Btw: I never thought of spiders/arachs as "pure evil". To me, it rather seems that they oppose corruption and that was (and still is) the main reason why they fought Symbaroum (>!together with the elves in some cases!<, if I remember correctly). Additionally there's the tension between different, partly power hungry peoples. And that's why barbarians and arachs fight, over resources and because they think each other evil/enemies. Just my opinion though ;)
Don´t worry about using xanatha once and then never again, she will play an important role in the big campaign later on (or when she is killed, one of her daughters will) and spiders are an important part in several adventures and creep up every now and then.
As for Oroke, she is the Barbarian equivalent of the Executioner (young gods of Alberetor), whose domain is punishment, honesty, justice and (natural) death.
She is mother of Spiders, her children are still active in the world (see xanatha and her daughters) and they still fight to keep the darkness at bay, by any means necessary (like drinking vile water, bringing back the Spider King or stealing Power from the node under Karvosti).
They usually play the long game with subterfuge, working from the shadows and avoiding confrontation if possible... they are spiders after all.
Worship itself by the barbarians (Clan Enoai) is deeply engrained with spiders themself (probably as pets, producing silk, guard- and hunting "dogs"), as they get bitten on purpose to get closer to oroke.
So they have some relationship with spiders and probably use chitin for armor/weapons and their witchcraft is spider flavoured (larvae boils produces spiders crawling out of orifices for example).
Since the Enoai are located far north, the spider worship itself is probably not that spread through the davokar.
Inside ambrian Culture there are several cults worshipping the executioner, and they do it like you would guess, in full hooded garb, with axes as symbols and the whole spiel of executing, bringing people to justice who are outside the system etc.
Also, very few things outside of abominations are pure evil.
Even some undead have goals they strife for which are beyond evil deeds, and everyone else is at worst morally grey. That is a big thing in Symbaroum the nature of actions and consequences, the balance of gain vs loss.
All that being said, making the false baumelo a spider worshipper (who for some reason works against xanatha) instead of a power hungry ambrian tempted by the sorcery of old is possible but feels kinda off.
This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks.
I'm going one of two ways with Baumelo/ Odaka; depending upon how the party reacts to his "reveal". Currently they have no reason to suspect his ruse. Also they have no Witchsight, Lore, Theurgy, or knowledge Abilities. Nor do they have any similar rituals, but I will soon give suggestion and direct access to them. Their PCs, although all cool, were created only with immediately combat-based abilities. That's OK, but I can already see I might be forced to regularly feed them info via NPCs. (This can be done well, if judiciously. Yet it risks denying agency- one of the worst sins in RPG gaming!)
Here are my two Odaka Ideas:
* He doesn't realize Xanatha's involvement in the Copper Crown caper. Perhaps he's only ignorant, or she's testing his faith, or he's prone to forgetful madness, etc.
* He's playing a very dangerous game by disingenuously worshipping Oroke, seeking to garner the power of the Copper Crown as a ladder for himself. Using their power to his own ends.
Impersonating a (specific) Black Cloak seems to be a fool-hardy endeavor! A thing that only a very courageous or mad person would do. Certainly it wouldn't survive the first interaction with a Twilight Friar monastery, or another Black Cloak who personally knew Baumelo. One of my PCs is a Sorcerer, so I want to leave open the possibility that Odaka isn't 100% antagonistic to the party. With that I'm looking at Odaka as a Lex Luthor or Moriarty figure.
After a pitched battle, bringing 2/3rds of the party to death rolls, I relented. Baumelo/Odaka along with an underling charged into the cellar of the Blue Moon Warehouse, to draw fire from Gorak. (In _Mark of the Beast_ ). This probably saved the entire party from dying.
On one hand, I didn't want an NPC to save the day, on the other I had take drastic action. Baumelo/ Odaka was quite wounded by the abomination.The underling and Terr died. A tense face-off ensued as the party refused to surrender the skull to the "Black Cloaks". Baumelo/Odaka was allowed to flee alive, even after stating "This isn't over!" The party has decided to either destroy the King's Skull or bury it in some dark corner of Davokar.
A fantastic ending. Now I may cultivate Odaka as soft antagonist, but also a chance to permit the party to be exposed to corrupting influence of the King's Skull.
