hobbygamers ~ View topic

Well, Jaykie's timeline is getting a lot of work right now, but here's an idea I've been mulling over the past two days.

The Redeemers

Not all of mortality turned against their gods. Not all the gods were reviled and betrayed by their flocks. These brave few sided with the gods and the Loyalists at Kal Dathra. They fought like lions, and died at the sides of their masters, but in the end. they lost. Kal Dathra shattered creation, and with it, the world of the Faithful. Many among the Faithful lost hope and the will to live, preferring to meet oblivion rather than face a world without the certainty and purpose that the divine once gave to their very existence.

But a number prevailed and kept their faith. Year after year, they implored the heavens with their prayers. They were never answered. Deep in their hearts, the servants of the Old Gods knew that their masters were dead, but they also knew this: with the power of the divine, even the dead might rise again.

Then came the discovery that they believed was the answer to their prayers: the Godstones. With these artifacts, they could once again harness the power of the divine. Perhaps, they might even be able to resurrect the Elder Gods.

Now, the various Redeemer cults and nations have been galvanized and given purpose. Launching great crusades in search of godstones and proselytizing of the wonders of the Golden Age before the Mortality betrayed the Gods, the Redeemers seek to turn back the clock in an attempt to banish the present dark times and return to the Golden Age.

Sample Redeemer Nation: The Sithari.

The Sithari are descended from the mortal flocks of Sithar, the Shining Lord, deity of the sun. A relatively benevolent master, Sithar only demanded absolute loyalty from his children, and in return, the light shone down, warm, comforting, and nurturing on his children. Those few who turned away from his service however were unfailingly struck down by the searing light of his wrath. During the Godfall War, Sithar was among the most terrible warleaders of the Gods, ensuring always the his light would burn and scorch the Liberators and their "Free" battle-thralls, while the daystar's warmth gave heart to those loyal to the divine. In the end however, even with all his power, Sithar was struck down. At the moment of the Daystar's fall, darkness cloaked all of Creation as the sun itself was snuffed out. Days later, the battle of Kal Dathra would be fought by the light of molten rock and the embers of smoldering corpses.

At the moment of Sithar's death, the Sithari fell into collective mourning. Refusing the summons of the other Loyalists and Faithful, the Sithari withdrew to their homelands, where there was "much wailing and gnashing of teeth". These Faithful needed only look skyward into the infinite darkness to find a reminder of their loss.

Post-Godfall

The Sithari's mourning ended up saving the majority of their tribe. Absent from ground zero at Kal Dathra, the Sithari suffered only the mildest (though still titanic) effects of the death of the High God. Still, the children of the Daystar were faced with the challenge of surviving in a world devoid their divine master, who once provided nearly everything to his loyal people. Seeing the plight of his people and the inevitable death that the fall of eternal night would bring, the High Lightbringer, the eldest Mortal priest of the Daystar, called for a great crusade seeking out any relics of the Daystar that might give comfort and succor to the Sithari.

Months passed before the Sithari brought forth a Godstone to the Lightbringer Council, a feat in itself, as the crusaders themselves had to find, secure, and transport the relic amidst storms of fire and great rifts from which cthonian horrors harried and pursued them.

Godstone

For hours, the Lightbringers sought to coax power out of the Godstone, to no avail. The Council grew weary of trying to unleash the relic's power, all save the High Lightbringer. Finally one of the Councilors, exasperated, told the Lightbringer to give up. "Sithar is dead and gone! He has fallen and will not return!" Enraged by this apostasy, the High Lightbringer attacked the Council in a murderous rage, striking down the other four Councilors. When the red haze cleared, the High Lightbringer stood before the blood-spattered stone and felt...something...flicker within the stone, a faint but familiar resonance of the power that Sithar once allowed the Lightbringer to channel. Try as he might, the Lightbringer received no answers from his prayers to Sithar, but even still, he felt a power very much like Sithar's flowing through him.

