderstanding how a shaman’s pact works. They do not simply ‘worship’ the primal beings and spirits who grant them their power, the forge PACTS with them. As such, simply ‘worshiping’ Jeggal Sag does absolutely nothing, and for one of his followers to teach you their spells means literally nothing because it is Jeggal Sag who provides the power, and the shaman is merely a conduit. In terms of Jeggal Sag being ‘open to converts’, as it stands right now there are no known examples of non-Ssethrics joining the Cult. The ssethrics tend to be VERY isolationist on their religion (read the Black Talon section for an example), and the Cult is that: a cult. It is a closed society of like-minded people who worship Jeggal Sag and make deals with him for magical abilities.

In terms of beings like Kassegore and the Fire Dragon, we know that non-ssethrics CAN worship them, just like we know that non-humans can worship the Pantheon of Man (dwarves, Ashen Hides, etc). The issue with how divine spells work is “who will teach you?” These are cants, which means they are rituals learned by rote and not gifted by the Gods. As such, you can worship Illiir all you want, but if nobody teaches you how to cast His spells, you can’t do much. This matter is complicated further by the rather. . . sensitive views a lot of these churches have for ‘foreign’ Gods. A Black Talon worshiping Hurrian is likely to get a firm talking to by the Ssethric Inquisitors of the Fire Dragon.

Honestly, I don’t expect gods to care.

I should point out: Illiir tends to be EXTREMELY protective about humans, and seems to give very little care to other races as was seen by cursing the dwarves. It appears that at least some of the Gods do care about who worships them, and places some higher than others for whatever reasons they may have.

Well, yes he is very protective of humans, but he lets pretty much anyone worship him, right? We know of at least 4 distinct races that have worshipped him, and only one of those is human.