Difference between revisions of "Olman (Greyhawk)"

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The culturally dominant people thousands of years ago, in an age where gods where more inhuman and less good than today. The Olman eventually abandoned their empire and left their gods for shamanism. Today they live in semi-barbarism, often exploited by other peoples.
 
The culturally dominant people thousands of years ago, in an age where gods where more inhuman and less good than today. The Olman eventually abandoned their empire and left their gods for shamanism. Today they live in semi-barbarism, often exploited by other peoples.
  
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||Ciuacoatl |||Snake woman ||| Lesser ||| CE ||| Childbirth, Ghosts, Hunger ||| Lust, Undeath, Hunger, Pestilence
 
||Ciuacoatl |||Snake woman ||| Lesser ||| CE ||| Childbirth, Ghosts, Hunger ||| Lust, Undeath, Hunger, Pestilence
 
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||Huhueteotl |||Aged god |||Greater ||| LN ||| Fire, Home, Hope, Rebirth ||| Fire, Pact, Protection, Renewal, Mysticism
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||Huhueteotl |||Aged god |||Intermediate ||| LN ||| Fire, Home, Hope, Rebirth ||| Fire, Pact, Protection, Renewal, Mysticism
 
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|-
 
||Huitzilopochtli|||Hummingbird of the South ||| Lesser ||| LE ||| War, Youth, South ||| Strength, Celerity, Pride, Mysticism, Sun
 
||Huitzilopochtli|||Hummingbird of the South ||| Lesser ||| LE ||| War, Youth, South ||| Strength, Celerity, Pride, Mysticism, Sun
 
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||Mictlantecuhtli|||Lord of Mictlan ||| Greater ||| LE ||| Death, North ||| Darkness, Death, Deathbound, Mysticism
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||Mictlantecuhtli|||Lord of Mictlan ||| Intermediate ||| LE ||| Death, North ||| Darkness, Death, Deathbound, Mysticism
 
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||Quezalcoatl|||Plumed serpent ||| Greater  ||| N ||| Air, Knowledge, Warriors||| Air, Knowledge, Nobility, Travel, Mysticism
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||Quezalcoatl|||Plumed serpent ||| Intermediate ||| N ||| Air, Knowledge, Warriors||| Air, Knowledge, Nobility, Travel, Mysticism
 
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||Tezcatlipoca |||Smoking mirror ||| Greater ||| CE ||| Jaguars, Obsidian, Strife, Sorcery ||| Oracle, Magic, Trickery, Darkness, Mysticism
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||Tezcatlipoca |||Smoking mirror ||| Intermediate ||| CE ||| Jaguars, Obsidian, Strife, Sorcery ||| Oracle, Magic, Trickery, Darkness, Mysticism
 
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||Tlaloc ||| ||| Greater ||| LE ||| Rain, Storms, Fertility ||| Water, Mysticism, Storm, Plant, Slime
 
||Tlaloc ||| ||| Greater ||| LE ||| Rain, Storms, Fertility ||| Water, Mysticism, Storm, Plant, Slime

Revision as of 10:32, 8 July 2007

GreyhawkGreyhawk Arms

The culturally dominant people thousands of years ago, in an age where gods where more inhuman and less good than today. The Olman eventually abandoned their empire and left their gods for shamanism. Today they live in semi-barbarism, often exploited by other peoples.

Real-World Model

Native American

Alignment

Olman goods are almost universally evil, and often chaotic. This makes even good Olman societies seem cruel and bloodthirsty to others. Good Olman submit to the demands of these gods while trying to make the best they can of life. Evil Olman relish their gods' lust for blood and pain and often advance in their service, attaining high social rank even in a society that is not otherwise evil. An Olman high court can be very evil and cruel, yet administer a prosperous land where many people lead good lives.

Cultural Traits

Fatalism, Piety, Grandiosity, Tradition

Practices

Incest, Nudity, Sadomasochism.

Taboos

Promiscuity.

Family

Conventional, group marriage, or theogamus. Strictly regulated by tradition. Matrilinear. Barbarian tribes tend to Conventional marriages or polygamy.

Magic

Olman magic is graphic and ceremonial, seeking to impress and terrorize as much as possible. Their gods rarely grant protective or healing spells. They lack wizards or bards, and their sorcerers find themselves gifted with destructive spells that affect large areas.

Pantheon

The Olman pantheon is dominated by evil gods who demand human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism, yet their society is not evil. These gods are tolerant of worshipers of other alignments, as long as they proper sacrifices are made. Good people can support such a society (but cannot be priests of evil gods or perform sacrifices) because it maintains the social order and the continued existence of the world. Clerics can have any alignment that is not in opposition to their patron, not just the one-step difference common to other clerics.

Most Olman today have rebelled against the demands of their cruel gods and live in small primitive communities allied to local spirits. However, it seems such tribes cannot advance and build cities without help. Olman who subjugate themselves to foreign gods tend to either misinterpret their teachings to be as cruel as those of their own gods, or to lose their Olman identity and be assimilated. Olmans generally think foreign gods are merely their own gods in disguise.

The Olmec world passes through ages where different gods claim domination. The gods gather at the end of each age to renew the sun and select a ruler amongst themselves. The current sun god is Camazotz, god of bats, but he was not strong enough to make the other gods sacrifice (and thus renew) themselves at the beginning of the age; thus all the Olman gods are currently weakened and their empires have fallen. Previous suns include Tezcaltipoca, Quezalcoatl, Huhueteotl, and Chalchiuhtlicue.

Name Translation Rank Alignment Sphere Domains
Camaxtli Cloud serpent Lesser N Hunting, War, Fate, East, Stars Animal, Fire, Fate, War
Camazotz Lesser CE Bats, Insects, Sun Animal, Cavern, Dream, Trickery
Chalchiuhtlicue She of the Jade Skirt Lesser CG Water, Childbirth, Fertility Water, Creation, Earth, Plant
Ciuacoatl Snake woman Lesser CE Childbirth, Ghosts, Hunger Lust, Undeath, Hunger, Pestilence
Huhueteotl Aged god Intermediate LN Fire, Home, Hope, Rebirth Fire, Pact, Protection, Renewal, Mysticism
Huitzilopochtli Hummingbird of the South Lesser LE War, Youth, South Strength, Celerity, Pride, Mysticism, Sun
Mictlantecuhtli Lord of Mictlan Intermediate LE Death, North Darkness, Death, Deathbound, Mysticism
Quezalcoatl Plumed serpent Intermediate N Air, Knowledge, Warriors Air, Knowledge, Nobility, Travel, Mysticism
Tezcatlipoca Smoking mirror Intermediate CE Jaguars, Obsidian, Strife, Sorcery Oracle, Magic, Trickery, Darkness, Mysticism
Tlaloc Greater LE Rain, Storms, Fertility Water, Mysticism, Storm, Plant, Slime
Tlazolteotl Eater of filth Lesser CE Sin, Forgiveness, Sex Domination, Illusion, Lust, Charm
Toci Grandmother Greater N Nature Animal, Earth, Plant, Gluttony
Xipe Totec The flayed one Lesser LE Suffering, Renewal, Spring Renewal, Earth, Suffering, Plant
Xochipilli Flower prince Lesser CN Love, Games, Beauty, Dance, Flowers Plant, Competition, Charm, Courage
Yacatectli God of the nose Lesser CE Merchants Greed, Travel, Protection, Trickery