The Lightbringer declared to the Sithari that Sithar would return, but first, a price must be paid for Mortality's betrayal of the Gods. The Lightbringer calls for a great crusade against the Liberators and the Free survivors. Within days, the frenzied raiding nets a hundred captives. The Sithari bring them before the Lightbringer, and calling out the glories of Sithar Who Shall Return, the Lightbringer sacrifices the captives, pouring out their heartsfire on the Godstone.

And then...A miracle...

For the first time since the Fall of the Daystar...Fiat Lux! a ray of light pierces the darkened skies, and the Lightbringer stands at the center of it, the beatific expression on his face contrasting with blood soaking his robes and encrusted on his krisknife.

The Present

The Sithari are a people armed with a divine purpose. Sithar died during the godfall war, but they aim to bring him back to life. Where once, he was satisfied with the power provided by Mortal Faith, the treachery of the Secondborn has angered Sithar. Now, the Daystar demands the blood of the Betrayers as the price for the benevolent light that he once cast freely to Eternal, Mortal, plant, animal, and fae alike. Only when the sins of betrayal have been atoned for and the relics of the Daystar are found can Sithar return, and his Redeemer children dedicate their warrior existence towards providing as many sacrifices as possible in order to restore the power of the Daystar.

The Sithari eagerly quest for the return of their fallen master, and work towards this goal by Redeeming Creation, one bloody sacrifice at a time.

---
End fluff. Will post edits if I have internet time tomorrow.

Excellent work as always, Revan. I am much concerned about this one part, though:

On the name: yeah, I just needed to cook up something real fast. The idea was burning in my brain, I just needed a filler name up quick.

On the sun:
-Yeah, I guess it didn't go out, it just went bloody hell berserk. Dim, to searing, to chill, or what have you.

On the High Lightbringer:
-I originally thought him up as some sort of mortal priest, but it also works fine with him as an Eternal.
-Attempts to regulate the wild solar storms through blood sacrifice, channeling the power of the (Sithari) Godstone.

We really need to change the name soon, or it'll start to stick...

Ideas?

Sithar .... hmmm...

Wanag? SHort for Liwanagin. Liwanagi. Wanagin.
Silaw? Silawi
Kabulag? Nakakabulag. Kabulagi.

Silaw works for me. Give it some accent. Throw in titles like High Silaw or Lord Silaw and I'm sold. Very Happy

We're turning this one Pinoy, too, then? Hmm, how about Sinag? Sinag'Kaoley? Or something...

Maybe on global naming we can use mixed conventions. Pinoy, starwars, greek, roman, chinese, greyhawk, etc. On themed places/groups/factions/nations/ we can stick to single convention.

If I understand this correctly, The Sithari is a redeemer faction/nation. Am I right? What would be the opposite of redeemers?

I still have no name for them, but they will be thew ideological descendants of the Liberators. They believe that so long as the Secondborn shackle themselves to the old gods, even to their dead relics, they will never achieve true freedom from divine tyranny. They seek the destruction of all godstones and divine relics.

"We are the inheritors of the Liberator Dream. You've got two strong legs, girl, stand up and use them instead of kneeling!"

Somewhere in between are the societies using godstones as means to temporal power.

Liberators sound cool. Very Happy

Liberators and Redeemers. Anymore? This would work interestingly with alignment system.

Btw, on the name change, I remember BJ sending me a bunch of name ideas a while back playing around with sun and sithari.

One seemed to stand out: Sinaghari or Sinagthari

Sinaghari for the daystar, and a name for his people?

What do you think guys?

I propose we centralize the Sinaghari faction. Something about blood-seeking holy men excite my creative thought.

agree and I propose: We call the campaign Sanduguan.

Things we still need:

*Fluff for characters wanting to become Nagthari
*CD feat for Sinaghari
*Possibly a Paragon Path
*A lingguistics sidebar on the difference between the terms Sinaghari, Sinagthari, and Nagthar/i.