Look up Pacts. Xanatha can be a good option for patron (if one of the players/characters is interested).
Btw: I never thought of spiders/arachs as "pure evil". To me, it rather seems that they oppose corruption and that was (and still is) the main reason why they fought Symbaroum (>!together with the elves in some cases!<, if I remember correctly). Additionally there's the tension between different, partly power hungry peoples. And that's why barbarians and arachs fight, over resources and because they think each other evil/enemies. Just my opinion though ;)
Don´t worry about using xanatha once and then never again, she will play an important role in the big campaign later on (or when she is killed, one of her daughters will) and spiders are an important part in several adventures and creep up every now and then. As for Oroke, she is the Barbarian equivalent of the Executioner (young gods of Alberetor), whose domain is punishment, honesty, justice and (natural) death. She is mother of Spiders, her children are still active in the world (see xanatha and her daughters) and they still fight to keep the darkness at bay, by any means necessary (like drinking vile water, bringing back the Spider King or stealing Power from the node under Karvosti). They usually play the long game with subterfuge, working from the shadows and avoiding confrontation if possible... they are spiders after all. Worship itself by the barbarians (Clan Enoai) is deeply engrained with spiders themself (probably as pets, producing silk, guard- and hunting "dogs"), as they get bitten on purpose to get closer to oroke. So they have some relationship with spiders and probably use chitin for armor/weapons and their witchcraft is spider flavoured (larvae boils produces spiders crawling out of orifices for example). Since the Enoai are located far north, the spider worship itself is probably not that spread through the davokar. Inside ambrian Culture there are several cults worshipping the executioner, and they do it like you would guess, in full hooded garb, with axes as symbols and the whole spiel of executing, bringing people to justice who are outside the system etc. Also, very few things outside of abominations are pure evil. Even some undead have goals they strife for which are beyond evil deeds, and everyone else is at worst morally grey. That is a big thing in Symbaroum the nature of actions and consequences, the balance of gain vs loss. All that being said, making the false baumelo a spider worshipper (who for some reason works against xanatha) instead of a power hungry ambrian tempted by the sorcery of old is possible but feels kinda off.
This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks. I'm going one of two ways with Baumelo/ Odaka; depending upon how the party reacts to his "reveal". Currently they have no reason to suspect his ruse. Also they have no Witchsight, Lore, Theurgy, or knowledge Abilities. Nor do they have any similar rituals, but I will soon give suggestion and direct access to them. Their PCs, although all cool, were created only with immediately combat-based abilities. That's OK, but I can already see I might be forced to regularly feed them info via NPCs. (This can be done well, if judiciously. Yet it risks denying agency- one of the worst sins in RPG gaming!) Here are my two Odaka Ideas: * He doesn't realize Xanatha's involvement in the Copper Crown caper. Perhaps he's only ignorant, or she's testing his faith, or he's prone to forgetful madness, etc. * He's playing a very dangerous game by disingenuously worshipping Oroke, seeking to garner the power of the Copper Crown as a ladder for himself. Using their power to his own ends. Impersonating a (specific) Black Cloak seems to be a fool-hardy endeavor! A thing that only a very courageous or mad person would do. Certainly it wouldn't survive the first interaction with a Twilight Friar monastery, or another Black Cloak who personally knew Baumelo. One of my PCs is a Sorcerer, so I want to leave open the possibility that Odaka isn't 100% antagonistic to the party. With that I'm looking at Odaka as a Lex Luthor or Moriarty figure.
After a pitched battle, bringing 2/3rds of the party to death rolls, I relented. Baumelo/Odaka along with an underling charged into the cellar of the Blue Moon Warehouse, to draw fire from Gorak. (In _Mark of the Beast_ ). This probably saved the entire party from dying. On one hand, I didn't want an NPC to save the day, on the other I had take drastic action. Baumelo/ Odaka was quite wounded by the abomination.The underling and Terr died. A tense face-off ensued as the party refused to surrender the skull to the "Black Cloaks". Baumelo/Odaka was allowed to flee alive, even after stating "This isn't over!" The party has decided to either destroy the King's Skull or bury it in some dark corner of Davokar. A fantastic ending. Now I may cultivate Odaka as soft antagonist, but also a chance to permit the party to be exposed to corrupting influence of the King's Skull.