*Last edited by erwin on Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:29 pm; edited 5 times in total*

Sinaghari CD feat idea:
_______________________________________________________________

Fanning the Flames
Fluff
Encounter * Divine, Fire
Free Action Range 10
Trigger: You or an ally hits an enemy in range with an attack that deals fire damage
Effect: The attack deals an extra 1d12 fire damage.
_______________________________________________________________

Burn!

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

EDITS:
erwinedit 01/01/09: changed from helping power to self power Twisted Evil

(major change)
erwinedit 01/01/09b: changed it so it can be used in conjunction with allies
erwinedit 01/01/09c: changed wording, credits to BJ.

I really like this one. Suggestions:

Trigger: A creature within range takes fire damage.

You can't synergize this with your own attacks, as you cant use an IR during your turn. As such, this will likely be triggered when a fire enemy (or allied wizard) attacks.

Target: A creature within 5 squares of the triggering creature

I just thought it'd feel better this way.

Glad you liked it Very Happy

I actually had that in mind, Immediate actions are not available in your turn. So you have to rely on others attack, or if you/somebody else dealt the target ongoing fire Wink

It was suppose to be "when an enemy take ongoing fire damage" (thus got the name Fanning the Flames) but it was to restrictive, so I just changed it to "when an enemy takes fire damage".

Make the flame bigger, eh? Hmm... It's going to be very difficult to pull off, but I guess your way works. Very Happy

There, a CD feat. Razz

For those thinking of making a PP for the Sinagthari, I suggest checking out the Thay Infiltrator, p36 of Dragon 370. It makes for an interesting case.

I was thinking of something along the lines of Spellscarred savant, in that it feels like PMulticlassing in the form of a PPath. The idea is to have a hunter (ranger) who uses divine power as tools to hunt his quarry.

*throws in random idea*

Godshard Bow (Level 15+?)
Weapon: Bow or Crossbow
Enhancement: attack and Damage Rolls
Critical: +1d8 radiant damage per plus
Property: You may use this weapon as an implement for your prayers. Do not add the weapon's proficiency bonus to attack rolls when using it as an implement.
Power (Daily, Usable only if attuned to a Sinaghari Godstone): Minor Action. Choose an expended encounter power you know with the Fire or Radiant keyword. You regain the use of that power until the end of the encounter.

^The first of many godshard weapons. What do you think?

Editing time. I've incorporated some name changes myself on the Approved Section, but I've refrained from changing stuff like sentence structure and such and such.

Tech requirements:

-Godshard weapon concepts:
*flameblades (ala kris, flamberge)
*spears/arrows (ala shaft of light, sunbeam) optional.

-PP and rewording of "Fan the Flames" care of BB (PM/YM me when this is done so fluff can be worked in)

-2 low-heroic monsters, one a Sinaghari hunter/slaver, the other, a Sinaghari Firebrand (low-level artillery/leader). damage types tend toward fire or radiant.

*Last edited by Revan on Wed Apr 22, 2009 9:44 am; edited 4 times in total*

ARTICLE DRAFT (Phase 1, consolidating existing material)

Children of the Fallen Sun: The Sinagthari

Outline:
DONE:
-Redeemers
-The Sinaghari
-The Lightbringer
-The Heart of Fire
-The Present Day
(IN PROGRESS)
*Sidebar: Sunstorms
-Sinaghari NPCs
*The Priests
*The Hunters
-Playing the Sinaghari

(Cover Art here)

Redeemers

Not all of mortality turned against their gods. Not all the gods were reviled and betrayed by their flocks. These brave few sided with the gods and the Loyalists at the Battle of the Shadowed Mount. They fought like lions, and died at the sides of their masters, but in the end, they lost. The Song of Destruction shattered Creation, and with it, the world of the Faithful. Many among the Faithful lost hope and the will to live, preferring to meet oblivion rather than face a world without the certainty and purpose that the divine once gave to their existence.

But a number prevailed and kept their faith. Year after year, they implored the heavens with their prayers. They were never answered. Deep in their hearts, the servants of the Old Gods knew that their masters were dead, but they also knew this: with the power of the divine, even the dead could rise again.

Then came the discovery that they believed was the answer to their prayers: the Godstones. With these artifacts, they could once again harness the power of the divine. Perhaps, they might even be able to resurrect the Elder Gods.

Now, the various Redeemer cults and nations have been galvanized and given purpose. Launching great crusades in search of Godstones and proselytizing of the wonders of the Golden Age before the Secondborn betrayed the Gods, the Redeemers seek to turn back the clock. They dream of the day when they can banish the present dark times and return to the Golden Age of the Divine Imperium.

SIDEBAR: Terminology: Sinaghari, Sinagthari, and Nagthari
Sinaghari is the name of the Shining Lord of the Daystar, god of the sun. In his honor, his people took his name as their own, using the name Sinagthari. The vulgar term Nagthari or Nagthar is frequently used as a contraction or verbal shorthand for their proper name.

The Sinagthari.

The Sinagthari are descended from the mortal flocks of Sinaghari, the Shining Lord of the Daystar, the god of the sun. A relatively benevolent master, Sinaghari only demanded absolute loyalty from his children, and in return, the light shone down, warm, comforting, and nurturing. Those few who turned away from his service however were unfailingly struck down by the searing light of his wrath. During the Godfall War, Sinaghari was among the most terrible warleaders of the Gods, ensuring always that his light would burn and scorch the Liberators and their "Free" battle-thralls, while the Daystar's warmth gave heart to those loyal to the divine. In the end however, even with all his power, Sinaghari was struck down. At the moment of the Shining Lord’s fall, the sun went mad. Without the guiding hand of the Sinaghari, the Daystar would dance madly between blazing fury and chill darkness. At times, the sun would pulse unchecked with power, raining down with pillars of elemental fire. Other days, the sun would smoulder, a weak and guttering cinder in the skies of Creation. The Battle of the Shadowed Mount would be fought under the pulsing madness of the Wild Sun.

At the moment of Sinaghari’s death, the Nagthari fell into collective mourning. Refusing the summons of the other Loyalists and Faithful, the Sinagthari withdrew to their homelands, wailing in grief. These Faithful needed only look skyward into the baleful fury of the Wild Sun to find a reminder of their loss.

The Heart of Fire

The Nagthari's mourning ended up saving the majority of their tribe. Absent from ground zero at the Shadowed Mount, the Sinagthari suffered only the mildest (though still titanic) effects of the Song of Destruction. Still, the children of the Daystar were faced with the challenge of surviving in a world devoid of their divine master, who once provided nearly everything to his loyal people. Seeing the plight of his people and the inevitable death that the Wild Sun would bring, the High Lightbringer, the last surviving exarch of the Daystar, called for a great crusade seeking out any relics of the Daystar that might give comfort and succour to the Sinagthari.

For a century, the Nagthari’s greatest champions scoured the devastated face of Creation in an attempt to find anything that would give hope to their people. At home, though the priests of the Shining Lord tried to keep up the faith of the Sinagthari remnant, their authority began to weaken as the memory of the Shining Lord began to fade. Currents of unrest began to spread across the people, focused on the High Lightbringer and what many saw as his tyrannical rule.

And then came the news that the Lightbringer had awaited. After great trial and tribulation, a band of the Nagthari’s finest warriors had come to the Burnt Lands, the place where legend held that the Sinaghari himself had fallen. There, they had found a titanic crystal that flickered with inner fire. The Lightbringer recognized within the crystal a flicker of the astral fire that the Shining Lord once wielded. He named the stone the Heart of Fire.

For hours, the Lightbringer and the remaining Nagthari clerics sought to coax power out of the Godstone, to no avail. The Council grew weary of trying to unleash the relic's power, all save the High Lightbringer. Finally one of the Councilors, exasperated, told the Lightbringer to give up. "Sinaghari is dead and gone! He has fallen and will not return!" Enraged by this apostasy, the High Lightbringer attacked the Council in a murderous rage, striking down the other four Councilors. When the red haze cleared, the High Lightbringer stood before the blood-spattered stone and felt...something...flicker within the stone, a faint but familiar resonance of the power that Sinaghari once allowed the Lightbringer to channel. Try as he might, the Lightbringer received no answers from his prayers to Sinaghari, but even still, he felt a power very much like the Shining Lord's flowing through him.

The Lightbringer declared to the Nagthari that the Shining Lord would return, but first, a price must be paid for Mortality's betrayal of the Gods. The Lightbringer called for a great crusade against the Liberators and the Free survivors. Within days, the frenzied raiding netted a hundred captives. The Nagthari brought them before the Lightbringer, as the Daystar guttered weakly in the sky. Calling out the glories of Sinaghari Who Shall Return, the Lightbringer sacrificed the captives, pouring out their heartsfire on the Godstone.

And then came the miracle.

As blood poured out onto the Heart of Fire, a ray of divine fire lanced upwards from the stone, giving life to the flickering ashes of the Daystar. For the first time in a century, the light of the Daystar shined bright, warm, and benevolent upon the surface of Creation. The blazing beacon of fire slowly faded away, and floating above the Heart of Fire was the High Lightbringer, resplendent once more and glowing in near-forgotten divine radiance, its beatific aspect contrasting with the blood soaking its robes and encrusted on its flame-bladed knife.

The Present

The Sinagthari are a people armed with a divine purpose. The Shining Lord died during the Godfall war, but they aim to bring him back to life. Once, Sinaghari was satisfied with the power provided by mortal faith, but the treachery of the Secondborn angered Sinaghari. Now, the Daystar demands the blood of the Betrayers as the price for the benevolent light that he once cast freely to Eternal, and Mortal alike.Only when the sins of betrayal have been atoned for and the relics of the Daystar are found can Sinaghari return, and his Redeemer children dedicate their existence towards providing as many sacrifices as possible in order to restore the power of the Daystar.

Once, the Nagthari were a peaceful and benevolent people under the stern guidance of the Shining Lord, but the Godfall changed all that. If the order and peace of the divine is to be restored to creation, they believe that they must harden their hearts for war. The Nagthari eagerly quest for the return of their fallen master, and work towards this goal by Redeeming Creation, one bloody sacrifice at a time.

***

Comments on the fluff and stylistics would be appreciated. This is simply a consolidation of existing material so far.

TO DO:
-SIDEBAR: The Wild Sun (fluff, and a basic sunstorm mechanic)
-Sinaghari NPCs (Hunters and Priests etc. Primarily fluff, but requesting 2 nagthari monsters as above)
-Playing the Sinaghari (Culture, philosophy, appearance, and technical aspects, feats, PP, items)

Wasn't sure where to put this... please move to appropriate thread, if necessary.

----------------------

Paragon Path: Nagthar Illuminator

Prerequisite: Cleric class, must be attuned to a Sinaghari godstone

Nagthar Illuminator Path Features

Enfeebling Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you may also choose one enemy within 10 squares of you. That enemy is weakened until the end of your next turn
Radiant Invigoration (11th level): Whenever you use a cleric power that has the healing keyword, choose one ally that was healed by that cleric power. You may deal radiant damage equal to your Wisdom modifier to one enemy within 3 squares of the chosen ally.
Vengeful Illumination(16th level): When you are bloodied, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls when you use a power with the radiant keyword.

Nagthar Illuminator Prayers

Blood for Blood Nagthar Illuminator Attack 11
You call upon the Daystar to aid you in an act of vengeance. Bands of light descend from the sky and entrap your foe, ready to receive whatever punishment you see fit.
Encounter <> Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: An enemy that has hit you with an attack this encounter
Attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
Hit: 3d8 + Wisdom modifier, and you slide the target a number of squares equal to your Charisma modifier. Then the target is restrained until the end of your next turn.

Into the Light Nagthar Illuminator Utility 12
The light of the Daystar shines upon your foes, revealing all things hidden in the area.
Daily <> Divine
Minor Action Close burst 20
Target: Each enemy in burst
Effect: The target is visible until the end of your next turn

Sun That Never Sets Nagthar Illuminator Attack 20
A quick vision of the Daystar flares in your foes' eyes, the scorching heat beating down upon their faces. The horrid memory is etched into their minds, making them more susceptible to your attacks.
Daily <> Divine, Fire, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action Area burst 5 within 5
Target: Each enemy in the burst
Attack: Wisdom vs. Will
Hit: 4d10 + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is blinded until the end of your next turn.
Effect: For the rest of the encounter, whenever you hit the target with an attack, you deal additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

---------------------------

New Paragon Tier Feat

Sinaghari's Wrath
Prerequisites: Channel Divinity class feature, must be attuned to a Sinaghari godstone
Benefit: You can invoke the power of the godstone to use Sinaghari's Wrath.
Channel Divinity: Sinaghari's Wrath Feat Power
Encounter <> Divine, Fire, Radiant
Free Action Ranged 10
Trigger: You or an ally hits an enemy with an attack
Effect: The attack deals an additional 1d8 damage, and all damage dealt by the attack is both fire and radiant.

New Material (Slip in immediately after the existing fluff)

SIDEBAR: The Wild Sun

Without the guiding hand of Sinaghari, the Daystar has become a wild, near-uncontrollable force of nature. Unless the Nagthari deliver regular sacrifices to the Heart of Fire, the Daystar fluctuates between powerful Sunstorms or the chill darkness of the Long Nights. Sunstorms are wild deluges of elemental fire raining down from the Daystar. The Long Nights are exactly that, periods of night and day when the Daystar gutters like a weak cinder in the cold sky.

DMs may wish to incorporate these fantastic phenomena as skill challenges, with a sample Sunstorm skill challenge presented below:

Mild Sunstorm (Level 3 Skill Challenge, Complexity 3)
Pillars of elemental flame lance down from the Daystar. The party must seek shelter or weave through the heart of the storm.
Primary Skills:
-Nature: Search for shelter such as a cave or rock formation (DC 16, one success only, unlocks Athletics, on failure, lose a healing surge)
-Arcana or Religion: Read the patterns of the sunstorm so that you can evade the pillars of fire(DC 16, one success only, unlocks Acrobatics, on a failure, lose a healing surge)
-Athletics: Run for cover (DC 11, unlocked after a successful Nature check, on a failure, the player loses a healing surge as he is struck by elemental fire)
-Acrobatics: Dodge the flames (DC 11, unlocked after a successful Arcana or Religion check, on failure, lose a healing surge)
Support Skills:
-Perception, Arcana or Religion: Warn your partymates of incoming flames (DC 11, provide a +2 bonus to the next character's Acrobatics or Athletics roll)
-Nature: Find the easiest path to the shelter (DC 11, +2 to next Athletics roll)
Complications:
-At the beginning of each round, the flames randomly threaten a character. If that character cannot make an Acrobatics DC 11 check, then he or she loses a healing surge

Success: The characters reach a safe spot to ride out the sunstorm, or miraculously weave their way through the pillars of fire. They may continue unmolested.
Failure: Scorched by radiant pillars of flame, the characters are driven off course, or may encounter others seeking shelter from the flames. Whether these other refugees are hostile or friendly is up to the DM.
//END SIDEBAR

Sinagthari NPCs

The Sinagthari are not organized along racial lines. Any sentient may join their ranks so long as they display proper reverence to the memory of the Shining Lord and respect the theocratic leaders of the Sinaghari. Besides the playable races detailed in the PHB, other races such as orcs and hobgoblins occasionally submit to the will of the Lightbringers. There are even rumors of red dragons who have been given honorary rank among the priests of the Shining Lord.

Outside of the Sinagthari homelands, PCs are likely to encounter two kinds of Nagthari: Priests and Hunters.

The Priests
Members of the priestly castes hold a high position within Sinagthari society. Serving as leaders, agents, and envoys, the priests serve as the voice of the High Lightbringer and the theocratic rulers of the Nagthari. The majority of these priests hold the title of Firebrand or Lightbringer.

Firebrands form the majority of the priestly caste. They serve as leaders of communities, preachers and proselytizers, as well as spiritual leaders of the slave raiders and hunting parties that patrol the Sinaghari lands.

Lightbringers are the high aristocracy of the Nagthari priests. Taking their title after the duty of Sinaghari's last exarch, the Lightbringers command temples, flocks of faithful Redeemers, and even entire cities. Given broad authority by the High Lightbringer, these priests rule the fractured city-states of the Nagthari and oversee the great works that the High Lightbringer deems important.

Besides Firebrand or Lightbringer, other Nagthari priests who are given special authority or have unusual mastery of divine magic, such as the Illuminators, Nagthar warleaders whose radiant fires purge the faithless and purify the faithful.

All Nagthari priests carry a godshard attuned to the Heart of Fire. These godshards glow with a dull red glare, blazing to life when used to channel the Heart's divine fire.

While rites may vary among the city-states of the Sinaghari, a ritual that is observed by all Sinaghari priests is the blood offering to the Daystar. Each Nagthar priest is expected to drench their godshard with fresh blood at least once each day. This blood may be taken from any source, whether a captive, a freshly slain foe, or even from the priest's own veins. The Nagthari believe that these offerings channel the spark of life within the blood back to the Heart of Fire, slowly but surely filling the godstone with enough energy to resurrect the Shining Lord.

The Hunters
Hunters are the military arm of the Sinagthari. Primarily concerned with holy duty of taking prisoners and slaves for sacrifice to the Heart of Fire. Trained to incapacitate rather than kill, Nagthari hunters use fear, intimidation, and surprise to maximize shock and awe on their slave raids.

Working in well-coordinated raiding parties accompanied by a Firebrand, hunters are trained to strike swiftly against unsuspecting foes. Using surprise to the fullest, hunters close, let fly with any short ranged weapons such as javelins and nets to soften up the opposition, and then engage their enemies, ganging up if possible, striking to subdue rather than kill.

Hunters maintain a fierce appearance, the better to cow their foes. Light armor is preferred, in order to remain mobile, but it is often decorated with beads, bones, and feathers, and garish warpaint. Heavy armor is invariably designed to intimidate, as well as protect, with spikes or blades, and fierce flame motifs. Serviceable and multi-purpose weapons like axes and bludgeons are preferred for battle. Commanders occasionally use more ceremonial weapons reminiscent of flame, such as wavy-bladed swords and axes, or weapons that recall straight and bright shafts of light, such as spears, bows, crossbows.

Each year, the High Lightbringer calls upon the cities of the Sinaghari for offerings. During this Time of Skyfire, the hunters are expected to provide a quota of slaves and prisoners for sacrifice. If this quota cannot be met, the difference is taken from the ranks of the hunters, a fact that inspires them to greater feats of valor.

***

To Do: Playing Sinagthari, consolidation of tech aspects with the fluff of the article.

Why did you change the title from Redeemers: The Sinagthari to Children of the Burning Sun: The Sinagthari?

Just curious. Originally, I used the former title to show it as a series of articles that will continue into future issues, ala Demonomicon and Codex of Betrayal.

Updated Approved Thread.

@BJ: Ah, yes, I was thinking of isolated articles, but I forgot that this would be a series. The title could be redone as:

REDEEMERS
Sinagthari: Children of a Fallen Sun.

We could then use this as the pattern:
REDEEMERS
(Faction name): (Descriptor)

Playing the Sinagthari

Playing a Sinagthari character can present a fun roleplaying challenge. Once a peaceful and gentle people, they must now play the role of despised and rapacious raiders. Nagthari nevertheless provide what appears to be a necessary evil: a means to control the madness of the Wild Sun. Your character’s reaction to this abominable necessity will determine much about his or her adventuring career and outlook on the Nagthari as a whole. Some recommended backgrounds are provided below to give you an idea of possible Sinagthari heroes.

The Loyal Hunter: Your character serves as one of the elite of the Nagthari warriors. Obedient to the commands of the theocracy, hunters may be sent to on slave raids searching for sacrifice, or to seek out relics and lore that the Lightbringers deem important. Armoured by their faith, your hunter is nevertheless still human. How will you react to the atrocities that you may be forced to commit? Where does the loyal hunter draw the line between service to the Shining Lord and service to the Lightbringers?
The Faithful Firebrand: Where the hunters serve through the strength of arms, your Firebrand serves through their strength of faith and will. As a leader among the Sinagthari, your Firebrand is expected to guard the souls of the faithful and perform the rites that empower the Heart of Fire. As with the loyal hunter, your Firebrand’s devotion is continuously tested, not by armed foes, but by the allure of power and the shocking atrocities you must undertake in service of your god and Lightbringer. How far into the darkness are you willing to go in your quest to return the light of Sinaghari to the world?
The Renegade Hunter: You are hunter who has rejected the bloody-handed doctrines of the Lightbringers. The slaughter of thousands cannot be justified, whatever the cause. Breaking from your people, you now use your skills and training in order to protect others from Nagthari slavers. But every time the sun pulses with uncontrollable fire, or dims down into the darkness of the Long Night, you find yourself questioning how many people die from the Sunstorms and Long Nights that your actions cause?
The Heretical Student: Your heretic knows this much: No one, not even the mightiest of the Lightbringers, truly understands the Heart of Fire or its power to channel the divine fire of the Daystar. Sickened by the bloodshed of the Time of Skyfire, you desperately seek another way by which the Heart of Fire can be used to control the Wild Sun’s wrath. Cast out as a heretic, you are ever on the run, but unbound by the strict regimentation of Nagthari society, you have the freedom to go beyond existing dogma. What secrets will you discover as you investigate the mystery that is the Heart of Fire?
The Escaped Slave: Born to slavery or taken by Nagthari slavers, your character has lived a life of hardship and back-breaking labor. With the ever-present threat of sacrifice hanging above you, you have been forced to become fit and develop a survival instinct. Your survivalist nature has proved invaluable ever since you have managed to escape. Now that you are free from your brutal captors, do you flee from your life, plot a desperate revenge, or seek to free more of your fellows from the bonds of the Nagthari.
//EndFluff

THis is just fluff. Tech material should go after this in the article. May still add more data. This is all just background material, not enough yet on culture and society.

Updated Approved Thread

Let me see if I can upload some of my Nagthari creations tonight.

erwin EDIT: BBcode edited.

Nagthar Illuminator

Certain members of the priestly caste of the Sinagthari are particularly adept at channeling the radiant fire of the Daystar through their prayers. Whether due to unusually strong force of will or a strong connection to their godshard, these clerics are skilled at calling down the wrath of the Daystar, using it to incinerate their foes and cleanse their allies of taint and weakness.
Taken under the wings of powerful Lightbringers, these Nagthari are given special training and expanded authority as Illuminators, agents of the Lightbringers and warleaders of the Sinagthari. Whether leading troops into battle, seeking out the taint of evil, or pursuing their own agendas, these Illuminators bring the burning light of the Daystar wherever they go.